Saturday, July 2nd.
Arabella woke up with a smile. The sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze coming through the window. The Aphrodite cabin was pretty empty and Arabella could hear birds in the trees. That's not why Arabella was smiling, though. She was smiling because at 7 that night, Hunter was picking her up for a date. Was she nervous? Of course she was. Her and Hunter had been through a lot in such a short amount of time. They were only going on their first date and they already had so much baggage. But because of that history, Arabella almost felt more comfortable with him. She felt like she could trust him. They were starting over and she was so happy.
Arabella stretched her arms above her head and yawned. She rolled over, getting out of bed and she tugged on the hem of her shorts. It was early in the morning but she was so excited for the night that every second felt like it was an hour. She took a deep breath and tugged on a pair of yoga pants, threw her hair up into a bun and she padded out of the cabin. She was in desperate need of coffee.
The camp seemed pretty quiet for a Saturday morning. Most people were in the mess hall, but a handful of kids were at the arena and Arabella was sure she saw a few of her siblings on the beach. She yawned, walking over to a table and sitting down beside Daniel. "Mmm...coffee" She said with a happy sigh to her cup and smiled when it filled up.
"You seem chipper this morning" Daniel said with a small chuckle and he popped a grape into his mouth.
"Do I?" Arabella smiled, blowing on her coffee to cool it down a bit.
"Yeah, I mean, I know that winning the game last night was great but you seem very, very happy" Daniel said and nudged her "Did I miss something exciting last night?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Arabella rolled her eyes and nudged him with her elbow.
"No, Danny. Get your head out of the gutter" She teased and took a big sip of her coffee.
"Well, what happened?" Daniel asked and Arabella smiled a little bit at the table before looking up at him.
"Hunter asked me out on a date. And I said yes." Arabella told him and squeaked a little bit out of excitement. She wasn't really sure what kind of reaction she was expecting from her brother but she certainly didn't like how he did respond.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Daniel sighed, sounding horrible exasperated. Arabella furrowed her brow and looked over at him, a little confused. "After everything that happened last summer, that happened last summer, you're just gonna go on a date with him?"
"Daniel, that's really not fair-"
"No, it's completely fair! I spent HOURS this past school year, IMing with you when you were sobbing and wishing that things had been different. Hunter made you cry all year and you've been heart broken over him for too damn long" Daniel huffed, pushing his tray away. "He doesn't deserve you and you shouldn't be going on a date with him"
"I don't need your permission, Daniel, and I sure as hell don't need your approval. So shove it" Arabella slammed her cup down on the table and pushed away, storming back up to her cabin, not bothering to look back at her brother. Arabella couldn't believe him. Had her and Hunter been through a lot? Yes. Did she cry over him and how they left things last year? Yes. But why did that mean that they should never five it a try? Arabella was happy and she was excited and she didn't want to let someone ruin her mood.
She didn't stop walking until she got up to her cabin and into her bed. It was a beautiful day, as usual, and all of Arabella's siblings were down by the beach. Arabella couldn't blame them, really, she would be down there with them too but she had too much on her mind. So she cleared off her bed and started to lay out her clothes, trying to find the perfect outfit for her date. Arabella spent the rest of the day in her cabin. She was just so excited and she felt like she had so much to do before that night. So she cleaned her space in her cabin, she cleaned the whole cabin, she organized her trunk, she picked out her clothes for the date and she even had time for a nap.
Arabella checked the clock, chewing on her lip. It was 6:30 and Hunter was going to be picking her up at 7. For the first time that day, Arabella was starting to feel really nervous. She sighed, deciding that it was about time she started to get ready. Everyone from her cabin was down at the mess hall eating supper and Arabella wanted to get dressed before her sisters came in and wanted to voice their opinions on her dress.
Just as she tugged on the navy and white striped dress, Arabella heard the door open. She turned around to see who it was but when she saw that it was Daniel, she huffed and turned her back to him. "You look good" He said in a slightly awkward voice.
"Thank you" Arabella said, still not looking at him. They hadn't spoken since that morning and Arabella wasn't really sure if she forgave him. After a few seconds, Arabella could hear Daniel shuffle over to his bed and sit down. She could still feel his eyes on her but she ignored him and sat down by her makeup mirror, starting to put on her mascara on. There was a few minutes of silence before Arabella couldn't take it anymore.
"You know what, Daniel? I like him" She said and put down her mascara, turning to face him. "I like Hunter, I like him a lot. We might have a bit of a past and we might have a little baggage but it doesn't matter! Because he makes me laugh and he makes me smile and he makes me feel safe and he's warm and kind. I'm going on this date and if it goes well, I'm going on more dates with him and I don't really care if you approve or not." Arabella finished with a huff and she turned away from him, running her fingers through her hair. Daniel was quiet for a long time, watching her struggle as she tried to figure out what to do with your hair.
"Do you want me to do your hair?" He asked her in a low voice. "A sock bun would be nice"
"Yeah, yeah. I guess that would be nice" Arabella said and looked over at him, smiling a small smile. He smiled back and rushed over to bed, getting to work on her hair. They talked while he worked, putting a perfect bun in her hair. There was no need for them to talk about anything, they knew each other too well to fight for very long.
After what felt like forever, there was a knock at the door and Arabella's hear raced. Daniel ran to open it for Hunter while Arabella slipped into her high heels. She was finally going on a date with Hunter and she couldn't be more excited.
Chapter 71 - Hunter and Arabella
Friday, July 1st
Hunter stepped out of the mess hall, stretching slightly. He was loosening up or at least trying to before Capture the Flag. He was a little glad that he hadn't seen Arabella in a little while. Last week's Capture the Flag game was not exactly successful for him due to a small distraction. Now the game was coming up again and he was distracted again and even worse. The more he hung out with Arabella as 'just friends' the harder it was becoming to try and deny the attraction he felt toward her. Now he really just wanted to ask her out and be done with all of this waiting. However, he was absolutely terrified of misreading his relationship with her and then also worried about asking her too early. His mind was racing and now he had another Capture the flag game with only an hour or two to try and clear his mind enough to be at all useful with his team.
"Hunter!" Arabella called, waving to him from outside of the Aphrodite cabin. She smiled and started walking to him, with a little bounce in her step. Arabella had been trying really hard to be Hunter's friend. Did she have feelings for him? Did she want to be more than friends with him? Of course she did. Arabella didn't want to ruin her friendship with Hunter, though, and she needed to push down those feelings so she could just have him in her life. So she tried really hard to be his friend and spend some time with him, getting to know him. Arabella walked over to him now, standing in front of him and putting her hands on her hips. "You ready to lose today?" She asked him with a grin.
When Hunter heard his name, he turned around and saw Arabella walking toward him. Hunter sighed a little bit. As much as he liked seeing her and talking to her, she had to know that there was no way he was going to be able to focus on the game now. "Oh, good. You're preparing yourself. That's smart." He said, patting her shoulder and then unintentionally running his hand down her arm, grazing her skin. Hunter turned toward the forest. "I think it should be good. Hopefully no tricks or anything. Just good old fashioned violence and strategy." He said with a smile.
"And me kicking your butt" Arabella teased with a grin. Her skin was tingling from his touch and she tried her hardest to ignore it. She took a deep breath and put her hands in her pockets, smiling up at Hunter. "Violence and strategy. Just what I needed" Arabella giggled and she glanced around them. "It would be really nice if they put us on the same team for once. We always seem to be on opposing sides. I mean, I'm looking forward to kicking your butt again but still, it would be nice to kick butts together for once"
"I remember pretty distinctly you falling out of a tree and then being chased through the woods more than once." He said with a chuckle. "We barely even saw each other last week. Who knows if we will this week?" He muttered, looking down at his feet. "You better watch out because I'm not going to take it easy on you."
Arabella smacked his arm in a playful way "Hey! Don't be mean" She huffed and started walking away from the cabins, down to the main area of camp. "You should also watch your back. Cause it is on!" She said in a tough voice. It was great being able to joke around with Hunter but when he touched her, when he smiled at her, when he laughed with her, Arabella's stomach did flips. "Do you want to go get some lunch or something before the game?"
Hunter looked at her and cleared his throat. He really, really did want to get lunch, but he was nearing a breaking point. "Uhh...I actually ate already. I was going to go get some practice or warm up or something." Hunter said, looking her in the eye. He quickly moved his face back down to look at his feet, licking his lips nervously. "I'll just see you after the game then." He said, waving and then turning back toward the arena
Arabella watched him walk away and she let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly in a defeated sort of way. She didn't understand why he was running away from her like that. Yeah, he looked a little bit uncomfortable but they were supposed to be friends. Why couldn't he tell her what was wrong? Arabella twisted a piece of hair around her finger and headed towards the mess hall, still thinking about Hunter.
Hunter didn't look back at her. As much as he kind of wanted to just be with her all day, he did of other duties outside of trying to date her. Right now, it was getting ready for Capture the Flag. He went into the arena and drew his sword, grabbing a shield off the rack and squaring off with one of the dummies. He bashed it with his shield and hit a few quick strikes, but even though he was practicing, his mind really wasn't in it. "Maybe I'll just ask her." He said quietly, slashing along the torso of the dummy. "Maybe after the game tonight..." He mumbled.
Arabella stopped and looked around. To be totally honest, she wasn't really hungry anymore. She didn't know where to go or what to do. Part of her, a very large part, wanted to run over to the arena and join Hunter there. She didn't want to annoy him, though. He seemed like he wanted to spend some time alone, for whatever reason. So she took a breath and she walked back to the cabins, sitting down on the stairs of the Aphrodite cabin and nervously played with her fingers, wishing the game would come sooner.
Hunter felt like he had been practicing for hours, anxious for the game to start. When the horn sounded, he bolted out of the arena, not wanting to accidentally bump into Arabella beforehand. He met up with his team, lining up between a couple Ares kids. He looked up and realized that Ethan was one of them. He looked fired up more than anything. He looked at Hunter and gave a short nod before turning forward again. Hunter sighed a little, wondering if Ethan had noticed what's been going on between Hunter and Arabella the past couple days. He didn't get much of a chance to think about this, before the horn sounded again, starting the game.
When the horn sounded, Arabella took off into the woods. She loved being out there with the wind in her hair. It felt so good to be running through trees, hiding from Ares kids, charmspeaking boys into walking away from her. It just felt good to have her mind off of Hunter for five seconds. It seemed like every time she turned around, something was there to remind her of Hunter and how badly she wanted to be more than friends with him. When she was running through the trees, however, she could focus on the game. It felt great. Arabella tore through the woods, skipping over logs and rocks. She was hoping to find a clearing soon, somewhere to hide and watch for campers.
Hunter took off through the woods, the two Ares campers, plowing a hold through the foliage and making a trail easy enough to follow. Hunter simply followed them and when they split, so did he, going straight when they turned off. As Hunter crossed the boundary, he slowed way down, keeping his sword drawn as he moved through some of the woods, taking his time and keeping his eyes wide open. He bashed an Apollo camper's helmet then kicked another one in the stomach, improvising some kind of wrestling move he had seen while watching it with his cousin a few months ago. The kid fell and Hunter took off, clotheslining a child of Demeter and turning around a tree, running right into Arabella, knocking her on her back and then stumbling as he backed up, falling awkwardly on his ass. "Dammit..." He grumbled, looking for his sword which had fallen out of his hand.
Arabella fell backwards with a little squeak. She didn't want to lose the game anymore and she didn't want to be saved anymore. As quickly as she could, Arabella flipped over and jumped up on her feet, turning to see who she bumped into, praying to the gods that it wasn't Ethan. When she turned around and saw Hunter, however, her heart started to slow down to a normal heart rate. "Hunter" She gasped, a little out of breath from the running. "Give me your sword" She told him with a grin, putting all over her energy into the words.
Hunter stood up and gave her his sword, like it was the easiest decision he'd ever made. As soon as it left his hand, he sighed and looked at her for a moment, rubbing his eyes. "That's so unfair. Complete unfair advantage." He said angrily. "No matter how many locks I can pick or how many pockets I pick or how good I am at sleight-of-hand, I will never be able to match that." He said with a shrug. "Okay, if you're going to knock me out just make it quick." He said, dropping to his knees and turning around.
Arabella giggled "My goodness, you give up fast. I just have your sword and I'm half your size" She teased, holding his sword at her side. Arabella paused for a moment, smiling at him for no other reason than the fact that being around Hunter made her smile. "Come on. You are going to jail, mister" She finally said and she walked up to him, grabbing his wrist and giving him a little tug to try and get him up.
Hunter rolled his eyes a little, standing up, trying to not think about how close they were to holding hands. "I would almost prefer that you just knock me out. Jail is such a...it's embarrassing. Come on." He said, looking over at Arabella. "What if I just over-powered you?" He said, facing her, stepping closer to tower over her.
Arabella turned so that she was facing him, still holding his wrist in her hand. She didn't realize how close he was to her and ended up being just a few inches away from him. Her heart started to race and the butterflies in her stomach went wild. But she cleared her throat, trying to remain calm and cool. "I would charmspeak you into sleeping so fast, you wouldn't have a chance to over-power me" She teased, giving him a wink.
Hunter narrowed his eyes slightly before sighing, running his fingers through his hair. "Well, then take me to jail. I will submit." He said, putting his hands up in surrender. He looked down at her for another moment, licking his lips nervously before moving away and following her. After a few moments, she seemed to be a little turned around. Hunter cleared his throat. "Did you...Do you know where the jail is?"
"Yes! I know where it is!" Arabella huffed but she furrowed her brow in confusion, looking around to try and find out where she was. She ahd run too far and now she was pretty lost. But she wasn't about to admit that to Hunter. "It's not far from here. We'll get there eventually. I'm just...taking the scenic route" She said with a wave of her hand. She walked with him for a little bit but she soon realized that they were going in circles. She was lost and she was starting to really not like it. Arabella groaned and turned to look at Hunter "Okay. Fine. I might be a little bit lost. Want to help me find the jail?" She asked him, smiling up at him and batting her eyelashes.
Hunter took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. "I don't really have a choice, do I?" He asked quietly. Hunter nodded his head in a direction and started walking slowly. He looked around a little bit as he walked and found it to be quiet. They were in a small clearing and it didn't seem like there was anyone around and as soon as Hunter noticed that he slowed down, glancing back at Arabella. "Hey, uhh...Since we're alone, I was thinking...Well, I was wondering if uh..." Hunter sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I think you and...I think...Did you want to...uh.." He stammered, staring down at his feet.
Arabella looked up at him with wide eyes. Was he going to say what she thought he was going to say, what she hoped he was going to say? She bit her bottom lip, waiting for him to say what he needed to say. She had to stay calm and let him say it when he was able to say it. Arabella let out a little breath, waiting for him and listening to him stumble over his words. Finally, she lost her patience and she huffed. "Oh, would you just spit it out!" She said, not realizing that she had used her charmspeak until it was too late.
"Would you go to dinner with me tomorrow?" He blurted out, finding himself a little out of breath like the sentence took his breath with it. His eyes widened and he slowly looked up, locking eyes with her not sure what he had just done. Hunter opened his mouth and looked down again. "Sorry. I mean, it's probably too early. I don't know what I was thinking..." He said, covering his eyes with his hand. "I'm sorry. Just forget I said anything."
Arabella didn't realize that she was holding her breath at first. Hunter had did it. He asked her out on a date. He wanted to go to dinner with her. Arabella froze for a moment, thinking it over while he talked. She wanted to go with him, she did. A small part of her worried about it because of their past but she shook herself out of it. She wanted to be with Hunter. What would one date hurt, anyway? "Hunter" Arabella said, trying to get him to stop talking and look at her. "Yes. I would love to go to dinner with you" She told him, smiling up at him.
Hunter felt his breath catch up to him and he cleared his throat, his cheeks turning bright red. "Oh, well...Okay..." He said, not sure what to do for a moment. "That's...That's great!" He said with a smile. He stood there wringing his hands, taking a step closer toward her, thinking about hugging her, then changing into a handshake then just pulling back altogether. "I'll uh...I'll pick you up at...7?" He said, not sure what to do.
Arabella smiled, her cheeks felt hot but she didn't care. Hunter had finally asked her out and she had said yes. They were finally going to try at being more than friends without secrets and lies and misunderstandings. Arabella smiled up at him, loving the way that he stumbled over his words and tried to decide between a handshake or a hug. It was adorable and it was endearing and Arabella was thrilled that she was going on a date with him. She didn't even care about the game anymore. "7 sounds great to me" She said with a little nod then practically jumped at him, hugging him tightly.
Hunter hugged her back, lifting her up a little bit. He set her back down and let his hands move to her sides as he locked eyes with her. He felt his heart skip a beat as he smiled widely. "This is really great." He said, moving a little bit closer. "You know why?" She giggled a little bit. "Because now I can do this." He said before grabbing his sword from her and then quickly taking off away from her.
"Dammit!" Arabella shouted, laughing, and she ran off after him. She really didn't care about winning or losing the game at this point. She just wanted to spend some time with Hunter and she was really looking forward to sitting at the fire with him. "Hunter!" She called to him, jumping over a log and running through the woods.
"What?" He shouted back, turning around. He continued to run backwards, smiling at her, but he wasn't paying attention when his foot caught on a tree root and he fell right back, groaning quietly as he looked up at the sky through the trees. "That was such a stupid idea..." He said as Arabella appeared over him, laughing her head off.
Arabella leaned her hand against a nearby tree, trying to catch her breath through her giggles. "You make this too easy sometimes, Hunter Reed" Arabella teased "I could easily charmspeak you into giving me your sword and dancing like a money, but I'm too nice-" She said but she was cut off when the horn sounded. Arabella raised an eyebrow and smiled down at Hunter "I wonder who won. Probably my team. We're pretty awesome" She said, offering her hand to help him up.
Hunter sighed and closed his eyes a moment. He sighed then looked up at her, grabbing her hand and then pretending to pull her down, but he stood, moving a little close to her as he regained his balance. He really liked being close to her and feeling the warmth she gave off. He put his hands gently on her shoulders then reached back, lifting his foot. "It feels like I have a tree in my shoe." He said, picking out a few twigs. "Thanks." He said with a smile, sheathing his sword and starting to walk out of the forest.
