Country Mile

SO CONVINCING

Christmas break came to an end, and with it, Genna's grounding. While the halls of Hastings High filled with kids and teachers refreshed from their lengthy holiday, the Henderson-Prescott sisters stood outside their homeroom discussing the day ahead of them.

"Hello ladies," Logan grinned as he wrapped his arm around Delilah.

"Hey, Logan." Genna sighed and scrunched her nose in faux disgust as Delilah greeted him with her lips pressed firmly upon his.

Genna quickly scanned the halls. Seeing his mop of dark hair before anything else, she smiled widely at the approaching boy. She bounced on her toes once her peers parted and Archer came into full view.

"Good mornin'," he leaned down and kissed her softly.

"It is now," she beamed.

"You off restriction, finally?"

Genna rolled her eyes; she often thought that Archer could be just as ridiculous as Adam. "Yeah, I am."

"Alright," he nodded. "Even though them eyes are pretty, I still don't like 'em rolled at me." His voice was serious but his lips were turned up at the edges.

Genna quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Don't look at me like that," he laughed. "You ain't the only one who suffers when your attitude gets you into trouble. I gotta go days without you." He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Oh, yea, it's the worst," she smirked.

"Heart breakin'."

Genna shook her head and laughed. "Pure torture, I'm sure."

The bell rang and students filed into the classroom, taking their seats accordingly. Genna would never admit it, but it was nice to be back. The drama with Valerie was finally behind her, she loved seeing her friends, and even enjoyed the structure school provided to her days. She thrived off routine; a characteristic so ingrained, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to shake it. She wished she was as easy going as her sister. Delilah's ability to go with the flow was always something Genna tried to emulate, but couldn't quite get the hang of. It was this need for control that kept her in line, or got her into trouble. That grey area in between was still a difficult place to manage, but Genna was trying her best.

The day passed by quickly, and before they knew it, the girls were on the bus heading home. Their backpacks hung heavily on their shoulders as seemingly every single teacher decided to assign homework on the first day back.

"They planned this. All of 'em. On purpose," Delilah grumbled as she slid her bag off and set it on the ground.

"They live to see us suffer," Genna agreed.

They kicked their shoes off and walked into the kitchen to see Adam standing at the counter. A spread of crackers, pepperoni, and partially sliced cheese sat before him. One hand held the knife he'd been using to chop up his chosen ingredients, while the other held his cell phone. That sight alone would have made the girls stop in their tracks, but it was the grin plastered on his face that really piqued their interest.

Sharing a brief look with Delilah, Genna let out a fake cough to make their presence known.

Adam's eyes snapped up. "Oh, uh, hey girls." He immediately placed his phone in his back pocket and went back to finishing their snack.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Daddy." Delilah's tone held a hint of suspicion in the greeting.

"How was your day?" Adam asked.

"Not as joyous as yours apparently," Genna mumbled to Delilah. The girls smirked at one another while Adam cleared his throat.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," he said, not missing their exchange. "Hopefully this'll make up for it." He placed the spread before them on the table.