𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏' 𝑰𝒕 | 𝑹𝒆𝒏 𝑴𝒄𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒌

6

《︎𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳'𝘴 𝘗𝘖𝘝》︎

Ren was currently at the cotton gin for an interview. He just got done with the tour. "You ever work at a gin before?"Andy Beamis, the owner of the gin was conducting the interview. Ren shakes his head in response. "You know about a bale press?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I've never seen one."

Andy nods. "Where are you from?" He asks.

"Boston, Mass."

"Did they teach you anything useful up north?"

Ren raises his shoulders once again and puts his hands in his pockets. "Just enough to get by. I'm hoping y'all can teach me the three R's."

Andy gives the Boston boy a questioning look. "Three R's?"

"Yeah, you know...reading, writing, redneckery." Ren says sarcastically. Andy huffs.

(That was my favorite line by far!😂)

"People are giving you a hard time, I can see that. You're young, you're from out of town
and you're a smart aleck." Ren nods and looks down. "Can you start Thursday?" He then looks up and smiles brightly.

"Yeah. Yes, sir!" Andy nods back and they shake hands.

"Now, I'll teach you to read and write, but you're on your own when it comes to redneckery."

***

A few hours later Willard and Woody were at Ren's helping him out with his bug. "Yeah. Give it a little bit of gas. Yeah, that sounds good. Cut it."

Woody takes a sip of his water. "So, Ren. How you liking Bomont?"

"It's decent." He starts. "People are more annoying here that's for sure."

Willard laughs. "Try dealing with them your whole life."

"I mean that preacher is bad enough. But his daughter. I mean what's the deal with the her anyway? She worth all that attitude?" Ren asks.

Woody shakes his head. "I hear, back in the day, she used to be a goody two-shoes. Now she fronts like she some hellraiser. Wearing her jeans tight and everything."

Willard nods."You could put a quarter in that girl's back pocket and tell if it's heads or tails."Ren laughs lightly. He narrows his eyes at him. "Why? You're trying to knock boots with her, aren't you?"

Ren scoffs. "No. Definitely not."

"Yes, you are." Willard says. He glances behind Ren and sees Chloe walking into the garage. "Aye! It's corncob."

She turns to him and nods."Sup uh...Lard."

"What are you doing here?" He asks ignoring the nickname.

"Yeah and why are you so dressed up?" Ren asks looking Chloe up and down.

"Oh I'm supposed to go out with Willard tonight." She looks back to Willard. "The diner, remember?"

Ren turns red and looks at Willard. "Oh are you guys going out on a date?" He gives him a glare.

Willard smirks. "Oh definitely not. I love corncob but she is not my type."

"Awe you're not mine either." She coos. Woody shakes his head and Ren wipes his forehead. She turns to Ren. "Anyways what were y'all talking about?" She says crossing her arms and leaning on a post.

"We were talking about girls. Ariel Moore, if we are being specific. Ren wants to bang her-"

Ren rolls his eyes and cuts off Willard. "No! I'm just curious. I ain't trying to bang her or take her ballroom dancing."

"Well, that'd be pretty hard, being that that's against the law." Willard says sitting on a stool.

"What? Banging a preacher's daughter?"

Chloe scoffs. "No, public dancing's against the law if you're under 18."

"Shut up." Willard, Woody, and Chloe all look at each other then back at Ren. His eyes widen. "Wait, wait, wait. Jump back. Are you kidding me? Dancing is against the law?" They all nod.

"Yeah, man. We got laws up the poop chute around here. I can't even bring a bandana to school, because they think I'm in a gang." Willard huffs and crosses his arms. "If my face gets sweaty, I gotta use the back of my hand.
Let me tell you something, this country was built on bandanas."

"So you're telling me Bomont High doesn't have a prom?" Ren interjects.

"Well, you know." Willard stands up and walks towards Ren. "They got the Fall Ball, right?"

Ren scrunches up his eyebrows. "The Fall Ball?"

"Ok. So, all the churches get together and put it on. The whole town shows up and everybody's eyes are on you to make sure you're dancing at least six inches away from your girl. And, for one song, they make you dance with your mother. I mean, talk about a boner killer."Willard scoffs.

Chloe cringes."Dude. Seriously? Gross."

"And the schools don't wanna have dances on their property. They uh..." Woody glances at Chloe awkwardly. "They say they don't want to be held liable."

Ren gives them all a questioning look. "They don't want to be held liable for what?"

"Five seniors died in a car crash coming home from a dance, and that's when the whole town went crazy."

Willard gives Chloe a sympathetic look. "They started blaming it on the liquor, the music, the dancing."

"And after a while everybody started thinking dancing was a sin."

"But we're talking about the law, right? Not heaven and hell?" Ren scoffs.

"Yeah, take that up with Reverend Moore and Daddy Dunbar." Woody says. Ren glances at Chloe.

"This is depressing..." Willard starts to walk out of the garage. "Ren, would you like to go to the diner with some of us tonight? It's gonna be dope. Right Clover?"

"Yeah it's gonna be sick, you should come." She says and nudges his shoulder.

"What's so sick about a diner?" Ren asks.

"Let's just say, you'll need to bring your dancing shoes." She gets up and walks past Willard and he whispers to her.

"Well aren't you obvious." Chloe punches his arm.

"Hush." She hisses at him.

"Hey Chloe, will Ariel and Rusty be there?" Chloe nods.

"I have one question." Ren says. They all look at him. "Is it Clover Dunbar or Chloe Jenkins? Because this is really starting to confuse me."  Chloe glances at Willard then back at Ren.

"If you want to stay on my good side, call me Chloe Jenkins."

"Okay cool." Ren says smiling at her. She does the same.

"Cool." Woody and Willard look at them both before clearing their throats. Chloe shakes her head. "Okay, I'm gonna go to Rusty's. I'll see you guys tonight."