7 Summers Ago

chapter 1

It took me nearly four hours to drive from North Carolina to Tennessee. I hated that damn drive. Complicated turns and roads with a beautiful scenic view of the mountains. I might've passed Dollywood and wished to stop for a treat.
My friend, Mandy was in the passenger seat to accompany me on this trip. We were on our way to Tennessee to begin a new life and away from it all.
"What'd you think we'd do here?" Mandy asks.
Mandy had platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Her lips were a natural pink and her skin had a good enough tan.
"Live," I said jokingly. "Just live."
Mandy laughed a little and put on her sunglasses.
"I wish we'd never taken that stupid ass job," she groans.
"That stupid ass job pays the bills," I said.
Me and Mandy took the job of becoming podcast hosts, interviewers, screenwriters and film and production at some company with country artists.
The profession was confusing but they saw our degrees, what we were known for and automatically hired us.
"You're right," Mandy says.
Mandy decided to turn the radio on and hummed to the lyrics.
"I love this song," Mandy exclaims as she turned the music up. "And I wonder when you're drinkin if you find yourself thinkin about that boy from East Tennessee."
I froze when I heard that lyric. The voice sounded so familiar I couldn't even put my finger on it. I knew this voice but who could it possibly be. Who was it?
"Who made this song?" I asked.
Mandy looked over at me and had a disgusted look on her face.
"'Morgan fuckin Wallen, the best the man. The guy that's cute but ain shit," Mandy says.
Morgan? Morgan Wallen? The guy that I grew up with? I remember I used to have a huge crush on him when I was younger. He was my dad's friends son. I wouldn't say Morgan was cute right now because I haven't seen him in a long time but I guess it's what people went wild over.
"I grew up with him," I say casually.
"Bullshit," Mandy laughs. "Wait really?"
"Yes, I told you during the summer and holidays I'd go to Tennessee."
"So how do you two know each other?"
"My dad and his parents are friends," I said.
"Ugh your lucky," she groans.
For the rest of the trip, it was silent. Mandy was sleep half of the trip and was supposed to drive but I didn't mind it.
I pulled into my dad's driveway as he technically lives in the mountains and in the middle of nowhere. My dad was rich. He loves when I come to his house and just relax there.
I saw him standing on the porch with a big smile.
"Hey dad," I said getting out the car.
"Hey Mr. Jones!" Mandy says excitedly. "Thank you for letting us stay here!"
"You're welcome," Dad chuckles. "Glad you two made it."
We get out all of our stuff from the car and put it inside the house. Dad's house was more like a cabin mansion and had five bedrooms and three bathrooms. Me and Mandy picked one of the rooms where we'd stay in.
"Holy shit this rooms big," Mandy curses under her breath.
"I know right," I say and laid on the bed.
To be honest I wasn't even all that tired from driving. I just wanted to relax and take a nice shower.
"Hey I have a surprise down stairs for you Lyss," Dad says knocking on the door.
Mandy jumped up from her bed and so did I as we raced downstairs. I saw it was Morgan's mother Lesli. I rushed down to give her a great big hug since I haven't seen her in a long time.
"Look how big you've grown!" Lesli says as she hugs me tight.
I could see Mandy's jaw drop on the floor as she looked at me hug Morgan Wallens mother casually.
"I-I-I," she stammered. "Hi my names Mandy."
"I'm Lesli," Lesli greets herself. "What are you two ladies doin' in Tennessee?"
"Jobs," Dad says. "They do interviews with people, am I right?"
I nodded.
"Might run into that Wallen boy," he says and winks at me.
I rolled my eyes. My dad thought it was cute I used to have a big crush on Morgan when I was younger. He was amused how I would blush every time we'd hug and stuff.
"I hope so," Mandy says nudging me.
"Speakin of Morgan," Lesli says. "He told me to tell you hey. Oh and he made me a grandma."
See Dad? Morgan's taken by someone and possibly married.
"His names Indigo," Lesli says showing pictures of Morgan's kid.
He resembled Morgan in so many ways and the boy had the blondest hair I've ever did see on a kid.
"I didn't know Morgan was married, or even had a kid," I chuckled.
"Nope, single as Pringle," she chuckled.
"Might be your chance," Dad says winking at me.
"No I'm not even close to his type," I said quickly.
"Never know," he says. "Hey why don't you and Mandy go somewhere tonight to get out of the house?"
"I-"
"Sure why not? I never really been to this part of Tennessee so show me," Mandy says cheerfully.
I rolled my eyes and nodded my head in agreement.