"You are so mean" Arabella huffed, brushing her hands off on her jeans. She skipped up so that she was walking beside him and smiled a little bit to herself. Arabella gave him a little nudge and folded her arms across her chest as they walked towards the edge of the woods. "So, do you know where we're going tomorrow? I need to know how I'm supposed to dress for this dinner" She asked him in a light tone.
Hunter looked at her and he started to worry a little bit. "I have no idea." He said quietly. "I honestly wasn't sure if you would say yes and I don't think I thought this far ahead." He said, standing still and covering his face in his hands. "I feel like such an idiot. I'm so sorry." He said, pulling away from her a little bit.
Arabella took a step closer to him and she pulled his hands away from his face. "It's okay, really. It's totally fine. We'll find out where to go when we leave" She told him and smiled at him for a moment before leaning forward and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Now, what do you say we go and celebrate what I'm sure is my team's victory?"
Hunter stood there frozen for a long moment. Arabella and he had kissed before and she had kissed him and she had kissed him on the cheek, but everything seemed so different now. They were actually dating. Well, were going to be dating. Well, we're going on a date. It took Arabella nudging him slightly for him to start moving again and he didn't even hear her question. He just continued back toward camp and cleared his throat a little bit, licking his lips nervously.
Arabella smiled up at him, feeling really rather giddy. They were finally going out on a date, a real date and there was nothing that they had to hide or lie about or worry about. Just the two of them going out for dinner. As the two of them walked out of the woods, Arabella looked around to try and see what was going on. She opened her mouth to day something but was quickly interrupted.
"Arabella! We won!" Daniel's voice called to her and she felt him running into her, hugging her.
"Ha! We won!" Arabella turned and grinned up at Hunter then stuck her tongue out at him. "Told you"
Hunter narrowed his eyes toward her smiling. "Go ahead. Keep bragging. We'll see what happens next week." He said, nudging her side. Hunter looked over and saw Marina, Jake, and Kyle out of the woods, looking tired. Hunter looked over at Arabella and cleared his throat. "Uhh...I'm go...Is it okay if I..." He stammered, pointing toward Jake and the other two. He shook his head and then hurried over toward Jake.
Hunter stepped out of the mess hall, stretching slightly. He was loosening up or at least trying to before Capture the Flag. He was a little glad that he hadn't seen Arabella in a little while. Last week's Capture the Flag game was not exactly successful for him due to a small distraction. Now the game was coming up again and he was distracted again and even worse. The more he hung out with Arabella as 'just friends' the harder it was becoming to try and deny the attraction he felt toward her. Now he really just wanted to ask her out and be done with all of this waiting. However, he was absolutely terrified of misreading his relationship with her and then also worried about asking her too early. His mind was racing and now he had another Capture the flag game with only an hour or two to try and clear his mind enough to be at all useful with his team.
"Hunter!" Arabella called, waving to him from outside of the Aphrodite cabin. She smiled and started walking to him, with a little bounce in her step. Arabella had been trying really hard to be Hunter's friend. Did she have feelings for him? Did she want to be more than friends with him? Of course she did. Arabella didn't want to ruin her friendship with Hunter, though, and she needed to push down those feelings so she could just have him in her life. So she tried really hard to be his friend and spend some time with him, getting to know him. Arabella walked over to him now, standing in front of him and putting her hands on her hips. "You ready to lose today?" She asked him with a grin.
When Hunter heard his name, he turned around and saw Arabella walking toward him. Hunter sighed a little bit. As much as he liked seeing her and talking to her, she had to know that there was no way he was going to be able to focus on the game now. "Oh, good. You're preparing yourself. That's smart." He said, patting her shoulder and then unintentionally running his hand down her arm, grazing her skin. Hunter turned toward the forest. "I think it should be good. Hopefully no tricks or anything. Just good old fashioned violence and strategy." He said with a smile.
"And me kicking your butt" Arabella teased with a grin. Her skin was tingling from his touch and she tried her hardest to ignore it. She took a deep breath and put her hands in her pockets, smiling up at Hunter. "Violence and strategy. Just what I needed" Arabella giggled and she glanced around them. "It would be really nice if they put us on the same team for once. We always seem to be on opposing sides. I mean, I'm looking forward to kicking your butt again but still, it would be nice to kick butts together for once"
"I remember pretty distinctly you falling out of a tree and then being chased through the woods more than once." He said with a chuckle. "We barely even saw each other last week. Who knows if we will this week?" He muttered, looking down at his feet. "You better watch out because I'm not going to take it easy on you."
Arabella smacked his arm in a playful way "Hey! Don't be mean" She huffed and started walking away from the cabins, down to the main area of camp. "You should also watch your back. Cause it is on!" She said in a tough voice. It was great being able to joke around with Hunter but when he touched her, when he smiled at her, when he laughed with her, Arabella's stomach did flips. "Do you want to go get some lunch or something before the game?"
Hunter looked at her and cleared his throat. He really, really did want to get lunch, but he was nearing a breaking point. "Uhh...I actually ate already. I was going to go get some practice or warm up or something." Hunter said, looking her in the eye. He quickly moved his face back down to look at his feet, licking his lips nervously. "I'll just see you after the game then." He said, waving and then turning back toward the arena
Arabella watched him walk away and she let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly in a defeated sort of way. She didn't understand why he was running away from her like that. Yeah, he looked a little bit uncomfortable but they were supposed to be friends. Why couldn't he tell her what was wrong? Arabella twisted a piece of hair around her finger and headed towards the mess hall, still thinking about Hunter.
Hunter didn't look back at her. As much as he kind of wanted to just be with her all day, he did of other duties outside of trying to date her. Right now, it was getting ready for Capture the Flag. He went into the arena and drew his sword, grabbing a shield off the rack and squaring off with one of the dummies. He bashed it with his shield and hit a few quick strikes, but even though he was practicing, his mind really wasn't in it. "Maybe I'll just ask her." He said quietly, slashing along the torso of the dummy. "Maybe after the game tonight..." He mumbled.
Arabella stopped and looked around. To be totally honest, she wasn't really hungry anymore. She didn't know where to go or what to do. Part of her, a very large part, wanted to run over to the arena and join Hunter there. She didn't want to annoy him, though. He seemed like he wanted to spend some time alone, for whatever reason. So she took a breath and she walked back to the cabins, sitting down on the stairs of the Aphrodite cabin and nervously played with her fingers, wishing the game would come sooner.
Hunter felt like he had been practicing for hours, anxious for the game to start. When the horn sounded, he bolted out of the arena, not wanting to accidentally bump into Arabella beforehand. He met up with his team, lining up between a couple Ares kids. He looked up and realized that Ethan was one of them. He looked fired up more than anything. He looked at Hunter and gave a short nod before turning forward again. Hunter sighed a little, wondering if Ethan had noticed what's been going on between Hunter and Arabella the past couple days. He didn't get much of a chance to think about this, before the horn sounded again, starting the game.
When the horn sounded, Arabella took off into the woods. She loved being out there with the wind in her hair. It felt so good to be running through trees, hiding from Ares kids, charmspeaking boys into walking away from her. It just felt good to have her mind off of Hunter for five seconds. It seemed like every time she turned around, something was there to remind her of Hunter and how badly she wanted to be more than friends with him. When she was running through the trees, however, she could focus on the game. It felt great. Arabella tore through the woods, skipping over logs and rocks. She was hoping to find a clearing soon, somewhere to hide and watch for campers.
Hunter took off through the woods, the two Ares campers, plowing a hold through the foliage and making a trail easy enough to follow. Hunter simply followed them and when they split, so did he, going straight when they turned off. As Hunter crossed the boundary, he slowed way down, keeping his sword drawn as he moved through some of the woods, taking his time and keeping his eyes wide open. He bashed an Apollo camper's helmet then kicked another one in the stomach, improvising some kind of wrestling move he had seen while watching it with his cousin a few months ago. The kid fell and Hunter took off, clotheslining a child of Demeter and turning around a tree, running right into Arabella, knocking her on her back and then stumbling as he backed up, falling awkwardly on his ass. "Dammit..." He grumbled, looking for his sword which had fallen out of his hand.
Arabella fell backwards with a little squeak. She didn't want to lose the game anymore and she didn't want to be saved anymore. As quickly as she could, Arabella flipped over and jumped up on her feet, turning to see who she bumped into, praying to the gods that it wasn't Ethan. When she turned around and saw Hunter, however, her heart started to slow down to a normal heart rate. "Hunter" She gasped, a little out of breath from the running. "Give me your sword" She told him with a grin, putting all over her energy into the words.
Hunter stood up and gave her his sword, like it was the easiest decision he'd ever made. As soon as it left his hand, he sighed and looked at her for a moment, rubbing his eyes. "That's so unfair. Complete unfair advantage." He said angrily. "No matter how many locks I can pick or how many pockets I pick or how good I am at sleight-of-hand, I will never be able to match that." He said with a shrug. "Okay, if you're going to knock me out just make it quick." He said, dropping to his knees and turning around.
Arabella giggled "My goodness, you give up fast. I just have your sword and I'm half your size" She teased, holding his sword at her side. Arabella paused for a moment, smiling at him for no other reason than the fact that being around Hunter made her smile. "Come on. You are going to jail, mister" She finally said and she walked up to him, grabbing his wrist and giving him a little tug to try and get him up.
Hunter rolled his eyes a little, standing up, trying to not think about how close they were to holding hands. "I would almost prefer that you just knock me out. Jail is such a...it's embarrassing. Come on." He said, looking over at Arabella. "What if I just over-powered you?" He said, facing her, stepping closer to tower over her.
Arabella turned so that she was facing him, still holding his wrist in her hand. She didn't realize how close he was to her and ended up being just a few inches away from him. Her heart started to race and the butterflies in her stomach went wild. But she cleared her throat, trying to remain calm and cool. "I would charmspeak you into sleeping so fast, you wouldn't have a chance to over-power me" She teased, giving him a wink.
Hunter narrowed his eyes slightly before sighing, running his fingers through his hair. "Well, then take me to jail. I will submit." He said, putting his hands up in surrender. He looked down at her for another moment, licking his lips nervously before moving away and following her. After a few moments, she seemed to be a little turned around. Hunter cleared his throat. "Did you...Do you know where the jail is?"
"Yes! I know where it is!" Arabella huffed but she furrowed her brow in confusion, looking around to try and find out where she was. She ahd run too far and now she was pretty lost. But she wasn't about to admit that to Hunter. "It's not far from here. We'll get there eventually. I'm just...taking the scenic route" She said with a wave of her hand. She walked with him for a little bit but she soon realized that they were going in circles. She was lost and she was starting to really not like it. Arabella groaned and turned to look at Hunter "Okay. Fine. I might be a little bit lost. Want to help me find the jail?" She asked him, smiling up at him and batting her eyelashes.
Hunter took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. "I don't really have a choice, do I?" He asked quietly. Hunter nodded his head in a direction and started walking slowly. He looked around a little bit as he walked and found it to be quiet. They were in a small clearing and it didn't seem like there was anyone around and as soon as Hunter noticed that he slowed down, glancing back at Arabella. "Hey, uhh...Since we're alone, I was thinking...Well, I was wondering if uh..." Hunter sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I think you and...I think...Did you want to...uh.." He stammered, staring down at his feet.
Arabella looked up at him with wide eyes. Was he going to say what she thought he was going to say, what she hoped he was going to say? She bit her bottom lip, waiting for him to say what he needed to say. She had to stay calm and let him say it when he was able to say it. Arabella let out a little breath, waiting for him and listening to him stumble over his words. Finally, she lost her patience and she huffed. "Oh, would you just spit it out!" She said, not realizing that she had used her charmspeak until it was too late.
"Would you go to dinner with me tomorrow?" He blurted out, finding himself a little out of breath like the sentence took his breath with it. His eyes widened and he slowly looked up, locking eyes with her not sure what he had just done. Hunter opened his mouth and looked down again. "Sorry. I mean, it's probably too early. I don't know what I was thinking..." He said, covering his eyes with his hand. "I'm sorry. Just forget I said anything."
Arabella didn't realize that she was holding her breath at first. Hunter had did it. He asked her out on a date. He wanted to go to dinner with her. Arabella froze for a moment, thinking it over while he talked. She wanted to go with him, she did. A small part of her worried about it because of their past but she shook herself out of it. She wanted to be with Hunter. What would one date hurt, anyway? "Hunter" Arabella said, trying to get him to stop talking and look at her. "Yes. I would love to go to dinner with you" She told him, smiling up at him.
Hunter felt his breath catch up to him and he cleared his throat, his cheeks turning bright red. "Oh, well...Okay..." He said, not sure what to do for a moment. "That's...That's great!" He said with a smile. He stood there wringing his hands, taking a step closer toward her, thinking about hugging her, then changing into a handshake then just pulling back altogether. "I'll uh...I'll pick you up at...7?" He said, not sure what to do.
Arabella smiled, her cheeks felt hot but she didn't care. Hunter had finally asked her out and she had said yes. They were finally going to try at being more than friends without secrets and lies and misunderstandings. Arabella smiled up at him, loving the way that he stumbled over his words and tried to decide between a handshake or a hug. It was adorable and it was endearing and Arabella was thrilled that she was going on a date with him. She didn't even care about the game anymore. "7 sounds great to me" She said with a little nod then practically jumped at him, hugging him tightly.
Hunter hugged her back, lifting her up a little bit. He set her back down and let his hands move to her sides as he locked eyes with her. He felt his heart skip a beat as he smiled widely. "This is really great." He said, moving a little bit closer. "You know why?" She giggled a little bit. "Because now I can do this." He said before grabbing his sword from her and then quickly taking off away from her.
"Dammit!" Arabella shouted, laughing, and she ran off after him. She really didn't care about winning or losing the game at this point. She just wanted to spend some time with Hunter and she was really looking forward to sitting at the fire with him. "Hunter!" She called to him, jumping over a log and running through the woods.
"What?" He shouted back, turning around. He continued to run backwards, smiling at her, but he wasn't paying attention when his foot caught on a tree root and he fell right back, groaning quietly as he looked up at the sky through the trees. "That was such a stupid idea..." He said as Arabella appeared over him, laughing her head off.
Arabella leaned her hand against a nearby tree, trying to catch her breath through her giggles. "You make this too easy sometimes, Hunter Reed" Arabella teased "I could easily charmspeak you into giving me your sword and dancing like a money, but I'm too nice-" She said but she was cut off when the horn sounded. Arabella raised an eyebrow and smiled down at Hunter "I wonder who won. Probably my team. We're pretty awesome" She said, offering her hand to help him up.
Hunter sighed and closed his eyes a moment. He sighed then looked up at her, grabbing her hand and then pretending to pull her down, but he stood, moving a little close to her as he regained his balance. He really liked being close to her and feeling the warmth she gave off. He put his hands gently on her shoulders then reached back, lifting his foot. "It feels like I have a tree in my shoe." He said, picking out a few twigs. "Thanks." He said with a smile, sheathing his sword and starting to walk out of the forest.
"You are so mean" Arabella huffed, brushing her hands off on her jeans. She skipped up so that she was walking beside him and smiled a little bit to herself. Arabella gave him a little nudge and folded her arms across her chest as they walked towards the edge of the woods. "So, do you know where we're going tomorrow? I need to know how I'm supposed to dress for this dinner" She asked him in a light tone.
Hunter looked at her and he started to worry a little bit. "I have no idea." He said quietly. "I honestly wasn't sure if you would say yes and I don't think I thought this far ahead." He said, standing still and covering his face in his hands. "I feel like such an idiot. I'm so sorry." He said, pulling away from her a little bit.
Arabella took a step closer to him and she pulled his hands away from his face. "It's okay, really. It's totally fine. We'll find out where to go when we leave" She told him and smiled at him for a moment before leaning forward and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Now, what do you say we go and celebrate what I'm sure is my team's victory?"
Hunter stood there frozen for a long moment. Arabella and he had kissed before and she had kissed him and she had kissed him on the cheek, but everything seemed so different now. They were actually dating. Well, were going to be dating. Well, we're going on a date. It took Arabella nudging him slightly for him to start moving again and he didn't even hear her question. He just continued back toward camp and cleared his throat a little bit, licking his lips nervously.
Arabella smiled up at him, feeling really rather giddy. They were finally going out on a date, a real date and there was nothing that they had to hide or lie about or worry about. Just the two of them going out for dinner. As the two of them walked out of the woods, Arabella looked around to try and see what was going on. She opened her mouth to day something but was quickly interrupted.
"Arabella! We won!" Daniel's voice called to her and she felt him running into her, hugging her.
"Ha! We won!" Arabella turned and grinned up at Hunter then stuck her tongue out at him. "Told you"
Hunter narrowed his eyes toward her smiling. "Go ahead. Keep bragging. We'll see what happens next week." He said, nudging her side. Hunter looked over and saw Marina, Jake, and Kyle out of the woods, looking tired. Hunter looked over at Arabella and cleared his throat. "Uhh...I'm go...Is it okay if I..." He stammered, pointing toward Jake and the other two. He shook his head and then hurried over toward Jake.
Chapter 70: Hunter and Arabella
??????day, June something or other date I don't remember blah blah
Hunter woke up early. He truly only had one thing on his mind and that was the fact that everyone that left comes back to camp for the summer. Jake. Marina. Kyle. Arabella. His eyes opened and he turned his head quickly, checking that the letter with her name written in big letters was on his nightstand, ready to be delivered. He sat up, swinging his legs off his bed and rubbed his face, trying to wake up. His dreams mostly consisted of what he was going to say to everyone when he saw them. Arabella was one of the more prominent people in his imagination lately. She had been placed on the backburner for a little while, but as summer moved closer and closer, she moved forward more and more. He slipped on a t-shirt and pulled on a pair of jeans then grabbed his shoes and the letter, tucking it into his back pocket as he exited the cabin, pulling on his shoes clumsily and finally exiting into the circle of cabins, his eyes quickly fixing onto Aphrodite cabin.
Arabella anxiously drummed her fingers on her knee, staring out of the window in the back of the car. She was nervous about getting back to camp, especially after what had happened last summer. Things back home had been pretty difficult, though, and she was looking forward to getting away from it all. The car ride towards Camp Half Blood felt like it had doubled in length since the last time she had gone that way. When the car parked, Arabella practically jumped out and grabbed her bags. No matter how nervous she might be, camp was her home and she was happy to be making her way up Half-Blood Hill.
