The Second Life of Magnolia Mae

Chapter 1

THE COLD BIT AT her bare arms; she rubbed her hands over them in an effort to fight off the chill. It had not been that cold when she left the house that morning. She should have known better. It was late autumn, and that meant sweaters, hoodies, hot chocolate, and bonfires. No, Magnolia had to wear a blue-ribbed tank and jeans with the knees ripped out. Her long black hair hung down to her waist, blowing slightly in the cool breeze. She had sacrificed being warm to work in the greenhouse after school. Knowing that she would be digging in dirt had kept her from wearing anything nicer. She truly did not care what everyone at school thought about her clothes. There was nothing she could do about the hand she had been dealt in life, not yet anyway. In a few more weeks, she would be eighteen and could finally leave this place behind.

         “Why are you standing out in the cold?” A low gruff voice questioned from behind her. A quick glance over her shoulder was all she needed to see the look of disapproval on Bash’s handsome face. He had graduated two years before but often came back to help his uncle with the FFA projects. “Are you trying to get sick?”

        “Why, yes, Bash, I was hoping that I would catch pneumonia. Then I could get a room at the hospital and watch television.” The snarky reply escaped her lips before she had even thought.

        Shaking his head, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the greenhouse that was only a few steps behind them.

        “Waiting on your brother again?” All the gruffness smoothed out of his voice. His one redeeming quality in Magnolia’s eyes was that Bash had been the only one who had not treated her differently after her parents died three years before, leaving her twenty-two-year-old brother to care for her. “I can give you a lift home.” His blue eyes held her gaze, blue eyes that had always haunted her. Eyes that she saw even in her dreams. She shook her head, breaking off eye contact.

        “He’ll be here. He probably just had to work late.” It would certainly be handy to have a cell phone at moments like this.

         “Mag, I can take you home. It’s not a big deal. Here…” He handed her his phone. “…call Jace and tell him that you have a ride home.”

        She let out an exasperated sigh as she took the phone from him and called the farm store. The ringing on the other end of the line stopped when her brother answered the phone. All she managed to say was his name before he interrupted with a quick explanation of having to stay until closing time.

        “It’s alright. I got a ride home,” she assured him. “I love you. Be careful.” Her fingers flipped the phone shut. “I guess it’s your lucky day.” A lopsided smile crossed her face as she scooped her bag off the floor.

        “I suppose it is.” His smile seemed genuine where hers had been forced.

        She felt a twinge of guilt for treating him the way she treated everyone else at that school. Bash had never treated her differently. He’d never snickered behind her back about her clothes coming from the thrift store. He had never cared that she lived in a small farmhouse on the outskirts of town and had never once teased her for always telling her brother that she loved him. Everyone else had been merciless toward her.

        They made sure to lock up the greenhouse before heading over to the large black truck. After she tossed her bag onto the seat, she hoisted herself up into the truck. The engine roared to life, and the lights illuminated the football field across from them. Neither of them said a word until Bash pulled up to the diner.

        “I’m hungry, come on.”

        Magnolia pulled at the frayed strings on her jeans. She did not want to go in to the diner. It was usually filled with her classmates. She hated seeing them in school and tried her hardest to avoid them afterward.

        Bash had walked around the truck and pulled open her door. He tugged his hoodie over his head and handed it to her. “Put this on.”

        Soon she was enveloped in his soft blue sweatshirt. It smelled of him, a mix of Old Spice and hay.

        “Come on. My treat.” He reached out his hand, helping her from the truck.

         All eyes in the diner turned toward them when Bash opened the door. Magnolia held her head high as she walked next to Bash. She heard the whispers, she knew the rumors, and she also knew that Sarah had been eyeing Bash for the past few years. The glare coming toward her from the place where Sarah sat with her cheerleader groupies was almost enough to blind a person.

         A foot shot out, throwing Magnolia off-balance. The floor approached her face quickly, and a pair of strong hands grabbed hold of her with her nose an inch from the ground.

        “Walk much?” Sarah giggled with her friends.

        “Yes, and usually just fine when you’re not around.” On her feet, Magnolia stared down at the cheerleaders then turned away to go toward a back table. There was no need for a menu. Jace brought her here every Friday on payday. It had become a tradition after their parents died.

        Bash slid into the seat across from her. The looks and snickers from Sarah’s table reached them.

        “What did you ever do to her?”

        “Apparently, I was born in the wrong town. Didn’t you know that this is Sarah’s town?”

        “That so?” a smile sounded from his voice.

        She bobbed her head up and down and lowered her voice to a whisper. “She’s going to be crowned Harvest Queen at the Halloween masquerade with you at her side.” Her eyebrows arched when she saw the shock on Bash’s face.

         He shook his head slowly in disbelief.

        “She’s made it known through the school.”

        “I don’t even go there anymore. Even if I did, I wouldn’t want to go with her. She is evil.” The last part came out in a low hiss, causing Magnolia to laugh.

        When their food arrived, they ate in comfortable silence. Magnolia dipped her fries into her milkshake. Bash raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything about her odd eating habits. He had his double bacon burger polished off before she’d started on her grilled cheese.

        A loud grating voice came from across the diner. “You know she is the reason her parents died, right? Who can blame them for doing whatever it took to get away from her?”

        The expression on Bash’s face turned dark as he stood, tossing the money for their food on the table. He pulled her up with him, holding her hand tightly in his.

        “She’s going to do the same to poor Bash.”

        A low growl came from his throat as he dragged her across the floor toward the door. He paused in front of the pack of hyenas the town called cheerleaders. “She is better than you will ever be.”

        Sarah’s jaw dropped as he walked away with Magnolia tucked close to his side.