Right in Front of You

38. The Barn Dance

Kay really wished she didn't have to keep lying to her parents and pretend to go to Bible study or other crap like that all the time. But as she checked herself out in Kelly's mirror, she realized it didn't matter that much as long as she still got to do what she wanted. Like going to this wonderful barn dance.

"Are you sure this is not too much?" she asked Kelly, twirling to admire her outfit: grey bootcut jeans, boots and a red and black ceckered shirt.

Kelly wore an identical outfit, except her shirt was blue and black and her jeans blue. She'd also caught her hair into two braids.

"Not even close to too much." Kelly pulled out two Stetson straw hats. "Put this on and we'll be perfect."

Kay stared at her blankly. She'd never worm a cowgirl hat in her life. "Are you sure that's not a bit too much?"

"Kay, we're going to a barn dance without huge belts on. Trust me, we'll be underdressed."

Kay shrugged and put the hat on. Kelly had been to barn dances before, so she was the fashion authority.

"Let's go," Kelly said, checking her phone. "The boys are downstairs, and the less they linger, the better."

No kidding. They just couldn't get a break from any of the parents. Well, except Max, but he wasn't actually a parent.

The girls hurried out, Kelly yelling to her mom that they were going to study at Erin's, and made a beeline for Joey's Camaro. The boys were waiting next to the car, both of them wearing jeans, boots and denim shirts. And cowboy hats. It strangely made them look pretty hot.

"Ha!" Joey said the moment he saw them and turned to point at Kyle with both hands. "I win!"

"What are you talking about?" Kelly asked, already scrambling into the front seat.

Kyle and Kay got in the back while Joey got behind the wheel and drove off.

"We made a bet, and I won. Now he has to sing two karaoke songs, my choice, with a drawl." Joey did a small happy dance before focusing back on his driving.

Kay shook her head and turned to Kyle. "What?"

He shrugged. "Joey said you girls would be dressing up, but I didn't think you'd go all out and put the hat on."

"That's a silly bet."

"It's a silly prize, but let Ashley think he's actually won something for a change."

"Hey." Joey looked at them in the rear view. "I can hear you."

Kyle and Kay threw each other knowing looks and burst into silent laughter. She then spent the rest of the way there making fun of how uncomfortable he felt in the backseat. She seriously doubted he'd been in the backseat since he got his license.

Once they got there, Kay had to admit it looked like fun. The barn was big, wooden and painted red with a white roof and the people... well, Kelly had been right. They would've stood out without the hats.

Once inside, the party started. There was a bar, there were cowboys, booze and straw pallets everywhere. Kay half-expected to see a stray goat or chicken running around. And even if she wasn't a country music fan, by the end of the night, she had to admit that she'd had the time of her life.

She couldn't decide which part was her favorite. Kyle singing supposedly for her (songs chosen by Joey, which were of course love songs - and damn, Kyle with a drawl was sexy) and making a show of it, Joey and Kelly actually fighting over something minor and tossing straw at each other (Kay had then spent half an hour getting the straws out of Kelly's hair), the line dancing (she and Kyle owned that because of their dance classes) or the roudy patrons who weren't afraid to have a good time.