Redneck Debutante

by Jenny Hammerle

  “Nah.” Shannah sounded very sure.

  Just then the bell sounded and lunch was over.

  Chem II, here I come.

  Rachael made her way to Chemistry. She walked in expecting to not know anyone and there he was, possibly the hottest senior in school. She’d only been in school for one day, but she’d already heard girls gossiping in the hall about this guy…Ben Grayson. Even his name sounded hot. He had black wavy hair, blue, penetrating eyes, and he was staring at Rachael. Every vibe in Rachael’s body warned her to avoid this guy. He was bad news.

  Rachael walked in and took a seat as far away from Ben as she could. There was a guy in the back row wearing wire-rimmed glasses. He had on a T-shirt with pens and pencils sticking out of the pockets. Yep, there he is. My lab partner. He looks smart, and I can’t get into trouble with him.

  After yesterday Rachael had decided to play it safe. Only geeks and nerds could be close guy friends. No good-looking guys. She couldn’t trust herself after her random jealousy over Travis’s girlfriend, Sophie, yesterday.

  Rachael sat down and introduced herself to Fred. Fred was sweet and had just moved here from San Francisco. Surprisingly they had some things in common. Both loved math and science. They were a scholastic, chemistry lab partner match made in heaven.

  After Chem II, Rachael walked to PE. The first semester of the year she was assigned to take Introductory Weightlifting.

  This should be hilarious!

  Rachael had never really lifted any real weights—only little barbells at the club where she played tennis. After the saddle the other day she felt like a total weakling. She changed into her gym clothes and headed for the weight room. Opening the door, she went inside…and stopped dead in her tracks.

  Something is seriously wrong!

  All eyes were on Rachael. She was the only girl. About twenty guys stood staring at her like she was a piece of meat.

  There must be some mistake.

  Just as she turned to flee, a coach in his mid twenties, who was absolutely gorgeous, came over to greet her. “Rachael? You must be Rachael. I am Coach Gregory.”

  Rachael stuck out her hand and shook Coach Gregory’s hand nervously.

  “Hi, Coach Gregory. I’m here for Introductory Weightlifting.”

  “You are the only girl who has ever signed up for this class. I was surprised when I saw your name on the roster this morning.”

  “Signed up?” Rachael asked, confused.

  “You didn’t sign up to take this class?” Now Coach Gregory seemed confused.

  “No. I didn’t know I needed to sign up for any of my classes. Back home we are just assigned a schedule.”

  “Oh.” Coach Gregory explained, “Here your Physical Education classes are electives. You are required to sign up for one each semester. If you don’t, you are automatically assigned to a class. So here we are.”

  Just then Ty, Jason, Clay, and Gabe came over to say hello.

  “I see you know some of the guys already.” Coach Gregory smiled.

  “We’re all friends.” Rachael nodded.

  “Wow! Rachael! I never pegged you as the weightlifter type.” Ty looked shocked.

  “Yep. I have to be totally honest here, guys. I’m not sure this will be my thing. I didn’t know I had to sign up for PE electives each semester. So here I am. I guess the computer signed me up for Intro to Weightlifting.”

  “I think it is really cool, Rachael,” Gabe said. “Now if you could convince Shannah weightlifting would benefit her Taekwondo, that would be cool.”

  Rachael grinned.

  “I don’t mind showing you the ropes,” Ty offered kindly.

  OMG! Somebody save me. The player is at it again. How soon can I drop this class?

  Jason came to her rescue. “Actually, Ty, I promised Maysie I would help Rachael out if she was in any of my classes. I’ve got this.”

  “Thanks,” Rachael muttered.

  “Don’t mention it,” Jason answered.

  Undeterred, Ty continued, “Sure. But if you need a spotter on the bench or doing squats, I can help you out anytime.”

  “Thanks, Ty. That’s really nice of you.”

  Jason, Clay, and Gabe took Rachael on a tour of the weightlifting room. They showed her the squat rack, bench press, lat pull downs, leg press, bicep curl, etc. Rachael was trying to take it all in. It turned out today was just a “familiarize yourself with the equipment day,” which all of the guys already knew how to use. Tomorrow the real work would begin. Actually lifting weights!

