Not Your Typical Country Girl

chapter four- Family

Chapter four

I swivvled my neck to see who had adressed me so suddenly, finding none other then Ryan in the spot.

"Hey Ry, what's up?" I smiled obliviously.

He glarred at me. "You haven't been to school all week! I checked with George and Mrge and they said they hadn't seen you since you fixed the tractor sunday afternoon!" He whisper shouted waving his hands around for emphisis. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

I rolled my eyes, a habit I seemed to be picking up from Clayton, since he did the action so often. "I've been with Clayton down at his Aunt's ranch. We've been smokin' shit and drinkin'." I smiled fondly at the memories. "Yeah, it's be an epic experience."

His eyes widened. "You've been with Clayton this whole time?"

"Yes. What's so bad about that? He's one hell of a stoner. He's got the best stuff in town!"

In the midst of my sentence, my fogged mind cleared up just enough to realize why Ryan had panicked so much about my absence. He had told me he liked me, and I ditched him on a hill.

Clayton approached the table, 2 plates of homestyle BBQ sandwhiches and fries in his hands. He almost dropped them when he saw Ryan sitting in the booth with me. "What the fuck do you want alter boy?"

Ryan stood from the table, his jaw clentched tight and knckled turning white at his sides. "Nothing, just checking on my best friend Tegan here." He pressed his lips together and glanced at me. "I was starting to get worried about her," He smirked at Clayton. "After we had our Sunday session up on the hill. I wasn't sure if she could walk straight, let alone ride that bike down to George's."

"What the hell kind of game are you playin' alter boy? Tryin to make me jealous?" Clayton set the plates down and shoved Ryan to the floor. "Because it's not going to work, if anyone here should be jealous it's you. Tegan's been at my place, not yours."

I reached for Clay's hand and twisted mine in his, pulling him back beside me. "Leave him alone. He's just the preacher's kid." I pleaded.angrys I was at Ryan for lying to Clayton, he was my best friend, and I couldn't let my other new best friend kill him.

Ryan crawled up and ran out of the cafe, like a dog with it's tail between it's legs.

Clayton sat next to me and picked at his fries silently. "Did you really do that with him?" Clay asked, hurt ever present in his voice.

I shook my head. "No, no, no. Never. He wanted to though. I admit I kissed him a couple of times, but that was just to scare preacher Dean. Ryan just told me Sunday that he liked me. I never knew before that." I don't know quite why I defended myself so much. I mean what business was it of Clay's if I had done that kind of thing with Ryan. Clayton and I are just friends.

Clayton finished a bite of his sandwhich and gave me a hard stare. "I don't want you hangin' around with alter boy. He's bad news."

I giggled. "And you're not? Look at me." I pointed to my clothes. "I'm in your shirt and jeans, and my head is still pounding form that acid. If anything we're the bad news." I stuffed a fry in my mouth and smiled. "He's a good kid. Pretty boring actually."

"What all do you know about alter- I mean Ryan. He said you guys were best friends, so what all do you know about him?"

Shrugging my shoulders I continued to eat while I spoke. "I know he's 17, he's Preacher Dean's oldest son, he's got two younger brothers, Josh whose 12 and Blake whose 9. His Ma is from Mexico, and she doesn't speak much english. Uhhmmnnn...He works as a ranch hand on the weekends at the AA ranch, he get's 7.50 an hour. He likes going to the rodeo, but bull ridin' is his favorite sport. He enters three cows every year into the stock show. And..I know he's got pretty good grades." Wow, I knew more about Ryan then I thought I did.

Clay scoffed and pushed his now empty plate forward. "Guess he didn't have the mind to tell you we're cousins."

My jaw stopped mid-chew and hung open, showing off the digusting food stuck in my teeth from not swallowing. "He's yer what?"

"Cousin. My Daddy and his Daddy were brothers."

I finished the food in my mouth and sighed. "I wonder why he never told me...I mean not that I really knew you, but he knew my family and I thought I knew his. He never told me his uncle died."

Clayton's jaw clentched, a small vein twitching under his skin. "It's cause he doesn't care." "His dad hated mine. My dad tried to make things better between them but it never worked out. And Ryan, he's just like his dad. And doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself." He added blantly.

"I don't understand. The Preacher's always been a nice guy? Why would he hate his brother and Nephew?" Confusion washed over me like a big wave, surrounding my already clouded thoughs and making it hard for me to breathe.

"My dad...was a lot like me when he was younger, and Dean hated it. Told him it was ungodly and he was a worthless sinner. They didn't talk after Dean moved out. When my dad got married he tried again to patch thing up. Dean ignored him. My dad died trying to fix things with his only brother." He sighed and looked at his hands. "Ryan says I'm just like my dad and since my dad was so bad, he hates me too. But my dad was a good man, he was just a crazy teenager."

The story was so strange and unreal, two brothers fighting over something so far in the past effecting their childrens lives. It's stupid. "Let's just forget all about Ryan, go to my house and get my clothes."

He nodded, then turned to me with a smile. "Yeah, Let's go." He pulled me up by my arm, grabbed my hand and ran out to the truck.

"Oh one more thing." I said when he opened my door. "I want to go get my bike."

Clay shrugged. "Okay, it's still behind George's."

I smiled widely. "Good, because I want a nice ride to clear my head."