Hunter's stomach grumbled and he lightly tapped the letter on his palm as he kept an eye out for her golden blonde hair to come over the hill. He had been passed by a few Aphrodite campers who gave him odd looks as he leaned up against the porch railing, waiting to give her this letter.
"Hunter?" He turned and saw Brooke coming out of her cabin. She was dressed in a yellow tanktop, her red hair grown out since the two of them had dated and was now in a tight pony tail behind her head.
"Oh...Hey, Brooke." He said quietly. "Sorry. I'm just...I'm waiting for someone." He said, turning back toward the hill. Brooke stepped off the porch and then faced him, slipping her hands into the back pockets of her short jean shorts.
"Hunter, I've...I've actually been meaning to talk to you. For a while now." She said, looking down at her feet. "Really, about a month after we broke up." She says, shifting from foot to foot. Hunter looked over at her, arching an eyebrow.
"Is something wrong?"
"I just...I wanted to apologize. I did a bit of soul searching after I...kicked you out of my cabin and I'm really sorry. For everything." Hunter opened his mouth to speak then looked back just as he saw a head of golden blonde hair moving down the hill toward him. Hunter stood up straight and turned toward Arabella, putting his back toward Brooke. "Hunter?"
"Huh? No. Yeah. That's fine." He said then shook himself and turned toward her. "It's okay. I'm not sure we were really kind of on the same page with that relationship." He said with a quiet chuckle. They smiled at each other and Hunter took a deep breath. "Friends?" He said, extending his hand. She let out a quiet sigh and then moved forward hugging him around the neck. Hunter hugged her back and pulled away and turned around to come face-to-face with Arabella. "Uhh..." Was all that he could manage.
Arabella saw that Brooke was hugging someone but she couldn't really tell who it was. He looked familiar and she was sure that she knew him but she couldn't really place it. The whole thing really kind of made her a little bit uneasy. She didn't like feeling like she knew someone but wasn't sure if she was right or not. Arabella took a deep breath, fixing her bag on her shoulder and walked towards the cabin. She was looking forward to crashing in her bed. She was just about to walk past Brooke and the guy when he turned around and faced her. It was Hunter. He looked different. His hair was still short but he wasn't as buff as he used to be and Arabella liked it. Last summer, it was a little over the top. Now, however, he looked healthy and he looked good. Arabella gasped a little bit, frozen, unsure of what to say. She opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was a little squeak.
Hunter looked at her then down at the letter, as all of his rehearsal disappeared from his mind and he was now trying to figure out what to do with this letter that he was holding. "I..." He mumbled as he noticed Brooke move next to him. Hunter looked over at her then Arabella then finally shook himself. "Here." he said, fairly succinctly. "Just uh...read it. Welcome back to camp." He said, offering a quick smile before moving in for a hug then stopping and extending his hand then lifting it and waving at her and then nodding toward Brooke before hurrying toward the mess hall.
Arabella watched Hunter walk away, looked over at Brooke and then glanced down at the letter in her hand. She was confused and she didn't know how she was supposed to feel. Her and Hunter were finally seeing each other again and that was all that they said? She didn't even speak to him! The last time she had seen him, things had ended in a terrible way and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to talk to him now.Part of her wanted to run after her and hug him and ask him if they could start over. She wasn't really sure how that would go over, though. So, she turned to Brooke and gave her a little smile. "It's good to see you, Brooke. You look great" Arabella said, more as a formality than anything else.
"Thanks! So do you! We have so much to talk about and catch up on. It's been so long since we talked" Brooke said with a big grin and it took everything Arabella had not to look at her with a face that screamed 'Huh?!'
Hunter put his hands on his cheeks to try and make them cool down. That had not gone down exactly as he had hoped and now he was officially running away from her. He was thinking about what he had written in the letter and now he was panicking that maybe she didn't say anything because she was mad at him. She had every right to be, really. Hunter moved into the mess hall and got in line, getting some food. He found a spot at his table and quietly sat eating, hoping that the blood started flowing away from his cheeks and back down to his hands which were shivering and cold.
"Uhm..yeah, that sounds really good, Brooke" Arabella said to her, trying to return her smile. Brooke looked like she wanted to talk to Arabella right in that moment but all Arabella could think about was the letter that was in her hand. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she could swear she felt the heat from Hunter's hand still on the paper. "I gotta go unpack and maybe have a bit of a nap. See you at the fire tonight" Arabella said and she ducked into the cabin before Brooke could stop her. Already this summer was starting to look a little strange. Arabella walked back to her bed, happy that the cabin was empty. Clearly, all of her siblings were out by the water, getting their tans. she let out a sigh, putting down her bags and she sunk down onto her bed. The letter in her hands seemed to be screaming at her. What did he have to say to her? She thought back to all of the letters that she gave to him and her hands started shaking. She was afraid to open the letter. Finally, she tore open the paper and pulled out the paper. Nervously, Arabella read the letter, not sure how she was supposed to feel. She wasn't sure how she did feel. Having some part of Hunter, even if it was just his words, made her heart swell. He wanted to start fresh. He wanted to be her friend. He forgave her. Arabella forgave him a long time ago and she was glad to see that he felt the same way.
She stood up and glanced down at her outfit. Arabella had been dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a tee shirt. It wasn't enough. Arabella dug through her bag, pulling out a pair of jean shorts and a camp shirt that she had altered and turned into a loose tank top. She slipped into a pair of white Keds and pulled her hair out of the bun, letting the blonde waves fall over her shoulders and she headed out of her cabin, looking for Hunter.
Hunter was in the middle of eating. He was keeping his head down for the most part and he only lifted it finally when he noticed someone sit down across from him.
"I knew I recognized that ashamed food hunch." Jake said, laughing at the surprise on Hunter's face. Hunter shook himself and nervously licked his lips.
"Jake. When did you get here?"
"Oh, just now." He said, starting to eat. He swallowed and then cleared his throat. "Still a big kicked puppy assface?"
"Uhh...No. I figured that each group of people only needs one of those." Hunter said, taking a deep breath. "I couldn't outdo you anyway."
"Oh, I've missed this. I really have."
Arabella was nervous about finding Hunter but she didn't know why. She read his letter, she knew how he felt. For some reason, she was still nervous about seeing him. Arabella looked around the cabins, trying to see if she could see him at his cabin. She saw a few people that she knew but she never saw him, so she let out a huff and walked away, towards the rest of the camp. Arabella looked into the arena but it was full of Ares kids, so she turned and walked towards the mess hall. As soon as she walked in, she saw Jake sitting down across from Hunter. Her stomach started doing flips but the last thing she wanted to do was turn around. She needed to see him. Arabella took a deep breath and walked towards the table, trying to look confident but she was nervously twisting her fingers together.
Hunter finished off his food and then grabbed his cup, finishing off the last few drops of soda. He stood and carefully moved away from the table, turning around slightly and bumping right into someone. He put his arms gently around them to make sure they didn't fall, but when he looked up he saw a mess of blonde hair, now covering a familiarly beautiful face. He pulled away from Arabella and licked his lips nervously, trying to resist the urge to brush the hair out of her face for her.
"Hey, Arabella! How was your school year?" Jake said with a wave.
Arabella looked up at Hunter, trying to stop herself from blushing but it wasn't working. She looked at him probably a second too long then turned towards Jake, moving her hair out of her eyes. "Hey, Jake. It's really good to see you" She said and she glanced back at Hunter, her heart racing. Arabella gave him a small smile before looking over at Jake again. She took a piece of cheese off of his plate and smiled at him. "School was good" She said, trying to act like she wasn't fazed or anything but she was really kind of embarrassed bout bumping into Hunter.
Hunter stood for a second then sat back down next to Arabella, trying to give her some space. He looked over at her when she mentioned school. He wondered if she knew how many times he would go and watch her eat lunch debating whether or not to talk to her. He took a deep breath and looked down at his tray nervously. He wasn't sure how possible this 'starting over' idea was going to last at this rate.
"Oh, Arabella. I took your advice." Jake said, taking a big bite of jello. "Tracy. That girl that I was dating on and off etc. Yeah. I talked to her about why our relationships never last and if this is actually going somewhere." He swallowed his jello. "It turns out Tracy and I won't be dating anymore."
Arabella gave Jake a sad smile and she let out a little sigh. "I'm sorry, Jake. A break up is never easy" She said. She was happy that he ended things with that girl but she knew that he was probably a little upset about it, even if he wasn't owning up to it yet. Arabella bit her lip and glanced over at Hunter. As glad as she was to see Jake, she really wanted to talk to Hunter alone for a little bit. "How-how was your year, Hunter?" She asked him in a softer voice than she intended.
Hunter didn't notice that she had said his name until he felt Jake kick him from under the table. Hunter looked up from his try and then at Jake. "Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry. My year was uneventful." He said plainly. "I mean, I...I finally got my drivers license. I uh...Did a lot of reading." He said quietly, glancing over at Arabella, blushing softly. "Lost a lot of weight, too."
"Welcome back to the land of the lanky and overlooked, my friend." Jake said with a laugh, offering a toast. Hunter laughed and then clinked his glass with Jake's.
Arabella giggled a little bit, covering her mouth with her hand. She glanced over at Hunter, looking at him with apologetic eyes. It felt really good to laugh with them again. Sure, it felt like something was off and Arabella knew that she just needed to talk to Hunter and get things figured out but for now, laughing with him and Jake. She leaned towards Hunter a tiny bit "Could we talk? Alone?" she asked him softly.
Hunter looked over at Arabella and immediately his stomach clenched, his heart sped up, and his cheeks reddened once again. "Uh...yeah...sure..." He said quietly before nodding toward Jake and standing up. "I'm going to go for a walk." Hunter said before waving at Jake. "I'll see you back at the cabin, probably." He said before turning to leave, looking back at Arabella for a moment as she got up.
Arabella stood up, her stomach doing nervous flips. She waved at Jake, smiling a little before turning back to Hunter. She didn't really know where they were going to walk and she really didn't care, she just knew that she had to talk to him and get things figured out. This waiting and wondering was killing her. She took a small breath and shoved her hands into her back pockets. "So....you got your driver's license? That must be awesome"
Hunter furrowed his eyebrows at her. She wanted to talk about his driver's license? Really? "Uhh...Yeah. Not much good it'll do me out here, but whenever I go home, it lets me get out of the house on my own, you know?" He said with a nod, looking over at her as they walked slowly toward the beach.
"Hunter!" Hunter looked over and saw Brooke running toward him. She was dressed in a pair of short jean shorts and a white t-shirt, tied in a know to show off a little bit of her stomach. "Oh. And Arabella. Listen, some of us were going to go for a swim. Do you two want to join us?" She asked, smiling at the two of them.
"Uhh..." Hunter mumbled quietly, looking over at Arabella.
Arabella bit her lip a little bit and she let out a little sigh, wishing that she knew what to say. She didn't really want to go swimming but she really didn't want to upset Brooke. Arabella looked over at Hunter and shrugged "Well...I guess we were walking there anyway.."She said, her voice trailing off a little bit at the end.
Hunter looked over at Arabella and then Brooke and then cleared his throat. "I think we might take a walk for a little bit, but we'll catch up with you later, okay, Brooke?" Hunter said, running his hand through his hair. Brooke looked between Hunter and Arabella and then nodded softly. "Oh, uhh...Okay. Well, hurry. The water is perfect!" She said before smiling and taking off toward the water. Hunter looked over at Arabella dn then down at his feet. "What were we talking about?" He said nervously.
Arabella laughed nervously and she shrugged, starting to walk with him again. "Well, I uh, I was avoiding the elephant in the room by asking you about your driver's license." Arabella said with a bit of a smile up at him. She was avoiding the fact that they needed to talk because she was so nervous but she didn't want to stop talking to him. "Are you and..are you and Brooke...?" She asked, her voice trailing off. She had seen them hugging and she seemed to be in a really good mood. Maybe they were together again and Arabella hated that idea.
"Are Brooke and I..." Hunter mumbled quietly before realizing what Arabella was asking. "Oh! No! No, no, no. No, no, no, no, no." He said, shaking his head. "No, no. We're just friends." He said with a nod. "How many times did I say no? What is wrong with me?" He said, rubbing his forehead. "She apologized this morning for that whole...debacle last last summer and now we're friends. She seems to have changed or something." He said, taking a deep breath. "Is that what you wanted to talk about?"
Arabella looked down at her feet and after a moment of silence, she shook her head. "No, no..I guess not" She said softly and she looked up at him, trying not to be too emotional or incoherent. She opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it and looked down again, kicking a little stone. "I guess you got my letters, huh?" She asked him softly, not really sure how else to bring up what they needed to talk about.
Hunter looked down and kicked the stone back at her. "I guess you read my letter then." He said, taking a deep breath. "So...Starting over?" He murmured. "I don't want to talk about what could have been or this or that. Let's just...start over, okay?" He said, looking up at her with a small smile. "Unless, you don't want to, of course. I can't really control that..."
Arabella hugged him. She really couldn't stop herself and she didn't really want to. So her threw her arms around him and she hugged hi tightly. Starting over was exactly what she wanted and she was so glad. They didn't need to talk about it and they didn't need to think about everything that they had been through. "I want to start over" She said softly and she pulled away, smiling up at him. "I missed you, Hunter"
Hunter's cheeks didn't think they could get any redder and he only hoped that she couldn't tell. They were friends now. Just friends. Hunter smiled at her. "I missed you, too, Arabella." He said quietly, taking a deep breath and mentally reminding himself that he was not dating Arabella nor did he have any reason to be upset if she started dating someone. He nervously licked his lips then looked around to where they had walked to, recognizing this as the spot that they had almost kissed last summer. Hunter clenched his fist and then started walking toward the beach, his hand hovering over the small of Arabella's back before simply just draping his arm over her shoulder, trying to move her out of there before she noticed where they had gone.
Arabella glanced over her shoulder with a confused look on her face but his arm was in her view. In all honesty, she didn't really care where he was taking her or why he was moving her away but she was happy that he had his arm around her. Even if they were just friends, it felt good to have his arm around her like that. Arabella let out a huff and she hooked her arm around Hunter's waist. "So? What happened this year? You look different" She said, looking up at him.
"Uhh...A lot more reading. A lot less practice in the arena." He said with a shrug. "You did write a lot of letters, Ellie." he said, bumping her hip with his teasingly. They walked out of the forest and finally arrived at the beach. "Finally..." He said quietly, walking toward the water.
Arabella smiled and she bumped his hip with hers. "You look really good, Hunter." She told him with a little nod. She looked down the beach a little bit and could see Brooke laying down in the sand with a few Aphrodite kids, including Daniel. "Well...should we join them? I think I see Jake in the water"
Hunter looked out at the water. He could see Jake and Will looking over at a crowd of Demeter kids. Will touched the water and a flower made of water sprouted from the surface. It moved in front of a blonde haired girl and she looked back at him, smiling. Hunter turned to Arabella and shrugged. "Only if you want to. I'll need to grab my trunks if we do."
"I'll have to change, too." Arabella said with a little shrug. She looked up at Hunter again and smiled. "I mean, we could do down there and sit with them without changing but I have a feeling that Jake might pull you into the water and ruin your clothes" She added with a little giggle. Arabella opened her mouth to say something but then Daniel saw her and he had jumped up and ran towards her. Arabella was forced to pull away from Hunter when Daniel rushed over and hugged her tightly. "Hello to you do, Danny" She giggled, looking over at Hunter.
"Oh, I missed you, Arabella!" Daniel squeaked. He pulled away and smiled at her, kind of giving Hunter the cold shoulder.
Hunter tapped his hands on his legs for a moment then turned around away from the water. He came face to face with a pair of golden brown eyes and a bright smile.
"Hunter! I thought that was you!" She said, wrapping her arms around his middle. "You're looking thin." Hunter hugged her back and smiled as Kyle walked up behind her, waving to him then putting his finger to his lips. Hunter smiled and pulled away looking at Marina. Kyle quickly put his arms around her middle and lifted her up. She quickly threw herself forward, judo flipping Kyle onto his back in front of her.
"Well, damn, Marina. Good to see you, too." He said with a groan. Marina gasped and helped him up.
Arabella squeaked when she saw Marina flip Kyle. She pulled away from Daniel and she turned towards the others, trying to see if he was okay. It was nice to see some people from camp again, even if she didn't know all of them. Arabella was also glad to see that Hunter's friends were talking to him. Last she heard, he wasn't really speaking to many of them anymore. "That was very impressive, Marina" Arabella said with a bit of a giggle.
Kyle clutched his back, leaning on Marina a little bit. "Thanks, Arabella. It's good to see you. It feels like such a long time." She said, shoving Kyle's arm off her shoulder then hugging Arabella around the middle. Hunter looked at the two of them and took a deep breath before pulling out of the group and heading toward the Hermes Cabin
Arabella watched Hunter walk away and she bit her lip. Was there something wrong? Did something go wrong already? She sighed and pulled away from Marina, smiling at her. "I'll be right back" She promised and turned, following Hunter. She walked up behind him and poked him in the middle of his back "Hey, you. Are you too cool for us now?" She asked with a little laugh.
Hunter turned and started walking backwards. "No, not at all. I just thought that I'd get changed to swim, but now that I'm walking backwards I'm seeing people no longer swimming and now I feel pretty stupid..." He said, stopping and putting his hands on her shoulders to stop her from bumping into him.
Arabella grinned up at him and she put her hands on his arms. "Well, since we're not swimming, do you want to go somewhere to sit and talk or something?" She asked him. It felt really good to be his friend again and she didn't really want to lose that. She wanted to spend more time with him and get to know him better. Really be his friend.
Hunter blushed a little. He thought for a moment then a little hesitantly nodded. "Yeah. Lead the way." He said, pulling his hands back, offering Arabella his arm and then letting it fall as he changed his mind. "How was school this year? Did you deal with uh...Oh, what was her name?" He asked, starting to walk with her.
"Olivia?" Arabella asked with a little laugh and she slipped her hands into her pockets. "Well, I guess you could say that..." She said, shrugging a little bit and trying to hide the fact that she was blushing. She looked up at Hunter and shook her head, like she was waving it off "But what about you? Did you get to see your family more?" She asked him.
"Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I had to get plenty of practice to get my license." He said with a nod. "My aunt is actually starting to sell baked goods. My uncle was put on mandatory vacation to use up built up vacation days, so he was around a lot of the time. Things are going really well." He said, walking a little closer, his hand brushing hers.
