Hunter's Chance

t w e n t y - s i x

"I heard you, you know."

We were walking hand in hand down a pathway of rocks towards The Ranch. I had the conversation with Ruby weighing heavy on my mind and James, well I didn't know where he was going with this so I took a big gulp and finally asked. "Heard what?"

"Rae, I thought that you kept it strictly old school."

I stopped us dead in our tracks and turned to him. His eyes were squinted slightly in the way that he only does when he's attempting to be serious about something. "What are you talking about?"

"Well," he started, grabbing my hand again and leading us towards the front house. "I was on the phone with Jade earlier when I saw your name on the other line." He said shrugging his shoulders before continuing. "And what I heard, I just couldn't believe." And then his hand was directed at me, accusation resting right at he tip of his pointer finger." You, Raegan Hunter, were listening to this weeks top forty!"

"James!" I said, pulling away and slugging him in the arm.

"And you knew every word!

Crap! "You can't tell anyone!" I squirmed, putting my hands over my face.

"Yeah, yeah." He began as he started walking in front of me. "Whatever you say."

I stood back, folding my arms over my chest and shaking my head as I watched him walk away. Could I do this? I thought to myself. Could I end this for good? I was smack-dab in the middle of a decision when I heard it. It was low at first, a quiet humming sound and then it got louder as he turned around. He was smiling big at me before he started belting the words to this weeks number one hit and I couldn't help myself. I charged his way, a full on sprint before leaping into his arms, and wrapping my legs tight around his waist.

"Your secret's safe with me." He said, pulling me in tighter.

He kept me there as we continued down the pathway, his hands holding me up just under my thighs. My arms were thrown over his shoulders as my fingers played with the ends of his curly hair. I soaked up this moment as I embraced what was to come. His back muscles restricting with each step, the way his hair smelled, and the way the soft wind would whistle past us. I squeezed him just a little bit tighter then, feeling the gravitation pull me towards him. This is it.

"Rae," I heard his voice as it pulled me out of my reverie.

"Yeah?" I asked, watching as his feet kicked up rocks behind us.

"You know that feeling of being last picked on the dodgeball team as a kid?"

"I've never really been into sports."

He stopped walking, lightly placing one of his hands on the lower of my back. "You know what I mean..." I pulled back so that now we were face to face. He had taken a serious turn and I could see it in the way that his brows furrowed together and the smile on face was fading. "Why did you pick me? What with all of the other options out there?"

I watched as his mouth formed the words. I knew what he was asking, but I didn't have an answer and if I was honest with myself, even at all, I knew that all of this was just one big game of uncertainty. I rolled the dice and got a seven, I flipped the card and had twenty one, it was never a decision I made. It just happened to be there. It was beginners luck but I know, just like so many out there, that only lasts so long.

"James-"

I hear a shuffle from the right of us and when I look there is a young girl, maybe twelve or thirteen years old, standing at the top of the front porch steps. Her eyebrows are raised and she's trying to camouflage her smile. James arms lessen their grip around my thighs and I hop down onto the ground slightly embarrassed. "Rae, this is Indy. Indy, Rae."