  Can you say, “Dread”? I am dreading that!

  But maybe it won’t be so bad. Maybe I won’t be as weak as I think I am.

  It was time to go home for the day. Rachael was relieved.

  On her way to the locker room she saw that everyone—and I mean everyone—was outside socializing after school.

  Just then a voice from behind her asked, “Weightlifting? Intro to Weightlifting?”

  She jumped and pivoted toward the voice.

  Travis was smiling at her. “I didn’t believe it when the guys told me.”

  She lifted her chin. “Well, I’m going to do it.”

  “I’d say you need to, after the saddle thing the other day,” Travis teased.

  “I carried it—barely, but I managed,” Rachael retorted.

  “A little more meat on your bones couldn’t hurt.” Travis was playing with her.

  Is he trying to tick me off? “I am not totally skinny.”

  “No. I never said I thought you were too thin, Rachael. As a matter of fact, I like your fit figure. Not too thin, but not fat either.” Travis smiled his extraordinary smile. He knew he had gotten to her. She could tell he was proud of himself.

  “Thanks.” Rachael walked into the locker room, leaving Travis standing outside. She was half dressed when Melinda walked in.

  “So, you aren’t as wimpy as I initially thought you were,” she stated bluntly.

  “I won’t back down from a challenge, if that’s what you are asking,” Rachael countered.

  “Do you still have that boyfriend back home?” Melinda asked.

  “Sure do. What’s it to you?”

  Melinda crossed her arms. “It seems you’ve caught Travis Baxter’s eye, and he is off limits.”

  “That’s good because I’m not interested in him anyway,” Rachael insisted.

  “Great. See you around.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Rachael couldn’t quite figure Melinda out. It seemed Melinda liked her in spite of herself. She was just very different from any girl she’d ever known. A little rough and a lot tough.

  When Rachael stepped outside, Travis was still waiting for her.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I saw Melinda go in after you. I was giving it five minutes and then I was coming in,” Travis advised her in his brotherly tone.

  “I’m fine, Travis. I may be from the city, but I can hold my own. I don’t need anyone to fight my battles for me.” Then Rachael added, “Besides, it’s not me I’d worry about. Melinda’s only concern seems to be that I’m not dating you. You are ‘off limits,’ she said. I’d be more worried about Sophie than I am about me.”

  “Sophie is Melinda’s second cousin, once removed. I wouldn’t worry about Sophie. She can definitely hold her own.”

  Rachael just laughed. “What is it about this place anyway? Everyone knows everyone. Or knows someone who does. Or is related in some way. It’s kind of scary. I bet you can’t do anything without someone knowing about it.”

  “Do you have secrets you need to conceal, Rachael?” Travis said with a crooked grin.

  “Certainly not.” Rachael mentally added, Except that my dad is facing criminal charges and may end up incarcerated.

  “Then you have nothing to worry about around here…as long as you don’t take a secret liking to me. Then you’ll have something to worry about.” When Rachael cast him a scathing sideways
glance, he added, “What can I say? I’m quite the catch, and Misty just can’t seem to let me go.”

  “Shut up,” Rachael joked as they walked back to the parking lot.

  “See you around, strong girl,” Travis said as they parted ways.

  Just then she heard Maysie say, “Hey, Rachael. Ready to go?”

  “For sure.”

  The three got in Maysie’s car and were off.

  “We heard about the weightlifting. We should have thought to warn you that you have to go in and choose your PE class,” Maysie apologized.

  “I think it sounds like fun,” Shannah chimed in.

  “I think so too. I know a lot of the guys in there—besides Ty—and that made me feel right at home. Jason, Clay, and Gabe. Gabe wanted me to convince Shannah to sign up too. Jason said he’d promised Maysie he would watch out for me if he had any classes with me.”

  “That’s so sweet! See, my brother is wrong. He is a nice guy!”

