Pausing between bites, Alec gains a new crooked smile. Not many people remembered he craved sour flavors, let alone went out of their way to do anything about it. Misty was indeed special, and... the more Alec was around her, the more he saw his brother as a complete and utter fool. For anyone giving up somebody like Misty was either blind or insane.
"Thanks..." He wondered if he would ever be able to repay her for everything she was doing for him.
"A movie sound good," he agrees. He wasn't particularly in the mood to sit and watch anything, but it beat sulking and crying any more.
Despite how depressing his day had been, he's able to enjoy the evening with Misty, laughing and making fun of the cheesy movie, and eating the sour candies until his mouth hurt. By the time he went to bed on the couch, his emotions felt a little more stable, and his only hope was that it carried through into the next day too.
"Nothing." Reese sighs before setting his hands on his
hips as he stands by Angelica's desk. "Dalton can't find a thing that
Carson might have been doing on the computers here. Which can only mean
one thing - he's covered his tracks for some reason. Otherwise,
something would have shown up. Anything! But not even Dalton can find
it, which means not only has Carson covered his tracks, it was severe
enough for him to work really hard at it."
Flopping
down in an extra chair, Reese looks at Angelica with desperation. "What
do I do? I've had Pete tail him. So far that hasn't proven
anything, although it hasn't been too long. I'm just... I'm worried.
I'm worried that Carson's into something bad, and if he is, that could
mean something even worse for the Elite."
Eyes closed and mind trying not to escape, Hunter rather likes feeling Katie's arm around him. It would be very hard not to sleep.
Hearing her apology, he cracks one eye open to look at her from the side. "If I'da thought you were a witch, I wouldn't have gone out for coffee with you." He reaches over to pat her leg. "Let's just forget about this morning altogether." That's what he'd like to do with a lot of things... just forget and move on. Nothing could be changed anyway.
Sitting for a while with Katie, he does manage to doze off a few times without any nightmares, giving him just enough energy to keep going the rest of the day. He didn't talk with Katie a whole lot more... helping with evening chores, then joining everyone for supper kept him busy. Though no one ever asked about that morning, Hunter still felt the eyes watching him... questioning... wondering.
It wasn't until after supper, after he'd declined to join in a card game, that he was stopped by Mick on the way to his bunk to be asked about what had happened. Mick admitted that he wouldn't have asked, but a friend from the police station had run across Katie's name as who had come to bail someone out, and, being aware of the high security for the ranch, had called to make sure everything was alright. Hunter was forced to give a brief explanation - though he really didn't have a good reason for any of it. Mick didn't chide or even act unhappy that Katie had been asked to bail him out - he simply took in the story and expressed his desire that something like that not happen again, for the sake of those at the ranch. Hunter said he understood and was left to continue his route to his bunk.
Once there though, the guilt had returned full-force. Not just for what he'd done, but even though Mick hadn't complained, there had been a look in his eye... a look that showed concern for his niece, even if he wouldn't say it. Hunter knew he was a disappointment. He knew he'd gotten to know everybody here, giving them all the impression he was a great guy. When in reality, he was just a desert racer that couldn't give a crap about anybody but himself. That's how he'd run his life in Nevada, and obviously that's how he ran it here. And now that Mick knew the truth, word would spread fast - everybody would know. This group of fine, upstanding, clean-nosed, close-knit, God-fearing, loving people would know he was a screwup. Maybe today had been him finally overstaying his welcome.
Standing in his room and looking at the bed, Hunter's gut twists. He didn't want to go to bed. He didn't want to sleep. He didn't want to dream. And he didn't want to face tomorrow either.
His eyes drift to his backpack in the corner. In Nevada he didn't have nightmares. In Nevada, there was no one to disappoint. In Nevada, he wasn't a failure or an impostor. He never should have come at all. But... what about Katie?
Going to the corner, he picks up his backpack and sets it on the bed. He liked Katie. A lot. Enough that he knew she deserved a better friend than he was. He'd come, had a good time, then had shown her who he really was again. Sticking around would just give him ample opportunity to show everybody again what an idiot he was, and embarrass her on top of it since she's the one that had invited him here...
...The night didn't last long enough. Hunter tossed and turned, drifting from barely asleep to nightmares, to barely asleep again. By morning, he felt if something didn't change, he truly was going to go insane - either that or go do something stupid just to end it all. But something would change. He was making sure of that.
Waiting until much later than normal to emerge from his bunk, he knew that others would most likely assume he was just sleeping in after yesterday. Katie was probably assuming the same thing. Which was fine with him. It's only when he knew that most people were in the barn busy with chores that he finally comes outside... fully dressed in his leather jacket and motorcycle boots with his backpack slung over his shoulder.
Slipping around to the garage, he makes his movements quick and subtle. Speaking to no one, he mounts up on his motorcycle and starts the engine. Donning his helmet, he takes one last look over his shoulder towards the barn. Katie was in there probably helping feed the horses. He knew she hadn't come to his bunk this morning because she'd probably wanted to give him his rest. And he wasn't even saying goodbye. But he couldn't. If he did, he might not be able to leave, and he knew he needed to. He needed to get away from here - this place that gave him nightmares.
Watching out the office window Mick sees Hunter hesitate then head down the driveway. Sighing, he lets the blinds fall back into place. "Turn around, Hunter... just turn around..."
In the now-empty bunk, Hunter had left a little bit of money with a note of thanks to the people at the ranch. It was only right. Even if his nights had been murder, the days had been great and everybody had been more than nice.
It was their faces that flooded Hunter's mind as he sped down the highway. The scenery passed by in a blur. He shouldn't be driving at all, let alone going this fast, as tired as he was, but he just needed to make it back to Nevada and his own bed.
It should have taken him an hour to reach that first main intersection, but it only took him half that long. Pulling to a halt at the stop sign, he suddenly found it impossible to keep going. The thought of having just abandoned Katie made his chest ache. The thought of leaving behind such a wonderful place made him feel like a fool all over again. But this was right! This was what he needed to do! Things had gotten too overwhelming and it was therefore time to go home. It was that simple. Why then had he taken the easy way out, sneaking away without even so much as telling anybody?
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