Hay Season

Chapter 4

Rylan

If you told me I couldn't do it, I'd die trying. ~Susan Sanford~

This is supposed to be my year. The year I shine. He will come around. I know he will. He thinks he doesn't love me, but I know better. Dewbridge, Mississippi, is my town. It's the town my dad works tirelessly to run, and I always get what I want. And what I want is Rylan Tucker. I have it all planned, from our wedding to the floor plans of our future home. Now, all I need to do is convince him that I'm the right girl for him. He thinks he wants to leave, but I've never understood the reasoning behind his adventurous side. Everything we could possibly need is right here. We can and will run this town together one day.

~ Our Hometown of Dewbridge/Journal Entry by Ladonna Miller

               ___________________________________________________

"Hey, dude, check the rack on that one. Damn, I'm going to love this year."

Slamming my locker, I turn around to see the cause of Devin's attention and freeze. The desire to ram my fist down my friend's throat is high, but the nervous way Mack is eyeing us is even higher.

"Double Damn. Is that ... is that Mattie Mackey? I swear she grew a whole cup size."

Tightening my jaw, my teeth battle against each other. Devin's been my wingman ever since I found him at the park one afternoon when I was five, and he was four, surrounded by a couple of bullies from school. Kids can be harsh, but we'd been harsher. Another schoolboy and my childhood friend, Thomas, had joined us and we've been inseparable ever since. That's the only reason my fist stays away from his jaw. That and he knows well enough who Mattie is. He likes getting under my skin.

"That's enough, man."

She pauses halfway. It's obvious she's struggling in her decision to approach me.

"You're not into her, are you?"

The tone of his voice lets me know he's teasing, but it still doesn't ease the eruption fighting to explode. He's a good guy with a soft spot for the underdog, but he can't help but rib me. It's part of who we are as friends.

He leans close like he's revealing some ugly secret. "I've heard she talks to animals. With a body like that, it makes me wonder if she does more. I read an article once about a woman who got herself killed trying to get off on a cow."

"Shut up, Devin." Before I make fucking a cow look pleasant.

Come on, beautiful. She's biting her lip and looking way too lost for my taste. She seems to be warring with herself over whether or not to approach me. I don't care if she does. She's my best friend. It's always been her decision to keep our friendship a secret. I know why. She thinks she's being brave, making herself a martyr in an attempt to save my reputation. One day, sooner than later, she's going to figure out I don't give a damn about my reputation. I do, however, give a damn about her. Always have since the day I found her huddled behind that hay bale when we were kids. She'd looked lost that day, but I'd felt lost. When she looked up and her tear-streaked face had met mine, I felt like I'd been found. Something told me she'd felt the same way. I still own that kite. It sits in a safe place in the back of my closet.

"I'll meet you in the lunchroom."

"But ..."

Waving my hand in dismissal, I head in her direction before she has a chance to bolt. I'll answer his questions later. I don't look behind me to see if he's gone on without me. I know he will. He knows me well enough to know when he's pushed my buttons too far, and he knows I don't give a shit what he's thinking. Right now, I'm more concerned about what's going on in her pretty little head. Staring at her feet, she avoids looking up when I approach.