“Just don’t worry about her, okay? We broke up so long ago, I don’t know why she still thinks she’s got some claim to me, but believe me, she doesn’t.”
“I just don’t wanna waste my time with you, Alex, because I’m gonna tell you right now, I’m not going to.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to, but don’t walk away yet, because you’ll regret it,” he said with a smirk.
“Oh, I would?”
“Definitel
y.”
“We’ll see abo
ut that,” I said, smirking back.
“I’ll prove
it to you, just wait and see.”
I stared up into his brown eyes and was amazed at his confidence. He was so sure of himself, yet he still seemed so sweet, like I could believe whatever he said.
“Saturday afternoon, I’ll prove it to you. You’re coming to my house and we’re going horseback riding.”
I burst
out laughing at his suggestion.
“I’ve never been
on a horse in my life! What’s up with this place? First I go four wheeling at Jesse’s and now you’ve got me riding around on a horse. It’s like another world.”
“It’ll be fun. C’mon.”
I looked at him and raised an eyebrow, but then finally nodded in agreement.
****
“Feelin’ better?” Jesse asked as we walked to English together at the end of the day.
“Yeah, I’m totally fine. I’m really not worried about Adrienne. I’m more annoyed than anything.”
“I’m glad you’re not worried, because she really is…” he said and then I cut him off.
“She’s a bitch,”
I said, finishing his sentence.
“I was t
rying to be nice,” he laughed.
“I’m just calling a spade a spade
. There’s no sugarcoating it.”
“Well, in that case, you’re right,” he said and then changed the subject, which I was grateful for. “We’re going to need to get started on our project for Constitution.
Wanna get together this weekend?”
“Yeah, but I can’t do it Saturday because I’m g
oing to Alex’s to ride horses.”
He started
chuckling at this revelation.
“You find that funny?”
“Actually I do. Did you ride horses much in Boston?”
“All the time!”
“Well, just try not to get yourself killed. I don’t want to have to do this project alone.”
“It’s nice that you’re so concerned about me…oh wait…you’re only concerned about your grade.”
“True. So when do you want to get together then?”
“Sunda
y okay?” I asked and he nodded.
“Your place or mine?”
“I don’t care.”
“Let’s meet at your place. I don’t want you to have to drive all the way out to my house,”
he suggested.
“Okay. Why don’t you come
over around one o’clock or so?”
“Sounds good
. Now you should probably go.”
“Why? We’re goin
g to English,” I said confused.
“
He’s
waiting for you,” Jesse said, leaning in and whispering in my ear. I glanced up and saw Alex smiling at me as he stood against a locker near our classroom. Jesse nudged me and then sped up, leaving me behind.
Chapter Nine
Adrienne didn’t bother me for the rest of the week, although I did catch her glaring at me on occasion. I just ignored her though and was grateful when the weekend came. It pained me to admit it, but I was starting to like it in Kansas and I thought Alex played a big role in that. I was excited for our date, but I was also nervous about making a fool of myself on the back of a horse.
“So this guy’s taking you horseback riding?” Natasha laughed when I told her about Alex. I was laying on my bed, my cell phone to my ear while I stared at the ceiling, looking for designs in the plaster, something I often found myself doing.
“Yeah, he is.”
“Wow. It’s all so Little House on the Prairie.”
“C’mon, it’s not that bad and you’ve
gotta admit, it’s kinda cute.”
“I thought you hated it there.”
“Oh, I still hate it, and I can’t wait to get back to Boston, but I’m trying to make the best of this Midwestern Bastille. You’d understand if you saw Alex.”
“When do I get to see a picture of him?” she asked eagerly. “I keep checking your Facebook page to see if you’ve posted one of him.”
“I’m not sure we’re at that stage yet. He’d probably freak him out if I posted pictures of him, but I will, as soon as I can,” I assured her and then I looked over to my clock. “Oh hey, Tash, I gotta go. I didn’t realize how late it was. I’ve gotta get ready.”
