Turn N' Burn

Chapter 4

"WHAT?!" They all shouted in unison. Amber was taken aback by their response.
"Shhhh! You don't have to scream." She quickly responded.
"You can't be serious." Emily said.
"Why? So soon." Sara said in a squeaky voice.
"What happened?" Lexi asked behind her. She turned around and said calmly,
"I'm dropping out of school next semester." Lexi's eyes widened in response, and her mouth opened slightly. Amber turned back to the rest of the group. "You never answered my question. Why?" Sara repeated.
"Why? Because I want to go after my dream, I want to start barrel racing! And I can't do that if I'm constantly stuck here, with piles of homework, projects, and extra responsibilities. I need to do what I want." Amber said.
"Well, good for you, I say." Sara said. Sara was usually very argumentative, so her response was surprising.
"Finally!" Jillian said, "You have been falling asleep, stressed out, and no offense, but you smell like a horse. And, not to mention school drama holding you down. Go for it!" Amber smiled gratefully at her.
"I will."
"You know the semester ends in like, a week?" Emily stated.
"Yes, I do."
The conversation went on so long, she hadn't eaten. This set off her temper and was rather rude the rest of the day. She ate her peanut butter sandwich in the truck, while she dropped Emily off. She waved, the sandwich hanging from her jaws. She was headed home. Amber flipped on the radio and started singing, "Hell Of A Night". No one was in the car with her, so she sang loudly. "Flying high! Livin' careless, on the edge of wild and reckless! Hold on tight, I'm bout to show you one hell of a night!" She was still singing, more like shouting as she pulled into her driveway. She lightly chuckled, turned the radio off and went inside, making sure to lock her truck.
                                         Inside, the house was a mess. Her dog, Maisey was sleeping on the couch. Lazy doggie. She thought. Stepping over old headstalls and boots, she nudged the collie awake. Drowsy, shining eyes looked into hers, and her tail wagged weakly. "Tired, huh? Oh, your life is so stressful." He words were followed by a small laugh. No homework tonight, again. Should I go to the barn? Nah. I've got to catch up on my sleep. She answered herself. Even though it was 7:00 pm, it felt like it was 3:00 am. She made her way upstairs to bed, Maisey following. She didn't care enough to look around at her room. She simply walked over to her bed, flopped down onto it, and fell asleep. Not under the covers, half on and half off.