  “I don’t think it is that he isn’t nice, Maysie. I think he’s a womanizer, and Travis doesn’t want him dating his sister,” Shannah pointed out.

  “Well maybe he can be a reformed womanizer.”

  “I don’t know about that.” Shannah sounded doubtful.

  “Dance try-outs are next week. We better get started today. Anyone have homework?” Rachael asked them both.

  “Nope,” Maysie responded.

  “Unfortunately no.” Shannah had obviously hoped they’d either forget about the dance thing or that homework would offer her the perfect excuse to skip out.

  “It’s settled then. We’re off to my house. Our game room will be perfect. We can drag out my tumbling mats,” Maysie offered.

  “Hooray.” Shannah sounded less than excited.

  “Guess what?” Maysie continued her enthusiasm undiminished by Shannah’s lack of enthusiasm. “I spoke with Amber some more today in fourth period after lunch. She told me the regular auditions were held last spring near the end of the school year. This summer they went to band and dance camp. I’m totally bummed we missed that, but there is always next summer. Anyhow, I guess they already know some routines and if we make it, we’ll have some extra practices to catch up. So Amber has offered to come over and teach them to us after school. I’m psyched.”

  “Me too,” Rachael squealed.

  Shannah rolled her eyes. “Can’t wait.”

  The girls spent the afternoon doing hip-hop and jazz movements. They also practiced double and single pirouettes, as well as kicks.

  Rachael knew Maysie was a great dancer, but it was Shannah who really surprised her. She was a quick study, and her natural athleticism and flexibility from Taekwondo made it all a cinch. If she could just stick the double pirouette, she might actually make the team!

  “So what happened with Melinda?” Shannah asked.

  “Nothing. She wanted to make sure I still had a boyfriend back home and had no interest in Travis. That’s pretty much it. So you guys knew?”

  “Yep, we all saw her head in there. Shannah was going to fly in there ready for a sparring match, but Travis held her off. He said you needed to fight some of your own battles around campus or they would see you as weak,” Maysie explained.

  “I totally had your back.” Shannah was still ready for a fight if necessary.

  “Thanks. But the weird thing is, I think Melinda actually likes me in spite of herself. It was more like a friendly chat than anything else. Anyone ever think she might be interested in Travis herself?”

  “No way!” Maysie yelled.

  “I think it may be a definite possibility,” Rachael commented.

  “Well, she’ll never get Travis. He likes them girly. Look at Misty and Sophie. Real girly-girls. No tough girls for him,” Shannah attested.

  “Shannah is totally right. Our mother is a real lady. He likes them sweet, kind, and very ladylike.”

  “Who likes them sweet, kind, and real ladylike?” Travis called from where he was leaning in the doorway.

  “You.” Maysie grinned. “We were discussing Melinda. Rachael here thinks Melinda likes you herself.”

  Laughing, Travis could barely get the words out. “Melinda? You can’t be serious. I am not her type. Not enough tattoos and scars, plus I don’t dip.”

  “I don’t know. I think you two would make the perfect couple, Travis.” Even though they all knew Maysie was being facetious, she certainly knew how to push her brother’s buttons.

  “Sure you do.” Travis turned and walked down the hall.

  “That will teach him to eavesdrop!” She smiled. “Let’s get back to dance.”

  After an hour, Maysie’s mother poked her head in and said Rachael’s aunt had called and she needed Rachael to head home right away. Her mother had been trying to reach her but couldn’t get her on her cell phone. It was then Rachael realized she still had it silenced, since school let out earlier this afternoon.

  Her friends bid her farewell. Mrs. Baxter had told her Aunt Margaret she’d run Rachael home right away. As they walked to the front door, they met Travis there, keys in hand.

  “Are you running out dear?” his mother asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. I have to go to Gabe’s to look at the football playbook.”

  “Would you mind dropping Rachael for me? I would appreciate it.”

  “Not a problem.”

  Great. My distancing myself plan isn’t working out so well. Here I am again. Alone with Travis. Yikes!