“Okay
, Annie Oakley. Have fun,” she said and I started laughing.
I was still laughing and shaking my head whe
n there was a knock on my door.
“What?” I grumbled and was not surprised when it opened and my mother walked in. I was still lying on my bed, but I turned my head to look at her and was annoyed when she smiled like everything was okay between us.
“I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”
“And what would that be?” I asked
, laying the snottiness on extra thick to emphasize how much she was annoying me. If it registered, she didn’t let on.
“Can you go to the grocery store for me? I’m making chicken parmesan for dinner tonight and I forgot the bread crumbs. I’d go myself, but I’m right in the middle of making a cheesecake.”
“Cheesecake? What’s the big occasion?”
“Mike and Debb
ie are coming over for dinner.”
“Sorr
y. I can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
“Can’t go to the grocery store.”
“And why not?
You’re just laying on your bed,” she said and I could tell I was getting to her now.
“I’ve got to get ready to go,” I said
, swinging my legs over the mattress and pulling myself to my feet.
“Where’re
you going?” she asked quickly.
“Out,” I said walking over to the mirror and pretending to examine myself in it, when what I was really doing was trying to ignore her so she’d go away.
“So, you’ll be missing dinner with the family again?” She was annoyed now, I could tell.
“Yea
h. I’m going to Alex’s house.”
I heard her sig
h and I turned to stare at her.
“Were you going to bother asking permission? Yo
u are still a child, you know.”
“Oh, you mean like how you asked permission to move us here? And, by the way, I’m hardly a child.”
“Riley, we are not doing this again!” she said with a raised voice and I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself at the satisfaction I felt watching the anger wash over her face. “You need to grow up and realize the world doesn’t revolve around you. You come and go as you please. You never ask me or even bother to tell me your plans so
I
can make plans, and I’ve been pretty tolerant of your attitude because I know you’re upset and I know you’re hurt and yes…I know you’re mad at me. But your disrespect is going to stop right now because you’re not going out with Alex tonight.”
“What?” I shrieked. She was not seriously threatening me. “I
am
going out with Alex tonight.”
“No, you’re not. If you can’t even run to the store to help me out, you certainly can’t go out
with Alex.”
“Fine!
I’ll go get your stupid bread crumbs.”
I gr
abbed my keys and brushed past her. I stomped down the stairs and flung the door open so hard the screen practically flew off and then slammed shut with a loud bang. I got into my car and screeched out of the front yard. I flipped on the stereo and turned up the volume so loud the entire car was thumping. My mom made me so angry! Why did she care who I went out with or if I missed a family dinner? She hadn’t cared about forging a relationship with my relatives in Kansas when we still lived in Boston. If she’d cared, we would’ve visited more, we would’ve talked more. But, we didn’t. We never had, but now that she’d uprooted me, she expected me to pretend like we’d always been one big happy family, when the fact was we weren’t and we never had been. Why couldn’t she just leave me alone and let me bide my time in Carver the way I wanted to? If I wanted to hang out with Alex, why did I have to tell her? It wasn’t like I was off doing drugs and getting drunk and sleeping around. I just wanted to hang out with Alex, the one bright spot in my otherwise dismal life.
I was still fuming when I pulled into the supermarket parking lot. I quickly composed myself
though and went into the store, paid for the breadcrumbs, and returned to the car. By the time I got back home, I was calm again. I knew I had to control myself if I wanted to see Alex. My mom had been lenient, but I knew her patience was running thin and she was going to set me straight, or try to anyway.
When I walked into the house, I gently opened the screen door I’d abused on my way out. My mom was in the kitchen finishing her cheesecake and I set the breadcrumbs on the counter. She looked up, but didn’t smile.
“Thank you,” she said curtly.
“I’m sorry for my attitude earlier,” I said and I saw her face soften a little, but not too much, because I knew she was doubtful about the sincerity of my apology. “Can I please go over to Alex’s?”
“I should say no. You know that, don’t you?” she said, looking back down to the cheesecake.
“Yes, I know that.”
