Dear Diary, I Think I'm In Love

The Pizza Affair

Dad drops me off at the house, once we both calm down. Neither of us says a word about our joined emotional breakdown. It's like it never happened. But the atmosphere is comforting, and it feels like we poured our hearts out without talking much.

As he drives off to go pick up mom from work, I wave at him. My stomach growls, making me regret that I didn't finish that bowl of spaghetti today. Well, I would've, if Cassie kept her mouth shut. Ugh, don't go there, Perrie. Do yourself a favor and think about literally anything else.

I enter the house, realizing that it's suspiciously quiet. The boys are probably locked inside Aiden's room and playing video games. I hope he doesn't have the whole hoard over. I can deal with just him and Hunter, but once it's the whole friend group ... It can get a little overwhelming.

I hang my backpack next to the jackets, just taking out my phone, then head towards the kitchen. It's a little past four. No wonder that my stomach is trying to jump out of me and attack the fridge.

My mind once again travels elsewhere as I realize that dad probably munched on a salad again. I scrunch my face in disgust. How can he call that a lunch? I put my phone away, starting to rummage through the cabinets, in hopes of finding something that might catch my eye.

"Don't take our favorite snack, or my head will come rolling down the stairs, if I go back up empty-handed," a voice suddenly echoes behind my back, making me jump in surprise and knock over an already open bag of Doritos. I already see it scattered all over the floor, when a hand reaches out from behind me and grabs it just in time. A few pieces fall out of the bag, but they all land on the kitchen counter.

I look up, meeting Hunter's piercing green-eyed gaze. He tilts his head and stares at me in a disapproving way. "Sorry about that ... And next time, don't sneak up on me like that, you scared the crap out of me," I tell him, glancing at the Doritos that escaped the bag. "Are you going to miss those, by the way?" I wonder.

Hunter chuckles and shakes his head, then turns around and leaves. Seriously, he won't even apologize for frightening me? "I thought you had a clear conscience, but now I know you're hiding something," he calls out, turning his head to smirk at me.

"Excuse me?" I say, putting my hands against my hips. What does he mean by that? But instead of responding, he simply winks at me and disappears behind the corner. My chest clenches in a weird way. What was that all about?

I stand there like a fool, expecting an answer, while fully aware that I'm not going to get it. Absent-mindedly, I grab those Doritos that fell out of the bag and start munching on them nervously. Then suddenly, I don't even know why I'm eating. It feels like the food turns into sand in my mouth. I can't even taste anything. I force myself to swallow it, then get myself some water, realizing that I'm overreacting. It was just a wink, Perrie, get over yourself.

In that moment, I flinch again as I hear my phone ding. Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. I grab it to check who texted me, only to see Hunter's name on my screen. What does he want from me now?

Forgot to mention, we have pizza. Want some? the message says. My stomach growls again, like it has any say in this. Hell, I'd kill for a slice of pizza now, but I really don't want to go to my brother's room. Not with the whole gang there.

You're eating in my brother's bedroom? I type back, just to make it seem like I'm not easy to persuade. Who am I kidding, I could run upstairs right now. The next text comes sooner than I'd expect it to. Was he literally waiting for me to respond or what?

What Mr. and Mrs. H don't know, can't hurt them, he lets me know. Then, a winky face follows. I stare at the screen, trying to figure out what's going on inside Hunter's head right now. Our communication usually stays within the borders of occasional spats and a few shared laughs every now and then. Seriously though, we have three slices left and we're full. Come get them, if you're hungry, another text follows as he realizes that I'm not responding to that provocation.

I stare at the screen for a minute, then sigh. Fine, coming, I let him know at last, then put the phone into my pocket, trying to convince myself that I didn't know what to eat anyway. I walk upstairs, already hearing the sound of video games coming from Aiden's room. And I can smell the pizza, too.

The door is slightly ajar, because we're not allowed to close the doors of our bedrooms during the day. And Aiden knows it's best if he sticks to that, even if our parents aren't at home. I push it open and cross my arms against my chest as I see them all scattered on the bed, the couch and even the ground. There's seven of them. Like the dwarfs. Aw. Oh my God. There are a dozen boxes in the room. And they only left three slices. What are they, monsters? "Hey, sis, I knew you were hungry!" Aiden calls out to me from the bed.

