That Summer

Chapter 2

Last day of school:

As I open my locker door, I sense someone beside me. When I look up I see my old child hood friend, Jayson Phillips, looking down at me with a smug grin.

Jayson Phillips. When I was a little girl my mom had to work a lot. So she needed a babysitter. Well Jayson's aunt applied and she got the horrendous task of watching me. Soon enough Jayson's whole family was basically my family. Jay and I became best friends. Until about a year ago. My dad decided he didn't like them and we didn't visit for a long time. Jay and I still talked though sometimes, until he got a girl friend that is. We haven't talked since.

"Well, well, well. Look who came back from the dead," I say mad at him.

"I hear your going to be moving," he says grinning.

"What's it to you?"

"Since we are going to be practically neighbors and all, I thought I should make a friendly gesture."

"The great Jayson Phillips make a 'gesture', unheard of," I say sarcastically. He laughs at this. "Where is your girlfriend anyway. Shouldn't you be talking to her?"

"We broke up a while ago." I just nod my head. "So, since you have already missed the bus, do you want a ride home?" What? He doesn't talk to me for like 6 months and now he wants to give me a ride home. Unbelievable! But I do need a ride home... He might be joking. I look up at him. And he smiles a big cheeky smile. God I miss that smile. Wait what am I saying?!

"Why would you want to give me a ride?" I ask a little disgusted with myself from my previous though.

"What? Can't I give my old buddy a ride home from school?" I give him a 'seriously' look. "Are you coming or not cause I'm leaving."

"Yesssss I'm coming," I groan.

We walk out of the school in silence. When we approach a giant jacked up black truck, my jaw drops. "I didn't know this was yours!" I have scream and half yell at him.

"Ya it's mine," he says laughing at my reaction.

"If I knew you drove this I would have asked for a ride a long time ago!" I say still in aw. I then climb into the passenger seat. And we take off. "How fast does it go?"

"Wanna see?" He asks smiling. I nod enthusiastically. Within like 2 minutes we are pushing on 80 down some backroad.

"You better slow down before my mom sees you driving like this," I warn giggling. He then slows down. When we pull up next my new house, he shuts off the truck. "What are you doing?"

"You don't think I'm going to come to your house and not say hi do you?" he grins. I sigh and roll my eyes. What is my mom going to think? When we were little, the running joke was that Jayson and I were going to get married. I hated it, but Jayson never said anything about it. It's still mentioned sometimes. And now my mom is NEVER going to leave me alone about it.

As we enter the door, I kick off my boots. "Mom! I'm home," I yell. I then hear a faint ok. Jayson and I stand there awkwardly until she comes up the stairs. As soon as my mother sees him, she attacks him with a hug.

"Oh my Jay! Look how much you've grown! Not to mention your good looking," my mom says and winks at me on the process. Again I groan and bush a little.

"Nice to see you too aunt Sue," he says laughing.

"Do you wanna sit down?" my mom asks him as I mentally face plan myself for even saying yes to his stupid offer to drive me home.

"Nah. It's ok. I need to be heading home anyway. I have to go and do my farm chores before it gets dark," he says kindly rejecting my mom's offer.

"Oh! Sadie can go with you and help!" she says.

"Moooom!" I groan.

"I think that's a wonderful idea Aunt Sue!" he says with a smug grin. Oh no he didn't! There is no way I'm helping him do his chores! He can do them by himself.

Before I even know what is happening I'm being drug out of the house by Jayson. Once I realize I'm outside and my mom can't hear us anymore, I stop.

"There is no way I'm going with you."

"Oh come on Sadie."

"Forget it. I'm not coming."

"Fine then, I guess you won't get to see Patches." That is my weak spot. Patches was my very first pony I ever rode. She is the whole reason I even wanted horses. How bad can it be really? Just go and help him then you can come home. I look up at Jayson. He has a smug look on his face. He knows he won.

"Fine. But I won't be happy about it," I state and stop into his truck.

When we get there I ask if I can go in and see everyone. Everyone meaning his family. Once I'm done hugging his large family and explaining why I haven't been over, we head out to his barn. As soon as I enter I can smell the horses. It is exactly the way I remember it.

It's a small barn with only 4 stalls for the horses. The top loft is filled all the way to the rafters with hay. "I know our barn is beautiful, but you don't have to stare," Jayson says breaking me from my day dream.

"Shut up," I simply say. He just shrugs. He starts to call all the horses in.

I then proceed to put them in their stalls. When I finish, I notice that Jay is gone. I start to look around. I still don't see him.

"Jayson where did you go?"
"Jayyyyy"
"I'm not feeding them for you!" Whatever I give up. I climb up into the loft to get some hay. As I cut open a bale, someone covers my mouth and pulls me back. I then fall into the hay bales. I bite the hand that is covering my mouth. I hear a whimper and look up to see the culprit. Jayson.

"Ouch! Geezzzz Sadie! I was just trying to have some fun. There was no reason to bite me!" he yells at me.

"Don't scare me then," I simply state.

"I'll remember that."

After the horses are fed. We start back to the truck. We are about half way to my house and it's too quiet. I hate awkward silence so I do the first thing that comes to mind. I turn on the radio. Pretty soon I'm singing and dancing along to some Luke Bryan song. A smile creeps up onto Jayson's face. "Your still the weirdest girl I know," he says shaking his head.

"Thank you?" I state not knowing if that's good or bad.

We soon are pulling into my drive way. "Thank you. I had fun," I say. I go to get out, but Jayson stops me.

"I did too. There is a party on Friday and I was wondering if you wanted to come. Not as my date or anything," he says.

"I'm going to have to sneak out. My mom doesn't like it when I go to parties."

"Oh trust me I can get you out of that house without anyone knowing," he says with his signature grin.