by Casey Peeler
“Hey, y’all, these are my friends from Southern. That’s Tori, Anna, Hayden, Sarah, Caroline, and Georgia,” I say as I point to each girl.
The boys stand and introduce themselves. I can instantly tell that Hayden and Anna are eyeing Jack and Jordan. It didn’t take them long. We sit with them and play a few rounds of pool. Anna and Hayden are putting it on thick with those two, and it is definitely working. I can already see they have their dates for New Year’s in the works. Georgia and Justin have hit it off, and I wonder how awkward it will be when Piper gets here.
Tori, Tessa, Caroline, and I just sit back and watch. Who would have thought that my friends would have their eyes set on country boys in less than twenty-four hours in Grassy Pond? As I think that, I notice Tori walking up to the bar. Oh shit. I know who she’s eyeing. Sammy. This is going to be good.
She takes a seat at the bar and turns on the sexiness. I see Sammy glance my way and shake his head. I mouth to him, “She’s legal.” He winks and plays right along with her. Trying not to stare, I focus back on everyone at the table, and then I hear the door open. I look over, and it’s Piper. She is decked out to the nines, and someone is coming in behind her. I do a double take. I jump up from my seat and run to them, knocking over a few chairs in my haste.
“Jackalope Joe! What are you doing here?” I pause and turn to Piper. “Hey, Piper.” Then, I return my glance to Joe. “Now, what are you doing, Joe?”
“Nice to see you, too,” Piper says.
“See. There’s this girl I really like, and well, when she offered for me to come to some kick ass country hoe down for New Year’s, I just couldn’t resist.”
“Oh, I see. Come on. Let’s go hustle a few of them, Piper. Whatcha think?”
“Oh, I’m in. Shit! Is that Justin?”
Joe looks at her with question in his eyes. “Yeah, but no worries. He and Georgia have hit it off.”
“Oh,” she says with a little hurt in her voice. I can tell that Joe wants to ask, but he doesn’t.
I introduce him to everyone. Piper and I do exactly what we said we would do. We hustle the Kluft girls, and Joe stands there in amazement.
As we wrap up our third game, the crowd is beginning to grow at Turtle’s. Luckily, Trent and his crew are absent. I’m getting tired and know we have to go to the pool tomorrow. I try to get the girls to head out, but they are a few sheets to the wind, thanks to Piper’s purse and car.
Just when I think I’m ready to go home, the door opens and my fine ass country boy struts his way in. Cash is in his worn-out Carhartts and a long-sleeved thermal. It’s nothing extravagant, but it fits him and I can see the outline of his six pack through his shirt. Oh, if I were only allowed to go up to him and run my hands up and down his abs in public, but I’m not.
Cash’s eyes meet mine, and he must have read my mind because he flashes a quick smile before going to grab a pool stick and joining in with a table of guys next to us. The fact that he is next to me and I’m not allowed to show what I am feeling is driving me crazy. I swear if he touched me I might explode.
The Kluft girls waste no time making a move on Cash. He goes along with their charade. The jukebox is playing all the local favorites, and when “Pour Some Sugar on Me” starts to play, the Kluft girls go wild. I join in on the fun. We take our pool sticks and dance seductively. All the guys in the pool hall gawk like they have never seen a group of girls shake it like that. We play it up and know exactly what we are doing. When the song ends, we go back to our game like nothing just happened, but something did. We made our presence known, and I know for damn sure, that Dylan has already found out. That’s one downfall or perk of technology.
We finish the game and then decide to head back to the farm. Practice is going to come early. Just as I’m about to open the car door, I hear someone call my name. I stop and turn. Cash. I wave to him and get into the car. I can’t stop, because if I do, then I’m going to show the world where my heart belongs.
As we drive away, I look back, and he looks lost. I wipe away the single tears that begin to stream down my face faster and faster.
Tessa places her arm around me and pulls me close as I let the tears fall. At this moment, I realize that I’m losing my forever by tempting my past. This has got to come to an end, and it has to happen before I start second semester.
When we pull onto the gravel, I wipe my eyes, take a deep breath, and pull it together before we go inside.
Of course, there is no escaping the inevitable. Mama is waiting up.
“Charley Anne, are you okay?” she lovingly questions. I try to answer, but I’m unable. My nodding yes is overtaken by tears. Mama walks to me and comforts me with her arms. “Girls, what is going on? I think it’s time someone did some talkin’.”
“No, Mama, it’s Cash. He won’t let me go.”
Mama waits a few minutes as I cry on her shoulder before she answers. “Sweet girl, maybe that’s because he’s not meant to let go. Listen to your heart and not your head.” Pulling myself away, I wipe my tears on my sleeve and quickly go upstairs with the Kluft girls right behind me.
Once the door is shut, Georgia takes control. “Aight, girls. It’s time to put this plan into high gear, take down his ass, and get Char her happily ever after. So, here’s the deal. We go to practice and fall at Dylan’s feet. I have a feeling he will be there when we get there, but I could be wrong. Char, don’t you think he’ll be there?”
“I’m sure of it.”
“Great. Once we make him think we are all about him, we are going to enjoy our day. Then, at the party tonight, we are taking him down.”
