In The Background

Chapter One (Analise)

"Analise, come on. Sometimes you have to get off of this farm and join the human population." Jessica pleaded with me as I mucked the stall of Lightning, one of our boarder horses. "Just come to the game tonight. It is the last game before playoffs, it would look good if I was there."

"Jess, I haven't been to a single game in my entire high school career, what is the point of starting now if they only have one game left in the season?" I muttered leaning the pitchfork against the wall.

"It doesn't have to be the last game of the year. Matt said that it was supposed to be an easy win, Ana. Please come. We can go get milkshakes after, the diner has a special on game days."

Damn her, she always knew my week spots. "Fine, just because I love you and you obviously want me to do this for whatever reason," I muttered finishing the stall and moving to the next.

"Yes!!" She said jumping up and down, scaring Mystery in the process. "Sorry old girl, I didn't see you there."

"Yeah, dad said that she can't go outside anymore, it is getting too cold and he doesn't want her arthritis to get worse," I said walking up to her stall and running my hand down her face. "He still thinks that he can make her better. I keep telling him that it would be better if he stopped exercising her and let her graze in the field but he said mom wouldn't want that."

"I am so sorry. I know that having her here reminds you of everything that happened."

"I used to blame her you know, for moms death. I mean, the only reason she left the house was to go find Mystery and then the accident and I just..." I broke into tears. It had been six months since the accident and we were still trying to recover.

Jess walked over and hugged me, both of us sliding down to the floor with our backs against Mystery's stall. "Shhh... I know that you miss her, we all miss her, but even if you can't see her, she is still here. She is in your heart and in all of the things that she loved all her life. She's in your father and that ratty leather jacket that he wore when he was in high school. She's in her class ring, that lays there on your finger, a daily reminder of where you are from and where you will go. She's not gone, she is just away on a long needed vacation."

"Dad told you I was different again, didn't he?" I groaned. "Why can't he just stay out of my business and let me focus on my own grief while he focuses on his?"

"Yeah, he just worries because he cares. You have to give the man a break sometimes. But hey, I have to go. I will pick you up around 6." She said starting to walk out of the barn.

"I will just meet you there around 7. I have some stuff to get done before I can leave." I yelled out to her, she huffed but nodded her head yes anyway. "I promise that I will be there." She just nodded her head again before getting into her car and leaving.

Little did they know that I was at every game. I was on the dance team and have been since freshman year, but I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want them to make a fuss out of it. Mom was the one that convinced me to try out freshman year. She knew that I had a passion for dance and she said that it would look good on my college applications and everything else, but I thought that it was just because she wanted me off of the farm just as much as Jessica does. After she died, I didn't have the heart to quit but I also didn't have the heart to tell anyone that I had been lying to them for the past three years.

"Hey, you have to get going, don't you? Jessica said that you were going to the game, which makes me wonder where you go every other Friday night when you tell me that that is where you are going." dad said walking into the barn and grabbing the tools from me.

"Can I let you in on a little secret that you have to promise not to tell anyone else?" I asked leaning against the wall and looking at my watch. Dad just nodded when I looked up.