Page 47 of The Spider Queen
I laughed. “Yeah. Not into it.”
“Gotta do what works for ya.” He waved and then jogged off in the opposite direction. “See you tonight!”
Francis was awesome. We’d met as freshman in a biology lab, so we’d gone through a lot of science hell through the years. We weren’t close friends, more like acquaintances. His offer of friendship had always been there, but I’d never taken advantage of it before. I usually kept to myself, studied by alone. It was strange that I was changing. Strange that I was becoming someone I didn’t recognize.
Anita had been staying close to home, no doubt trying to keep an eye on me. She said she wasn’t, but she was a terrible liar. It was a relief when I walked into a quiet apartment.
Are you going to watch this episode with me?Thane asked.
No, I have some studying to do. Maybe later before I go out.
My, my, aren’t you becoming social lately.
I’m still a hermit. Now leave me alone so I can study.
An hour later, I stretched and yawned. I got up to make a pot of coffee. While I was in the kitchen, there was a knock on the front door. Frowning, I went to investigate and looked through the peephole.
Hunter stood on the porch, hands in his pockets.
I swallowed. He hadn’t bothered to text me an excuse—not even a weak one. He’d just been silent. I’d buried my hurt because I’d had other things to focus on, but it came rushing back when I saw him looking contrite.
Opening the door, I glared at him. “You’ve got a lot of nerve.”
He sighed, looking ashamed. “I know.”
“It’s been a week.”
“I can explain.”
“Give me your phone,” I demanded.
“Why?”
“You want a chance to explain? Give me your phone.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. I grabbed mine and hit his name in my call list. A moment later, his phone rang.
“Huh, well isn’t that interesting? It works.” I slapped his cell against his chest. Volcanic rage blistered under my skin.
“Poppy, wait—”
“I’m so mad I could punch you!”
“Go ahead. I deserve it!”
“Damn it, Hunter—”
“I had a family emergency.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not an idiot. If you didn’t want to follow through with the date, all you had to do was tell me. You didn’t need to ghost me.”
“I did want to take you on a date, I really did. I’m not lying about the family emergency.”
“Then why didn’t you call to tell me? I would’ve understood. I really thought we had something—”
“Wedohave something. I’m sorry, Poppy.”
“Is everything okay at home?”
