by Piper Frost
“That’s cool. Give me a ride?” I put on a charming smile, hoping she can’t resist.
“Ah,” she laughs nervously and messes with her hair. “I can’t. I’m sorry. It’s a nice day outside, though. So that’s...cool.”
My brows raise in confusion, wondering what the fuck’s up with her. And as annoying as her being hot and cold is, I’m not giving up ‘cause I really do like her. “Yeah, cool.” I cock my head a little. “You sure you’re cool?”
“Yep! I’m great, thanks.” She takes a deep breath. “But I uh, I should go.” She motions awkwardly towards the parking lot. “Have a good night, Sutton.”
“Sure,” I mutter in confusion and watch her walk away.
Well fuck. I rub the back of my neck and stop myself immediately. That’s a shitty habit me and my brother used to have and I hate it.
As I walk down the path to the house I see a truck I know I’ve seen on the ranch, meaning it’s a Kenshaw’s, and not Paige. Looks like Paige is home too though. When I hear my name during a conversation between Paige and Brandt Kenshaw, I slow my steps and cut across the back lawn so they don’t see me. Paige is talking about the horse sculpture I’m making her and I curl my hand into a fist. I don’t need asshole Kenshaw knowing my fucking business. He makes Leena’s life hell and I know all about shitty dads. She’s eighteen, I just wish she’d get the fuck out of here if her dad can’t appreciate who she is. I lean against the house and listen to them.
“Have you talked to Leena lately?” he asks.
“Yeah. Why?”
“She’s been...off lately. Girl’s worryin’ me. You and Annie never went through this phase. The hair. The attitude. The complete disregard for the ranch. It's been a few weeks and she hasn’t ridden her horse. She used to have him out daily.”
“Yeah. I noticed she’s been weird too, but, Dad, I don’t think it’s a phase.”
“You think it’s got anything to do with Sutton being back?”
Fuck. That’s probably why she’s been avoiding me.
“What makes you ask that? Does she talk about him?” Her question makes me wonder if she’s ever told Kenshaw about me and Leena.
“No. But I’ve heard...things. Your little brother goes to school with them, you know. Hell, Paige, you think she likes him?”
Paige laughs. “She doesn’t talk about him, Dad. But yeah. I do.”
“Hell,” he mumbles. “I told her to stay away from him. Back when I found out he was back in town and she was comin’ home from your place one night.”
Fucking exactly.
“Why’d you do that? He’s not a bad kid, Dad.” Paige is surprisingly defending me.
“He’s not a kid, Paige. The guy’s 18.”
“Yeah, and so is your daughter. Both very capable adults that happen to like each other.”
“You think she’s staying away from him?”
“Actually...” She pauses a minute in thought. ”Yeah.”
“Because of what I said to her?” I see Brandt’s hand rub over his head.
“Probably Dad.”
“She’s been...just off lately. I can take the attitude. But it’s this depressing shitty mood I can’t handle.”
“It's a possibility, I guess. I haven't seen her around here lately, but I know deep down she just wants to make you happy. It probably feels like crap having a dad who doesn’t approve of the person you want to be with.” The look she throws her dad almost makes me laugh and blow my cover.
“Dammit. I’ve always wanted my kids happy. I’ve wanted my little girls to find love just like me and your mom did and I’ve promised to support them no matter what. I’ve wanted my sons to grow into gentleman. And...hell.” He clears his throat. “You really trust this guy? You’ve been living with him, you know him best.”
“Yeah, he’s a good person. I’ve never felt unsafe around him and while he’s not what you’re used to, he’s good for her. They seem to really like each other, and making her stay away like that isn’t cool, Dad.”
“I should probably talk to her, shouldn’t I?”
“Yeah, you should. But first, I made some awesome soup in the crock pot you should try.”
I watch them head inside and smirk. That explains a shit ton. I grab my phone to text Leena and tell her I get why she’s being fucking weird, then remember I still haven’t gotten her number. That’s really fucking lame. I fucked her, and want to keep fucking her and I don’t even have her number. I’ll get it from my brother later.