This isn’t how the plan is supposed to happen. I’m the one to take him down. This is my game. I started it, and I plan to finish it. Pulling myself from my own pity, I tell them how this is really gonna go.
“No, Georgia, that’s not how it’s gonna go.” She looks at me like she can’t believe I’m challenging her plan. To think, most people believe they can run over her, and she will take it. Actually, she’s a little ball of fire, and I’d hate to be the one that she explodes on.
“Here me out. The first part is genius. Everyone needs to swoon over him. He needs to believe that y’all are all about hot, tatted, swimmer god Dylan Sloan, but when we go to the party, this is where the story changes.” All of them look like they are on pins and needles listening to what I’m about to say.
“The party is in the middle of nowhere at the McCracken’s farm. Since y’all have already made love connections, it’s gonna make this even easier than I had thought because it won’t look like I have to babysit any of you. No offense. If he’s heard of our dancing at Turtle’s, he’s gonna expect a show of some kind tomorrow. Now, do I give it to him or not? My thought is…let’s replay tonight, but turn it up a notch. I’m going to pull him to his breaking point and then back away. More than likely he won’t be able to handle it, and when I tell him no, everyone around us will see it.”
Georgia begins to grin, and I can see the wheels turning. “But, how are we going to blackmail him? We need some type of evidence.”
“See. I have already got that covered. That’s where y’all come in. You know I said technology is a love or hate relationship? Well, we are going to love it that night. I need for one of y’all or maybe two of ya to catch it on video, and then send that shit out all over the internet. His ass will be grass along with his swimming career.”
“Char, that sounds perfect, but it’s not gonna be that easy, ya know?” Hayden says. I don’t think I have ever seen her this serious.
“Watcha mean? I know we can’t all sit around and wait with a camera, but y’all are gonna know.”
I start to talk more when Tessa cuts me off, “Um, they’re back.” Fear and anxiety overtake me once again, but instead of crying, I’m angry. I know he’s going to pay me a visit tonight. I just know it.
Chapter 25
At some point in the night, we all crash. I feel like I’ve been hit by an eighteen wheeler,
but there’s no sight of Dylan and no word from Cash. I hope Cash understands why I did what I did.
We don’t bother getting ready for bed; we just crash wherever we fall.
I’m awakened to the sound of beating on the window. My heart races as I walk over, but there is nothing there. Instead, I see woodpecker tapping into the power line. I’ve got to chill out or Dylan is gonna know something is up.
I slide back into bed, even though I realize I have to go to the pool in an hour. I toss and turn multiple times before deciding to just screw it and get up. I know Dad is up, and I can at least help on the farm before I go to practice.
I slide on my old jeans, flannel shirt, boots and camo ball cap. Dad is getting all the feed ready for the animals when I walk into the barn.
“Morning, sunshine! What brings you out here? I know y’all had a long night last night. Your mama said you were pretty upset when you got in.” With that statement, a rush of emotions hits me again.
“Dad, I just can’t win. Cash won’t let me go, and I want to be me.”
“I know that, but just know that I’ve only seen one other guy head over heels that much in my lifetime.” I give him a questioning look. “Charley, I was Cash. The moment I realized your mama was the one for me, I knew there was no letting go. Cash isn’t going to let you go, and I know that deep down you love him, too. I’m not exactly sure what you’re trying to prove by seeing Dylan again, but he’s not the one for you.”
I’m completely stunned by the words from Dad. He has rocked me to my core, and he knows the truth. Will he continue to play along, or is he going to start fighting for Cash and me? He goes back to fixing the buckets of feed, and I grab a basket to retrieve the eggs from the chicken house.
I finish getting the eggs and take the Gator to slop the hogs when I realize that time is getting away from me. Undoubtedly, the farm is great therapy. Hurrying back to the house, I put on my game face.
When I open the door, all the girls are downstairs eating breakfast. “Well, there you are, sweet girl. I see you had a little farm therapy this morning.”
“I guess you could say that.” I fix a plate and eat hastily before grabbing my swim bag. Even though Caroline, Hayden, and Anna don’t need to go to GPAC, they do anyway.
Once we are in the Explorer, I give Tori directions to GPAC. She quickly stops me and tells me that she’s got this.
As we approach the pool, our assumptions are confirmed when I see Dylan’s Mustang in the parking lot.
“Char, you can do this. We can do this,” Georgia confirms. “This is gonna be a test for all of us.”
Once we are inside, I introduce them to Coach Stephens and show them around. We get the workout list and waste no time getting started on the warm-up. Dylan is working hard through a set and doesn’t seem to notice us or either he’s trying to show off.
We have a great practice and are balls of energy the entire time. Dylan finally notices us and pays us a visit. Tori and Sarah are the perfect fangirls, and he eats it up. What an asshole! We finish our set, and Dylan watches from the stands with the non-swimming Kluft girls. He’s turning up the charm, and they are taking him for a ride. So far this plan is going like it should.
After our cool down, Dylan meets me at the end of the lane and helps me out. As soon as I’m firmly on dry land, he scoops me in for a very public display of affection.
“Dylan, stop! There are little kids in here!”
