Knotted Roots

Chapter SEVENTEEN



“So...how did last night go?” asked Brian. He smiled at me as he took a big bite of his waffle. He had been up bright and early this morning, the smile on his face never wavering. I wanted to smack the smirk right off of his face. With a bat.

“It went,” I replied as I sipped my coffee. I hated mornings, especially in this house. Waking up before the sun was bad enough, but now I had to deal with Brian and Grandma as well. Neither of them woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I fell out the wrong side, smacking my head as I hit bottom. Yeah, it was turning into one of those days.

“Did you and Chase get all lovey dovey and junk?” he asked with a laugh.

“Nope. We decided to be friends.”

He stopped mid-bite to goggle at me, letting his arm fall back down to the table. “You’re kidding me? After all that crap, y’all are gonna be friends,” he said the last word as if it was dirty.

“What’s wrong with being friends?” I asked indignantly.

“Just seems...like a waste, I guess,” he replied. “I mean, he’s been miserable, you’ve been miserable, all because of a misunderstanding. You don’t get that upset over someone unless you really care about them.”

“He said it wasn’t worth it. I didn’t argue with him,” I said as I set my coffee on the table. I put my head in my hands and took a deep breath. When I looked back up Brian was finishing his breakfast. “I don’t know what I feel, okay? I like him. I really do. But what do we do when I go home? It’s just a summer fling.”

“I can’t answer that. And I won’t. You two are too damn stubborn for your own good. You don’t want something serious. He doesn’t want something casual,” he said with a shrug. “He’s right. Maybe it isn’t worth it. But you’ll never know if you both run away.”

He stood up and placed his plate in the sink. I watched him walk out of the kitchen with a sad smile on his face. Damn him for being so smart. He was right, after all. Neither of us would know if it was worth it if we didn’t give it a shot, but we were both trying to protect ourselves from the other. We were looking out for our hearts, trying to ensure they didn’t end up smashed to pieces in the end.



* * * *



Every day at the farm felt like a new kind of torture. We’d been friends for a week, and both of us had put on a brave front, but I knew we were both miserable. Anytime we had to speak to each other it was tense and short, nothing like our previous flirty conversations. It was as if we had skipped over friends and went back to being strangers. He didn’t smile as much, but then again, neither did I. All I could think about was finding a way to bring that light back to his eyes.

Grandma offered to let me stay home, again, but I refused. Avoiding the object of my pain would do nothing but cause me to think of him more. Go figure. Tonight Grandma and I were heading back to Daisy’s Diner for dinner, which had turned into a normal routine for us since I started back to work at the farm. This was our special time, each night, to get to know each other a little bit more. I didn’t understand the necessity at first, but after the first couple of days I got used to it, and even began to look forward to it.

As I waited by her truck for her to finish up I saw Katy. I hadn’t seen her since our fight over Chase, but I knew I had to eventually apologize for the way I had treated her. She hadn’t done anything wrong; I was just angry and hurt. She was walking towards me, her head down, most likely making her way back to her house. I waved to her and called her name, and when her head snapped up she looked both angry and confused.

“Katy, can we talk?” I asked loudly, hoping she could hear me. She hesitated, finally nodding her head as she veered in my direction. I met her halfway and smiled the friendliest smile I could muster. I didn’t want to scare her away.

“Hey,” she muttered, avoiding looking at me.

“Hey...um...I wanted to apologize. For the other day. I don’t know why I acted like-”

“Because you love him, that’s why,” she cut me off, crossing her arms across her chest.

I couldn’t hold in the laugh that burst from my lips. “Seriously? No. I don’t...love him. I liked him, that’s it.”

“Liked? As in past tense?” she asked curiously.

“Yeah. We’re just friends now.”

“You two are idiots. I knew there was something bothering him, but he wouldn’t tell me anything,” she said as she shook her head in disbelief.

“Gee, thanks.”

“No, I’m serious. You two need to get over yourselves and work this out. Frankly, I’m tired of it. You’re snapping everyone’s head off, including mine, and he’s moping like a lost puppy. It’s getting really annoying.”

I stared at her as she ranted about our stupidity. I didn’t know she had it in her, but it made me laugh, and I was finally able to admit that she really was a great friend to have. I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long to figure it out. Another strike against my mental capacity.

“I get it. I’m sorry. I promise to avoid chomping on anyone else’s head. On one condition,” I said.

“What?” She didn’t look like she wanted to know the answer, but couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“We have to have a girl’s night. Tonight,” I replied.

“OH MY GOODNESS! Really? It’s about time!” she squealed as she jumped up and down.

I couldn’t help but smile and squeal with her. I had never been prone to those kinds of noises, but something about her enthusiasm was infectious. There was something about her that made me feel like I had finally found a real friend. One that would be there until the end. I would really miss her when I went home. Just the thought of home brought my mood down rapidly. As we jumped up and down, giggling, I shook off the weary feeling. Tonight was about fun. Tomorrow I could deal with everything else.