She was quiet and she was glaring slightly at me. I knew she was mad. I’d given her all the fodder she needed to be justifiably angry with me.
“I want you to start
treating me with respect, regardless of how you currently feel about me.”
“I’m sorry, Mom,” I said
, crossing my fingers in hope she’d let me go.
She continued to focus on
the cheesecake and ignored me.
“Can I go to Alex’s?” I
asked again.
“Yes,” she finally replied.
“Thank you,” I said, turning to head up to my room.
“You can go after you have d
inner with the family,” she added and I stopped in my tracks.
“What?” I asked flatly
as I turned to face her again.
“I said you can go after yo
u have dinner with the family.”
“I heard you, but
Alex is going to be here soon.”
“Then he can join us.”
“But Mom…” I stammered.
“Take it or leave it
. You’re not going to waltz around here saying and doing whatever you want anymore. And I want to know your plans from now on.”
If I wanted to hang out with Alex tonight, I knew I’d have to agree to her terms, whether I liked them or not.
“Okay,” I said quietly and then to get on her good side, I decided I would tell her about my plans with Jesse tomorrow. “Just so you know, Jesse is coming over tomorrow so we can work on a project for school.”
“Thank you for telling me,” she said and I laughed inside at
how business-like we were being and then headed upstairs to get ready.
Chapter Ten
Alex’s house was away from the city, if Carver could even be called a city, but it wasn’t far from my grandma’s. Dinner hadn’t been nearly as torturous as I’d expected and we left after we finished doing the dishes, which was Alex’s idea. He said I needed to earn brownie points with my mom
, so he washed while I dried.
We’d only been driving for fifteen minutes when we pulled up to a large yellow house that sat by itself. It was a beautiful house that seemed out of place in Carver. It looked too modern and put together. Trees lined the walkway to the door and
it reminded me a little of southern plantations I’d seen on TV.
Alex pulled into the driveway next to a black Cad
illac Escalade sitting outside.
“Nice place,” I said as I un
buckled and got out of the car.
“Yeah
, it’s alright.”
“Just alright?
It’s like a mansion compared to the rest of the houses in Carver and I didn’t think anyone here would even know what an Escalade was.”
“Yup, us hicks
ain’t never heard of ‘em,” he said in an incredibly thick southern drawl, making him sound like a complete moron.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t mean to sound like a snob…again,” I said
, realizing my constant comparisons between Boston and Carver were starting to get annoying and condescending. “I’m sorry.”
“
No worries.”
“I don’t mean to keep coming across like such a
brat.”
“
Well, you’re not doing a very good job.” Alex smiled at me and then took my hand. “C’mon,” he said, leading me away from the house.
“Wait, don’t you want to
introduce me to your parents?”
“They’re not here. They went to Wichita for the day. Bel
ieve me, it’s better this way.”
Alex led me
past the house and into the back. There was a barn with stables in the distance and two horses were grazing. When we got to the fence keeping the horses in, Alex let go of my hand and then hopped over it. I just stared at him as he stood on the other side looking at me.
“What
are you waiting for?” he asked.
“You want me to climb over?”
“Well, yeah. Unless you wanna walk all the way to the barn and go through there.”
I just shook my head and put my foot on the first rung of the fence and hoisted myself over. I landed with a loud thud and then tripped into Alex’s arms.
“Wow…graceful much?” he laughed as he steadied me and I flushed with embarrassment. “Actually, I think it’s cute.”
“Yeah, so cute,” I said
, pushing a piece of hair that had escaped from my ponytail behind my ear.
“Well, you may not believe me, but it’s my opi
nion and I’m usually right,” he said and then stepped slowly towards me as my body was taken over with nervous anticipation. He reached up and touched my cheek and began leaning in towards me. I was dying for him to kiss me again, but just as I thought he was going to, he smiled and pulled away. He’d done it on purpose. He’d reeled me in and then cast me off at the last moment, leaving me wanting more. I was having none of that though. Surprising even myself, I reached up and grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him to me. I couldn’t help but notice the startled look on his face right before I kissed him.