“Come on, Charley. I haven’t seen you in days. I’m just glad to see you, and I can’t wait for tonight.”
“And why is that?” I ask as I walk with the rest of the girls to the stands.
“Let’s just say I want to see that booty shaking in action. From what I heard, y’all put a hurting on some poor old boys, and I missed it. You know that ass is mine, don’t ya?”
“What? You think you got papers on it or somethin’?” I smart off.
“I’d like to think so.” Dylan gives me a light kiss and heads to the locker room. We follow behind and hurry to get ready. We don’t want to keep the other girls waiting.
As we walk out of the locker room, I notice that Dylan is obviously soaking up this attention. He is such a fool. Hayden is being Hayden, and while she looks like she is all about him, she’s actually making him look stupid in the process. We all shake our heads.
Tori looks at me. “I wonder what line she used on him.”
“Oh, I can promise it had to do with a little Speedo. Whatcha think?”
“Most definitely,” she replies.
We approach them, and the conversation shifts, almost like you walked in on someone talking about you.
“Did we interrupt something?” I ask.
Dylan stands and positions himself beside me while he wraps his arms around my waist. “Nope, we were just talking about tonight. I heard they are having BBQ, too. So, Dustin and I will meet y’all there?” He forms the last part as a question.
“You mean, you aren’t pickin’ me up?” I pout.
“I thought that might be kinda rude,” he says as he motions to the girls. “Don’t ya think?”
“I agree. Well, let’s get outta here.” We walk to Tori’s Explorer. Dylan laces his fingers in mine and walks with me. He gives me a quick kiss before turning to walk to the Mustang. He glances back at me, and I wave, get inside, and close the door.
“Quick, someone give me some hand sanitizer!” They all look at me funny. “I’m serious! I’ve got to get these creepy germs off me now!” Caroline rummages through her purse and reveals a bottle. “Thank you! Now, I just need some mouthwash. Yuck!”
“Please tell me that you haven’t been doing this each time?” Tori questions.
“Well… um… maybe.”
“Yeah, we have got to make this end tonight.”
We relax once we are back at home, and Mama makes us fried bologna sandwiches for lunch. Hayden is in awe.
“Y’all really do fry everything down here.”
“Hayden, you need to come to the county fair. Everything is fried there.”
“Like what?”
“Oreos, funnel cakes, snickers, ice cream. I really think the list is endless.”
“You’re kidding, right?” All the Kluft girls from south of the Mason Dixon shake our heads no.
As time approaches for the party, we take turns getting ready. Hayden and Anna have asked a million questions about what to expect about a field party. I realize it’s easy to just listen about it. I crank up Brad Paisley’s “Outstanding in our Field”. When the song ends, they look lost.
“Y’all all right?”
“Is that how it’s really gonna be? I mean, a tire for a cooler?” I shake my head yes. Hayden seems to have a light-bulb moment and then is good to go. “I’m down.”
As I finish putting on the final touches of my makeup, I hear Mama calling. Piper and Joe are here. I yell for her to send them up.
“Hey, hot bitches!” Piper says as she enters.
“I think you’ve got that wrong, Piper. You look like you’re about to go out in the city,” Caroline counters.
“I also try to look my best, even when we are out in the middle of nowhere. Plus, I have one fine man beside me that I have got to look fabulous for. Isn’t that right, Joe?”
His face turns red. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. “Piper, you know you don’t have to impress me. You’re perfect just the way you are.” He pulls her in and gives her a quick kiss on the side of her forehead. We all say, “Awe.”
Once downstairs, I ask Dad for the keys to the Chevy. There’s no way we are going to make it without four-wheel drive. Tori chimes in and says that she’s got this. I look at Dad and shrug my shoulders.
We give Piper and Joe the rundown of tonight’s events. They are game, and we make our way to the McCracken’s farm.
Once I know that we are safe from other ears, I ask if anyone has talked to Cash. Tessa has, and he’s ready.
When we pull up to the field, Tori s
tops the Explorer and turns the wheel locks. We all hop out, grab the beer, and make our way to the field. I have to say that I am impressed she’s from the South and just made me a little bit prouder.
“So, where will we know where to go?” Anna asks.
I don’t answer; I point. There is an enormous orange flame to our right.
“Holy shit!” she says.
As we approach, I see Cash talking to the triplets. We smile and move on. I take a couple of minutes and introduce the girls to several people.
While talking to Sally and a few of Tessa’s friends, I feel someone’s arms wrap around my waist and whisper into my ear. “You look great, Charley.”
I turn, wrap my arms around him and smile. “Thanks.”
The night goes on just as I expected with great music, food, drinks, and dancing. As if someone knew what we were waiting on, “Pour Some Sugar on Me” comes through the speakers. I look at the Kluft girls, and we know exactly what we have to do. In fact, we dance even more seductively than we did when we were at Turtle’s.
Halfway through the song, we are no longer dancing alone. The entire crowd is shaking it, and I can feel Dylan pressed firmly against my backside. I know that the beginning of the end is about to happen. I start to panic inside. I search the crowd for Cash, but he is nowhere to be found. Then, I see him dancing with Sally. I pause momentarily.