I walk into the house, feeling a little more comfortable around Brandt Kenshaw. Why does Leena act like he’s such a dick? Shit, if she only knew what it’s like having shitty parents. Man, my girl needs some help with this shit. I chuckle ‘cause maybe now she’ll stop acting weird and let this shit play out.
I nod my head to Brandt as I enter the room. “Hey.”
“Hey, Sutton.” He sets his bowl in the sink and nods outside. “Hey, Paige showed me your sculpture. That’s some good work.”
“Yeah, thanks.” I’m not a fan of people talking about my art. It’s just not something I’m comfortable with, but I really can’t be a dick to this guy. And not because I want his daughter, but because he lets me live on his property. The property I tried to destroy.
“You do those often?” He leans back against the counter and crosses his arms in front of him in a relaxed stance, completely disarming my defenses.
“Yeah, I guess. I uh...Fenton has pictures from my other work, back...then.” I keep my eyes on the metal.
“You feel up to a commission piece?”
I like the sound of making money off my hobby.
“You serious?”
“Why would I pull your chain? I’ve been wantin’ to get Jo somethin’ different for a while. Somethin’ you can’t buy at a store. But she swears up and down she doesn’t want anything. I think something like that would be right up her alley. What do you charge?”
“Uh.” I rub the back of my neck with a grin. “I mean, I can just make you something for free, dude. Ya know, I’m living on your property. What’d you have in mind?”
“How’s a grand sound?” He pulls out his wallet and starts to fish for bills. My brows shoot upward. A thousand bucks. What the fuck does he want? “Or more? How much do materials cost? I’m thinking kind of like the one out there, just bigger. And darker. Jo’s horse used to be a Stallion. Huge, with black hair. She fell in love with that horse before me, I think.” He grins.
“Woah, hey.” I push his hand back toward him when he tries to hand me a shit ton of money. “It’s all scrap. It’s free. I would just go around garbage picking and hauling away trash for people. I can’t take all that from you.” I want to. I could use that money to get a license and start saving up for a car again. I gave Leena all my savings when I broke that camera.
“Well you’re not doing it for free.” He tosses the money on the table. “So take the money. And don’t rush. Make it perfect. You do good work.” He smiles at me.
“Hey, Kenshaw,” I say before he walks away. When he turns around it doesn’t look like he’s happy I called him that. I clear my throat. “You got a picture of the horse, maybe? They’re not realistic, obviously, but I like to put similarities, ya know?”
“Yeah. I can have Leena text it to you. I think she’s got a good one of him. It’s an old photo she took of a picture but it should work.” The look on his face makes my annoyance with the guy lessen. “Hey, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Yeah, thank you. A lot. For letting me stay. I appreciate it.”
He smirks and walks out and I breathe a sigh of relief.
I need to get a ride into town to meet with Altman, or I’d go see Leena right now.
***
I walk through the locker room and grin. I didn’t see Leena this morning but I can’t wait to see her. Her dad hopefully eased her weird behavior. When I toss my shit into my locker, I hear noises a few rows over and smirk wondering who the fuck’s in here with a girl
. With my arms crossed, I stroll toward the back of the room and step into the aisle to see Leena straddling Jimmy Everling while he sucks her face.
Well fuck me. Maybe her weird behavior wasn’t ‘cause of her dad. What a bitch. I’m pissed I’m feeling what I am right now. Betrayed and worst of all, fucking hurt. I don’t know why I’m hung up on her. Fuck her anyway. She was just an easy lay.
Fuck no she wasn’t, and I worked hard at that shit ‘cause I fucking like her.
“Leena!” I call her name, my voice so deep is bounces off the lockers. She looks up at me and a slow grin spreads over her lips. I look at the kid, making a mental note to kill him. “Fuckin’ whore,” I mutter pissed off I’m shocked by this.
I do the most unexpected thing and I go to fucking class. What else can I do? She fucking played me.
Fuck her then.