Arabella's skin tingled when his hand brushed against hers and she really had to resist the urge to hold his hand. They were friends. They were starting over. They were nothing more than that. Arabella smiled a little bit and she cleared her throat. "That's really great, Hunter. I'm glad that things are working out with your family" She told him and she bit her lip. "How did camp go while I was gone? Anymore good pranks I should hear about?"
Hunter laughed and shook his head. "Nothing that I was involved in. I think some Athena campers got some fake spiders tossed in their cabin. That's about it though." He said with a sigh. "I didn't leave the cabin much when I was here. Probably why I'm all...lanky now." He said, looking over at her.
"Lanky isn't the right word" Arabella said, shaking her head. "You look better now, more like yourself" She said honestly and she smiled, nudging him lightly with her side. "I like it" She finished and she quickly walked towards the Hermes cabin and sitting down on the stairs, smiling up at him. "Do you have any plans for the summer? Anything you want to do?"
Hunter took a deep breath and sat down next to her. "Not really. Having a nice, boring summer sounds just fine with me." Hunter said with a laugh. "How about you? Any goals for the summer? Capture the flag is tomorrow. Maybe you'll actually stand a chance at winning this year."
"Excuse me, sir, I've always had a chance at winning." Arabella said, crossing her arms "I just...never feel like it" She added with a humph. Arabella looked over at him and saw him stifling a laugh. "What?! I can win a game of Capture the Flag and I am going to prove it to you tomorrow!"
"Okay, Ellie. Whatever you say." He said with a laugh, putting his hands up in surrender. "So, other than losing at Capture the Flag what are you going to do for the rest of the summer? Any plans?" He asked, nervously licking his lips.
"Well, after I win Capture the Flag, I plan on doing nothing special whatsoever all summer" Arabella told him with a nod. She smiled a little and shrugged. "I don't know, school was really kind of crazy this year and I just really don't want to have to deal with any drama or stress. I've promised myself that this summer is going to be stress free"
"That'll be a first." He said quietly before looking up at her and laughing. "Sorry. Just saying. It feels like it's been a long while since we had a summer without some crisis or emotional disaster." He sighed and then nudged her leg with his. "Here's to boring." He said, raising an imaginary glass "I don't go to fancy parties, so I make my own fancy glass toasts."
Arabella giggled "Well, we're going to have to get you to a fancy party. Then you can make a cheesy, non-fancy toast at a fancy party. It'll be great" She said and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "But, of course, we'll have to go to that party after this summer. Since it's supposed to be boring"
"Right. Good boring though." He said with a nod. "Not bad boring." He took a deep breath. "Well, maybe not boring. Just not bad exciting. Good exciting. Like...making new friends or going to parties or going out on d--" He looked over at Arabella and closed his mouth. "You know...Good exciting." He said.
Arabella looked down at her lap, blushing a little bit but still smiling. She couldn't deny the fact that when she thought he was going to say 'dates' her hear skipped a beat. But they were just friends. Arabella took a deep breath and smiled up at him. "I still have to take you to the city at some point, remember? I promised"
"That is true." He said quietly. "I did a good amount of city driving though, so it's not as unfamiliar as it was." He nodded and leaned on the railing. "It would only be fair that I give you something in return. Anything that I can do? Some place you haven't been?" He asked, looking over at her, blushing slightly, his eyes unable to resist looking at Arabella's lips for a moment.
"Hmmm...well, I've always wanted to learn how to drive. You could take me somewhere out in the country and teach me how to drive." Arabella said with a little smile then gasped slightly "Oh! Maybe we could go out to the Hamptons and you could teach me there! That would be so much fun!" She said excitedly then bit her lip "Sorry. I got a bit excited"
Hunter smiled and laughed a little bit. "Well, I would be down with that. Not sure how good of a teacher I would be, but I can give it a shot." He said, nudging her with his elbow. "I don't know what car you would practice in either. You probably have some nice one at your brownstone or something." He said with a shrug. "I practiced in this really beat-up jeep. I doubt you'd want to drive that."
Arabella furrowed her brow, thinking back a little bit. She couldn't remember ever telling Hunter about where she lived. She couldn't remember telling him that she lived in a brownstone or even what neighbourhood she lived in. She didn't even tell him that she lived in Manhattan. "Hmm? Oh, that's fine" She muttered, trying not to sound like she was thinking about something but failing miserably.
Hunter nodded and then looked at her, arching an eyebrow in her direction. "You okay?" He asked a little nervously. Hunter suddenly worried that he did something wrong and looked down at himself, trying to recognize and fix the problem as quickly as possible. "I'm sorry if I said something wrong." He said quietly, his face turned toward the ground and his voice tight from nerves.
Arabella took a little breath and she smiled, shaking her head. She looked over at him, trying to pretend like nothing happened. Maybe she was just imagining it. She must of told him at some point that she lived in a brownstone. "No, it's nothing, I just couldn't remember when I told you that I live in a brownstone" She told him and shrugged. "And then I was thinking about it and we all know that us Aphrodite kids can't think and talk at the same time" She joked in a sarcastic voice.
Hunter froze for a second and then laughed a little nervously. "I probably uh...I mean you...I probably read it in your letters or something" He finally said, nodding maybe a little too much. "That's it." He ran his fingers through his hair again before yawning and putting his forehead against her shoulder for a moment. "Wow. I might take a nap." He said, standing up.
"Did you turn into an old man over the school year?" Arabella teased him, giggling, just trying to lighten the mood. She stood up and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "Okay, well...have a good nap. I'll see you down at the fire tonight?" She said and she took a deep breath, unsure of how to say goodbye to him. Is she supposed to hug him or would that be weird? "I should go...." Arabella finished in a low voice and she quickly turned, rushing back towards her cabin.
Hunter watched her and shifted from foot to foot before heading back into Hermes Cabin. He sighed and rubbed his eyes slightly as he walked to his bed, laying down. "I'm not going to last long..." Hunter said quietly to himself, closing his eyes. He kept thinking about how good a just friend Hunter could be for Arabella. There was a big part of his mind that couldn't help, but want to be more than that and he hated how difficult he found just talking to her while resisting the urge to go in a romantic direction. He didn't even know if she liked him back. He kept thinking about this and after a couple more minutes, he fell asleep.
Arabella hurried back into her cabin, quickly closing the door behind her and rushing over to her bed. Her heart was racing and her breathing was heavy. Things had gotten awkward fast and Arabella didn't really know how to deal with it. Arabella was sure that she had never told him where she lives. So how would he know that she lives in a brownstone? She didn't want to think about it. Arabella needed to be friends with Hunter, she wanted to be more. She didn't want to think about something else getting in the middle of them. She groaned and flopped down on her bed without unpacking and she shoved her head in her pillow, closing her eyes.
Hunter woke up early. He truly only had one thing on his mind and that was the fact that everyone that left comes back to camp for the summer. Jake. Marina. Kyle. Arabella. His eyes opened and he turned his head quickly, checking that the letter with her name written in big letters was on his nightstand, ready to be delivered. He sat up, swinging his legs off his bed and rubbed his face, trying to wake up. His dreams mostly consisted of what he was going to say to everyone when he saw them. Arabella was one of the more prominent people in his imagination lately. She had been placed on the backburner for a little while, but as summer moved closer and closer, she moved forward more and more. He slipped on a t-shirt and pulled on a pair of jeans then grabbed his shoes and the letter, tucking it into his back pocket as he exited the cabin, pulling on his shoes clumsily and finally exiting into the circle of cabins, his eyes quickly fixing onto Aphrodite cabin.
Arabella anxiously drummed her fingers on her knee, staring out of the window in the back of the car. She was nervous about getting back to camp, especially after what had happened last summer. Things back home had been pretty difficult, though, and she was looking forward to getting away from it all. The car ride towards Camp Half Blood felt like it had doubled in length since the last time she had gone that way. When the car parked, Arabella practically jumped out and grabbed her bags. No matter how nervous she might be, camp was her home and she was happy to be making her way up Half-Blood Hill.
Hunter's stomach grumbled and he lightly tapped the letter on his palm as he kept an eye out for her golden blonde hair to come over the hill. He had been passed by a few Aphrodite campers who gave him odd looks as he leaned up against the porch railing, waiting to give her this letter.
"Hunter?" He turned and saw Brooke coming out of her cabin. She was dressed in a yellow tanktop, her red hair grown out since the two of them had dated and was now in a tight pony tail behind her head.
"Oh...Hey, Brooke." He said quietly. "Sorry. I'm just...I'm waiting for someone." He said, turning back toward the hill. Brooke stepped off the porch and then faced him, slipping her hands into the back pockets of her short jean shorts.
"Hunter, I've...I've actually been meaning to talk to you. For a while now." She said, looking down at her feet. "Really, about a month after we broke up." She says, shifting from foot to foot. Hunter looked over at her, arching an eyebrow.
"Is something wrong?"
"I just...I wanted to apologize. I did a bit of soul searching after I...kicked you out of my cabin and I'm really sorry. For everything." Hunter opened his mouth to speak then looked back just as he saw a head of golden blonde hair moving down the hill toward him. Hunter stood up straight and turned toward Arabella, putting his back toward Brooke. "Hunter?"
"Huh? No. Yeah. That's fine." He said then shook himself and turned toward her. "It's okay. I'm not sure we were really kind of on the same page with that relationship." He said with a quiet chuckle. They smiled at each other and Hunter took a deep breath. "Friends?" He said, extending his hand. She let out a quiet sigh and then moved forward hugging him around the neck. Hunter hugged her back and pulled away and turned around to come face-to-face with Arabella. "Uhh..." Was all that he could manage.
Arabella saw that Brooke was hugging someone but she couldn't really tell who it was. He looked familiar and she was sure that she knew him but she couldn't really place it. The whole thing really kind of made her a little bit uneasy. She didn't like feeling like she knew someone but wasn't sure if she was right or not. Arabella took a deep breath, fixing her bag on her shoulder and walked towards the cabin. She was looking forward to crashing in her bed. She was just about to walk past Brooke and the guy when he turned around and faced her. It was Hunter. He looked different. His hair was still short but he wasn't as buff as he used to be and Arabella liked it. Last summer, it was a little over the top. Now, however, he looked healthy and he looked good. Arabella gasped a little bit, frozen, unsure of what to say. She opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was a little squeak.
Hunter looked at her then down at the letter, as all of his rehearsal disappeared from his mind and he was now trying to figure out what to do with this letter that he was holding. "I..." He mumbled as he noticed Brooke move next to him. Hunter looked over at her then Arabella then finally shook himself. "Here." he said, fairly succinctly. "Just uh...read it. Welcome back to camp." He said, offering a quick smile before moving in for a hug then stopping and extending his hand then lifting it and waving at her and then nodding toward Brooke before hurrying toward the mess hall.
Arabella watched Hunter walk away, looked over at Brooke and then glanced down at the letter in her hand. She was confused and she didn't know how she was supposed to feel. Her and Hunter were finally seeing each other again and that was all that they said? She didn't even speak to him! The last time she had seen him, things had ended in a terrible way and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to talk to him now.Part of her wanted to run after her and hug him and ask him if they could start over. She wasn't really sure how that would go over, though. So, she turned to Brooke and gave her a little smile. "It's good to see you, Brooke. You look great" Arabella said, more as a formality than anything else.
"Thanks! So do you! We have so much to talk about and catch up on. It's been so long since we talked" Brooke said with a big grin and it took everything Arabella had not to look at her with a face that screamed 'Huh?!'
Hunter put his hands on his cheeks to try and make them cool down. That had not gone down exactly as he had hoped and now he was officially running away from her. He was thinking about what he had written in the letter and now he was panicking that maybe she didn't say anything because she was mad at him. She had every right to be, really. Hunter moved into the mess hall and got in line, getting some food. He found a spot at his table and quietly sat eating, hoping that the blood started flowing away from his cheeks and back down to his hands which were shivering and cold.
"Uhm..yeah, that sounds really good, Brooke" Arabella said to her, trying to return her smile. Brooke looked like she wanted to talk to Arabella right in that moment but all Arabella could think about was the letter that was in her hand. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she could swear she felt the heat from Hunter's hand still on the paper. "I gotta go unpack and maybe have a bit of a nap. See you at the fire tonight" Arabella said and she ducked into the cabin before Brooke could stop her. Already this summer was starting to look a little strange. Arabella walked back to her bed, happy that the cabin was empty. Clearly, all of her siblings were out by the water, getting their tans. she let out a sigh, putting down her bags and she sunk down onto her bed. The letter in her hands seemed to be screaming at her. What did he have to say to her? She thought back to all of the letters that she gave to him and her hands started shaking. She was afraid to open the letter. Finally, she tore open the paper and pulled out the paper. Nervously, Arabella read the letter, not sure how she was supposed to feel. She wasn't sure how she did feel. Having some part of Hunter, even if it was just his words, made her heart swell. He wanted to start fresh. He wanted to be her friend. He forgave her. Arabella forgave him a long time ago and she was glad to see that he felt the same way.
She stood up and glanced down at her outfit. Arabella had been dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a tee shirt. It wasn't enough. Arabella dug through her bag, pulling out a pair of jean shorts and a camp shirt that she had altered and turned into a loose tank top. She slipped into a pair of white Keds and pulled her hair out of the bun, letting the blonde waves fall over her shoulders and she headed out of her cabin, looking for Hunter.
Hunter was in the middle of eating. He was keeping his head down for the most part and he only lifted it finally when he noticed someone sit down across from him.
"I knew I recognized that ashamed food hunch." Jake said, laughing at the surprise on Hunter's face. Hunter shook himself and nervously licked his lips.
"Jake. When did you get here?"
"Oh, just now." He said, starting to eat. He swallowed and then cleared his throat. "Still a big kicked puppy assface?"
"Uhh...No. I figured that each group of people only needs one of those." Hunter said, taking a deep breath. "I couldn't outdo you anyway."
"Oh, I've missed this. I really have."
Arabella was nervous about finding Hunter but she didn't know why. She read his letter, she knew how he felt. For some reason, she was still nervous about seeing him. Arabella looked around the cabins, trying to see if she could see him at his cabin. She saw a few people that she knew but she never saw him, so she let out a huff and walked away, towards the rest of the camp. Arabella looked into the arena but it was full of Ares kids, so she turned and walked towards the mess hall. As soon as she walked in, she saw Jake sitting down across from Hunter. Her stomach started doing flips but the last thing she wanted to do was turn around. She needed to see him. Arabella took a deep breath and walked towards the table, trying to look confident but she was nervously twisting her fingers together.
Hunter finished off his food and then grabbed his cup, finishing off the last few drops of soda. He stood and carefully moved away from the table, turning around slightly and bumping right into someone. He put his arms gently around them to make sure they didn't fall, but when he looked up he saw a mess of blonde hair, now covering a familiarly beautiful face. He pulled away from Arabella and licked his lips nervously, trying to resist the urge to brush the hair out of her face for her.
"Hey, Arabella! How was your school year?" Jake said with a wave.
Arabella looked up at Hunter, trying to stop herself from blushing but it wasn't working. She looked at him probably a second too long then turned towards Jake, moving her hair out of her eyes. "Hey, Jake. It's really good to see you" She said and she glanced back at Hunter, her heart racing. Arabella gave him a small smile before looking over at Jake again. She took a piece of cheese off of his plate and smiled at him. "School was good" She said, trying to act like she wasn't fazed or anything but she was really kind of embarrassed bout bumping into Hunter.
Hunter stood for a second then sat back down next to Arabella, trying to give her some space. He looked over at her when she mentioned school. He wondered if she knew how many times he would go and watch her eat lunch debating whether or not to talk to her. He took a deep breath and looked down at his tray nervously. He wasn't sure how possible this 'starting over' idea was going to last at this rate.
"Oh, Arabella. I took your advice." Jake said, taking a big bite of jello. "Tracy. That girl that I was dating on and off etc. Yeah. I talked to her about why our relationships never last and if this is actually going somewhere." He swallowed his jello. "It turns out Tracy and I won't be dating anymore."
Arabella gave Jake a sad smile and she let out a little sigh. "I'm sorry, Jake. A break up is never easy" She said. She was happy that he ended things with that girl but she knew that he was probably a little upset about it, even if he wasn't owning up to it yet. Arabella bit her lip and glanced over at Hunter. As glad as she was to see Jake, she really wanted to talk to Hunter alone for a little bit. "How-how was your year, Hunter?" She asked him in a softer voice than she intended.
Hunter didn't notice that she had said his name until he felt Jake kick him from under the table. Hunter looked up from his try and then at Jake. "Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry. My year was uneventful." He said plainly. "I mean, I...I finally got my drivers license. I uh...Did a lot of reading." He said quietly, glancing over at Arabella, blushing softly. "Lost a lot of weight, too."
"Welcome back to the land of the lanky and overlooked, my friend." Jake said with a laugh, offering a toast. Hunter laughed and then clinked his glass with Jake's.
Arabella giggled a little bit, covering her mouth with her hand. She glanced over at Hunter, looking at him with apologetic eyes. It felt really good to laugh with them again. Sure, it felt like something was off and Arabella knew that she just needed to talk to Hunter and get things figured out but for now, laughing with him and Jake. She leaned towards Hunter a tiny bit "Could we talk? Alone?" she asked him softly.
Hunter looked over at Arabella and immediately his stomach clenched, his heart sped up, and his cheeks reddened once again. "Uh...yeah...sure..." He said quietly before nodding toward Jake and standing up. "I'm going to go for a walk." Hunter said before waving at Jake. "I'll see you back at the cabin, probably." He said before turning to leave, looking back at Arabella for a moment as she got up.
Arabella stood up, her stomach doing nervous flips. She waved at Jake, smiling a little before turning back to Hunter. She didn't really know where they were going to walk and she really didn't care, she just knew that she had to talk to him and get things figured out. This waiting and wondering was killing her. She took a small breath and shoved her hands into her back pockets. "So....you got your driver's license? That must be awesome"
Hunter furrowed his eyebrows at her. She wanted to talk about his driver's license? Really? "Uhh...Yeah. Not much good it'll do me out here, but whenever I go home, it lets me get out of the house on my own, you know?" He said with a nod, looking over at her as they walked slowly toward the beach.
