Shy (Hunter Hayes)

Chapter 8

Hunter's POV

I adjusted my tie and walked in the door of the gym. The dance had already started and I was running late for the first time in my life.

I looked everywhere I could think for Jana. I had gotten her phone number yesterday, so I decided to text her. After telling her I had just gotten here, she rushed to the door.

"Hunter! I thought you just decided to ditch. Thank you so much for coming," she said, hugging me.

I stepped back and looked at her. She was stunning. She was absolutely gorgeous. She was in a fairly short red dress and her long caramel colored hair was curled into perfect rings.

"J-Jana...you look...gorgeous," I whispered, my eyes growing wider.

"Thanks," she responded. "You don't look bad yourself, Hayes." There was a moment of silence before she grabbed my hand. "Come on! Let's dance!"

She dragged me out to the dance floor. Josh was waiting on her, holding her drink. "Hey babe! Hey dork," he said, sloppily kissing her cheek. I found myself wondering what was in HIS cup.

"Josh, he's not a dork," Jana argued, taking her cup from him.

Josh grabbed Jana's hand and spun her around to the beat of the upbeat, insanely loud pop music. I didn't recognize most of the songs due to my country and indie music taste. My different music taste was another thing that set me apart from my classmates.

"I'll be right back, Jana," Josh said. "I need another drink," he said, shaking his cup. I think he'd had enough. With this, he walked away, leaving Jana and me alone.

After about ten minutes, I could tell Jana was getting upset. Josh hadn't come back yet. "Hunter, do you want to get some pizza or a drink or something?" she asked.

"Sure," I responded. We walked into the gym lobby, hand in hand. I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind as she got her food. "You're so freaking beautiful," I whispered in her ear. I rested my head in her neck. I found myself longing to kiss her again. Even if it was just to kiss the soft skin of her neck right now, I had to do it. So I did. I lightly brushed and pressed my lips to the warm skin of her neck. I loved her so much and I wanted to tell her more than anything in the world.

This was my first time actually kissing her. I was scared she would be freaked out, but she wasn't. Jana turned around and cupped my cheek with her hand.

"Thanks," she whispered. She lightly kissed my other cheek. She stared into my eyes for several seconds before pulling away. "I wonder where Josh is..."

Jana dragged me to the other side of the gym lobby where the locker rooms were located. I felt her grasp on my hand grow stronger as she witnessed what I knew would break her heart. Josh was forcefully kissing another girl outside the locker room.

"Josh?" she said, choking back tears.

"JANA! Oh hey. Do you know Sabrina?" he asked, pointing to the girl he was kissing.

I didn't even try to stop myself. I couldn't control it. He'd hurt the most amazing person in the world. He was an idiot. I balled my fist up and hit him in the face as hard as a possibly could.

"HUNTER!" Jana exclaimed as Josh winced in pain.

"Let's go," I said to Jana, leading her back into the gym where the dance was still in full swing.

"Hunter...I can't believe you...I can't believe he...thank you," she sighed. A tear rolled down her cheek and I quickly wiped it away with my thumb. "He's a jerk. A drunk jerk. I'm so sorry." She hugged me.

A slow song started pouring out of the speakers. "Dance with me," I said. It sounded like more of a command than an invitation. "Please, just dance with me." A smile grew on her face as I rested my hands on her waist and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I can't believe you punched him!" Jana exclaimed.

"He's a jerk. He deserved that. If he's too stupid to realize that he could have had the most amazing girl in the whole world, he needed it."

"You mean that?" she responded. I nodded.

We remained silent for a few long seconds as we swayed to the music. The moment was perfect. Jana cupped my cheek with her hand again. Our eyes met. "Hunter, I seriously can't thank you enough. You're my best friend. I just want you to know that."

I couldn't control it any longer. I moved one of my hands to her face and kept the other on her waist. I pressed my lips to hers. She seemed surprised at first but was soon kissing me back. The kiss was gentle, sweet, innocent. Flawless.