Childhood Crushes

Chapter Forty-Nine - Welcome Home

My thoughts were overcome with Bale and him possibly ending our relationship. Was he not able to handle the long distance thing anymore? Would we fade away like some couples do? I struggled to try and listen to Dad, but it was no use. At one point he had to call my name several times before I resurfaced and realized he was asking how school was going, the same question Mom asked all the time. As usual, I gave my robotic response. It was basically the exact words of the school's website, explaining the classes I was taking, what they teach me, and how they'll benefit me. Since I had said this so many times, I hardly had to pay attention, allowing me to think about Bale.

Sometimes it seemed ridiculous that we were fighting over some guy I was hanging out. Yes, he's a male, but that doesn't mean I'm going to kiss him or anything. Can't he trust me to be around guys and know who I love? That's when I started getting angry. We were halfway home, and my sadness and worry turned to anger and fury. How dare he not trust me? There's girls around here - girls that are far cuter than me, if you asked me. I still trust him, though! This must be about my whole 'city girl' reputation. Even though that didn't make sense at all, it made sense to me through my rage and so it only fueled the fire.

So what if he breaks up with me, I thought bitterly, I don't care! Again, my mental fit blinded me from seeing how devestated I would be if he broke up with me. My eyes flickered out my window, away from my sneakers, as if on cue to see Bale's house. His car was sitting out front, so I knew he was home. I decided after my brothers and I caught up, I would go to his house and demand that he speak to me - no, demand that he listen to me. I don't need to hear what he has to say, he has to listen to what I say!

Within moments we were outside of my house, pulling into the driveway. The gravel crunched and kicked up small pebbles as he pulled to a stop. We both opened our doors and while I went straight inside, Dad got my bags from the bed of the truck. My footsteps, plus the sound of the truck driving up, signaled to Billy, Jimmy, and Joel that I was back. I didn't even touch the porch before the guys came out and tackled me with back-breaking hugs.

"Annabelle!" They all called as they ran out like dogs.

"Hey there, booger!" Billy grinned.

"Our little college kid is back." Joel joked.

Jimmy proceeded to knock them all off of me and looked me up and down, as if searching for something. "I think she looks a little smarter than when we last saw her. Doesn't her head look bigger, Billy?"

I laughed as Billy man-handled my head; grabbing it on each side and turning it, forcing me to sway slightly. When he let go, he nodded. "I think so! We're gonna have to find you a bigger cowgirl hat, Belly."

I rolled my eyes at them all, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's go inside and get out of this heat."

For the next hour I listened to the boys as they told me what they've been up to lately. I listened as best as I could, but by now my mind wasn't on Bale, it wasn't on the boys' doings; it was on taking a shower and going to bed. I was tired from the bus drive, I felt grimy from the heat. I wasn't used to it anymore like I was last summer, and now it felt like I had just stepped into a microwave. While fanning myself with a bill I found on the table, I nodded at the appropriate times, offered my input when needed, and tried to listen to them. After giving my answer of my classes, which felt like the hundredth time, I was wiped.

Dad could see it, and he shooed the boys away from me. "Let your sister breathe, boys." They all laughed and sat back in the chairs around the kitchen table, where we had spent the past two hours - it shocked me how fast time passed.

"Tell you what, why don't you go take a shower, I'll make dinner, then when you come down we'll all eat and then you can go to bed or find your friends." We both knew what he meant when he said 'friends'.