Duck Calls and Hunting Boots (Cole Robertson)

When I was a little girl, I loved pink. I loved princesses. But as I grew up, my tastes changed. The dresses stopped. I began to wear jeans, boots and t-shirts more often. Most of the time there was camo in my outfit. I grew up with a guy as my best friend. We spent a lot of our time at the pond, hunting or muddin'. He and his brother and parents and cousins were the closest people to me. They still are. I still spent almost one hundred percent of my time with them.

"Cole! Gimme back my phone!" I screamed, running after my best friend. He darted out the screen door and into the woods. I chased him to the duck blind I knew he was hiding in.

"Cole, gimme back my phone," I said. I heard his laugh and leaved rustling.

"I'll give it back if you'll come to the pond with me, John Luke and Lauren," he said. I paused a second, thinking.

I nodded. "Lauren?" I asked him. He nodded with a smile.

"A girl he met in the store. She was buyin' a duck call. Definitely love at first sight," he said as he walked up beside me, handing me my phone.

"Niiiice," I said with a wink. "D'ya think Jase'd drive us to my house for a bit?" I asked as we walked into the hunting cabin.

"Hey, Anna, Cole," Missy called as we walked into the kitchen. I raised my chin and opened the fridge and grabbed a soda.

"Hey, Missy, could you or Jase drive us to my house?" I asked hopping onto the counter beside Cole. He grabbed the Coke out of my hand and took a sip.

"Sure thing," she confirmed. "Y'all going to the pond?" We nodded and she laughed. She grabbed her keys and muttered something about waiting for us in the car.

"How long's she gunna wait?" I asked. He shrugged and burped. I rolled my eyes.

"Cole, that was weak," I mumbled. He shook his head and pushed me lightly.

"Tell me more about Lauren," I said as I began to scrape my brown hair into a high ponytail.

"According to John Luke, she's blond. She's about 16 and, I quote, "hot," she also hunts," he said. She seems cool. Maybe we could be friends. I need another girl friend beside Sadie and Alia. I mean, they're nice and all, but I have way to many guy friends.

"Cole, who all's comin' to the pond today?" I asked.

"You, me, John Luke, Lauren, Alia, Reed, Will, Sadie and I think Emily," he told me. I nodded and leaned against him for a moment.

I jumped on his back. My chin rested on his shoulder. His hands held me up from my upper thighs.

"Hey, Cole," I whispered.

"Yes, Anna?" he asked.

"Cole, do you love me?" I asked back. I felt him tense. Probably taken aback by the sudden question.

"L-love y-you?" he stuttered. I nodded and he let out a huff of air.

"Honestly, Anna, I don't know. You're my best friend."

"Yeah," I agreed, not too enthusiastically. "Now hurry up! I wanna get home!" With this he ran the rest of the distance to the car.

"Well, I took you to long enough," Missy joked as I jumped in the car. I stuck my tongue out as she sped down the driveway. About fifteen minutes later, I saw the familiar dirt road that leads to my house.

We pulled down the driveway and Missy stopped long enough for us to get out and then took off again.

"She don't stick around long, does she?" a voice asked from behind us. I turned around and saw John Luke sitting in a lawn chair. I squealed and ran over to him.

"Hey, bubba," I mumbled as I buried my head in his chest.

"Hey, Anna," he said, I could tell he way smiling, even if I couldn't see him.

"So who's this skinny chick Lauren who's takin' my place?" I teased him. He laughed and I pulled my legs up to sit in his lap.

"Just a girl I met in the store one day," he told me.

"Sure," I scoffed and twisted to look at him. His face was bright red, giving me something to pick on him about.

"John Luke, who's out there?" a feminine voice asked and I heard a door slam and the screen porch opened to reveal a tall, blonde girl.

I gave John Luke a look that said 'she's pretty but why is she at my house?!' and he laughed, pushed me off him and walked over to her.

"Rude," I muttered getting up and wiping off my pants. I walked over to Cole and fake cried into his shoulder.

"Anna, this is Lauren. Lauren, that's Anna," he introduced us. I looked at her. She was wearing a pair of light blue jeans, boots and a navy hoodie. He har was pulled into a high ponytail.

"Hi, Anna, nice to meet ya," she said eyeing my outfit. I shifted uncomfortably and tugged at my tshirt. I looked down at my outfit, which consisted of a pair of camo pants, a brown tshirt and my boots.

"Hi, Lauren," I muttered, wrapping my arms around Cole's waist.

"They're dating?" I heard Lauren ask John Luke. He laughed loudly.

"No, best friends," he answered. I looked up at her and she had a look that said 'shes such an idiot' written across it. I glared at her and Cole clear his throat, causing me to turn my attention back to him.

"Let's go to your room," he suggested to me. I nodded and grabbed his hand, pulling him forcefully into the house.

"I don't like that bitch," I murmured. He gave me a scolding look as we walked into my room.

A laugh left his mouth as he took in, not for the first time, my 'Daddy's little girl' room. Which was pink. The only camo I had in here was a quilt my dad found in the woods and my clothes and boots and jackets.

"Stop doing that every time you come into my room," I told him, flopping down on my pink comforter, which was covered by my camo quilt.