With The Labels

Chapter One

Chapter One

New town, new year, new beginnings. I kept repeating that to myself on the never ending six hour drive to mom and my new house. Mom said that it would be a good change in pace and she said I would like it there. It was definitely different than our old suburban two bedroom, I can give her that much. I don't want to upset her, though, by saying I didn't want to move to the middle of nowhere. I know that's since dad died it has been very hard on her. It has been hard on every one, but after over twenty years of marriage the death of your husband can really take a tole on you.

I try not to be angry at her. I try to look at this move in her perspective. Living the rest of your life in the sleepy little town of Honeycomb, Alabama with your dog, 17 year old daughter, and a couple of horses does sound pretty relaxing if you ask me. But starting your senior year of high school at a brand new place, now that is not relaxing. Everybody already knows everybody and they all have their friend groups established. Now just throw in a random new girl and your all set. James had it easy. He was away at college and didn't have to deal with the move or starting at a new school. James was my older brother, and he was entering his senior year in college. I haven't seen James since last Christmas. He was supposed to come back for the summer, but he took Dad's death really hard and decided to stay at school.

Absentmindedly, I roll down the window and stick my hand out, feeling the warm summer breeze. I turn the volume of the country music playing in my ears up. To be honest, my mind is overwhelmed with the move. The movers have already shipped everything to the new house and mom has been driving back and forth between the houses before the move to unpack everything. The only rooms left are my room and a few items for the barn. We own four horses, who are all already settled in at the new place. Before, we boarded them at a local hunter farm, but now we finally have our own barn. From the pictures I have seen, our horses have acres upon acres of rolling green pastures to graze. Dad used to be a trainer at our old farm and he was pretty well known on the local circuit. After he got sick I stopped riding competitively and just started to exercise and trail ride the horses.

"Care... Care..." I barely hear my mom shout to me through the blaring music in the earbuds. "Caroline!" She shouts at me again.

I take the earbuds out of my ears and turn towards my mother. "What is it?" I ask her quietly. She takes a right onto a long, dusty gravel road. There are miles of corn fields, pastures, horses, and a couple of barns and houses scattered here and there.

"We are almost at our house. It is the first house on the left." She states to me, smiling. Jack, our golden retriever, barks excitedly in the back seat as if he knows we are almost at our new home. I smile at my mother's excitement. It is contagious.

A small dot on the road suddenly gets bigger, and I realize it is a man riding a western horse. We slowly pass him and it is hard to see his face from under his cowboy hat. He has on a pair of dark wash jeans and a white v-neck tee shirt. His shirt shows off his tan and muscled biceps. I cup my head in my hands and watch him until we pass.

"Who is that?" I ask mom. She did a lot of research on this area before we moved, so she might know.

"That boy riding the horse? He and his family live in the house across the street. They are very nice people and invited us over for dinner tonight after we settle in. That is their son and I believe he is your age." My mom is the holy wizard of knowledge.

"Hm." I grunt to myself. With him and his family being the closest neighbors for over five miles, I definitely wasn't complaining. At least I have eye candy.

~

"Ready to head over to the Currington's?" Mom looks up at me from the leather sofa chair in the living room. She has her readers on, glancing through a 'Country Living' magazine. Apparently, our new neighbor's last name was Currington.