Hotshot

Chapter 1 (SIERRA)

"SHE LEFT ME EVERYTHING."

"What do you mean, Sisi?" Cally asked. Her shoulder-length blonde curls bounced a little as she settled in next to me on the sofa.

"Grandma Beatty left me everything she had," I repeated, letting the words sink in. "In her will. Including her house and everything in it."

"Why do you sound so surprised? You two were close. She loved you more than anything," Cally pointed out.

I tried to force down the lump in my throat. "I don't deserve it. If anything, the house should go to Jordan. He's older than me."

Cally scoffed and wrinkled her nose. "Leave it to your good-for-nothing brother so he can piss it all away on booze and cigarettes? Get real."

"Still." I sighed. "Jordan will kill me once he finds out."

"Did you tell your parents yet?"

I chewed on my thumbnail, chipping the sparkly nail polish I'd just put on yesterday. "We're not exactly on speaking terms. They didn't even attend the funeral. Guess old grudges die hard. I'm not answering any of their calls."

Cally sat up straighter, her coffee-colored eyes filled with concern. "Oh no, what is it now?"

"Same old spiel. Dad wants me to come work on the farm this summer. I said no. He blew up."

Cally frowned. "He's still trying to convince you that shoveling shit and feeding the chickens is more rewarding than slaving away as a seamstress in the city?"

I nodded. "He reiterated that college was 'a complete waste of money' and that I'd be up to my eyeballs in debt just for a piece of paper to hang on the wall."

Cally sighed. "Harsh."

"That's not even the half of it," I said. "Every time I call my parents I get an earful. They don't believe in pursing higher education. I'm sick of it. Even my mom's starting to have doubts."

"I believe in you, Sierra. That counts for something, right?" Cally smiled and squeezed my hand. After a pause, she added, "Do you want to talk about your grandma? You haven't said much since the funeral."

I gave her a half-smile. "I'm okay. Almost relieved I guess. Grandma suffered for a long time. She's finally pain-free now." Grandma Beatty had been battling ALS for two years before a stroke last month finally ended her suffering. ALS had sucked all the vitality out of her for years, and watching her fade a little more each day was too much to bear. I was grateful that she was in a better place now. If Heaven existed, she would definitely be partying with the angels. Grandma Beatty had been the kindest and most generous woman I'd ever known. It was a pity she had a falling out with my parents during the last three years of her life, though. My parents had wanted her to move in with them, but Grandma insisted on her independence. Throw in a few more misunderstandings and the whole situation became irreconcilable. They settled for a stalemate, and agreed to each mind their own businesses. I ended up being their go-between, passing messages and news back and forth for years because the grown-ups didn't want to act their age.

"Hey, I'm always here if you want to talk, Sisi," Cally offered. "Hit me up, anytime."

"Thanks, girl. You're my rock. I don't know what the hell I'd do without you." I stood up to check on the pizza. As soon as I opened the oven door, the dorm kitchen filled with the scent of greasy meat. Burnt greasy meat. An angry cloud of smoke smacked me in the face. "Shit, I ruined dinner," I said, turning on the range hood and opening the window. Fat, smoky tendrils curled up towards the ceiling and I coughed.

Cally laughed. "How do you always manage to burn frozen dinners? Don't you ever read the packaging?"

Within seconds, the blaring smoke alarm assaulted our ears. I tossed Cally a magazine and she started fanning the beeping nightmare affixed to the ceiling.