"Hunter!" Hunter looked over and saw Brooke running toward him. She was dressed in a pair of short jean shorts and a white t-shirt, tied in a know to show off a little bit of her stomach. "Oh. And Arabella. Listen, some of us were going to go for a swim. Do you two want to join us?" She asked, smiling at the two of them.
"Uhh..." Hunter mumbled quietly, looking over at Arabella.
Arabella bit her lip a little bit and she let out a little sigh, wishing that she knew what to say. She didn't really want to go swimming but she really didn't want to upset Brooke. Arabella looked over at Hunter and shrugged "Well...I guess we were walking there anyway.."She said, her voice trailing off a little bit at the end.
Hunter looked over at Arabella and then Brooke and then cleared his throat. "I think we might take a walk for a little bit, but we'll catch up with you later, okay, Brooke?" Hunter said, running his hand through his hair. Brooke looked between Hunter and Arabella and then nodded softly. "Oh, uhh...Okay. Well, hurry. The water is perfect!" She said before smiling and taking off toward the water. Hunter looked over at Arabella dn then down at his feet. "What were we talking about?" He said nervously.
Arabella laughed nervously and she shrugged, starting to walk with him again. "Well, I uh, I was avoiding the elephant in the room by asking you about your driver's license." Arabella said with a bit of a smile up at him. She was avoiding the fact that they needed to talk because she was so nervous but she didn't want to stop talking to him. "Are you and..are you and Brooke...?" She asked, her voice trailing off. She had seen them hugging and she seemed to be in a really good mood. Maybe they were together again and Arabella hated that idea.
"Are Brooke and I..." Hunter mumbled quietly before realizing what Arabella was asking. "Oh! No! No, no, no. No, no, no, no, no." He said, shaking his head. "No, no. We're just friends." He said with a nod. "How many times did I say no? What is wrong with me?" He said, rubbing his forehead. "She apologized this morning for that whole...debacle last last summer and now we're friends. She seems to have changed or something." He said, taking a deep breath. "Is that what you wanted to talk about?"
Arabella looked down at her feet and after a moment of silence, she shook her head. "No, no..I guess not" She said softly and she looked up at him, trying not to be too emotional or incoherent. She opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it and looked down again, kicking a little stone. "I guess you got my letters, huh?" She asked him softly, not really sure how else to bring up what they needed to talk about.
Hunter looked down and kicked the stone back at her. "I guess you read my letter then." He said, taking a deep breath. "So...Starting over?" He murmured. "I don't want to talk about what could have been or this or that. Let's just...start over, okay?" He said, looking up at her with a small smile. "Unless, you don't want to, of course. I can't really control that..."
Arabella hugged him. She really couldn't stop herself and she didn't really want to. So her threw her arms around him and she hugged hi tightly. Starting over was exactly what she wanted and she was so glad. They didn't need to talk about it and they didn't need to think about everything that they had been through. "I want to start over" She said softly and she pulled away, smiling up at him. "I missed you, Hunter"
Hunter's cheeks didn't think they could get any redder and he only hoped that she couldn't tell. They were friends now. Just friends. Hunter smiled at her. "I missed you, too, Arabella." He said quietly, taking a deep breath and mentally reminding himself that he was not dating Arabella nor did he have any reason to be upset if she started dating someone. He nervously licked his lips then looked around to where they had walked to, recognizing this as the spot that they had almost kissed last summer. Hunter clenched his fist and then started walking toward the beach, his hand hovering over the small of Arabella's back before simply just draping his arm over her shoulder, trying to move her out of there before she noticed where they had gone.
Arabella glanced over her shoulder with a confused look on her face but his arm was in her view. In all honesty, she didn't really care where he was taking her or why he was moving her away but she was happy that he had his arm around her. Even if they were just friends, it felt good to have his arm around her like that. Arabella let out a huff and she hooked her arm around Hunter's waist. "So? What happened this year? You look different" She said, looking up at him.
"Uhh...A lot more reading. A lot less practice in the arena." He said with a shrug. "You did write a lot of letters, Ellie." he said, bumping her hip with his teasingly. They walked out of the forest and finally arrived at the beach. "Finally..." He said quietly, walking toward the water.
Arabella smiled and she bumped his hip with hers. "You look really good, Hunter." She told him with a little nod. She looked down the beach a little bit and could see Brooke laying down in the sand with a few Aphrodite kids, including Daniel. "Well...should we join them? I think I see Jake in the water"
Hunter looked out at the water. He could see Jake and Will looking over at a crowd of Demeter kids. Will touched the water and a flower made of water sprouted from the surface. It moved in front of a blonde haired girl and she looked back at him, smiling. Hunter turned to Arabella and shrugged. "Only if you want to. I'll need to grab my trunks if we do."
"I'll have to change, too." Arabella said with a little shrug. She looked up at Hunter again and smiled. "I mean, we could do down there and sit with them without changing but I have a feeling that Jake might pull you into the water and ruin your clothes" She added with a little giggle. Arabella opened her mouth to say something but then Daniel saw her and he had jumped up and ran towards her. Arabella was forced to pull away from Hunter when Daniel rushed over and hugged her tightly. "Hello to you do, Danny" She giggled, looking over at Hunter.
"Oh, I missed you, Arabella!" Daniel squeaked. He pulled away and smiled at her, kind of giving Hunter the cold shoulder.
Hunter tapped his hands on his legs for a moment then turned around away from the water. He came face to face with a pair of golden brown eyes and a bright smile.
"Hunter! I thought that was you!" She said, wrapping her arms around his middle. "You're looking thin." Hunter hugged her back and smiled as Kyle walked up behind her, waving to him then putting his finger to his lips. Hunter smiled and pulled away looking at Marina. Kyle quickly put his arms around her middle and lifted her up. She quickly threw herself forward, judo flipping Kyle onto his back in front of her.
"Well, damn, Marina. Good to see you, too." He said with a groan. Marina gasped and helped him up.
Arabella squeaked when she saw Marina flip Kyle. She pulled away from Daniel and she turned towards the others, trying to see if he was okay. It was nice to see some people from camp again, even if she didn't know all of them. Arabella was also glad to see that Hunter's friends were talking to him. Last she heard, he wasn't really speaking to many of them anymore. "That was very impressive, Marina" Arabella said with a bit of a giggle.
Kyle clutched his back, leaning on Marina a little bit. "Thanks, Arabella. It's good to see you. It feels like such a long time." She said, shoving Kyle's arm off her shoulder then hugging Arabella around the middle. Hunter looked at the two of them and took a deep breath before pulling out of the group and heading toward the Hermes Cabin
Arabella watched Hunter walk away and she bit her lip. Was there something wrong? Did something go wrong already? She sighed and pulled away from Marina, smiling at her. "I'll be right back" She promised and turned, following Hunter. She walked up behind him and poked him in the middle of his back "Hey, you. Are you too cool for us now?" She asked with a little laugh.
Hunter turned and started walking backwards. "No, not at all. I just thought that I'd get changed to swim, but now that I'm walking backwards I'm seeing people no longer swimming and now I feel pretty stupid..." He said, stopping and putting his hands on her shoulders to stop her from bumping into him.
Arabella grinned up at him and she put her hands on his arms. "Well, since we're not swimming, do you want to go somewhere to sit and talk or something?" She asked him. It felt really good to be his friend again and she didn't really want to lose that. She wanted to spend more time with him and get to know him better. Really be his friend.
Hunter blushed a little. He thought for a moment then a little hesitantly nodded. "Yeah. Lead the way." He said, pulling his hands back, offering Arabella his arm and then letting it fall as he changed his mind. "How was school this year? Did you deal with uh...Oh, what was her name?" He asked, starting to walk with her.
"Olivia?" Arabella asked with a little laugh and she slipped her hands into her pockets. "Well, I guess you could say that..." She said, shrugging a little bit and trying to hide the fact that she was blushing. She looked up at Hunter and shook her head, like she was waving it off "But what about you? Did you get to see your family more?" She asked him.
"Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I had to get plenty of practice to get my license." He said with a nod. "My aunt is actually starting to sell baked goods. My uncle was put on mandatory vacation to use up built up vacation days, so he was around a lot of the time. Things are going really well." He said, walking a little closer, his hand brushing hers.
Arabella's skin tingled when his hand brushed against hers and she really had to resist the urge to hold his hand. They were friends. They were starting over. They were nothing more than that. Arabella smiled a little bit and she cleared her throat. "That's really great, Hunter. I'm glad that things are working out with your family" She told him and she bit her lip. "How did camp go while I was gone? Anymore good pranks I should hear about?"
Hunter laughed and shook his head. "Nothing that I was involved in. I think some Athena campers got some fake spiders tossed in their cabin. That's about it though." He said with a sigh. "I didn't leave the cabin much when I was here. Probably why I'm all...lanky now." He said, looking over at her.
"Lanky isn't the right word" Arabella said, shaking her head. "You look better now, more like yourself" She said honestly and she smiled, nudging him lightly with her side. "I like it" She finished and she quickly walked towards the Hermes cabin and sitting down on the stairs, smiling up at him. "Do you have any plans for the summer? Anything you want to do?"
Hunter took a deep breath and sat down next to her. "Not really. Having a nice, boring summer sounds just fine with me." Hunter said with a laugh. "How about you? Any goals for the summer? Capture the flag is tomorrow. Maybe you'll actually stand a chance at winning this year."
"Excuse me, sir, I've always had a chance at winning." Arabella said, crossing her arms "I just...never feel like it" She added with a humph. Arabella looked over at him and saw him stifling a laugh. "What?! I can win a game of Capture the Flag and I am going to prove it to you tomorrow!"
"Okay, Ellie. Whatever you say." He said with a laugh, putting his hands up in surrender. "So, other than losing at Capture the Flag what are you going to do for the rest of the summer? Any plans?" He asked, nervously licking his lips.
"Well, after I win Capture the Flag, I plan on doing nothing special whatsoever all summer" Arabella told him with a nod. She smiled a little and shrugged. "I don't know, school was really kind of crazy this year and I just really don't want to have to deal with any drama or stress. I've promised myself that this summer is going to be stress free"
"That'll be a first." He said quietly before looking up at her and laughing. "Sorry. Just saying. It feels like it's been a long while since we had a summer without some crisis or emotional disaster." He sighed and then nudged her leg with his. "Here's to boring." He said, raising an imaginary glass "I don't go to fancy parties, so I make my own fancy glass toasts."
Arabella giggled "Well, we're going to have to get you to a fancy party. Then you can make a cheesy, non-fancy toast at a fancy party. It'll be great" She said and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "But, of course, we'll have to go to that party after this summer. Since it's supposed to be boring"
"Right. Good boring though." He said with a nod. "Not bad boring." He took a deep breath. "Well, maybe not boring. Just not bad exciting. Good exciting. Like...making new friends or going to parties or going out on d--" He looked over at Arabella and closed his mouth. "You know...Good exciting." He said.
Arabella looked down at her lap, blushing a little bit but still smiling. She couldn't deny the fact that when she thought he was going to say 'dates' her hear skipped a beat. But they were just friends. Arabella took a deep breath and smiled up at him. "I still have to take you to the city at some point, remember? I promised"
"That is true." He said quietly. "I did a good amount of city driving though, so it's not as unfamiliar as it was." He nodded and leaned on the railing. "It would only be fair that I give you something in return. Anything that I can do? Some place you haven't been?" He asked, looking over at her, blushing slightly, his eyes unable to resist looking at Arabella's lips for a moment.
"Hmmm...well, I've always wanted to learn how to drive. You could take me somewhere out in the country and teach me how to drive." Arabella said with a little smile then gasped slightly "Oh! Maybe we could go out to the Hamptons and you could teach me there! That would be so much fun!" She said excitedly then bit her lip "Sorry. I got a bit excited"
Hunter smiled and laughed a little bit. "Well, I would be down with that. Not sure how good of a teacher I would be, but I can give it a shot." He said, nudging her with his elbow. "I don't know what car you would practice in either. You probably have some nice one at your brownstone or something." He said with a shrug. "I practiced in this really beat-up jeep. I doubt you'd want to drive that."
Arabella furrowed her brow, thinking back a little bit. She couldn't remember ever telling Hunter about where she lived. She couldn't remember telling him that she lived in a brownstone or even what neighbourhood she lived in. She didn't even tell him that she lived in Manhattan. "Hmm? Oh, that's fine" She muttered, trying not to sound like she was thinking about something but failing miserably.
Hunter nodded and then looked at her, arching an eyebrow in her direction. "You okay?" He asked a little nervously. Hunter suddenly worried that he did something wrong and looked down at himself, trying to recognize and fix the problem as quickly as possible. "I'm sorry if I said something wrong." He said quietly, his face turned toward the ground and his voice tight from nerves.
Arabella took a little breath and she smiled, shaking her head. She looked over at him, trying to pretend like nothing happened. Maybe she was just imagining it. She must of told him at some point that she lived in a brownstone. "No, it's nothing, I just couldn't remember when I told you that I live in a brownstone" She told him and shrugged. "And then I was thinking about it and we all know that us Aphrodite kids can't think and talk at the same time" She joked in a sarcastic voice.
Hunter froze for a second and then laughed a little nervously. "I probably uh...I mean you...I probably read it in your letters or something" He finally said, nodding maybe a little too much. "That's it." He ran his fingers through his hair again before yawning and putting his forehead against her shoulder for a moment. "Wow. I might take a nap." He said, standing up.
"Did you turn into an old man over the school year?" Arabella teased him, giggling, just trying to lighten the mood. She stood up and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "Okay, well...have a good nap. I'll see you down at the fire tonight?" She said and she took a deep breath, unsure of how to say goodbye to him. Is she supposed to hug him or would that be weird? "I should go...." Arabella finished in a low voice and she quickly turned, rushing back towards her cabin.
Hunter watched her and shifted from foot to foot before heading back into Hermes Cabin. He sighed and rubbed his eyes slightly as he walked to his bed, laying down. "I'm not going to last long..." Hunter said quietly to himself, closing his eyes. He kept thinking about how good a just friend Hunter could be for Arabella. There was a big part of his mind that couldn't help, but want to be more than that and he hated how difficult he found just talking to her while resisting the urge to go in a romantic direction. He didn't even know if she liked him back. He kept thinking about this and after a couple more minutes, he fell asleep.
Arabella hurried back into her cabin, quickly closing the door behind her and rushing over to her bed. Her heart was racing and her breathing was heavy. Things had gotten awkward fast and Arabella didn't really know how to deal with it. Arabella was sure that she had never told him where she lives. So how would he know that she lives in a brownstone? She didn't want to think about it. Arabella needed to be friends with Hunter, she wanted to be more. She didn't want to think about something else getting in the middle of them. She groaned and flopped down on her bed without unpacking and she shoved her head in her pillow, closing her eyes.
Chapter 62: Arabella
Sunday, July 21
The town car pulled up in front of the brownstone and Arabella sighed, looking up at the house for a moment before she finally slipped outside. She tugged on the hem of her yoga shorts and glanced down the busy side walk, squinting in the summer sun. The city block was busy, as usual, with people hustling and bustling places. Almost everyone seemed to be in a hurry. Arabella on the other hand, was desperate for time to slow down or just stop. Everywhere she looked, someone or something reminded her of Hunter. A man with a similar laugh, a girl with the same skin tone, a guy with the same hair color.
Arabella picked up her bag and she slowly made it up the steps. She dug around in her purse until she found the little pink key ring. Once she had the door unlocked, Arabella pushed her was inside. The house felt cold. Like no one had lived in it for a few days. "Hello?" Arabella called out "Daddy?! Tyler?!" She waited for a response but silence answered her.
Finally, after a few moments, Arabella could hear a yipping sound and jingles coming down the stairs. A little ball of curly brown fur flew down the stairs and crashed into Arabella's legs. "Oh, Gracie" She said in a happy sigh. She put down her bag and picked the small dog up in her arms.
Arabella hugged Gracie to her chest for a moment before she turned and padded toward the kitchen. The first thing she really noticed was how clean the place was. The counter shined, the appliances sparkled and there was the faint lemon-y smell of cleaner in the air. Arabella put Gracie down on the ground before walking over to the counter. Sitting right in the middle of the granite was a note and a check. With a sigh, Arabella picked up the paper and quickly scanned it.
Belly,
Tyler is visiting family from his mother's side in Maine for the summer and I'm in Hong Kong on business.
The check is for the dog sitter, she'll be by on the 23rd to pick it up.
I hope you had a good summer. I'll be back on the 30th and then we'll go out for a hot dog. Maybe go to the zoo?
I love you
-Dad
Arabella folded up the note then she tossed it into the garbage. She stuck the check to the fridge door then glanced inside. It was pretty empty except for a bottle of white wine and a box of baking soda. That might be a comment on what the dog sitter was doing after she took Gracie out but Arabella was too tired to think about it at that moment. Arabella glanced at the clock and she considered ordering some Thai food but she ultimately opened the freezer and pulled out a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream. As she leaned against the counter, taking small spoonfuls of the ice cream tub, Arabella listened to the faint sound of Gracie's collar.
The house felt quiet compared to the craziness of Camp Half-Blood. Arabella was already starting to miss her fellow demigods. But maybe that was just because the silence of the house made her feel even lonelier than she already was. Arabella tossed the ice cream back into the freezer and the spoon in the sink. She needed to be moving, to be doing something. When she stopped and paid attention to the cold silence, Arabella's thoughts seemed to press in on her and it was just getting depressing. She couldn't think about how she hurt Hunter or how guilty she felt. With a yawn, Arabella headed up the stairs with her bag.
When she finally made it to her bedroom on the third floor, Arabella tossed her bag down on her bed. She yawned, stretching out her arms before she got to work. For the next four hours, Arabella kept herself busy. She took her clothes down to the laundry room to get it washed and she washed her sheets from her bed, too. She organized her closet, slowly putting away the clean clothes. She made her bed, making sure it was perfect and her teddy bear was waiting on her pillow for her. She wrote a quick letter to her baby brother. She fed the dog. She never let herself stop long enough to let her thoughts catch up to her. Finally, however, the sky was dark and Arabella had run out of things to do.
She glanced around her clean bedroom for a moment before she turned on her heel and walked over to her bathroom. Maybe a hot shower would relax her muscles and Arabella would be able to fall asleep. She turned on the water and quickly slipped out of her clothes, stepping into the steam. Right away, her body started to feel better but her mind started racing.
