He could try and stop me, but it would never work.
He knew how stubborn his best friend was.
Chapter Sixteen
Scary movies made me want to die.
But I’d also heard they made the perfect date night, so when I met Graham outside of Rock Valley’s tiny three-room theater, we went for the latest slasher.
Graham made for a great date. He looked steaming hot in his black jeans and gray v-neck tee, his hands tucked in the front pockets of his pants as if he didn’t have a care in the world. The other girls snuck peeks at him as we stood in line to get our popcorn. The effect made me stand a little taller and feel a bit brighter about tonight.
Yep, Charlotte Hale could nab a good one. I wasn’t a man repellant after all.
Not that it mattered. I was here for one reason only—to completely eliminate any residual feelings I held for my best friend. A hot date and maybe even a little kissing was all it was going to take. I was sure of it. And then, I was going to wonder what the heck I’d been thinking when I kissed Hunter the other night.
“Let’s sit in here,” Graham said, nodding toward the last row of seats as we walked into the theater.
It wasn’t a busy night. At least thirty people already sat in their folding seats, waiting for the movie to begin. But the last row seemed especially dark and quiet.
I gulped, holding tight to the bag of popcorn in my hands. This was make-out row. The place my sister had told me boys liked to bring their dates. Anything could happen here. My heart beat a nervous tempo as I followed Graham into the row and sat in a springy chair next to him. And when his hand reached into the popcorn bag sitting on my lap, my palms got clammy.
“So...where are you originally from?” I asked, not daring to take a bite of the popcorn, in case Graham got the idea to kiss me then and there. How embarrassing would it have been to have a mouth full of kernels at that exact moment?
“Colorado.”
His eyes reflected the bright lights of the screen as he stared at the trivia shots the theater rolled before any film. He ran a hand over his dark hair, looking effortlessly sexy.
I smiled at the side of his face. “That’s awesome. I’ve always wanted to go to Colorado.”
“Trust me, it’s totally overrated.” He reached for another handful of popcorn, never tearing his eyes away from the screen.
“Where would you live, then, if you could?”
I didn’t mean to sound like I was interviewing my date, but if I was going to be locking lips with the guy sometime tonight, it would’ve been nice to know a little bit more about him. His gaze slid from the screen to mine for a mere second before he leaned back farther in his seat.
“Seattle. That’s where my mom’s from. I’m moving there as soon as I’m old enough to get off that stupid ranch.”
“Cool. I like Seattle, too.”
I wondered if asking him how he’d gotten to the Sweet Oak Boys Ranch was too invasive. Maybe he did something bad. Like real bad. Maybe he robbed a bank. Or stole a car. Or punched a little old man. My mind was running wild. There was a reason Hunter didn’t like him. I wanted to know why.
Not that it mattered what Hunter thought. We were friends, but that didn’t mean he got to dictate who I dated.
Just as I was trying to shove the thought of Hunter out of my mind, I looked down the row of seats to see a couple shuffling their way toward us. My jaw dropped when I got a good look at them. Shock, then horror, and then outrage rolled through me in a matter of seconds.
“Hey, Char.” Hunter nodded stiffly at me. He wore a determined frown as he sat, leaving three seats between us.
Hunter showing up unannounced at my date was bad enough. I didn’t need a babysitter. Especially a babysitter I was currently trying to forget about. But it was the girl on his other side who had me wanting to throw my Milk Duds at them.
Sarah-freaking-Claiborne.
Sarah wore a skirt that was a little too short with a shirt that showed off an inch of skin at the waistline. And the way she clung to Hunter’s arm had me grinding my teeth. It seemed that she’d recuperated from her discussion with her mother earlier. It was too bad I’d wasted a moment of my life feeling sorry for her. She smirked at me in the dim light, taking a seat on Hunter’s other side, and immediately leaned over to whisper something in his ear.
“What are they doing here?” I growled, popcorn spilling over the edges of the bag as I squeezed it too tight.
Graham glanced down at Hunter and narrowed his eyes. With a determined scowl, he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me toward him. “I don’t know, but don’t let them bother you, babe.”
The theater darkened and the movie began to play. I should’ve been over the moon about Graham calling me babe and putting his arm around me, but I couldn’t shake off this feeling of utter betrayal.
Of all people, Hunter had to show up with her. He knew how much I hated Sarah. It wasn’t right. The thought of her touching him, giggling in his ear, or holding his hand made me tense with rage. And the sudden vision in my head I got of them making out just three seats away was enough to make me want to throw up.
And the longer the movie went on, the worse it got. I kept glancing over at them to be sure nothing was going on. Hunter had shifted forward in his chair, his hands gripping his knees.
