Under the Open Sky

Chapter Eleven

By the time school started, Amanda was more than thankful for the distraction. She had known she would miss her brother and Cade but she was not prepared for the hole that both left. She hadn’t realized how much she had come to enjoy seeing Cade as she meandered around the ranch or how much she enjoyed fighting with her brother, odd as she found it. In a way it showed he cared.

Amanda surveyed herself closely. She wanted to make a statement her first day back for her junior year. She had chosen a fitted sundress of white with an over layer of eyelet lace and spaghetti straps. To fend off the cool morning air, she had paired it with a jean jacket and boots. She had straightened her hair, applied light make up and dug through her jewelry box for her locket and a pair of earrings. A light mother of pearl pink gave her nails just a touch of color. Amanda smiled; they weren’t going to recognize her!

“Mandy! Come eat,” Naomi called up the stairs.

Amanda clattered down the stairs and entered the kitchen her aunt stopping to stare in amazement.

“Mandy!”

“What?” Amanda ran a self-conscious hand over her dress.

“You look so…” her aunt blinked, “feminine!”

Amanda laughed before kissing her aunt’s cheek and taking the offered plate of food. “Mornin’ Daddy,” she kissed his cheek and slid into her chair.

“Good morning,” her dad glanced up; then did a double take. “Well, who’s this joining us for breakfast,” her father, his expression a cross between pride and consternation, surveyed her.

“Funny,” Amanda commented before popping a bite of pancake into her mouth.

“I take it this is the dress you asked for the money for?” her father queried.

“Yes, don’t you like it?” Amanda set her fork down and waited for her dad’s answer. She valued her dad’s opinion.

“Yes, and no,” he responded with a smile. “You look beautiful: too beautiful.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” she grinned before resuming her breakfast. She had no more than cleared her plate and put in the dishwasher than Jenny was blowing the car horn to let her know she was there.

“Bye, Daddy, Bye, Naomi,” she kissed both on the cheek and darted out the door; she paused long enough to grab her bag and purse. Jenny stood beside her open driver’s side door waiting.

“Look at you!” Jenny called and let out a low whistle.

Amanda opened the passenger door and dumped her bag into the floorboard of Jenny’s car before climbing in.

“Who are you trying to impress?” Jenny demanded as they turned around and started for the highway.

“Nobody; everybody. It’s a new year and I feel different this year, Jenny,” Amanda shrugged.

“You certainly look different,” Jenny offered on a wide smile. “Where’d you get the jacket?”

Amanda glanced down at her jacket. It was the perfect slightly frayed and worn jean jacket; its faded color lent it a character a new jacket lacked.

“From Cade. I forgot my jacket one night when I had gone to town with him and Trent to pick up supplies for their dorm room and he gave it to me. He said to keep it; he had bought a new one,” she explained.

Jenny’s brows rose.

“What?” Amanda demanded.

“That was his signature jacket for like the past two years of school.”

“Okay; so?” Amanda waited for Jenny to make her point.

“Just saying, he wore it like all the time and it was kinda his signature.”

“Oh,” Amanda shrugged. “Guess he wanted a new look for college. Anyway, it was perfect for the dress.”

“Right,” Jenny, an enigmatic smile on her face, nodded. It only took a matter of minutes to arrive at the school, park, and cross the parking lot.

“I’ll see you in first; I’ve got to run by the office,” Jenny informed Amanda.

They had received their schedules in the mail and after comparing found that they would share first period, third and therefore lunch, and finally sixth; the final period of the day. It probably helped that they were both in all honors courses. Their penchant for boldness and out spokeness aside, the two of them probably qualified as brainiacs.

“See you there,” Amanda returned as she walked past the mural of the trapper without pausing to nod. She went straight to her assigned locker to put her lock on and waved at a couple of girls she had met through Jenny over the summer. She had known who they were, but had never really spoken to them before prior to summer.

“Omigosh! Mandy; is that you?” Samantha was staring at Amanda with wide eyes when she turned from her locker.

“Hey, Samantha,” Amanda smiled as she noted that her friend looked just as she always had. They had spoken briefly a time or two over summer but the childhood friend she had once shared all her thoughts with now felt like a stranger.

“You’re a knock out!” Samantha said it like an accusation.

“Okay,” Amanda felt heat fill her cheeks.

“Wow; I just can’t get over it. I’ve never seen you in a dress outside visiting church with you and never make up. How was your summer?”

“It was good, over all. Well, except for Trent’s accident.”

Samantha had called to offer her condolences after she had heard about it. That was the last time the two had actually spoken.

“How was yours?” Amanda returned.

“Good. Boring but fine,” Samantha shifted uncomfortably as though she wasn’t sure what to say. “How did things go with Cade as your dad’s new hand?”

“Cade worked out well; in fact, he and Trent left for college together about a week ago.”

“Really? Wow. I didn’t figure him for the college type.”

“He’s a natural at fixing things and smart,” Amanda shrugged.

“Sure; I mean I never really knew him.” Samantha played with the edge of her book bag strap. Her gaze, seeming to pause on the jacket a moment, slid over Amanda before she again shifted her weight.

“You weren’t on the bus,” Samantha blurted it as though she had been handed a life line.

“Oh, yeah, I rode with Jenny, Angie’s little sister, we kind hit it off this summer.”

“Right; that’s good. I’m sure she needed a friend after losing her sister. How’s your brother?”

“He had a hard time dealing but I think he’s slowly starting to come around,” Amanda shared.

