The Arrogant Asshole

So Romantic

There might be a slight reason why I actually want to stay on the ranch. No, it is definitely not Jedediah.

I slipped carefully into the creek, bare feet trying to find some sort of friction with the creekbed. I finally found a tall enough rock, and tried to balance on that while I dipped my head under. I scrubbed my hands through my hair, rinsing out any mashed potato or green bean juice.

When my head popped back through the surface of the water, I gasped for air, my small lungs not used to being tested.

I heard Jedediah chuckle across from me and I quickly rubbed the water out of my eyes to see him, there, shirtless and with soaked hair pushed back.

I hate liking boys.

Why couldn't I have been straight, I wondered, narrowing my eyes at his perfect figure.

He grinned at me, leaning back against the rocky creekbank, arms spread like he owned the place. Well, technically, he did.

"Like it?" He asked, lacing a hand through his dark hair. "I stumbled upon it one day when I was exploring. Not your kind of exploring, where you get lost and fall asleep like Snow White, but my kind, where I find cool stuff and report it back to my parents."

I splashed some water at him, flashing an annoyed grin back.

"Well, I found something cool when I was out exploring," I quipped, thinking of the mysterious puppo.

"Mhm, like what." He said, looking doubtfully toward me.

"A dog," I declared, getting a surprised look from him.

"A dog?"

"A dog."

"Well, what did it look like?" He asked.

"Um, I'm not really sure," I said, swirling my fingers through the water, creating a mini tornado. "It was a pretty big dog, and reminded me of a German Shepherd. Oh, and it was really friendly."

He grunted, and appeared to think about it, before shrugging.

"Probably the sheepdog or some neighbor's dog."

"You guys have a sheepdog?" I said, shocked.

"Yeah, she helps guard the ranch at night and herds the horses if one runs off."

"Can I see her tomorrow?"

"Of course," he replied, before dunking his head under the water.

A second later, he emerged from the water beside me, making my jump again. This made me lose my footing on the rock, and I slipped and tumbled into the water. I heard him laughing when I crawled out of the creek, humiliated and defeated.

"I'm going back." I muttered, shaking my hair like a wet dog and grabbing my clothes.

"Good luck finding your way back," he called behind me, a smile still in his voice.

I knew he knew I wouldn't make it back without him, but I didn't want to rely on him anymore. I marched on, converse shoes wet and sloppily shoved on.

Arrogant asshole.

An hour later, I was nowhere near the ranch and sitting on a rock. At least I had my clothes back on.

I tensed up when I heard a branch crack to my right, but looked over to see my old friend.

"Doggy!" I cheered, bending down to greet it.

It ran over, body wiggling with excitement, and accepted my petting gratefully.