Arabella felt so guilty for how she left things with Hunter. It was really eating her up inside. Part of her wanted to run back to camp and open up to him, let him know all of her inner-most thoughts and tell him that she was crazy about him and she missed him. But the look on his face when she left was holding her back. He was so angry, so heart broken and so disappointed. If she were to go back, he wouldn't want anything to do with her. Arabella knew this. She had hurt him enough and having her around camp wasn't going to make things any easier for him. Maybe he would find a way to make things work with Marina. Maybe he would find another girl and fall madly in love with her. At first, the thought of this made Arabella furious. She didn't want to see him with another girl. The truth, however, was that he deserved it and Arabella wanted it for him. She wanted him to be happy and full and peaceful. She wanted him to have a good life. She knew that he deserved it.
With a sigh, Arabella stepped out of the shower after about 45 minutes. She wrapped herself in a big fluffy towel and she padded back into her bedroom, looking for pajamas to wear. Arabella finally pulled on a pair of pink flannel pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt. She slipped into a pair of fuzzy slippers and headed downstairs to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.
Once Arabella had her hands around a warm cup of tea and a happy puppy by her side, she worked her way upstairs to her room again and she moved outside to the deck. It was a small little deck that was right off of her bedroom and Arabella loved it. She had a chair out there with a little side table and a pot for flowers. The view of the city was incredible, too, and Arabella loved watching the city come to life at night. She slid back into the chair, looking out at the lights of New York and she knew that sleep would not come easy that night. But at least she was home and away from the heart ache that plagued her at camp.
The town car pulled up in front of the brownstone and Arabella sighed, looking up at the house for a moment before she finally slipped outside. She tugged on the hem of her yoga shorts and glanced down the busy side walk, squinting in the summer sun. The city block was busy, as usual, with people hustling and bustling places. Almost everyone seemed to be in a hurry. Arabella on the other hand, was desperate for time to slow down or just stop. Everywhere she looked, someone or something reminded her of Hunter. A man with a similar laugh, a girl with the same skin tone, a guy with the same hair color.
Arabella picked up her bag and she slowly made it up the steps. She dug around in her purse until she found the little pink key ring. Once she had the door unlocked, Arabella pushed her was inside. The house felt cold. Like no one had lived in it for a few days. "Hello?" Arabella called out "Daddy?! Tyler?!" She waited for a response but silence answered her.
Finally, after a few moments, Arabella could hear a yipping sound and jingles coming down the stairs. A little ball of curly brown fur flew down the stairs and crashed into Arabella's legs. "Oh, Gracie" She said in a happy sigh. She put down her bag and picked the small dog up in her arms.
Arabella hugged Gracie to her chest for a moment before she turned and padded toward the kitchen. The first thing she really noticed was how clean the place was. The counter shined, the appliances sparkled and there was the faint lemon-y smell of cleaner in the air. Arabella put Gracie down on the ground before walking over to the counter. Sitting right in the middle of the granite was a note and a check. With a sigh, Arabella picked up the paper and quickly scanned it.
Belly,
Tyler is visiting family from his mother's side in Maine for the summer and I'm in Hong Kong on business.
The check is for the dog sitter, she'll be by on the 23rd to pick it up.
I hope you had a good summer. I'll be back on the 30th and then we'll go out for a hot dog. Maybe go to the zoo?
I love you
-Dad
Arabella folded up the note then she tossed it into the garbage. She stuck the check to the fridge door then glanced inside. It was pretty empty except for a bottle of white wine and a box of baking soda. That might be a comment on what the dog sitter was doing after she took Gracie out but Arabella was too tired to think about it at that moment. Arabella glanced at the clock and she considered ordering some Thai food but she ultimately opened the freezer and pulled out a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream. As she leaned against the counter, taking small spoonfuls of the ice cream tub, Arabella listened to the faint sound of Gracie's collar.
The house felt quiet compared to the craziness of Camp Half-Blood. Arabella was already starting to miss her fellow demigods. But maybe that was just because the silence of the house made her feel even lonelier than she already was. Arabella tossed the ice cream back into the freezer and the spoon in the sink. She needed to be moving, to be doing something. When she stopped and paid attention to the cold silence, Arabella's thoughts seemed to press in on her and it was just getting depressing. She couldn't think about how she hurt Hunter or how guilty she felt. With a yawn, Arabella headed up the stairs with her bag.
When she finally made it to her bedroom on the third floor, Arabella tossed her bag down on her bed. She yawned, stretching out her arms before she got to work. For the next four hours, Arabella kept herself busy. She took her clothes down to the laundry room to get it washed and she washed her sheets from her bed, too. She organized her closet, slowly putting away the clean clothes. She made her bed, making sure it was perfect and her teddy bear was waiting on her pillow for her. She wrote a quick letter to her baby brother. She fed the dog. She never let herself stop long enough to let her thoughts catch up to her. Finally, however, the sky was dark and Arabella had run out of things to do.
She glanced around her clean bedroom for a moment before she turned on her heel and walked over to her bathroom. Maybe a hot shower would relax her muscles and Arabella would be able to fall asleep. She turned on the water and quickly slipped out of her clothes, stepping into the steam. Right away, her body started to feel better but her mind started racing.
Arabella felt so guilty for how she left things with Hunter. It was really eating her up inside. Part of her wanted to run back to camp and open up to him, let him know all of her inner-most thoughts and tell him that she was crazy about him and she missed him. But the look on his face when she left was holding her back. He was so angry, so heart broken and so disappointed. If she were to go back, he wouldn't want anything to do with her. Arabella knew this. She had hurt him enough and having her around camp wasn't going to make things any easier for him. Maybe he would find a way to make things work with Marina. Maybe he would find another girl and fall madly in love with her. At first, the thought of this made Arabella furious. She didn't want to see him with another girl. The truth, however, was that he deserved it and Arabella wanted it for him. She wanted him to be happy and full and peaceful. She wanted him to have a good life. She knew that he deserved it.
With a sigh, Arabella stepped out of the shower after about 45 minutes. She wrapped herself in a big fluffy towel and she padded back into her bedroom, looking for pajamas to wear. Arabella finally pulled on a pair of pink flannel pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt. She slipped into a pair of fuzzy slippers and headed downstairs to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.
Once Arabella had her hands around a warm cup of tea and a happy puppy by her side, she worked her way upstairs to her room again and she moved outside to the deck. It was a small little deck that was right off of her bedroom and Arabella loved it. She had a chair out there with a little side table and a pot for flowers. The view of the city was incredible, too, and Arabella loved watching the city come to life at night. She slid back into the chair, looking out at the lights of New York and she knew that sleep would not come easy that night. But at least she was home and away from the heart ache that plagued her at camp.
Chapter 61: Arabella and Hunter
Sunday, July 21
Arabella looked around as she stepped out of her cabin, trying to find someone who might know where Hunter was. Since it was still rather early and a Sunday morning, the camp was pretty quiet. She took a deep breath and headed over to the Hermes cabin right away. That seemed like a good spot to start. Arabella bit her lip and she knocked on the door. There was a bit of rustling from inside and a guy that Arabella didn't know answered the door. "What?" He groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eye.
"Hi, I uh..I'm looking for Hunter. Is he in here?" She asked him and the guy shook his head, closing the door in her face and probably going back to bed. Arabella sighed and she turned away from the cabin, looking around. When she saw a familiar shape in the arena, her heart raced and she ran towards him as fast as she could. Hunter. He was there in the arena. She was going to talk to him, she was going to find out the truth and they were going to be happy together. As she got closer to the arena, Arabella picked up speed until she was practically running. She rushed up to Hunter and before he could say anything, before she could think, before she could stop herself, Arabella took his face in her hands and she pulled him down to her, kissing him tightly.
Hunter heard quick footsteps behind him and he turned to see Arabella running toward him. He scowled at her and opened his mouth to speak but before he could she surprised him. She shocked him, really. She pressed her lips to his in a long kiss. Hunter thought he was dreaming for a moment, but he soon realized that he wasn't. That this was real and the person kissing him was the same person who took away his sleep. Who took away his ability to eat this morning. She hurt him and he wasn't sure if this was to make up for it or if this was an apology, but whatever it was, it was too late. She pulled away from him, looking at him with wide eyes and Hunter looked back, his stomach twisting. "What do you want?" He said quietly, his face emotionless. "And can I have my jacket back?"
Arabella looked up at him, a mix of emotions rolling around inside her. There was no doubt in her mind now; Hunter was the one. He was the one who had saved her and he was the one who she kissed. Things were supposed to be great now. Why was he looking at her with a blank face and a bitter voice? Why was he acting like this? Why wasn't he hugging her and telling her that he was happy? Was he angry at her? Arabella cleared her throat and she nodded, gingerly putting the jacket in his arms. Before he could pull his arms away, Arabella dropped the watch on top of it. "I was wrong, Hunter." She said softly. "I'm sorry"
Hunter looked down at the watch and then grabbed the strap of it with two fingers, holding it out to her. "I don't want this. I did. I had this idea that I would wait for you to be single since I didn't want to interfere with the choices you made and I would give this watch to you and tell you that I was the one who saved you." Hunter said with a sigh. "And I imagined that you would hug me and that we would go to the beach and we'd talk and we'd get to know each other and maybe at the end of the night I would ask to kiss you and you would say yes and it would be the best night of my life." Hunter took a deep breath. "Now, I can't stand to look at this watch. Or you, really. I thought that you would have learned to trust me the first time you didn't and you were proven wrong. I thought that you would trust me from then on." Hunter shrugged and shook his head. "I get that you have been lied to and betrayed in the past. Who hasn't been, but Arabella...No. Never mind. Take the watch."
Arabella looked down at the watch and she took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions and figure out how to respond to him. This wasn't what he had imagined. Yes, she had made some mistakes but couldn't they work through it together? Arabella closed her eyes for a moment before looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Hunter...I...I messed up and I'm sorry" She said in a soft voice. "Can we talk about this or something?" Arabella asked him, trying not to sound too hurt or too desperate. She didn't want to push him away or make him even angrier but she didn't know what to say to him. "Just...tell me what I can say or do to make this better."
Hunter looked down at Arabella and sighed. "Arabella, what am I supposed to say? That you need to promise to always assume I'm right? So we can live on thin ice for the rest of this relationship?" He asked with a shrug. "Arabella, I was sure that I loved you. I was sure of it since that night on the beach. You left and it calmed down enough to get it off my mind, but then you came back and the feelings came back and I broke up with Marina because I thought that maybe you loved me back, but you didn't. Not until you found out that I was the guy who saved you. You never did. If you had, you would have listened to me as I begged for you to believe me." Hunter said, raising his voice. "You would have let me defend myself before you tore through the woods to get away from me! You would have waited for me to find you before you left for a year to be with Ethan! I was going to tell you then, but you didn't think about me. You didn't think about the sand angels we made that night on the beach or how relaxed we felt around each other. You thought about whose heart you were going to break next and I realize that now. I realize that is why the Aphrodite cabin exists. To make sure the other demigods don't get distracted by love. So you and your sisters can break our hearts into pieces and guarantee that we don't ever fall in love again. I'm sorry, Arabella. I'm sorry for thinking that you were anything different. Now, please leave me alone."
Arabella looked up at him, frozen for a moment. She didn't know how to respond and she didn't know what she could possibly say to him. In all honesty, she had no idea that Hunter felt so strongly about her and she had no idea that she had hurt him so much. Arabella couldn't stop the tears as they started to slide down her cheeks. After a moment, Arabella looked down and twisted the watch in her fingers. "I didn't know..." She started but she stopped, knowing that nothing she said could possibly make this better. Nothing she could say would make it right. Finally, Arabella took a step towards him and she placed a little kiss on his cheek. "I'm so sorry, Hunter" she breathed then placed the watch back in his hand and started to walk away.
"No, you're not." Hunter said quietly, looking down at the watch in his hand. "Maybe you can find some other jerk to believe!" He took a deep breath then looked up at Arabella as she walked away, hugging her arms to her chest. Hunter sighed and then dropped the watch to the dirt, turning back to the arena, drawing his sword. He headed toward one of the dummies and then stopped, clenching his sword tightly. He tried to move again, but he couldn't. It was like he had hit a wall that was telling him to turn around. That was telling him to go back to her or go back to the watch. He grimaced and then threw his sword into the ground. Hunter turned around and walked back, picking the watch up and gripping it in his fist. He looked at Arabella and then back down at the watch in his hand. After another moment, he slipped it into his pocket and turned around, trying to forget about the girl walking away.
Sunday, July 28
A week had passed. A whole week of feeling like crap and wishing that she could just leave. A whole week of planning her departure from camp. Arabella was, in all honesty, desperate to leave Camp Half-Blood. Finally, she was going to be walking over that hill and getting into her limo and driving back to Manhattan. She was going to be able to walk in Central Park and go to Starbucks in the morning and go to fashion shows. Arabella was looking forward to seeing her family and her puppy again. She just wanted to be home. Camp didn't feel like home for her anymore. With a small sigh, Arabella walked into her cabin after supper and she sat down on her bed. The cabin was empty so she figured that it would be a good time to pack and have a bit more time to herself.
Hunter had barely left the arena in the past week. He hadn't really eaten or gotten any sleep. Jake, Marina, Kyle, and other people had all taken their turns trying to get him to eat something or to get some sleep or to at least get out of the arena, but Hunter had blown them off. He just needed to survive a week. He needed a week. Then the people left. Everyone would be gone and he could be alone. He wouldn't have to put up with all of the pity and the sympathy. He could just be alone. That's all he wanted. Was to be left alone.
Arabella yawned, tired from not sleeping well for too many days in a row, and she moved to the end of her bed. She sat herself down on the floor in front of her trunk and pushed it open, pulling out her luggage. As she packed away her things, she thought about what her life would be like if she never went to Camp Half-Blood. Maybe she would be a cheerleader at her high school and she would have a boyfriend and a group of friends. Arabella bit her lip, folding her clothes and slipping them into her bag. She reached inside to grab a pair of shoes but her fingers brushed against a box. Gingerly, Arabella pulled the box out and placed it on her lap. Her heart skipped a beat as she pushed the lid off and ran her fingers over the hundreds of envelopes, all with Hunter's name on them.
Hunter slashed through another dummy then hit it with his shield, following up with another swipe from his sword. His arms were tired. His whole body was tired, really. He kicked the dummy down then stumbled back a little, catching himself with his sword, using it like a cane. He turned to the next dummy and started shuffling toward it, his sword scraping along the ground. He was tired but every time he closed his eyes he saw her. Saw her hugging Brett. Saw her writing on Ethan's hand. And every time he felt the same heartache that he did the first time he saw it. He quickly shook himself and let his shield slip off his arm. He managed to raise his sword and he swung it at the dummy, making a sloppy slice into its arm.
Arabella closed her eyes for a moment, resting her hand on top of the box. There were so many things that she wished she could say to Hunter and they were all in that box of letters. She had poured her heart and her soul into those letters while she was away and they were all words for Hunter. Faster than she would have thought possible, Arabella put the lid back onto the box and she jumped up, hurrying out of her cabin. As quickly as she possibly could, Arabella walked over and knocked on the door to the Hermes cabin. There was a long pause before she knocked again. Furrowing her brow, Arabella glanced around and saw a lot of the Hermes kids walking around the camp and talking to each other. So, Arabella lightly pushed the door open and she padded inside. she moved around until she found a bed that was neatly made and had a trunk that said 'Hunter' beside it. She placed the box on top of his bed, by his pillow, and pulled an eye liner pencil out of her pocket. 'For Hunter' she scribbled on the top in her loopy, girly writing. Before she could change her mind, Arabella turned and walked out of the Hermes cabin.
Hunter squared off with the dummy. He took a deep breath and clumsily slashed at the dummy, his sword thunking against the thick wooden post holding it up. He sighed and pulled away, regaining his stance.
"Hunter, you look like you could use some rest." A calm voice said from behind Hunter. Hunter turned and saw the centaur activities director walking up, looking at him with concerned eyes.
"I'm good, Chiron, sir." Hunter said curtly, turning back to the dummy. "Let me guess. Marina sent you. She was worried about me. Well, take it from me. I'm just fine." Hunter said, feeling the anger that he felt at being betrayed and managing to make a convincing cut, beheading the dummy in front of him.
"Hunter, I'm here out of my own personal concern, but yes. Ms. Goldman and Mr. Koenigsdorf let me know that they hadn't seen you eat, drink, or sleep in the past week." Chiron said, placing a hand on Hunter's shoulder which he quickly shrugged off.
"I told you I was fine." Hunter said, picking up his shield. "Sir." He added, turning back to the dummy.
"Hunter, at this rate, you're going to drop dead from exhaustion. Even demigods need rest." Chiron said with a sigh. Hunter ignored him and lopped off one of the dummy's arms. "Alright. You've left me no choice. Hunter, on the authority of the gods, I order you to return to your cabin and rest until tomorrow. I don't know what it is that's making you behave this way nor do I want to know what it is, but I'm ending whatever this is right now. Return to your cabin immediately." Hunter clenched his sword tightly in his fist as he turned toward Chiron.
"Yes...sir..." Hunter said through clenched teeth before dropping his shield to the ground and throwing his sword into the dirt, the sword sticking straight out of the ground. "αυτό είναι σκατά ταύρου." He said angrily as he passed Chiron and headed out of the arena.
"Watch your mouth!" Chiron shouted after him as Hunter exited the arena.
Arabella hurried back to her cabin, her arms wrapped around herself. She was desperate to leave that camp and get home. Things were pretty crappy and she needed to leave before Hunter saw those letters. Just as she got back to her cabin door, Arabella looked back and saw Hunter walk out of the arena, looking angry. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach clenched up with anxiety. So she rushed inside, grabbed her bag and moved as quickly as she could to leave her cabin and head out.
Arabella looked around as she stepped out of her cabin, trying to find someone who might know where Hunter was. Since it was still rather early and a Sunday morning, the camp was pretty quiet. She took a deep breath and headed over to the Hermes cabin right away. That seemed like a good spot to start. Arabella bit her lip and she knocked on the door. There was a bit of rustling from inside and a guy that Arabella didn't know answered the door. "What?" He groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eye.
