Hunter's Moon

Breakfast Is Served

I couldn't sleep at all Thursday night. My body was too hyped about going to the track meet with Lincoln.

Sophie had texted me the day after my orientation to ask me how I had liked it, joking about my "staring contest" with Lincoln. Without thinking, I had told her about meeting Lincoln that night and how he had asked me to the track meet. She had called me and had started squealing in my ear about how excited she was—though she hated me too because I lived so close to him.

When I said she was welcome to come over any time, she shut up for a second before squealing about how awesome of a friend I was. I had laughed and put up with it, knowing it'd be done. She asked if she could spend the night Friday night and I told her it'd be all right. I was sure Mom wouldn't mind. If she even noticed.

Friday finally came after a whole night's worth of tossing and turning. By five in the morning, I knew I wasn't going to sleep so I got up. I brushed through my hair furiously to get out the tangles. Pulling out the makeup I never thought I'd need, I dabbed concealer under my eyes and put on a purple eye shadow to hide the purple of my lids.

I didn't even know what time the track meet was at, but I knew even if it was at ten it would still feel like a month's gone by. Time was moving that slow. It was six-thirty when I walked into the kitchen to get breakfast.

Mom didn't get up until eight, all dressed up for her interview at a local gas station. She always complained about interviews but then went off to say any extra cash being brought in helped a lot. I tried not to roll my eyes. At the age of sixteen, it was near impossible to find any place that would hire you. They were all looking for the eighteen-year-olds so they wouldn't have to worry about liability as much.

"You're up early," she commented as she put coffee on.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep last night." Even though she didn't ask, I felt the need to make an excuse. "New house and all. It's too cold here. We can't even put on the A/C."

"Of course we can. We're just used to one-hundred plus temperatures. I'm sure most Michiganders have their air on right now. I've heard eighty is normally the hottest it gets. They all freak when it gets anywhere near ninety."

I snorted. That was pathetic. "Yeah, okay. Break a leg, or whatever. Good luck!" I corrected quickly.

She smiled. "Thanks. Not that I'll need it. I've been to so many places I lost count when I ran out of fingers. Doesn't help when your father moves us around once every two years, or every year depending on the when the government calls him up. Did he really have to take the General's position?" She had stopped talking to me so I tuned her out. After a couple minutes, she poured her cup of coffee and headed out the door, leaving me in peace.

Only until I got to thinking about the track meet.

When I thought about it though, it seemed odd. My first real day in Grand Rapids and the hottest guy at the school just happens to ask me out. I don't even go to his school! And then, by some messed up coincidence, he ends up losing his dog and happens to live two doors down. Can I say Hello! This isn't normal?

What were the chances? Either this guy was a complete stud or...well, he was a complete stud. His ego spoke for itself. He hadn't even let me decline the offer to go to the track. He had just assumed I would want to go so I could watch his sister "whip butt." Like I'm even interested in track.

And yet, whenever I thought about how that dark hair would always fall in front of his face and the way his eyes seemed to look straight into me, like he knew who I was on the inside, my heart would flutter and my face would heat up. I seriously needed to get that guy out of my system. When he showed up at my door later today, I would tell him I had come down with a cold while acclimating to Michigan weather. That was believable, right?