Hunter walked out of Arabella's apartment and threw himself up against the opposing wall. Tears streamed down his face as he slumped down to the ground. He genuinely hoped that no one came out. He didn't want to interrupt anyone. After about 15 minute, he finally regained enough composure to stand back up and walk into the elevator. He leaned up against the wall and hit the button for the ground floor. He could feel tears pool in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away as the doors opened.
He took a deep breath before stepping out of the elevator and walking out of the lobby. He had actually gotten used to seeing this. Kelly at the counter. Tom at the door. He had gotten used to it and now he had to leave. He was homeless again. He stepped out of the building and gave a teary nod to Tom who raised an eyebrow.
"Hunter? You doing okay?" Tom said quietly, taking a step toward him. Hunter didn't want to turn around. He knew that if he turned around he would cry again, but he swallowed back a few tears and turned around.
"I uh...Yeah. Just fine." He lied. He was upset that Arabella was with Chad, but it was what she wanted. If she was happy, he was happy. Or at least he was going to try and be happy. "You doing okay, Tom?" He asked trying to change the subject. Tom nodded.
"Oh, yes. Of course, Hunter. It's a cold night out, but I'm okay." Tom said with a shrug. Hunter furrowed his brow and took off his jacket. He offered it out to Tom. "Oh, no. I couldn't. You keep it. Surely, you're cold to." Hunter shook his head.
"No, no. I'm good. I've got thick skin. I spent lots of time...outdoors." Hunter said with a nod. To be honest, he was numb. He hadn't noticed that it was cold outside or that it was even night time. He was shut off. "Just take it." Tom reluctantly grabbed it and slipped it on. It was a little tight, but he looked warmer.
"Thanks, Hunter." Tom said, rubbing his arms. "You know? In all the years that I've worked here. And in all the years that Ms. Foster has lived here. I've never seen her happier than I've seen her in the past couple of weeks." Tom said with a smile and a nod. Hunter closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Goodbye, Tom." Hunter said quietly before turning around and walking away. The tears poured again. He didn't want to go back. Right now, he needed to get as far away as possible. After walking, what felt like hours, he laid down under an overpass and fell asleep.
He woke up the next morning to a grubby-looking man, rifling through his pockets. Hunter didn't care. He could feel the dried tears around his eyes and the pure ache you felt after a long night of crying yourself to sleep. He had never put his heart as far out as he did for Arabella. He had also never been this hurt before. Even with Philippa, they had been drifting apart for a while, so when she decided to end it, sure it hurt, but he was expecting it.
He finally batted the man's hands away and stood up. "I don't even have anything! Go rob someone worthwhile!" He snapped at the man with a raised fist. The man took a few steps back before beating a hasty retreat. Sadly, he recognized him. His name was Adam and he had eaten with him at a homeless shelter, before. He felt bad for him, but if he could have given him help he would have. He shook his head and walked out from under the overpass, the only thing on his mind was Arabella. He tried to shake it from his mind, but she stayed there like cement. He checked his watch and found it to be noon. He ran through where he could get a meal at this time of day. All of the tricks and tips and tactics he had gained in all of the time he was homeless, were gone. He had imagined himself staying with Arabella for so long, that he thought it was okay to forget how to be homeless. Not only that, but his mind was elsewhere. He stood there alone, wishing that she were there. The only thing he had to look forward to was going to the coffee shop and hoping that she might be kind enough to buy him something. Even if he didn't deserve it.
Hunter finally made it to the coffee shop. He was about 30 minutes early. He walked inside and after about 20 minutes of waiting, he was told he had to buy something or leave. He sighed and complied. Outside, he was cold. He stood outside on a bench outside for so long he fell asleep. When he woke up, it was getting dark. He checked his watch. "6:00." He said with a sigh. "She didn't come. So what? Maybe she was just busy." He convinced himself. He sat there for another 30 minutes before standing up and walking to Central Park. He found a spot under a tree and settled in for the night.
The next day, his day was mostly the same. He managed some water from a hotel water fountain and returned to the coffeehouse. He didn't bother going inside and settled in on the bench. After waiting for a long time, he decided to call it quits. "She's got Fashion week coming up. That's a big deal. No messenger, though? She's busy. I'll just...Tomorrow." He said to himself.
"You really think she's gonna show, Hunter?" He looked over to see Imaginary Hunter leaning up against the building and looking at him. "I say you go back to being homeless. She's not going to show up. Chad and her are a thing. You don't expect to give him, a tall and muscular and not-homeless son of Apollo, up for you, a homeless, sickly, little weakling?"