"Hi, I uh..I'm looking for Hunter. Is he in here?" She asked him and the guy shook his head, closing the door in her face and probably going back to bed. Arabella sighed and she turned away from the cabin, looking around. When she saw a familiar shape in the arena, her heart raced and she ran towards him as fast as she could. Hunter. He was there in the arena. She was going to talk to him, she was going to find out the truth and they were going to be happy together. As she got closer to the arena, Arabella picked up speed until she was practically running. She rushed up to Hunter and before he could say anything, before she could think, before she could stop herself, Arabella took his face in her hands and she pulled him down to her, kissing him tightly.
Hunter heard quick footsteps behind him and he turned to see Arabella running toward him. He scowled at her and opened his mouth to speak but before he could she surprised him. She shocked him, really. She pressed her lips to his in a long kiss. Hunter thought he was dreaming for a moment, but he soon realized that he wasn't. That this was real and the person kissing him was the same person who took away his sleep. Who took away his ability to eat this morning. She hurt him and he wasn't sure if this was to make up for it or if this was an apology, but whatever it was, it was too late. She pulled away from him, looking at him with wide eyes and Hunter looked back, his stomach twisting. "What do you want?" He said quietly, his face emotionless. "And can I have my jacket back?"
Arabella looked up at him, a mix of emotions rolling around inside her. There was no doubt in her mind now; Hunter was the one. He was the one who had saved her and he was the one who she kissed. Things were supposed to be great now. Why was he looking at her with a blank face and a bitter voice? Why was he acting like this? Why wasn't he hugging her and telling her that he was happy? Was he angry at her? Arabella cleared her throat and she nodded, gingerly putting the jacket in his arms. Before he could pull his arms away, Arabella dropped the watch on top of it. "I was wrong, Hunter." She said softly. "I'm sorry"
Hunter looked down at the watch and then grabbed the strap of it with two fingers, holding it out to her. "I don't want this. I did. I had this idea that I would wait for you to be single since I didn't want to interfere with the choices you made and I would give this watch to you and tell you that I was the one who saved you." Hunter said with a sigh. "And I imagined that you would hug me and that we would go to the beach and we'd talk and we'd get to know each other and maybe at the end of the night I would ask to kiss you and you would say yes and it would be the best night of my life." Hunter took a deep breath. "Now, I can't stand to look at this watch. Or you, really. I thought that you would have learned to trust me the first time you didn't and you were proven wrong. I thought that you would trust me from then on." Hunter shrugged and shook his head. "I get that you have been lied to and betrayed in the past. Who hasn't been, but Arabella...No. Never mind. Take the watch."
Arabella looked down at the watch and she took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions and figure out how to respond to him. This wasn't what he had imagined. Yes, she had made some mistakes but couldn't they work through it together? Arabella closed her eyes for a moment before looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Hunter...I...I messed up and I'm sorry" She said in a soft voice. "Can we talk about this or something?" Arabella asked him, trying not to sound too hurt or too desperate. She didn't want to push him away or make him even angrier but she didn't know what to say to him. "Just...tell me what I can say or do to make this better."
Hunter looked down at Arabella and sighed. "Arabella, what am I supposed to say? That you need to promise to always assume I'm right? So we can live on thin ice for the rest of this relationship?" He asked with a shrug. "Arabella, I was sure that I loved you. I was sure of it since that night on the beach. You left and it calmed down enough to get it off my mind, but then you came back and the feelings came back and I broke up with Marina because I thought that maybe you loved me back, but you didn't. Not until you found out that I was the guy who saved you. You never did. If you had, you would have listened to me as I begged for you to believe me." Hunter said, raising his voice. "You would have let me defend myself before you tore through the woods to get away from me! You would have waited for me to find you before you left for a year to be with Ethan! I was going to tell you then, but you didn't think about me. You didn't think about the sand angels we made that night on the beach or how relaxed we felt around each other. You thought about whose heart you were going to break next and I realize that now. I realize that is why the Aphrodite cabin exists. To make sure the other demigods don't get distracted by love. So you and your sisters can break our hearts into pieces and guarantee that we don't ever fall in love again. I'm sorry, Arabella. I'm sorry for thinking that you were anything different. Now, please leave me alone."
Arabella looked up at him, frozen for a moment. She didn't know how to respond and she didn't know what she could possibly say to him. In all honesty, she had no idea that Hunter felt so strongly about her and she had no idea that she had hurt him so much. Arabella couldn't stop the tears as they started to slide down her cheeks. After a moment, Arabella looked down and twisted the watch in her fingers. "I didn't know..." She started but she stopped, knowing that nothing she said could possibly make this better. Nothing she could say would make it right. Finally, Arabella took a step towards him and she placed a little kiss on his cheek. "I'm so sorry, Hunter" she breathed then placed the watch back in his hand and started to walk away.
"No, you're not." Hunter said quietly, looking down at the watch in his hand. "Maybe you can find some other jerk to believe!" He took a deep breath then looked up at Arabella as she walked away, hugging her arms to her chest. Hunter sighed and then dropped the watch to the dirt, turning back to the arena, drawing his sword. He headed toward one of the dummies and then stopped, clenching his sword tightly. He tried to move again, but he couldn't. It was like he had hit a wall that was telling him to turn around. That was telling him to go back to her or go back to the watch. He grimaced and then threw his sword into the ground. Hunter turned around and walked back, picking the watch up and gripping it in his fist. He looked at Arabella and then back down at the watch in his hand. After another moment, he slipped it into his pocket and turned around, trying to forget about the girl walking away.
Sunday, July 28
A week had passed. A whole week of feeling like crap and wishing that she could just leave. A whole week of planning her departure from camp. Arabella was, in all honesty, desperate to leave Camp Half-Blood. Finally, she was going to be walking over that hill and getting into her limo and driving back to Manhattan. She was going to be able to walk in Central Park and go to Starbucks in the morning and go to fashion shows. Arabella was looking forward to seeing her family and her puppy again. She just wanted to be home. Camp didn't feel like home for her anymore. With a small sigh, Arabella walked into her cabin after supper and she sat down on her bed. The cabin was empty so she figured that it would be a good time to pack and have a bit more time to herself.
Hunter had barely left the arena in the past week. He hadn't really eaten or gotten any sleep. Jake, Marina, Kyle, and other people had all taken their turns trying to get him to eat something or to get some sleep or to at least get out of the arena, but Hunter had blown them off. He just needed to survive a week. He needed a week. Then the people left. Everyone would be gone and he could be alone. He wouldn't have to put up with all of the pity and the sympathy. He could just be alone. That's all he wanted. Was to be left alone.
Arabella yawned, tired from not sleeping well for too many days in a row, and she moved to the end of her bed. She sat herself down on the floor in front of her trunk and pushed it open, pulling out her luggage. As she packed away her things, she thought about what her life would be like if she never went to Camp Half-Blood. Maybe she would be a cheerleader at her high school and she would have a boyfriend and a group of friends. Arabella bit her lip, folding her clothes and slipping them into her bag. She reached inside to grab a pair of shoes but her fingers brushed against a box. Gingerly, Arabella pulled the box out and placed it on her lap. Her heart skipped a beat as she pushed the lid off and ran her fingers over the hundreds of envelopes, all with Hunter's name on them.
Hunter slashed through another dummy then hit it with his shield, following up with another swipe from his sword. His arms were tired. His whole body was tired, really. He kicked the dummy down then stumbled back a little, catching himself with his sword, using it like a cane. He turned to the next dummy and started shuffling toward it, his sword scraping along the ground. He was tired but every time he closed his eyes he saw her. Saw her hugging Brett. Saw her writing on Ethan's hand. And every time he felt the same heartache that he did the first time he saw it. He quickly shook himself and let his shield slip off his arm. He managed to raise his sword and he swung it at the dummy, making a sloppy slice into its arm.
Arabella closed her eyes for a moment, resting her hand on top of the box. There were so many things that she wished she could say to Hunter and they were all in that box of letters. She had poured her heart and her soul into those letters while she was away and they were all words for Hunter. Faster than she would have thought possible, Arabella put the lid back onto the box and she jumped up, hurrying out of her cabin. As quickly as she possibly could, Arabella walked over and knocked on the door to the Hermes cabin. There was a long pause before she knocked again. Furrowing her brow, Arabella glanced around and saw a lot of the Hermes kids walking around the camp and talking to each other. So, Arabella lightly pushed the door open and she padded inside. she moved around until she found a bed that was neatly made and had a trunk that said 'Hunter' beside it. She placed the box on top of his bed, by his pillow, and pulled an eye liner pencil out of her pocket. 'For Hunter' she scribbled on the top in her loopy, girly writing. Before she could change her mind, Arabella turned and walked out of the Hermes cabin.
Hunter squared off with the dummy. He took a deep breath and clumsily slashed at the dummy, his sword thunking against the thick wooden post holding it up. He sighed and pulled away, regaining his stance.
"Hunter, you look like you could use some rest." A calm voice said from behind Hunter. Hunter turned and saw the centaur activities director walking up, looking at him with concerned eyes.
"I'm good, Chiron, sir." Hunter said curtly, turning back to the dummy. "Let me guess. Marina sent you. She was worried about me. Well, take it from me. I'm just fine." Hunter said, feeling the anger that he felt at being betrayed and managing to make a convincing cut, beheading the dummy in front of him.
"Hunter, I'm here out of my own personal concern, but yes. Ms. Goldman and Mr. Koenigsdorf let me know that they hadn't seen you eat, drink, or sleep in the past week." Chiron said, placing a hand on Hunter's shoulder which he quickly shrugged off.
"I told you I was fine." Hunter said, picking up his shield. "Sir." He added, turning back to the dummy.
"Hunter, at this rate, you're going to drop dead from exhaustion. Even demigods need rest." Chiron said with a sigh. Hunter ignored him and lopped off one of the dummy's arms. "Alright. You've left me no choice. Hunter, on the authority of the gods, I order you to return to your cabin and rest until tomorrow. I don't know what it is that's making you behave this way nor do I want to know what it is, but I'm ending whatever this is right now. Return to your cabin immediately." Hunter clenched his sword tightly in his fist as he turned toward Chiron.
"Yes...sir..." Hunter said through clenched teeth before dropping his shield to the ground and throwing his sword into the dirt, the sword sticking straight out of the ground. "αυτό είναι σκατά ταύρου." He said angrily as he passed Chiron and headed out of the arena.
"Watch your mouth!" Chiron shouted after him as Hunter exited the arena.
Arabella hurried back to her cabin, her arms wrapped around herself. She was desperate to leave that camp and get home. Things were pretty crappy and she needed to leave before Hunter saw those letters. Just as she got back to her cabin door, Arabella looked back and saw Hunter walk out of the arena, looking angry. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach clenched up with anxiety. So she rushed inside, grabbed her bag and moved as quickly as she could to leave her cabin and head out.
Chapter 60: Hunter
Saturday, July 20
Hunter felt numb. As he pleaded and tried to defend his actions to Arabella, he was nearly bursting with emotion. Sadness. Regret. Anger. Frustration. Desperation. But as soon as the door to the Aphrodite cabin clattered shut, he felt numb. How could she not believe him? Of all the people in camp, how could she not believe him? He turned and walked back toward his cabin, passing the campfire. He didn't much care to sit down and try to salvage the night. He had been so close and now that he had gotten that close, he hated being so far away. He hated not having her there as a friend at least.
He noticed Jake looking at him and he was about to get up, but Hunter shook his head. He didn't want to talk to Jake. He didn't hugely want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to sleep. He wanted to climb into bed and lie face down and fall asleep and never have to wake up. He could live in a world in his dreams where he was happy. Where she believed him and he was kissing her good night and looking forward to waking up the next day. A dream where he wasn't alone. A dream where he could wake up and then walk over to the Aphrodite Cabin. He would knock on the door and as soon as Arabella would open the door, his heart would speed up and his cheeks would get red just from realizing how lucky he was to be with such a kind and smart and beautiful girl.
Instead, he was alone. He was walking back to his cabin with nothing. No kiss good night. Not even his jacket. Now Jake was going to try and cheer him up tomorrow. The sad thing was that Hunter didn't want to be cheered up. Hunter didn't want some temporary relief from the emotional pain by hearing a joke or being told a story. He didn't want a few moments of false emotion attempting to cover up what was actually going on. He wanted it to be gone. He wanted the emotional pain to be gone.
He walked into his cabin and made a beeline toward his bed, laying down and staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't help but think about the night, replaying it in his head. How good it felt to have her leaning into him. How she smelled when he put his arms around her. How she fidgeted through her thinking face. How she bit her lip. How she leaned closer to him. How he almost kissed her. How he explained. How she didn't believe him. How betrayed she looked. How he tried to convince her. How he pleaded for her to believe him. How she left him.
The more he replayed his night, the angrier he felt. How could she not believe him? She used Hunter's shield and she knew it. She thought he was Ethan during Capture the Flag last week. She heard him explain every detail. He knew everything. It was him and she hadn't believed him. Now, she'd never find the guy who saved her. She'd give Brett, the biggest douche in camp, a chance. She believed him. Ethan. She gave him a chance. Someone she considered a friend. He got a chance. He got the best chance and probably the best eight months of his life.
What did Hunter do? What had Hunter done to deserve such presumption? Had he not proven himself as different enough from the other guys in camp? Had he not given enough evidence to show his direct involvement in saving her those three times in Capture the flag. He lifted up his shirt sleeve and ran his finger along the scar from the cut she had bandaged last year. It served as a memory and now all he wanted to do was slice it open again. Then maybe she'd care enough.
Maybe she just enjoyed breaking hearts. Brett had tried to break her heart but maybe she broke his first. Ethan might have actually loved her, but she broke that off before he could too. Jake liked her. Maybe she was only friends with him to break his heart later. Maybe Hunter had assumed that she was different from the rest of Aphrodite cabin, now he knew that he was wrong. She's a heart breaker. That's what children of Aphrodite do. That's all they can do.
Sunday, July 21
Hunter didn't sleep last night. He had curled up into a ball once people had started to come in from the campfire and pretended to be asleep, so that he could avoid any conversations. Hours passed and he still found himself hugging his knees to his chest, laying on his side, hoping that he would fall asleep so that he could dream that nothing was wrong, but nothing happened. He didn't sleep. When the sun shot through the windows, he decided to get up. He didn't care if it was too early. He didn't want to be there. He needed to be somewhere else.
He stood up out of bed silently, reaching into his trunk and retrieving his clothes. He changed and went to grab his jacket when he remembered that Arabella had it from last night. That meant he would have to talk to her again. Hunter closed his eyes and took a deep breath at the thought, his fists clenching tightly. He didn't want to talk to her. He hated her. She was everything about Aphrodite cabin that he hated.
He headed out the door, sword in hand, shield on his back. He took a deep breath of the morning air as he stepped off the porch, headed for the mess hall. He knew that Summer was almost over and he was grateful. If the camp was empty then that meant he wouldn't have to deal with so many people who would see how badly he was hurting and try and help him. He didn't want their pity. He didn't want their help.
He walked into the mess hall and sat down at his table, a tray of food in front of him. He stared at it and wondered what it taste like. He only wondered because as he stared at his first food in several hours, he wasn't hungry at all. He could have anticipated it, but he was hoping to maybe avoid it.
Hunter stood, leaving his food on the table, and then headed back outside just as Jake was walking up.
"Oh, my gods, Hunter." Jake said, putting a hand on Hunter's shoulder. Hunter looked at him but didn't say anything. "When I saw your bed was empty, I thought the worst, but then I thought the best and now it turns out to be just average." He said with a small laugh. Hunter started walked toward the arena and Jake followed. "Look, man, we should talk about this, because...Because it probably hurts like Hades and I'm your friend." Hunter just kept walking, but he was becoming annoyed with Jake. Was it not obvious that Hunter didn't want to talk about it? "Come on, man. Let's just--"
"Fuck off, Jake! I'm not going to talk about it!" Hunter said before running toward the arena, leaving Jake behind. "Idiot..."
Hunter felt numb. As he pleaded and tried to defend his actions to Arabella, he was nearly bursting with emotion. Sadness. Regret. Anger. Frustration. Desperation. But as soon as the door to the Aphrodite cabin clattered shut, he felt numb. How could she not believe him? Of all the people in camp, how could she not believe him? He turned and walked back toward his cabin, passing the campfire. He didn't much care to sit down and try to salvage the night. He had been so close and now that he had gotten that close, he hated being so far away. He hated not having her there as a friend at least.
He noticed Jake looking at him and he was about to get up, but Hunter shook his head. He didn't want to talk to Jake. He didn't hugely want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to sleep. He wanted to climb into bed and lie face down and fall asleep and never have to wake up. He could live in a world in his dreams where he was happy. Where she believed him and he was kissing her good night and looking forward to waking up the next day. A dream where he wasn't alone. A dream where he could wake up and then walk over to the Aphrodite Cabin. He would knock on the door and as soon as Arabella would open the door, his heart would speed up and his cheeks would get red just from realizing how lucky he was to be with such a kind and smart and beautiful girl.
Instead, he was alone. He was walking back to his cabin with nothing. No kiss good night. Not even his jacket. Now Jake was going to try and cheer him up tomorrow. The sad thing was that Hunter didn't want to be cheered up. Hunter didn't want some temporary relief from the emotional pain by hearing a joke or being told a story. He didn't want a few moments of false emotion attempting to cover up what was actually going on. He wanted it to be gone. He wanted the emotional pain to be gone.
He walked into his cabin and made a beeline toward his bed, laying down and staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't help but think about the night, replaying it in his head. How good it felt to have her leaning into him. How she smelled when he put his arms around her. How she fidgeted through her thinking face. How she bit her lip. How she leaned closer to him. How he almost kissed her. How he explained. How she didn't believe him. How betrayed she looked. How he tried to convince her. How he pleaded for her to believe him. How she left him.
The more he replayed his night, the angrier he felt. How could she not believe him? She used Hunter's shield and she knew it. She thought he was Ethan during Capture the Flag last week. She heard him explain every detail. He knew everything. It was him and she hadn't believed him. Now, she'd never find the guy who saved her. She'd give Brett, the biggest douche in camp, a chance. She believed him. Ethan. She gave him a chance. Someone she considered a friend. He got a chance. He got the best chance and probably the best eight months of his life.
