Dark Angel

Chapter 8

We’re driving up the highway in Pennsylvania and it’s about seven thirty. We have plenty of time to get home. I can barely hear a word Jase says because we have Flyleaf blaring so loudly, but that’s okay. It’s a lot funnier when we get our words confused because we’re shouting in an attempt to talk over the music.

I feel my phone vibrating against the seat where I left it and pick it up to see what the notification is. Then I realize it’s an incoming call. From Hunter. Shit.

“Turn the music down,” I say as I go to hit the talk button. The volume plummets to near silence as I answer the call.

“Hey baby,” I say into the phone.

“Hey,” Hunter replies. I can’t tell his mood. He seems pretty apathetic, really.

“What’s up?” I ask. I can’t even figure out his reason for calling, except maybe to talk a little since I missed lunch and what not. He’s never had a problem with me skipping before, and he’s never said anything about it. Well, I mean, he asked about it once, but that was only to figure out where I went.

“Oh, I was just calling to ask you how your day went since I didn’t get to see you at all.” See? I told you. “You skipped, I’m guessing?”

“Yep. It was pretty great.”

“But I saw Lyss and Allie around school.”

“I know. It was just me and Jase.”

“Cool. So, uh, what are you doing right now? Can I come over?”

The question hits me. I know it shouldn’t because he’s just being my boyfriend that wants to spend time with me. But it still strikes me in an unusual way.

“Uh, not yet. You can come over around eight, but I’m kinda busy right now.”

“Oh, alright. You know, the most interesting thing happened about five minutes ago.”

“Really? Please enlighten me. I’d like to hear about this interesting occurrence.”

“Yeah, so, your mom called me. Said you weren’t picking up your phone. Since she knew I was at the mall and movies with you, Jase, Lyss, and Allie, she thought she’d ask me to let you know your Aunt Venia called and you needed to call her back. Funny, I don’t remember making plans to do that or heading out to the mall. I was pretty sure I was at home.”

My muscles tense up. Hunter is getting at something. It’s Hunter, he’s not going to just be like “nice job on the mega road trip skippage. Let’s see if we can manage that sometime” or “you shouldn’t lie to your parents, Devin, come on”. But it’s Hunter. He wants something out of it, I guarantee it.

“Really?” I ask.

“Yeah. So, uh, where are you really?”

Well, he already knows. Why lie?

“Route 30. We’re almost home.”

“So you’re with Jase?”

“Yeah.”

“Devin, I’m going to tell you something. I don’t like you spending so much time with Jase. I mean, I’m your boyfriend, not him. It seems like you only ever hang out with him and never with me. Can’t we do something together like you and Jase do? You see him more than you see me.”

“Sure. Do you want to come over tonight? As long as my mom doesn’t know you’re there you can stay as late as you want and sneak out the window.”

“Yeah, that sounds like fun.”

I can’t believe that was all he was after. I need to stop worrying so much about him. Worrying is bad for the health. I’m going to give myself a heart attack before I graduate.