"I just want to talk to her!" He exclaimed, receiving some odd looks from passers by. "She can't even give me that....No. She's coming tomorrow. She wouldn't do that to me. Even if she doesn't care for me like that, I'm still her friend, right? Right?" He said quietly, his eyes welling up with tears again. He took a deep breath and stood up. "Go away, Hunter. I don't want to talk to you." He turned and walked back to his spot in Central Park before settling in for the night.
The next day was hard. He hadn't had a meal in a few days and was starting to feel it. At this point he was wishing that he had never gone with Arabella in the first place. Then he would be used to being hungry and Martha would still be Martha. He sighed and managed to stand up. The walk to the coffeehouse was long and arduous. He got there around 1:45 and settled into the bench out front. He waited and waited and finally at 3 he saw a familiar face.
"Hunter, right?" Chad said with a friendly grin. Hunter felt anger toward him, but tried to push it away. He needed to like this guy if he was going to be friends with Arabella.
"Yeah-Yeah. That's me." He said, his voice dry and underused. "What are you doing here?" Chad chuckled and rolled his eyes.
"Oh, you know her. She's holed up in the apartment, busy with fashion stuff. She told me to come and get you." Chad said with a nod. Hunter eyed him cautiously. Hunter assumed that she would make some time for him. It didn't sound like her to just delegate like that.
"What about uh..." Hunter said, gesturing toward Chad. Chad raised his eyebrows.
"Between me and her?" Chad said, calmly. Hunter gave a little nod. "We talked it over. I wanted to see if there was some chemistry. There wasn't. We agreed to be done. We are still friends though." Chad said with a shrug. "Come on, though. She doesn't have forever." He chuckled and helped Hunter up. "Follow me. I know this shortcut." If Hunter were in better shape, he would have recognized how suspicious this was. He followed Chad around the corner and down an alleyway. Chad turned around to look at Hunter and before he could react, Chad punched Hunter in the face. Hunter fell to the ground and could feel tears burns his eyes and the taste of blood hit his lips. "Come on, Hunter. What's wrong?" Chad said as he circled around him. He kicked Hunter in the ribs three times in quick succession, causing Hunter to let out a cry of pain. He lay there on his stomach, sobbing.
"Why are you doing this?" Hunter cried. Chad knelt down and pushed Hunter's face into the ground.
"Did you really think that you could take her away from me? What do you have to offer?" He asked, standing back up again. "Let me guess. A wonderful personality?" He said before stepping on the back of his knee and walking over him. He drove a knee into Hunter's spine and grabbed Hunter's neck. He pulled back, causing Hunter to groan in pain. Chad let go flinging Hunter's face back into the ground. Chad crouched down and grabbed Hunter's hair, pulling him up to look him in the face. "Now, am I going to see you again, anywhere near Arabella?" He said, turning his ear toward him. Hunter could barely move. Chad gritted his teeth and drove Hunter's face into the ground. "Did you hear me?! If I see you near her again, I'm going to kill you! Consider yourself lucky this time." He said before pushing Hunter's face into the ground one more time. He stood up and brushed himself off. "She's done with you. She told me to make sure you didn't bother her anymore. Just forget about her. It'll be easier." He said before straightening his jacket and leaving the alley.
Hunter laid there for what seemed like days. He cried for even longer. He wasn't sure if he was crying because of the pain or Chad's words. All he knew was that he couldn't stay there. He managed to get up to his feet. He felt lightheaded and was sure that there was blood pouring down his face and onto his shirt. His knee could support no weight and his back was causing him to remain hunched over. He walked out from the alley and kept one hand on the building. He managed to walk a block or two before reaching the goodwill store. He rang the bell and promptly collapsed.
"Hunter? Hey, it's Hunter! Come here! Help me!" He heard Mike saying, before Hunter's vision blacked out.
When he woke up, he was on a couch. He woke up to the feeling of air conditioning and a bandage around his head. His eyes shot open and he sat up. "Ellie?!" He asked looking around. The apartment was unfamiliar, but by the couch, sleeping in a chair was a familiar figure. "Philippa." He said quietly. He used the armrest and managed to stand up, but his knee was too weak. He fell back onto the couch with a cry of pain loud enough to wake Philippa up. She sprung from her chair and blinked a few time before hurrying over.
