The next day on the fields, Brody and I make small talk. It's stiff, forced, and awkward, and when he leaves to do something else I have never felt more relieved in my entire life. Megan walks over. “Hey. You okay?” she asks.
“I assume you know what went on when I followed them yesterday?”
She nods her head and gives me a sympathetic smile, as if I'm the one who needs sympathy.
“I kind of knew it would happen. He... the other day, he told me he was tired of feeling weak and feeling like a victim all the time. I kinda saw this coming.”
“All I wanted to do was to stop him from being hurt.”
“I know. But... when I caught Dad beating him, he just took it out on him further the next day. So I guess he was worried about that, too.”
“Have you heard anything? I mean, has Frank hit Brody since last night?” I say, feeling myself cringe as the words leave my mouth. I hate that I have to ask Megan this. I hate every single thing about this situation.
“I don't think so. Brody just stayed in his room all night, and Mom and Dad just sat downstairs, not really speaking to each other.”
At least he's left him alone for now, but I'm worried about something going down later.
Megan leaves and Brody joins me on the crop fields about an hour later.
“Hey, Brody? If you want to stay with me, like, whenever you want, you can,” I ask him, hoping he'll say he will stay with me for tonight at least, because I really don't like the idea of him being in that house.
He just glares at me and I instantly regret asking. “I thought I told you that I didn't need your protection.”
“I didn't mean- I just- I thought you might want to.”
He sighs. “Ruben, I think I need to distance myself from you for a while. I'm sorry.”
I actually feel like screaming.
After that, Brody doesn't even attempt to make small talk with me, we spend the entire weekend avoiding each other.
“He'll come around,” Megan says, trying to comfort me. “He hasn't spoke to me, much, either.”
Then, on Monday, the first day of spring break for Brody and Megan, a car pulls in to Kennerley Farm, and out if it come an awkward skinny boy with a shaved head and a tall, stylish girl in a lace dress and leather jacket, her black hair short and styled perfectly. Ryan Harrison and Charlotte Vu, my best friends from Denver, the people I spent the majority of my teenage years with. I haven't seen them since I came to Ranley.
The first thing Ryan does when he steps out of the car is hold his nose. “You'll get used to the smell,” I tell him and grin.
We've never had an affectionate friendship but he throws his arms around me. “Rue! I've missed you so much. I have so much to tell you about college. And I found out some stuff about Dale, you know with Toby? He-”
I pretend to listen to Ryan's ramblings. Charlotte rolls her eyes at him and I hug her. “I know you're a farmer and you think you don't need to upkeep your appearance, but you really need a hair cut,” she insists and ruffles my hair that admittedly has gotten pretty shaggy.
“To be honest, I'm not even sure there is a barber shop around here,” I tell Charlotte.
“There isn't much of anything around here, by the looks of it,” Ryan complains.
“Shut up, Ryan. You asked Ruben if we could come here. Do not spend the whole weekend complaining.”
He throws his hands up in defence. “I'm not complaining,” he walks towards my barn. “Hey, so is this the servants quarters?”
YOU ARE READING
Meet You There
Teen FictionBOYXBOY, COMPLETE Ruben Taylor has just graduated from high school and while his friends are off to college, he's off to work on the farm where he spent his childhood summers. Ruben re-befriends Brody and Megan, who he hasn't spoke to in years, alon...