“That’s good. I should get going before I’m late for class.”

“See you around,” Amanda offered.

“Yeah,” Samantha offered a strained smile.

Amanda parted ways with her friend; she was wondering what had happened between them. She rounded the corner to find Chris Atkins leaning against a locker talking to a friend. She slowed her steps as she studied him for a moment and recalled the fierce crush she’d had on him last year. He was still good looking and she would be flattered should he look her way but she was no longer quite as enamored with him, she realized with a sense of satisfaction and relief. She watched as he looked up, his gaze sliding over her before he offered her a lazy smile. Amanda, her insides flipping slightly, smiled in return; she had admitted she would be flattered if he noticed her. She couldn’t resist sneaking another peak at him as she turned to enter her homeroom; he was still watching her! Amanda’s smile widened as she entered the room, her lower lip between her teeth.

“What are you smiling about?” Jenny demanded as Amanda approached. Jenny’s gaze slid past Amanda, her eyes lighting.

“Way to go, Mandy,” Jenny smiled as Amanda slid into a desk. Amanda glanced up to find Chris still watching her from the door. She felt heat climb into her cheeks as he sauntered her direction. She knew he wasn’t in honors English, not with his reading issues, and he was headed straight for her.

“Mandy right?” he asked as he slid into the desk beside hers.

“Right,” she smiled as she took off her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair.

“You’re Trent’s sister.”

“Yeah,” she nodded.

“Thought so.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Atkins, that’s the bell; are you scheduled to be in here?” Mrs. Yancy inquired of Chris.

“No, ma’am,” his acknowledgment gained laughter from the class.

“Then perhaps you would like to find where you do belong?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Chris stood. “See you around, Mandy,” Chris nodded before he left the class.

“Now if we can get down to business we have some reading to do and some papers to write,” Mrs. Yancy announced.

Amanda was still smiling as she was handed a book and instructed to write her name in the front of it. She had actually done it; she had gotten Chris Atkins attention!

Amanda was loving her junior year of school. She had always lived, largely by choice, on the fringe of the social scene at school. She was now enjoying being in the middle of it. Chris Atkins had seemed disappointed when she informed him she couldn’t date until she was sixteen, but oddly enough Amanda herself hadn’t felt too let down. She and Jenny had become all but inseparable, often at each other’s house studying together and hanging out. Most weekends found her and Jenny in a throng of other school kids at whatever gathering place had been deemed the it spot for the week. The only flaw Amanda could really find was how terribly she still missed her brother and Cade but she wrote often and they were both pretty good about writing her back in a fairly timely manner.

This Friday night found her seated on her bed experimenting with nail polish colors.

“I still can’t believe that Cade Winston, bad ass of Big Creek High writes you on a regular basis. I figured you’d lost it when you included the supplies in his box,” Jenny admitted.

Amanda had received another letter and had shared with Jenny what the guys were up to.

“He has no family, Jenny. Well, at least none he would care to write. Why should he be the only one not sending and receiving letters?”

“Right, that’s the only reason you write him,” Jenny nodded with a teasing grin.

“Of course,” Amanda nodded; then ducked her head to hide her smile.

“I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas.”

“I know; me either,” Amanda agreed. “Which one,” she stuck her toes out for Jenny’s scrutiny.

“Definitely the lavender; as though anyone will see it. What does your family do for Christmas?”

“The traditional stuff. We give some gifts to the hands on Christmas Eve and then go to services at church. Christmas day is all about the bird and presents and family. What about you guys?”

“We’ve always celebrated fairly traditionally. This year Mom and Dad are talking about going out of town. I don’t think they want to be reminded of the empty place at the table and the missing presents under the tree,” Jenny’s eyes were troubled.

“I’m sorry, Jenny; I know you guys miss her.”

“Yeah, well,” Jenny stood and moved to rearrange things on Amanda’s desk.

“Do they blame my brother?” Amanda voiced the question that lingered at the back of her mind.

“Not really. I mean they were a little angry for a time, but I think they recognized themselves in your brother and Angie. Mom and Dad were high school sweethearts who had to fight to marry.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, I think they empathized with them.”

“Where are your parents thinking about going for Christmas?” Amanda steered the conversation back to the holidays.

“Hawaii. I can’t imagine Christmas with sand,” Jenny was grinning as she sat down on the edge of the bed, her left knee pulled to her chest.

“Sand sounds nice,” Amanda countered.

“Not for Christmas.”

“You could come stay with us,” Amanda offered; she knew her aunt and dad would welcome her.

“I’m not sure Mom and Dad would go for that.”

“We could convince them. Tell them that they need this time alone, you know paint it up all pretty for them and then you can stay with me and admire my brother for a whole week.”

“Maybe,” Jenny seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. “I miss her too, you know? But not celebrating like we always did seems like we’re trying to forget her. Her room’s all closed up, things pretty much as she left them. I need my parents to find a way to remember Angie and still move on. Her door is like some ghost haunting the hallway; it’s like we all tiptoe around it.”

“Have you told your parents this?”

“No,” Jenny kept her gaze trained on her feet. She started pulling at the frayed hem of her jeans. “I don’t want to hurt them.”

“Maybe you need to say it. Maybe you all need to remember and face it together,” Amanda offered.

“Maybe,” Jenny sighed; then shifted and tucked her leg under her. “So when do your brother and Cade come home for Christmas?” Jenny shifted gears on her so suddenly that Amanda felt disoriented.

“Early December, they get a longer break than we do,” Amanda finally managed to focus on the question.