When I let him go, he pulled back and straightened his shirt and then he looked at me with that half-smile and my earlier confidence vanished as I felt my face flush bright red from what I’d done.
“Alright then,” he laughed and gently took my hand, leading me towards the stables. The horses seemed to stare at us for a second before they turned their attention back to the grass they were eating.
Alex opened the stable door. We walked inside and I was taken aback by the smell. I felt my nose curl up. Alex must’ve noticed too.
“That’s just the smell of horses. You get used to it.”
“I don’t know how anyone
could get used to this smell.”
“Ah…c’mon.
It’s not that bad.”
He took my hand again
and we walked towards the stalls. There were two horses standing in their pins, looking at us.
“This is Pepsi,” Alex said
, patting the nose of a large brown horse. “And this is Midnight,” he added, looking over to a towering black one.
“And which one will I be riding?” I asked nervously
, looking between both of the horses.
“Pepsi.
She’s a little more laid back.”
He walked
over and picked up a saddle.
“Can you grab one of those blankets?” He nodded towards a stack of what I assumed were blankets that went under the saddle. I grabbed the first one and followed Alex into Pepsi’s stall.
“Just throw that over her back,” he said.
I flung the blanket onto Pepsi and straightened it before Alex hoisted the saddle over her back. He buckled and tightened some straps before connecting the bridle. When Pepsi was all set, we did the same for Midnight and then led both horses out of the stables. The clip-clop of their feet seemed to echo behind us and I couldn’t help think they might get spooked and trample me. I tried not to seem nervous though as we left the stables and stepped out into the afternoon air.
“When you get on Pepsi, just remember
you
are in control. She’ll sense if you’re scared and she’ll try and take advantage of you.”
“That’s reassuring,” I mumbled.
“Don’t be scared.”
“I’m not scared,” I
lied. “Just a little nervous.”
“You’ll be fine. I’ve been riding on Pepsi since I was eight and she’s never done anything.”
“There’s always a first time for everything.”
“Just relax.”
He let go of Midnight’s reigns and came over to me.
“Now, to get on, just grab the horn on the saddle, put your left foot in the stirrup and pull yourself up while flinging your right leg over her back.”
“You didn’t tell me I had to be a gymnast to ride a horse,” I laughed as I stood at Pepsi’s side and grabbed onto the saddle.
“You’ll be fine. I’m right behind you to help,” he said and I realized suddenly how uncomfortable I was
, knowing that in a second I’d have my butt right in his face.
“Okay…here goes,” I said hesitantly as I placed my foot i
n the stirrup. I tried pulling myself up, but I was struggling and then I felt Alex’s hand on my hips helping me over. I wanted to die of embarrassment, but finally I got my leg over and stared down at Alex, who was smiling up at me.
“See, that wasn’t so bad.”
“Yeah, piece of cake,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Alex walked over and hopped on Midnight with
the ease of a seasoned cowboy.
“Now you’re just trying to make me look bad,” I called over to him and he turned and smiled at me. He kicked Midnight in the sides and pulled the reigns in my direction and came trotting over to me.
“You ready to go?”
“Yeah.
How do I make this thing move?”
“Give her a little kick, but not too hard and she’ll start walking. To make her turn, just pull the reigns in the direction you
wanna go. Don’t jerk it or anything, just pull gently.”
I nodded and then kicked Pepsi’s sides. I expected her to jerk forward, but instead she just started walking at an easy pace. Alex and Midnight were soon at my side. We began walking the perimeter of the fence. The other horses just stared at us and I could tell they were happy they wer
en’t the ones being ridden.
“That’s Ruby,” he said
, pointing to a small horse with a reddish-brown coat. “And that’s Baxter.” He was pointing to a beautiful white horse with gray spots all over its body. “They’re kinda ornery, which is why they’re in the field and we’re on these two.” He patted Midnight’s neck, who neighed quietly and raised his head.
