Country Girl

Shooting Shack

"It's my old shooting shack. Nobody is allowed down here except for me."

"How is it yours if you only work here during the summer?"

"Sometimes Grace takes foster kids in to adopt and sometimes she takes them in for a little bit until they're doing better and she can find them a new family to live with. She took me in when I was eight. I've lived here ever since."

"Then when we first met the day I came here, why did you say you only worked here in the summer?"

"Oh that's just an act Grace likes us to put on, to see if the kids that come here are strong enough to break down everyone's barriers."

Well that's....stupid. Why would she basically tell them to lie until people can "break their barriers?"

"Well I don't think I'll be able to break any. I don't even wanna be here."

"Well, you've already broken Felisha's. As far as I'm concerned, you're breaking mine too. You'll do just amazing here."

"Whatever. Let's just hide this stuff and go back."

So it's like Grace wants them to lie! That's so stupid...why wouldn't she just have them tell their real story in the first place. Travis takes the bag and opens the door in the shooting shack and I follow him in. I step through cobwebs and old bullet shells and other unidentifiable things.

"Travis this place is disgusting."

"Well it has been abandoned for a long time. I never come out here anymore."

"Why not?"

"I just prefer to work at the farm and help Grace."

"Where do you go to school?"

"Well this year, I'll be starting my senior year at the high school in town. Where do you go?"

"This year I'm gonna be a senior just at a local school in my hometown."

My phone starts to ring and I forgot I even had it in my pocket.

"How do we even have cell bars out here Travis?"

"Oh there's a cell tower somewhere down the road from the farm."

I pull my phone out of my pocket and see my moms picture and I roll my eyes and answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hi honey."

"What do you want? I'm busy."

Travis shoots me a concerning look, but I turn away from him.

"Your dad and I....we won't be coming home from our vacation for longer now."

"You have to be frigin kidding me! You dragged me here in the first place, made me pack pretty much everything I own...and now you tell me this! Wow....thats actually really pathetic. I hope you have fun on your little vacation cause I don't give a shit what you do anymore and by the way, I know why you brought me here in the first place."

My mom is now in tears, but I hang up with a satisfying smirk. I turn back to Travis.

"Who was that Haley?"

"Just...my mom."

My parents only brought me here so I would find out about Felisha and they wouldn't have to explain it to me.

"Why are you so bitter to her?"

"She just..we don't have a very good relationship. Never have."

My phone beeps and I pull it out of my pocket and look. It's a text from my mom.

To: Haley

From: Mom

Please call me back.

I roll my eyes and put my phone back in my pocket without answering the text.

"Did you hide the stuff yet?"

"Yeah it's in an old locked gun cabinet. Let's go back to the farm."

Travis starts to walk outside and I follow him. He goes to his truck and I go to the passenger side and open the door and get in and shut the door and sit there. Travis gets in shortly after me and he starts the truck and I turn the radio to my favorite pop/rap station and blast an Eminem song and sing with it. Travis looks at me and changes the station to his country music. I look at him and fake pout.

"Travissssss, I liked that song!"

"Yeah and I like this one."

He has a point...its his truck but still! I am his company. Travis turns up the radio and sings along with it.

"Full moon shinin bright, edge of the water we were feelin alright. Back down a country road, the girls are always hot and the beer is ice cold."

I have no idea what song he is singing, but he's surprisingly good. I giggle and Travis stops singing and looks over at me.

"What's so funny baby doll?"

"Nothin. It's just your signing and you're weirdness."

"Ohhhh so I'm weird cause I sing my country music, but you aren't weird when you listen to your rap?"

Touché. This boy has a point...

"No! At least my music is good!"

"That's an opinion I believe, and since this is my truck...I get my music."

We drive a little bit longer and then we pull into the farmyard. He opens his truck door and jumps out then shuts his door and quickly runs to my side and opens the door for me and smiles at me.

"Hey Travis!"

He reaches out his arms to me and I look at him with a confused expression on my face.

"Jump in my arms. I wanna carry ya in!"

I smirk at Travis and jump in his arms and he shuts the door and walks up to the house with me still in his arms.

"Dang boy you're strong!"

"I know. You're really light though. We gotta get some meat on those skin and bones!"

I feel like I'm gonna fall out of Travis's arms so I wrap my arms around his neck and wrap my legs firmly around his waist. He lets go of me for a second but I hang on and I squeal a little bit.

"Jesus Travis! You're gonna drop me right outta your arms."

"No I just did that to scare ya darlin."

Travis smirks at me and I lightly punch his shoulder.

"Whatever. Ya still scared me."

We arrive at the porch and Travis puts me down and we go inside and it smells like Italian food. Sure enough, I walk in the kitchen and see Alanna cooking spaghetti and meatballs with garlic breadsticks.

"Hey Alanna. Would you like some help?"

"Thanks sweetie, but I'm almost finished up here. I just have to dish it out and then we can eat supper!"

"Alright. I'm going up to my room."

"I'll call ya when it's ready."

I turn the corner and start to run down the hall and crash into a solid figure and step back in shock. I look up and see Derek, the head farmer looking down at me.

"Easy there darlin. Don't hurt yourself."

"You scared the frikin crap outta me!"

Derek takes a step closer to me and brushes a stray strand of hair behind my ear and then whispers.

"You're a very pretty girl Haley."

I step back from Derek, but he firmly grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"Don't step away from me when I'm talking to you bitch!"

I stand there in shock, and to my relief someone comes up the stairs and steps in between us.