Cowboys and Angels

Chapter 6

What was Trevor? A player? A sob story? An abuser? What was he? Did I still have feelings for him? Did I even love him? Was it meant to be? Maybe not. But I felt like I needed to stay away.

I can tell you I've known Brett and Hunter since eighth grade. And Brett used to hate me. I was a prissy little tomboy to him. I did everything with Hunter. Brett kept his distance; he laid low and away from me. I think we really got to know each other when I wasn't such a tomboy. That's when he saw the real me and it stayed that way.

It was around May. The schoolboard was hosting a dance to raise money for the small farms around town that needed help. It was a rough year for a lot of farms and they needed all the help they could get. Grocery stores relied on the farms for their meat, vegetables, fruit, etc. So it was something nice our school was doing to give back to the community. Well, I really wanted to go. But I didn't have any girl friends to get ready with so I was stuck with my mom, which in a way upsetted me. I only had two guy friends. I never got to tell anyone the latest gossip about a guy I liked, because obviously neither Hunter or Brett wanted to talk about that kinda stuff. So I kept a journal. And that was my best friend.

Anyways, my mom did my make up and got me this really gorgeous baby blue dress. I think it was really awkward going to the dance since it was formal. Brett had protested the idea of even going. But Hunter said he'd go either way, because of me.

Hunter was my rock. I could tell him things I hadn't told anyone and he wouldn't tell a soul. I wasn't that close to Brett at all. Like I said he hated me. I was trying to be someone I wasn't. I respected his thought of me, either way.

Well, I showed up to the dance. Hunter was waiting for me outside the school to walk me in. He and I had this brother-sister relationship. It was literally perfect. I didn't even think about seeing Brett there, because he didn't want to go. But once I had walked in, the last person I'd ever see there was Brett. And there he was. I was really surprised. But just as he said he wasn't here for me and just because he didn't want to be left at home alone, I lost faith in us ever being close at all.

It was about three quarters of the way through the dance and I was having a horrible time. Hunter was dancing with all these pretty girls and I was sitting at a table by myself. Brett, however, was sitting on the bleachers by himself. A few popular girls sat around him, fanning themselves at how perfect he was. But I think something lit a spark in him when he left the bleachers.

He walked over to the table I was at and stood there awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. He leaned over slightly and said, "Hey, Emerson."

"Hi," I said unamusingly.

"What do you say we ditch this dance and play video games, huh?" he asked.

"No," I said bluntly. I wasn't even looking at him, just watching all these pretty girls dance with hot guys, including Hunter.

I think he finally got the hint, I wanted to dance out there.

"Well, do you want to dance, then?" he asked shakily.

I lifted my head, smiled at him, and nodded. He murmured, "Thought so."

And just at that moment as he held out his hand for me to take, a slow song began to play.

"Tied Together with a Smile" by Taylor Swift. It was slow, sad song but one of my favorite songs.

We got out on the dance floor and everyone paired up. I was scared at first. When Brett had put his hands on my waist and smiled at me, I was happy he came. I innocently smiled back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him and whispered, thank you, in his ear.