"Hunter, are you okay? What happened to you? I'm so sorry. I had no idea." She said quickly, lightly caressing his face. Hunter looked into her eyes and pulled away. "Hunter? What's wrong?"
"What are you doing here, Philippa?" Hunter asked quietly. She sighed and looked into his eyes.
"You stumbled to Mike's store and we took you back here. Dana will be home from the store in a few minutes." She said quietly. "Who did this to you?" She lifted a hand and placed it lightly on his head. Hunter winced slightly.
"Dana is here? What happened to camp? Is everything okay?" He asked worriedly. She nodded.
"Yes, yes. Everything's fine." She said quietly. "I left camp to look for you. I've been thinking..." She didn't have to finish for Hunter to know what she was talking about. Hunter studied the couch between them.
"Philippa, you broke my heart. I was willing to give everything up for you. The gods turned their back on me, because I convinced you to stay at camp. I only did that because I wan-" He was interrupted by the door opening. Hunter looked as Dana walked in and set some groceries down on the counter.
"Philippa, would you leave him alone? He needs to rest." She said. Philippa looked at him for a second before standing up off the couch.
"I'll be in my bedroom, if you need me." She said before disappearing down the hallway. Dana glanced at Hunter.
"You know? I figured that when you left, I would never see you again. That you wouldn't be waking up in my infirmary anymore." She said with a grin as she ground up a plant with a mortar and pestle. "Now, I come back last night from visiting my mom and you're in my apartment." Hunter couldn't help, but smile a little.
"Old habits die hard, I suppose." Hunter said with a shrug. Dana shook her head and chuckled.
"Here. Eat this. I'm about to do some major mojo and it's going to hurt. A LOT." She said with a nod. Hunter looked at the green gristle at the bottom and sighed before reaching in and eating it. He swallowed it down and blinked a few times before his vision blacked out again.
When he awoke, he opened his eyes to Philippa's face looking down at him. He could feel her rubbing his head. "Hey, we were worried that she used too much." She said quietly. Hunter took a deep breath before sitting up and swinging his feet off the couch.
"Where's Dana?" He asked, trying to not look at her. If he had he would feel bad. Philippa sat next to him.
"She's at her mom's. We both had our reasoning to leave camp, so we left together." She said with a shrug. She turned her body to face him. "Hunter, we were talking yesterday, before Dana came in. What were you saying?" Hunter sighed.
"Look, Philippa. I liked you. A lot. I was willing to give everything up for you." Hunter said plainly. "When it came to crunchtime, you welshed. You backed out. So, don't expect me to ju-" Hunter suddenly felt the feeling of her lips on his. They were a little salty from tears, that she had no doubt shed, worrying about him. That only made Hunter feel worse. There was something different here. There was nothing. No feeling. No connection. No...chemistry. Hunter sat there like a statue as she kissed him. She finally broke it and held his face, while looking into his eyes. "Philippa, I'm sorry, but it's too late." He said standing up. "Thanks for all your help, Philippa." He said before quickly hurrying out of the room. He had been kissed like that before, except the difference was the feeling. There was chemistry in the other one. He had to go see her. He took a deep breath before sprinting down the stairs and out of the building. He quickly got his bearing and ran as fast as he could, without a shirt and in scrubs pants. He looked like a patient escaped from a mental ward.
He didn't bother nodding to or even recognizing Tom, but ran past him and to the elevator. He pressed the button and waited impatiently. He finally gave up and sprinted to the stairs. He ran up all of the floors and stood in front of the door. He quickly caught his breath and that's when he heard the scream. "Ellie?" He said before his mind tried to figure out what to do. His body thought faster and kicked in the door. He looked at Arabella, holding her face on the couch, and Chad standing over her fists clenched. His eye burned with rage. "You son of a b-" He said as he ran and tackled him to the ground before he could finish. He straddled his stomach and punched him over and over again in the face. This wasn't just for Arabella. This was for Hunter. If he hadn't showed up, Hunter wouldn't have gotten beaten up and he wouldn't have had to talk to Philippa again. "Go ahead and kill me, Chad! You said you would! I'm pretty near her, now, aren't I, Chad?!" He said, landing punch after punch. Chad kneed Hunter in the back hard and pushed him over his head. Hunter got to his feet and that's when reflexes kicked in. He dodged Chad's first jab and spun, grabbing his arm and bringing it up under his. He rolled and elbowed Chad in the side of the neck and then the temple. Chad fell to the ground in a daze. Hunter turned to Arabella. "Ellie, are you okay?"