My Shades of Gray

Shade 47 ~ Dinner

“Hunter...” Dad began getting his attention. “Do you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

“Not at all, sir,” He answered, looking towards him.

“Do you go to college?”

“Yes sir. Perimeter.”

“What year are you in?” 

“Final.”

“Major?”

“Business.”

My eyes shot up in surprise, but I quickly hid it. I’ve been living with him for more than a month and even I had no clue we were studying in the same field.

We were sitting at the dining table and to my surprise, my parents weren’t talking about Riley like they always used to. Instead, they were getting to know Hunter.

My father sat at the top with my mother to his left and brother to his right. I sat next to my mother and Hunter was in front of me beside my brother.

“What are your plans after graduation?”

“I haven’t thought about it yet.” Hunter shrugged.

“You haven’t decided what you’ll do?” Dad’s brows furrowed.

Hunter opened his mouth, but I beat him to it. “Dad, not everyone plans everything. Some go with the flow.”

“People at least have an idea before they choose a major.” He frowned. “You just started college, but you know what you’re going to do.”

“It’s a thought,” I argued back. “The future is not foreseeable. Anything can change it.”

Dad opened his mouth, but Mom butted and questioned Hunter. “Why are you going to a community college?”

“I was a delinquent at high school, so no other college was taking me because of my record.” He answered, and my parents gave each other side glances while Matteo scoffed.

“What did you do in high school?” He asked and ignored the glares I was shooting him. “Did pranks on teachers? Truancy? Vandalism? Drugs?-“

“Matteo,” I growled his name in a warning tone, but he kept his eyes on Hunter.

“I used to fight. A lot. And my stepfather died because of an overdose. The universities didn’t want a son of a druggie because they were scared of getting their bright students to get in a bad influence.” Hunter asked calmly. “And my scores also didn’t meet any university academic threshold.”

My family gaped at him, including me. I was shocked at how he told them everything with no hesitation. Just mentioning his scores would’ve been enough.

“All of my housemates go to Perimeter.” I changed the topic and quickly added when my mother opened her mouth. “And no, the others are not delinquent. They are all high school friends who choose to live and stick together.”

“You’re like a stranger among them.” Dad pointed out.

“I was, but now we’re friends. They are all super nice.” I flickered my eyes at my brother. “Matteo has met them.”

“The only one I find super nice is Callie.” He smirked, and I saw Hunter giving him a side glare. “She reminded me of Riley.” The table fell into silence and Matteo’s eyes widened when he realized what he said. “I-I mean, she’s a caring person.”

“I’d like to meet her then.” Mom gave a sad smile, looking at me.

“Maybe someday,” I mumbled and swallowed the water to clear my dry throat.