  Travis opened Rachael’s door and then went around and let himself in. “Everything okay?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve had my phone silenced all day. My mom never calls this often. There must be something going on.”

  “With your dad you mean?”

  So he knows. Well, it was her situation and reality for now. She shouldn’t be embarrassed by it. “So, you know.”

  “Not much. Just a basic outline of the story. My mom and your aunt have known each other for a long time. Remember?”

  Rachael simply nodded.

  Travis stopped at the end of his long driveway. He put his truck into park and turned toward her. “Rachael, a true friend never judges another. Not the person or their situation. I am a true friend to you. I hope you realize that.”

  Touched by his words, Rachael turned to look him in the eyes. “Thank you, Travis. I just don’t like to talk about it with anyone. It’s so upsetting. My dad is a strong man, but even a strong man can only take so much.”

  “Don’t worry about him, Rachael. I know it’s not easy to do, but he wouldn’t want you to be worried all of the time.”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “What can I do to distract you?”

  “Not much.”

  “I can think of one thing that would distract you,” he murmured, “but it would get me into trouble with Sophie.”

  Is he going to kiss me? Rachael knew her eyes must look like saucers.

  “I wasn’t talking about kissing you, Rachael. I was talking about taking you shopping. That always cheers girls up.”

  “Why would you get into trouble with Sophie for taking me shopping?”

  “She knows you helped pick out those school clothes. Let’s just say she got a little jealous.”

  “That’s not good.” She frowned. “Colten knows we’re close friends, and he isn’t threatened by you.”

  “Colten is older. Sophie is a freshman. Fourteen, but acts like eight. I think she’s too young for me emotionally.” Travis started the truck and drove in the direction of Rachael’s aunt’s house. “Just remember Maysie and I are your true friends, no matter what. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Rachael leaned over and gave Travis a hug. “Thanks.”

  Once they arrived at Aunt Margaret’s house, Rachael climbed out and ran inside with a quick wave at Travis. Her aunt and mother were waiting inside.

  Her mother spoke first. “Hey, honey, have a seat. Your aunt and I have been talking about your father and my visit last week. Margaret said thing
s went well here during my absence. I spoke with your father today, and he’s terribly lonely and a little depressed. We wanted to ask your opinion about something.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “I think it might be a good idea for me to split my time between here and Palm Beach…not forever, just for a while. It was never part of the plan, but unfortunately I feel the plan needs a minor modification.”

  “Is Dad okay?”

  “Yes. He’s okay, but I think long-term he’ll do better if he has someone with him some of the time.”

  “My only concern is for Michael. Have you spoken with him yet, Mom?”

  “Yes. About an hour ago. He is totally okay with it, as long as he gets to play baseball. Of course your aunt has said she’d drive him to his practices and game each week. So he is fine. What about you? How do you feel about it?”

  “It’s a great idea. I have friends who are of driving age, so things are a little easier for me. I’m trying out for the dance team next week. If I make it, I will practice a couple nights each week with football games on Friday nights. I can catch a ride with Maysie and Shannah to and from practice as well as games.”

  “That’s a splendid idea, Rachael.” Her Aunt Margaret was beaming.

  “Good. Then it’s settled,” her mother said. “I’ll travel back and forth every other week. One week here, one week there sort of thing.”

  “You’re doing the right thing, Mom. We’re in great hands with Aunt Margaret.”

  “Good. I feel much better.”

  Rachael hugged her aunt and then her mother. She went to her room to check her messages and missed alerts. Colten had called after school. So had Ellery and Brittany. She’d have to call them back later. It was getting dark, and she needed to do her chores.

  She was dancing and singing in the barn, using the broom handle as a microphone, when she heard footsteps behind her. When she looked up, she saw Travis.

  “Hey, there. Having fun?” he asked.

  Rachael hoped she wasn’t blushing again. “Just singing to ole’ lonesome George and Taffy.”

  “Sorry to just show up, but I couldn’t leave things the way they were earlier. I should have let you know awhile ago I knew about your dad. But it never seemed like the right time. I’m sorry.”