I watch him walk away and try to tell myself it’s for the better. It’s fine. This is what I wanted. I couldn’t push him away with my words. I’d tried so many times in the last couple weeks and we always just end up screwing around. Which, don’t get me wrong, is amazing as hell, but I can’t. I can’t do that to my dad. To my family. What we went through after everything went down three years ago wasn’t fun, and I get my dad’s hesitation.
Especially now that my little brother’s been in more shit than my parents want to handle. I don’t know if he’s been hanging around Sutton more or if he’s just going through a rebellious spell, but he’s been caught with weed and he’s been sneaking out at night. God, my dad was pissed. And the way my dad talks about Sutton, I’m sure if he found out we’re together, he’d be really pissed at me too. I can walk away from him...I’m not going to go against my dad’s wishes because the sex is good.
Shit. Who am I kidding? It’s more than the sex. I like him more than I expected and I’ve been trying this whole time to do what my dad wants. As much as I try, somehow I keep ending up in these situations where disappointment is imminent. Failed a couple classes? Yep, that’s our Leena. Doesn’t come to family dinner? Leena. Oh, that one over there who doesn’t look like anyone else in the family? Yeah, that’s one of our daughters but look at these other kids that are amazing!
I groan and fall back to my bed when I get home. I just want to be happy but in order to do that I have to make my dad unhappy. Again. I’m tired of being the disappointment so I’m doing what it takes where my heart’s concerned to try and make the best of this whole fucking situation. Doing what I did in the locker room wasn’t fun. It actually grossed me out, but I knew he’d be in there and I had to get the point across. I hate myself for doing it, but I think it worked.
Maybe. The look on Sutton’s face wasn’t one I could read easily, but I think he was pissed.
There’s a knock on the door after about a half hour of staring at the ceiling, wishing there was a way out of this that would end up with me and Sutton being able to be together without hiding anything.
“Yeah?” It’s probably my littlest brother Garrison. He’s always wanting me to play with him.
“Leena,” my dad says, swinging the door open. I sit up in bed and want to yell at him for making my life miserable, but I know he’s not doing it to be mean. I don’t think.
“What’s up, Dad?” I’m sure I sound less than enthused that he’s in my room, but he’s going to yell at me for missing too much family time lately and not helping on the ranch. Or for failing those classes. Again. God, that was a bad night when my progress report came home.
“Hey uh...” He huffs, then walks into the room and sits on the edge of my bed. “You doing okay, monkey?”
“Dad, I hate that nickname,” I say, rolling my eyes and shifting back to lean against my headboard. “I'm fine. Why?”
“We...well, your sister.” He clears his throat. “I’m worried about you. You’re not yourself.”
“I am myself,” I blurt. “I’m finally myself, Dad.” I cross my arms in front of me, preparing for a battle. In the back of my mind I knew this was coming. I knew he’d try and talk me out of my style and back into those cowgirl boots, but I can’t. I can’t be someone I’m not.
“I know.” He sighs and I cock my head at him.
“You know? But you just said I’m not myself.” Confusing doesn’t begin to explain it.
“I never had to deal with this with your sisters, Leena. Give me a break. You’re so much like your mom it scares me.” He chuckles. “I mean, down to the need to change your hair.” He finally looks at me. “But it fits you. It was a shock, but it fits you and your personality.”
“Thanks.” I’m able to relax a little.
“Yeah so...Paige told me somethin’ today and I don’t want you goin’ off on her about it.”
My stomach drops. “She did?” I whisper, eyes wide. I’m going to kill her.
“Yeah.” He looks at me. “You like him that much? Sutton?”
My stomach twists and I freeze. I’m going to murder my sister.
“Paige isn’t the only one, monkey. Your brother’s talked about seeing you two at school. Everyone in the family knows how much you like this boy but me.” He shrugs. “Why wouldn’t you talk to me about him?”
“Because you hate him,” I whisper. “And I’m tired of screwing things up around here.”
He curses, running his hand over his head. My dad’s not a terrible guy. I just happen to be one of his biggest problems anymore.
