Farmgirl

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The weeks in December began to rush by. Sierra got her voice back, and we got our friendship back together. Sierra's parents, I learned, were going to split on January 1st.

"A new start for the new year," Sierra said with a shrug.

"And you're not upset?" I asked.

"I was," she admitted, "but this means I don't have to hear them fighting every night anymore. It'll be tough at first, switching houses and everything, but I'll get used to it, I guess."

School got harder and harder. I took an SAT about a week after the dance. I was still waiting nervously for my results.

Before I knew it, there were only four days until Christmas. I'd never been particularly religious, but I loved the holiday. It was December twenty-first, and the first day of winter. It was growing dark outside when I suddenly got a call from Abigail.

"Meredith?" she asked when I picked up the phone. She sounded distraught, and maybe like she'd been crying.

"Abigail? What's up?"

"Can you meet me at the usual spot, please? Something happened, I need you."

"Of course," I said, and hung up. I grabbed my coat, put on my boots and was about to walk out when my mom's voice stopped me.

"Meredith? Where are you going?"

"Mom, I've gotta go - Abigail needs my help," I explained, feeling a bit helpless myself.

"Have you looked outside? It's windy and it's getting dark," my mom said.

"I know, Mom, I'm sorry, I'll be careful, I promise, please just let me go," I begged. My mom closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them and sighed.

"Go," she said, "and please be careful. I don't want to spend Christmas in the hospital because you got hit on the head by a falling branch." I nodded and ran out the door. The cold air was like a slap to the face, and I struggled against the wind. Finally, I made it up into the woods. I darted between trees, and turned on my phone flashlight. Hardly any light from the dying sun made it into the woods. After a few minutes, I spotted Abigail standing nervously, alone. Her hair was messy and her face was red and streaked with tears.

"Abigail!" I called. "What's wrong?" She ran towards me and collapsed into my arms. I sat down carefully on the ground. I'd never seen Abigail so upset before, I didn't know what to do.

"I'm scared," she said, after a pause.

"What happened?" I asked.

"My dad," she managed to say. "He's angry."

"What'd he do?"

"He was going on a rant about gay people, which, you know, sucks, but nothing out of the normal. But Andrew, foolishly, decided to say maybe gay people weren't all that bad."

My breath hitched. "Oh, no. What happened?"

"He hit him, my dad slapped Andrew across the face and told him to, um, shut up, unless he wanted to become just like all the other - the other gays. Except, ah, he didn't say gays."

"Oh," I said.

"And then he kept yelling and I was just so scared and freaked out and once I was able to escape the dinner table I just pretended to go to my room, but I left and came here and called you."

"Abigail, I'm so sorry," I said. She shook her head weakly and begin to try and wipe away her tears.

"I should get going," she said, beginning to stand, but I grabbed her arm.