That Blue-Eyed Boy

7. EMBRACE IT

POV:  STELLA

I wake up in the morning to sunlight streaming through my blinds and a pounding headache. I groan and roll over in bed, once again, ending up in a tangled mess of sheets on the floor. This seems to be a recurring theme with me after I drink. I groan again and just rest for a second, out of the reach of the sun beams blasting through my room. It must be mid-morning by now, but I really don't have any need to get up. Beau rejected me last night, and I fell asleep with a drunk, broken heart. He did say that if I remembered the conversation, I could try again today, though, but I haven't decided if I should or not. I roll onto my stomach and force myself to stand up, dropping the layers of sheets and comforter to the floor so I can untangle myself. I head straight to the kitchen and swig down four Advil with some milk, before popping a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster.

"Good morning, honey. Feeling okay this morning?" My dad asks, walking into the house and smirking at me. I groan at him and shake my head. "I guess you should have stopped drinking when Beau asked you to. I can't believe I'm raising an alcoholic daughter. And she's not even legal to drink it, yet."

"Thanks for the lecture, Dad." I mutter, shoving one of the pieces of toast in my mouth dry before heading to the bathroom to shower.

After a nice long, twenty-minute soak, my head is clear and my hair is clean, and I'm ready for a new day. My first task after I've tugged on a pair of shorts and a hot pink tank top is to prove to Beau that I was in complete control of my thoughts last night. Drunk Stella just doesn't have a filter, whereas sober Stella does. Sober Stella would have never told Beau that she wanted to sleep with him, or kiss him, until after Drunk Stella has. And now that that has happened, I march into the barn where I expect to find Beau probably mucking a stall. Boy, am I dead wrong.

"Bryndle, what the hell are you doing?" I ask, finding my kid sister in the middle of a lip-lock with Beau's brother, who is even older than I am. I still haven't officially met the guy, just seen Beau talking to him yesterday. Plus, if I remember correctly, she has a boyfriend back in Panama.

"Kissing a hot guy. What does it look like, drunkie?" She asks, returning her lips to his after they both look at me for a split second.

"Uh, no. You're going to stop kissing him right now." I argue, actually trying to step between them.

"Oh, please, Stella. There are some countries where I'd already be married having kids. Having a little make out session with a hot guy is hardly a thing." She replies, finally stepping away from Gunnar, who stuffs his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

I ignore her and turn my attention to him. "I'm looking for your brother. Where is he?"

"Beats me. I haven't seen him since I got here about twenty minutes ago. Travis and Charlie are out in the field petting the horses."

"Okay. Don't let me see you touch my little sister ever again, got it, lover boy?" I ask, sending him a cut-throat glare. He shrugs, and I push past him and head up to the loft to see if Beau is up there. He's not. I groan again, frustrated because I had a plan to prove, and he's messing it up. I stomp back down the stairs, stepping between Bryndle and Gunnar, who are kissing again, and head for the shop where I know my dad is.

"Dad! Do you know where Beau is?" I ask, glancing up at the sky that is starting to cloud up, indicating the rain storm that is supposed to last several days. Why couldn't the clouds have come an hour earlier? Then I probably wouldn't be up right now.