“I don’t hate him, Leena. I just didn’t want to see my little girl hurt.” He looks over at me like he’s having the hardest time figuring out what to say. “So you like him?” My eyes shoot to my blanket and I nod. “You wanna see more of him?."
“Yeah, Dad, I do,” I say quietly, afraid this is some sort of trap. Like he’s going to kick Sutton off our land now that he knows. Shit, why didn’t I think of that before I answered?
“You have my blessing, you know. I’ll kill him if he hurts you, but you’re eighteen. You’ve got to start making some of these big choices and living with the consequences.”
Oh...I wasn’t expecting that. And while I'm pissed about the consequences comment, I’m happy I have his blessing.
“Dad, there won’t be consequences. He’s a good-”
“There better not be. But all I’m saying is do what you want. I support you and I pray to the good Lord that he doesn’t hurt you because he’s a dead man when he does.”
“If, Dad.” I shake my head. "If.”
“Yeah. If.” He sighs then reaches over and hugs me. “Your grandparents tried keeping me and your mom away from each other and it was absolute hell. I swore up and down I wouldn’t do that to my kids, no matter what.” He pulls away and looks out the window like he’s deep in thought. “I just want you to be happy.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. I’m happy enough, I guess. But this isn’t a conversation about how much I’ve let him down and I don’t want to remind him right now about that. “I think I need to go talk to Sutton.”
“It’s a school night and already starting to get dark outside, Leena,” he starts and I lift an eyebrow at him.
“And it’s only seven. I’ve got time before curfew.” I slip on my sandals.
“You remind me too much of your mother sometimes.” He walks out, bitching about sandals on a ranch but I ignore him.
I head straight to my sister's house. I want to see him. I want to talk to him. I want to see the look on his face once I finally admit how much I like him. When no one answers the door, I grab the key and walk in to an empty house. Weird.
I don’t know where else to find him except maybe football practice. I head to the school. Maybe Grant kept them over after practice was supposed to end. He's been known to drill those guys like crazy if he doesn’t see the results he wants.
I pull into the parking lot and notice a car at the end of the lot, so I park and kill my engine, then hop out. I glance over as I’m walking towards the stadium and my stomach falls. Some blonde bitch, grinding on Sutton on the hood of a f
ucking car.
“What the fuck!” I storm over, ears hot and heart racing. “Sutton, what the hell!”
He quirks an eyebrow and I fucking hate that he shifts the girl away from me like he’s going to protect her. I’ll fucking slit her throat if I want to. “The fuck you want, Leena?” he casually asks and wipes his mouth, checking his hand. Probably for herpes.
“What the fuck are you doing with this whore?” I growl and the girl stammers behind him.
“Excuse me, I’m not the whore of the school last time I checked.” She looks me up and down and I lunge at her. I’m going to murder her. The car stops me and Sutton pushes her further back with amusement all over his face, like this is funny to him.
“You’re fuckin’ lucky he’s here, bitch. I will cut you,” I snarl then glare at him. “You’re such a fucking asshole.” I want to punch something. Not only because of the rage I’m feeling, but because just earlier today I did the same exact thing to him and I didn’t think about how much it hurt him.
The ugly bitch is whispering to him and he walks to her car door, opening it for her. When she gets in and says she’ll call him he rolls his eyes.
“No, don’t. I’ll call you,” he tells her before she reverses like she’s scared shitless. “Fuck’s your problem, Kenshaw?” He crosses his arms over his chest.
I shove his shoulders with both hands, rage boiling and exploding out of me. “What the fuck’s my problem?” Irrational. I’m being crazy and irrational but I can’t stop. “You’re fucking the cheerleader slut of the school on the hood of her car!”
“So the fuck what!” he screams at me. “You fucked Jimmy Everling in the fucking locker room. Tell that motherfucker he’s dead, by the way. Because I’m taking a baseball bat to his fucking face,” he growls out, his face turning red and it’s abundantly clear how much I hurt him with that stunt.
I growl and shove him again, trying to get him to budge. “You,” I shove him. “Suck!” I try to push him thinking the physical contact will make me hurt less. “Fuck off, Sutton! Go back to prison.” I huff.