Catching Feelings

Part 9

           Walking back to my house I seen that Anna, Kim, and Claire were all sitting outside on my front deck waiting for me. Anna had a smile plastered on her face, while the other two just looked at me waiting for me to dish all the details about how my day was spent. I walk up and take a seat next to them and let out a breath and a small smile.

          "Alright, so tell us how your few hours with Tyler went!" Anna says holding onto my arm like some crazy fan girl. I swear, my friends were a bunch of crazies. 

          "Well, he lives with his cousin who I thought was his girlfriend at first until that was all cleared up. Anyways, she patched me up and then invited me to have dinner there sometime soon. Of course I accepted the offer, I mean I have to be nice right? Then Tyler showed me his baby horse and a few other animals on the farm before he walked me half way home, then he had to suddenly leave for who knows what reason. But it was a good time," I say with a huge smile on my face. I stop and look at my friends who were looking at me with blank looks, but give it a second. After awhile they all burst out in squeals and excitement. 

          "Dude you need to date that, I mean it is destined to me at this point," Kim says making me laugh. Kim was always the hopeless romantic when it came to these things. Then there was Anna, she was the over dream, I mean she came up with crazy stuff in her head. Claire was normal, she was reasonable about all this dating and guy stuff between all us friends. If I had to pick anyone to talk to tho, it would for sure be Adalynn, something about her just gives off that motherly tone and it helps me feel relaxed around her.

         "Anyways, I think he only wants to be friend tho," I say with a frown.

         "Kid, he almost road you over with a horse, I think he wants you," Anna says. There she goes with those crazy ideas of hers again. I warned you all that she was crazy like this, but I loved her anyways.

         "He is in rodeos, have you ever seen one of those? Girls drool over guys like him, he is so perfect it's a crime," I say making them laugh as I just sigh in distress. 

         "Have you ever been to a rodeo? Then you don't know! Maybe we should go!" Kim shouts as all the girls agree. Finally Claire steps in, took her long enough.

         "Ladies calm down, maybe Brooklyn just wants to take things slow you know. I mean you know with all the stuff that happened, I think it is a good idea for her to go out and spend time with someone new. But don't think you need to rush into anything Brooklyn, do what you feel is making you happy," Claire says making me smile. I loved my understanding friends.

         Later that night I found myself looking back on old pictures more than usual. I don't know why, but something told me to look back at them. After meeting Tyler and thinking I have feelings for someone, I wanted to just go back and relive things and bring myself back to reality for a second. The last two years have been nothing but a series of downs for me, I hit rock bottom a few times since two summers ago. Now with July fourth slowly approaching and all the memories of that night flooding back, my heart was telling me so many things. It was three weeks away and it was coming at me like a fright train, full force too. 

         "Hey," Brayden says walking into my room when he seen that I had the scrapbook out. He takes a seat next to me on my bed and looks at the pages I was on.

         "I just wanted to find a picture," I say closing it fast and pushing it to the side. I held back a few tears, but I could tell Brayden wasn't buying it.

         "It's okay to feel lost and sad about it Brooklyn, trust me everyone is feeling it right now with the date coming up. But you have to remember, you can feel sad but you can't go back to that place. It's been two years and you have to let it go and move on, you can't change the past. As hard as you want to or how much everyone wants to change it, you can't. Things happen for a reason, so that new things can take it's place," he says making me lean my head on his shoulder. 

         "I'm scared," I whisper as he wraps a comforting arm around me.

         "I know, but remember you aren't alone with all this. Everyone is feeling the same pain, maybe you a little more than others. I know how much you want to go back to that night and change things, trust me so do I. But we can't and we have to accept it," He says kissing my head as he gets up. He grabs the book as he does and sets it on my desk as I crawl into my blankets.

          "Goodnight Brooklyn," he says closing the door and leaving me with my own thoughts.

          A week later and here I was, sitting at Tyler's house with his cousin and him at the dinner table. I smiled when Lexi kept going on and on about childhood memories. We were finished with lunch already, which consisted of an amazing pasta plate and some chicken. They had a good taste for food that was for sure, I never tasted something so amazing in my life, don't tell my grandma I said that tho. I laugh as Lexi says something about Tyler falling off his first horse before it even took a single step, Tyler glared at his cousin but laughed a little as well.

          "Speaking of horses! Brooklyn there is a rodeo coming up and you should go!" Lexi says making me freeze when Tyler gives her a look. 

          "No, I don't think I would fit in well there," I say making Tyler smile.

          "Please, I seen that country get up you had going for those pictures. You are a true country girl at heart, everyone can see that around here. You should come, I won't be riding horses tho," he says making me look at him confused. "It's the bull riding one. I am at the top of the leader board and I have to hold my spot to make it to the nationals that are in Texas this year," he says with pride. Lexi looks worried but doesn't say anything.

          "I might show up," I say as I help Lexi clean up the table. Tyler smiles at me and shakes his head in amusement. I laugh and focus on helping Lexi and her story telling. This family was something else, but I still wanted to know where Tyler's parents are......