“So, you’ve alw
ays had horses then?”
“
Pretty much. My mom grew up with horses down near Dallas and when she married my dad and they moved back up here, having horses was a stipulation. Once my dad’s practice took off and they bought this place when I was five, Mom got her horses.”
“They must be a pain to take care
of,” I said, imagining having to shovel all the horse poop.
“Yeah, it’s a lot of work. Mom does most of it though. Don’t get me wrong, I have to shovel the horse crap sometimes and feed ‘
em and ride ‘em, but my mom really enjoys the whole aspect of feeding and brushing and even cleaning. I don’t know why, but I’m not gonna complain if it keeps me from having to do all the work.”
“Does your dad help out?”
“Not really. He’s kind of a dick actually.”
“He
can’t be that bad.”
“
Yes, he can,” he said and he shrugged his shoulders.
“You seem to like your dad a
bout as much as I like my mom.”
“Y
our mom seems nice.”
“That’s just
a façade. She’s really evil.”
“You don’t mean that.”
I thought about it and I knew he was right. I didn’t mean it. I just wanted to pretend I did.
“You’re right,” I admitted.
“So, you never got the chance to tell exactly what you did today to piss her off this time.”
“Just the usual. I gave her
major
attitude.”
“How’
d you redeem yourself?”
“Pretended like I was sorry.
Ya know, it’s actually kinda fun getting a rise out of her.” He laughed and I could tell he agreed. “I’m sorry you had to suffer through dinner with my family.”
“I’d suffer though anything if it means I get to spend time with you.”
I turned my head so our eyes met and I knew I was blushing. He just smiled and kept riding.
“You seem to be getting
the hang of it,” he said a moment later.
“I
t’s not as hard as I thought it was going to be.”
“You think you’re ready to leave the p
en? Maybe head out on some trails?”
“W
hy not?”
Alex turned Midnight so he was walking towards a gate in the fence. Pepsi and I followed. Alex hopped of
f his horse and opened the gate. He led Midnight out and then he motioned for me to come through as well. I nudged Pepsi and we met Alex on the other side. He closed the gate and got back on Midnight.
Alex’s property was beautiful. The grass was still surprisingly green, even though it was nearing the
end of September. I still couldn’t get over how flat the land was in Kansas. It seemed to go on forever and in the distance I could see large concrete towers sprinkled on the horizon.
“What are those?” I asked
, pointing to one of them.
“G
rain silos, or as my grandma used to call them, Kansas mountains.”
“Kansa
s mountains?” I asked confused.
“It’s kind of a joke. Obviously, Kansas is flat and the silos are about the closest things we
have to mountains around here. My granddad took me to the top of one when I was a kid and I swear I could see all the way to Oklahoma.”
He looked over and smiled at me as he recalled the ch
ildhood memory. We were quiet then and the horses seemed to be the ones in the lead. Pepsi followed Midnight without question and I found the clip-clop of their feet and their occasional neighs to be relaxing. I thought I might actually enjoy riding horses. Perhaps I could get used to this simple life.
I saw a shimmer on the horizon and reali
zed we were approaching a pond.
“A pon
d too? This place is so posh.”
I hear
d Alex laugh and we kept riding until we got to the edge of the water.
“How’s your butt?” he asked.
“Excuse me?” I said as my head jerked around to look at him.
“Your butt.
Is it sore from the riding?”
“
Kinda,” I admitted, relieved he was asking about the riding and not checking out my backside.
“Let’s take a break then.”
Alex pulled the reigns so Midnight stopped and he jumped off. I tugged on Pepsi’s reigns and she stopped too. Now that it was time to get off, I felt as if I was standing on top of the Empire State Building. I was dreading the thought of how I was going to get myself down when Alex appeared at my side.
“Let me help you,” he said
, reaching his hand up to me, but I could tell by the look on his face that I appeared nervous. “Just fling your leg over and slide down.”
He took my left hand while I swung my right leg over Pepsi’s back and I slid down until
I was standing in front of Alex.