What did Hunter do? What had Hunter done to deserve such presumption? Had he not proven himself as different enough from the other guys in camp? Had he not given enough evidence to show his direct involvement in saving her those three times in Capture the flag. He lifted up his shirt sleeve and ran his finger along the scar from the cut she had bandaged last year. It served as a memory and now all he wanted to do was slice it open again. Then maybe she'd care enough.
Maybe she just enjoyed breaking hearts. Brett had tried to break her heart but maybe she broke his first. Ethan might have actually loved her, but she broke that off before he could too. Jake liked her. Maybe she was only friends with him to break his heart later. Maybe Hunter had assumed that she was different from the rest of Aphrodite cabin, now he knew that he was wrong. She's a heart breaker. That's what children of Aphrodite do. That's all they can do.
Sunday, July 21
Hunter didn't sleep last night. He had curled up into a ball once people had started to come in from the campfire and pretended to be asleep, so that he could avoid any conversations. Hours passed and he still found himself hugging his knees to his chest, laying on his side, hoping that he would fall asleep so that he could dream that nothing was wrong, but nothing happened. He didn't sleep. When the sun shot through the windows, he decided to get up. He didn't care if it was too early. He didn't want to be there. He needed to be somewhere else.
He stood up out of bed silently, reaching into his trunk and retrieving his clothes. He changed and went to grab his jacket when he remembered that Arabella had it from last night. That meant he would have to talk to her again. Hunter closed his eyes and took a deep breath at the thought, his fists clenching tightly. He didn't want to talk to her. He hated her. She was everything about Aphrodite cabin that he hated.
He headed out the door, sword in hand, shield on his back. He took a deep breath of the morning air as he stepped off the porch, headed for the mess hall. He knew that Summer was almost over and he was grateful. If the camp was empty then that meant he wouldn't have to deal with so many people who would see how badly he was hurting and try and help him. He didn't want their pity. He didn't want their help.
He walked into the mess hall and sat down at his table, a tray of food in front of him. He stared at it and wondered what it taste like. He only wondered because as he stared at his first food in several hours, he wasn't hungry at all. He could have anticipated it, but he was hoping to maybe avoid it.
Hunter stood, leaving his food on the table, and then headed back outside just as Jake was walking up.
"Oh, my gods, Hunter." Jake said, putting a hand on Hunter's shoulder. Hunter looked at him but didn't say anything. "When I saw your bed was empty, I thought the worst, but then I thought the best and now it turns out to be just average." He said with a small laugh. Hunter started walked toward the arena and Jake followed. "Look, man, we should talk about this, because...Because it probably hurts like Hades and I'm your friend." Hunter just kept walking, but he was becoming annoyed with Jake. Was it not obvious that Hunter didn't want to talk about it? "Come on, man. Let's just--"
"Fuck off, Jake! I'm not going to talk about it!" Hunter said before running toward the arena, leaving Jake behind. "Idiot..."
Chapter 59: Arabella
Saturday, July 20.
Everything had gotten so complicated so fast. Arabella thought for sure that if she could trust anyone in this camp, it was Hunter. Now she wasn't sure how to feel. She found it hard to believe that he was actually the one who had saved her last year so she was pretty sure that he was lying to her. The shield could have easily been in someone else's hands. Hunter probably let someone borrow it or something. Beyond that, she was mad at him. Even if he was the one who had saved her, why didn't he just tell her in the first place? If he had told her who he was on the very first night, it would have saved her all of this heart ache. Arabella wouldn't have had to deal with Brett or Ethan. Arabella had been happy, excited to get back to camp. She was looking forward to it and she was hoping for a good year. Then all of this happened and Arabella wasn't sure how to feel.
With a defeated sigh, Arabella tuned over so that she was laying on her side, with her head on her pillow, and she wrapped her arms around her soft teddy bear. She closed her eyes, wishing that she could just fall asleep and forget about everything that had happened. Maybe she would wake up and she would be in her bed in Manhattan with her arms around her puppy. Arabella took a small breath and it came out in a soft sob. Maybe she was overreacting, maybe she would feel stupid about this later on but as for right now, Arabella felt rather broken. She would have really loved to talk to her mom.
There was a rustling sound from outside of the cabin and in a bit of a panic, Arabella hurried to brush the tears off of her face. The last thing she wanted was for Brooke or someone like that to see her crying over a boy. Arabella kept her back to the door as she heard it creak open and someone step inside. "My gods, when are people going to learn how to make a fucking s'more?" A voice said. There was a pause before it said "Arabella?"
"Danny!" Arabella gasped when she realized that it was her brother and she sat up quickly, immediately feeling a total sense of relief. Danny was someone she could trust. Danny was someone who wasn't going to judge her for crying over a boy. Arabella looked over at him, her eyes locking with his and he let out a little sigh.
"What's wrong?" He asked her and he walked towards his bed, picking at a bit of marshmallow and chocolate on his shirt.
"I, uhm.." Arabella started but Daniel cut her off.
"Don't even try to deny that something is wrong. You're not getting off that easily" He told her, pulling off his shirt and quickly tugging on a new, clean one. Arabella glanced over at him with big, sad eyes. That was something that she usually loved but sometimes hated about Daniel; he always knew when something was wrong. She never had to say a single word to him. He just always knew. Daniel sat down on his bed and patted the spot next to him.
On slightly shaky legs, Arabella stood up and she walked over to his bed, almost collapsing on the spot beside him. She never told him anything about this. She never told him that Ethan had lied to her or that she had found Hunter's shield. Arabella had kept him in the dark, at arms length. All he knew was that she had broken up with Ethan. "Ethan lied to me" She started softly. "Ethan was never the guy who had saved me last year, he was never the guy who I was looking for and I'm pretty sure that he never loved me" Arabella sighed.
"Oh...sweetie" Daniel sighed, wrapping his arms around her and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. Arabella closed her eyes, a tear falling down her cheek.
"I was talking to Hunter today and he tried to tell me that he's the guy from last year and I just...I can't take it" Arabella told him in a small voice. She could feel Daniel's arms tighten around her a little bit when she mentioned Hunter but she didn't think about it.
"It wouldn't make sense for it to be him. Didn't Hunter win that game on the first night?" Daniel asked and Arabella nodded. "Exactly. How could be have saved you and won the game at the same time?"
"I know...I don't really believe him" Arabella muttered, brushing at her eyes with her sleeve. "It just...it hurts so much, you know? I really trusted him and I thought that he was different. But now I see that he's just like every other guy"
"You need...." Daniel said before letting go of Arabella and crawling to the end of his bed. He opened up his trunk and dug around for a moment before pulling out a large, clear bottle from the bottom. He moved back to the middle of the bed and he sat down in front of Arabella, holding out the bottle to her. "You need some liquid therapy"
"You can't be serious" Arabella said with a little chuckle, taking the bottle out of his hands and looking at the Grey Goose label.
"Oh, I'm very serious" Daniel said with a nod. Arabella raised an eyebrow at him before looking back down at the bottle. Normally, she would have pushed it away and said no. She normally wouldn't be into it. But frankly, after the week that she had, Arabella wasn't about to turn down some liquid therapy any time soon.
"Oh...what the hell" Arabella muttered and she pulled the top off. She sighed a little bit before lifting the bottle to her lips and having a sip. Arabella made a little face when she felt the burning vodka slide down her throat and she passed the bottle over to Daniel, who quickly drank a shot.
"It just...it makes me so mad. I trusted Hunter. I thought that he was a good guy and then he had to go and do....this" Arabella said with a wave of her hand, adjusting herself a little bit so that she could fold her legs under her.
"I had a bad feeling about that guy from day one" Daniel said in a matter-of-fact voice. Arabella looked up at him then grabbed the bottle, taking another swig.
"Gods dammit! I'm a daughter of Aphrodite. Why do I have such shitty luck with love?" She huffed, drinking some more of the vodka. At this point, she could feel her cheeks warming up but she decided to ignore that fact. Daniel sighed, taking the bottle out of her hands and having a little sip.
"Maybe it's just not your time, hun. Maybe you'll leave camp this fall and you'll meet some really cute guy in the city. He'll be...he'll be an artist and you'll be his muse" He said, making Arabella giggle a little bit. "And you'll spend every day in his studio apartment and he'll draw you like one of his French girls!" Daniel finished, laughing. Giggling, Arabella took the bottle out of his hands.
"Oh...shut up" She muttered, smiling a little bit.
Sunday, July 21.
The sun was bright and warm, streaming through the window and falling on Arabella's bed. Her golden hair sparkled in the early morning sun and her breathing was deep and steady as she slept. But as the sun started to burn stronger, Arabella rustled in her sleep. She groaned, wishing that she could just lay in that bed forever. The heat from the sun was making her feel sick, though and the sounds from the outside of the cabin of people moving around were making her head pound. With a little sigh, Arabella slowly opened her eyes, squinting into the room.
Clearly, it was still very early in the morning as her sisters and brothers were still fast asleep. Arabella pushed herself into a sitting position, looking around her bed. Beside her was an empty Grey Goose bottle and a single shoe. Arabella ran her fingers through her hair, trying to remember what had happened the previous night but after the fourth or fifth drink of vodka, her memory was a little fuzzy. All she knew was that she needed to get out of the stuffy cabin and into the fresh air, maybe have an extra-long shower.
Arabella rolled out of bed, pulling off her shirt and slipping out of her shorts. She moved to the end of her bed and opened her trunk, searching around for a new pair of shorts and tank top. Once she was dressed, she was about to go to bed when her eyes landed on something under her bed. It looked like the sleeve of a sweater or something. Furrowing her brow, Arabella bent down and tugged on it, revealing a man's sweater that was much too big for her. She was confused for a moment before she realized who it belonged to.
It was Hunter's sweater. Trying not to get too emotional, Arabella held it close to her chest, closing her eyes. It still had his smell on it, like pine trees, soap and camp fire. Without thinking about it and before she could stop herself, Arabella pulled her sweater on, shoving her arms though the sleeves and pulling the zipper up. She bit her slip, slipping her hands into the pockets. It would have been nice to just have this sweater. To have gotten it after spending the night with Hunter and stealing his sweater while she kissed him good night. Arabella let out a little huff and she was just about to take the sweater off when she felt something in the pocket. Confused, Arabella pulled it out and looked down at whatever it was.
It was her watch. Her little pink Barbie watch that she had lost last year. The watch that had slid off her wrist and into the hand of whoever had saved her on that night. The watch that was now in Hunter's pocket.
He wasn't lying to her. Arabella could feel it in her heart and soul. How would he have the watch if he wasn't the guy who had saved her? Without missing a beat, Arabella slipped into a pair of shoes and she rushed out of the door.
She needed to find Hunter.
Everything had gotten so complicated so fast. Arabella thought for sure that if she could trust anyone in this camp, it was Hunter. Now she wasn't sure how to feel. She found it hard to believe that he was actually the one who had saved her last year so she was pretty sure that he was lying to her. The shield could have easily been in someone else's hands. Hunter probably let someone borrow it or something. Beyond that, she was mad at him. Even if he was the one who had saved her, why didn't he just tell her in the first place? If he had told her who he was on the very first night, it would have saved her all of this heart ache. Arabella wouldn't have had to deal with Brett or Ethan. Arabella had been happy, excited to get back to camp. She was looking forward to it and she was hoping for a good year. Then all of this happened and Arabella wasn't sure how to feel.
With a defeated sigh, Arabella tuned over so that she was laying on her side, with her head on her pillow, and she wrapped her arms around her soft teddy bear. She closed her eyes, wishing that she could just fall asleep and forget about everything that had happened. Maybe she would wake up and she would be in her bed in Manhattan with her arms around her puppy. Arabella took a small breath and it came out in a soft sob. Maybe she was overreacting, maybe she would feel stupid about this later on but as for right now, Arabella felt rather broken. She would have really loved to talk to her mom.
There was a rustling sound from outside of the cabin and in a bit of a panic, Arabella hurried to brush the tears off of her face. The last thing she wanted was for Brooke or someone like that to see her crying over a boy. Arabella kept her back to the door as she heard it creak open and someone step inside. "My gods, when are people going to learn how to make a fucking s'more?" A voice said. There was a pause before it said "Arabella?"
"Danny!" Arabella gasped when she realized that it was her brother and she sat up quickly, immediately feeling a total sense of relief. Danny was someone she could trust. Danny was someone who wasn't going to judge her for crying over a boy. Arabella looked over at him, her eyes locking with his and he let out a little sigh.
"What's wrong?" He asked her and he walked towards his bed, picking at a bit of marshmallow and chocolate on his shirt.
"I, uhm.." Arabella started but Daniel cut her off.
"Don't even try to deny that something is wrong. You're not getting off that easily" He told her, pulling off his shirt and quickly tugging on a new, clean one. Arabella glanced over at him with big, sad eyes. That was something that she usually loved but sometimes hated about Daniel; he always knew when something was wrong. She never had to say a single word to him. He just always knew. Daniel sat down on his bed and patted the spot next to him.
On slightly shaky legs, Arabella stood up and she walked over to his bed, almost collapsing on the spot beside him. She never told him anything about this. She never told him that Ethan had lied to her or that she had found Hunter's shield. Arabella had kept him in the dark, at arms length. All he knew was that she had broken up with Ethan. "Ethan lied to me" She started softly. "Ethan was never the guy who had saved me last year, he was never the guy who I was looking for and I'm pretty sure that he never loved me" Arabella sighed.
"Oh...sweetie" Daniel sighed, wrapping his arms around her and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. Arabella closed her eyes, a tear falling down her cheek.
"I was talking to Hunter today and he tried to tell me that he's the guy from last year and I just...I can't take it" Arabella told him in a small voice. She could feel Daniel's arms tighten around her a little bit when she mentioned Hunter but she didn't think about it.
"It wouldn't make sense for it to be him. Didn't Hunter win that game on the first night?" Daniel asked and Arabella nodded. "Exactly. How could be have saved you and won the game at the same time?"
"I know...I don't really believe him" Arabella muttered, brushing at her eyes with her sleeve. "It just...it hurts so much, you know? I really trusted him and I thought that he was different. But now I see that he's just like every other guy"
"You need...." Daniel said before letting go of Arabella and crawling to the end of his bed. He opened up his trunk and dug around for a moment before pulling out a large, clear bottle from the bottom. He moved back to the middle of the bed and he sat down in front of Arabella, holding out the bottle to her. "You need some liquid therapy"
"You can't be serious" Arabella said with a little chuckle, taking the bottle out of his hands and looking at the Grey Goose label.
"Oh, I'm very serious" Daniel said with a nod. Arabella raised an eyebrow at him before looking back down at the bottle. Normally, she would have pushed it away and said no. She normally wouldn't be into it. But frankly, after the week that she had, Arabella wasn't about to turn down some liquid therapy any time soon.
"Oh...what the hell" Arabella muttered and she pulled the top off. She sighed a little bit before lifting the bottle to her lips and having a sip. Arabella made a little face when she felt the burning vodka slide down her throat and she passed the bottle over to Daniel, who quickly drank a shot.
"It just...it makes me so mad. I trusted Hunter. I thought that he was a good guy and then he had to go and do....this" Arabella said with a wave of her hand, adjusting herself a little bit so that she could fold her legs under her.
"I had a bad feeling about that guy from day one" Daniel said in a matter-of-fact voice. Arabella looked up at him then grabbed the bottle, taking another swig.
"Gods dammit! I'm a daughter of Aphrodite. Why do I have such shitty luck with love?" She huffed, drinking some more of the vodka. At this point, she could feel her cheeks warming up but she decided to ignore that fact. Daniel sighed, taking the bottle out of her hands and having a little sip.
"Maybe it's just not your time, hun. Maybe you'll leave camp this fall and you'll meet some really cute guy in the city. He'll be...he'll be an artist and you'll be his muse" He said, making Arabella giggle a little bit. "And you'll spend every day in his studio apartment and he'll draw you like one of his French girls!" Daniel finished, laughing. Giggling, Arabella took the bottle out of his hands.
"Oh...shut up" She muttered, smiling a little bit.
Sunday, July 21.
The sun was bright and warm, streaming through the window and falling on Arabella's bed. Her golden hair sparkled in the early morning sun and her breathing was deep and steady as she slept. But as the sun started to burn stronger, Arabella rustled in her sleep. She groaned, wishing that she could just lay in that bed forever. The heat from the sun was making her feel sick, though and the sounds from the outside of the cabin of people moving around were making her head pound. With a little sigh, Arabella slowly opened her eyes, squinting into the room.
Clearly, it was still very early in the morning as her sisters and brothers were still fast asleep. Arabella pushed herself into a sitting position, looking around her bed. Beside her was an empty Grey Goose bottle and a single shoe. Arabella ran her fingers through her hair, trying to remember what had happened the previous night but after the fourth or fifth drink of vodka, her memory was a little fuzzy. All she knew was that she needed to get out of the stuffy cabin and into the fresh air, maybe have an extra-long shower.
Arabella rolled out of bed, pulling off her shirt and slipping out of her shorts. She moved to the end of her bed and opened her trunk, searching around for a new pair of shorts and tank top. Once she was dressed, she was about to go to bed when her eyes landed on something under her bed. It looked like the sleeve of a sweater or something. Furrowing her brow, Arabella bent down and tugged on it, revealing a man's sweater that was much too big for her. She was confused for a moment before she realized who it belonged to.
It was Hunter's sweater. Trying not to get too emotional, Arabella held it close to her chest, closing her eyes. It still had his smell on it, like pine trees, soap and camp fire. Without thinking about it and before she could stop herself, Arabella pulled her sweater on, shoving her arms though the sleeves and pulling the zipper up. She bit her slip, slipping her hands into the pockets. It would have been nice to just have this sweater. To have gotten it after spending the night with Hunter and stealing his sweater while she kissed him good night. Arabella let out a little huff and she was just about to take the sweater off when she felt something in the pocket. Confused, Arabella pulled it out and looked down at whatever it was.
It was her watch. Her little pink Barbie watch that she had lost last year. The watch that had slid off her wrist and into the hand of whoever had saved her on that night. The watch that was now in Hunter's pocket.
He wasn't lying to her. Arabella could feel it in her heart and soul. How would he have the watch if he wasn't the guy who had saved her? Without missing a beat, Arabella slipped into a pair of shoes and she rushed out of the door.
She needed to find Hunter.
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