My face darkens and I suddenly realize why it was Hunter texting me. I can't believe that sneaky excuse of a brother. "Yeah? Is that why you made your bestie invite me up?" I ask, directing my frustration at him without glancing at Hunter. He watches me from a spot next to Aiden, probably waiting if I'm going to target him next. Oh, don't worry, Adams, I won't leave you out of this. As my brother lifts his gaze from the game, I send him an icy-cold glare. "If you think I'll take all those boxes out, you're damn wrong. You'll carry them down yourself. Now give me that pizza, or I'm taking photos for evidence," I tell him in a completely calm tone.

I can hear a few of his friends snicker in response, but I don't tear my gaze away from my brother. I'm just waiting for him to start stuttering now. Aiden stares at me for a few moments, then grabs a pizza box from the ground and reaches out to me. "Fine, just take it. Fast, or else I'll get shot," he urges me, once again gluing his eyes on the screen. Great. Now he won't even see me roll my eyes.

I grab the box, then stop my gaze on Hunter. He looks at me, realizing that it's now his turn to hear it from me. But instead of giving him a piece of my mind, I decide to kill him with kindness instead. "You could've just asked nicely, and I wouldn't be a b***h about it," I inform him, then leave before he's able to say anything else. The rest of the guys laugh again, but I ignore them and walk out of the room. I can still feel someone's gaze pinned on my back. And I can tell it's not my brother's.

I don't turn around. I truly thought Hunter was better than that. Luring me upstairs, just so I would take out their trash? Out of the question. After that stunt, I don't even feel hungry anymore. I open the box, the scent travelling to my nose, tempting me anyway. There's no way I'm going to starve twice in one day, just because someone got on my nerves.

I microwave the slices that are left, because I can't stomach cold pizza, then finish them all in less than five minutes. Well, boys might be boys, but at least they offered me food. Shaking my head, I get up, ready to take the box out and disappear into my room before anyone decides to put those boxes away.

But just as I'm washing my hands, I can hear that someone's coming downstairs. I grab a towel and turn around, almost ready to jump into combat mode again, but it's not my brother, putting away the trash. No. He sent Hunter to do his dirty work. Again. My face sours and I let out a long breath before grabbing the box and starting to fold it together. It fits into the trash can more easily that way.

"Let me," Hunter says, reaching out to take the box out of my hands. I stare at him in a distrustful way, not wanting to deal with him anymore.

"What for? I thought I exceeded at taking out trash and that's why you wanted me to come upstairs," I remark bitterly. He sighs and folds the boxes all at once, in one swift movement.

"Perrie, don't be so sour. I'm sorry, okay?" he tells me, and I raise my eyebrows. Okay, I'm alerted now. What else does he want from me? Hunter and I never talk this long. But the longer I watch him, the more I feel like I'm being suffocated and I can't handle it anymore. I need to end this right now.

"Okay. Fine," I say in response, but I stare at him in a completely distrustful way. He reaches out with his hand and I take a deep breath, before handing the crumpled box over to him. If he wants to clear his conscience, I'll let him.

"No hard feelings?" he then tries again, making me tilt my head in response. Did he really go there right now?

"How about you just go, before I send something flying towards your head?" I suggest, knowing that I'm being harsh and way too defensive, but I can't help myself. Hunter doesn't take it personally, though. He laughs at my threat, shaking his head.

"Oof, I'm shaking," he says amidst laughing. "But no worries, if you can't forgive me yet. I'll find a way to make it up to you," he then adds with another smirk finding its way on his face. I swear to god, if he winks at me right now, I'll really throw something at him. Luckily for him (or for me), he doesn't. I'm gripping the edge of the counter, practically losing my mind.

Finally, he turns towards the back door and walks outside. I take the chance to pull myself together and leave the kitchen as fast as my feet can carry me. I really don’t want this conversation to continue, when he steps back inside. It’s weirding me out.

As I close the door to my room, taking advantage of the last few minutes my parents aren’t at home, only one thing is going through my head. What the hell is going on with Hunter?