Never Been Kissed(51)

“I’ll try my best.”

Katie smiles, a big wide one with teeth and crinkly eyes. “Do or do not. There is no try.”

You just can’t argue with Master Yoda logic. You just can’t.





‘Sera. I’m sorry. I got carried away. Christ, I’m sorry.’

‘Sera? Please, just call me back. I keep thinking you got abducted in the damn hall, and-shit. Just call me, please? So I know you’re okay?’

‘God, I’m sorry. I’m an asshole. I promised you I wouldn’t be an asshole. I thought you were with me, baby, every step of the way. I’m sorry, I misread the whole situation.’

‘I don’t want to let you out of this because I fucked up. Please, give me another chance. I’ll do better. I’ll be better. Just... call me, text me, whatever you want.’

And the last voicemail: ‘Just tell me where I stand. Yes or no? You don’t even have to talk to me, if you don’t want. Text me the answer, Sera. I need to know if this is goodbye.’

I’m a sucker. I save every single voicemail. Replay them with my eyes closed. Could all this be a lie? A ruse? A game? If it is... he sure sounds sincere. If it is... it must be so exhausting to fake those kinds of emotions, unless he’s a sociopath – and an expert emotional chameleon. Note to self: read up on sociopaths and make sure Hunter MacLaine isn’t one.

I text him back – not ready to hear his voice yet.

Alive and well. Have not been kidnapped.

Three seconds later:

Hunter: Good. Matty had a nightmare last night. Sometimes happens when his sugar has been going haywire all day.

Hunter: Why didn’t you wait for me? I would’ve stopped, you have to know that. All you had to do was tell me no.

Hunter: You wanna come over? Just me and Matty. We’re having pizza and you’re welcome to join us.

Oh, courage, where are you? I could really use you right now. I don’t want to be a coward anymore. It’s time for a new start, a new beginning, and maybe Hunter will help me with that. Maybe he won’t.

But I have to see for myself.

My legs shake as I knock on his door. Shoulders squared, back straight, I stare defiantly into the peephole. Without an arched eyebrow I’m not sure if my ‘haughty disdain’ look is perfected, but whatever.

And I’m sure the whole ‘I don’t care’ look is ruined with my Justice League Chucks, my work-appropriate pencil skirt, and a coral blouse that makes me feel happy because it’s so bright.

The door opens, slow enough to rival any creepy door-opening scene in a hacker-slasher, but behind it – I get Hunter. He’s wearing a white shirt with what looks like grease stains on it, and a pair of jeans so light – all he needs is the peacoat and he’s Connor MacManus from The Boondock Saints. Hubba hubba.

“Hi,” he says with a smile, looking me up and down.

I swallow hard and watch him shuffle backwards, movements slow enough like I’m a skittish animal who doesn’t know if it’s going to be petted or hit. He pulls the door open wider and wider and I force my legs to cross the threshold.

I half expect for some sort of invisible force-field to cut me in half or electrocute me as I cross over but nothing happens. My whole body breaks out in goose-bumps, and I shiver so hard my neck cracks.

“Sera!” Matty yells, colliding with my legs. His chin goes to its familiar place on my quad, looking up at me with his beautiful little face. His smile is a gift, a treasure, and I know that if anyone would try to hurt this boy, I’d die trying to protect him. “We’re eating pizza with pineapple on it! Isn’t that cool?”

“You bet, kiddo,” I grin at him, pushing his hair back. I lean down, nearly breaking two ribs to kiss the tip of his nose. Matty giggles, still staring up at me, blue eyes bright and full of mischief, he’d give Loki a hard time. “Here, let me get my shoes off.”

“Whooooaaah.” This from Matty. “Is that... is that Superman? And Batman? They’re friends!?” He leans right down with me as he points to the outer sole of my Chuck Taylors where the four more famous male faces of the Justice League are. He jabs my ankle every time he sees someone he recognizes.

“Hey, hey. Even though Batman is best friends with Superman, we both know who the cooler one is, don’t we?”

Matty continues to stare at my sneakers. I’ve just won a shit load of cool points. “But Superman can fly!”I keep going at my laces, then switch to the other foot. I don’t know what Hunter thinks of all this. I don’t care. Gah! Maybe I do.

“What does that have to do with anything?” I ask.

“Sera, he can fly.” Matty says it like I should understand, arms out on either side of his chest, and he pretends to be an airplane. When he comes back to me, I level with him.