The next day was uneventful Wes stayed in his room the entire day until dinner which he did not sit comfortable for. He looked worse than Jere trying to sit. As soon as we woke up Sam made Jere go get his fake ID and he cut it up throwing it away. The rest of the day I just spent in the library reading or at the dinning room table coloring. To which Jere made fun of me for a good five minutes just to start coloring with me.
The next morning we all got up and got ready for school. Ben asked me about ten times if I had my makeup work with me and I had to tell him ten times yes. By the six time I started to get annoyed.
"I SAID I HAVE IT JEEZ!!!" I yelled the words.
Everyone froze and looked at me in shock even Ben looked startled but I couldn't help it I was not a morning person and he was stressing me.
After his shock wore off his face turned into a scowl. "Excuse me?"
"STOP ASKING ME FIVE MILLION TIMES! I HAVE IT OKAY? YOUR GIVING ME A HEADACHE." I screamed as I felt the anger build up and then explode.
He turned me around and laid ten hard smacks on my ass. I yelped as tears started to form. "I don't care how tired you are or grumpy in the mornings you will be respectful. Or else you will have a headache and a butt ache." He spun me around glaring at me with those icy blue eyes. "I am sorry I have asked you a lot I just don't want you to forget and it hurt your grade. Next time say it nicer. Understand?"
"Yes sir." I mumbled.
He kissed my forehead and sighed. "Have a good day at school and drop the attitude before it gets you in trouble there too."
The ride to school was quiet, both Jere and Wes sat in the back seat shifting every so often from their sore bottoms. Sam was focused on the road but looked as if he was in another world. His face looked like he was told someone just died and he was holding back the tears.
We were about five minutes away from school when I finally broke the silence. "Sam you okay?"
He slightly jumped and looked over at me as if he just got woken up. "Oooh umm yeah I am fine."
"You don't look fine bro." Jere chimed in.
"It's nothing." Sam shock it off and keep his eyes on the road.
"Bull shit, I saw the snap you got." Wes leaned up and looked at Sam. "He got a snap from Tiffany. It was a picture of Mason in his boxers in his room. So I am assuming Tiff is fucking him now and wanted to rub it in Sam's face."
"Shut the fuck up Weston." Sam's voice dropped as he glared at Wes through the rear view mirror.
"Damn dude that's like one of your best friends." I looked back to see Jeremiah all wide eyed and shocked.
"Drop it before I make you walk the rest of the way!" Sam growled as he clenched the steering wheel tighter. I stared at him for a minute, studying him. His jaw was set like he was clenching down on his teeth, with a scowl on his face, and his lips pressed in a straight line. His blue eyes were focused on the road but they didn't show anger, instead the shown disappointment and sadness. It reminded me of how our Moms eyes looked after she was off drugs for two months.
I was nine and she had gotten pulled over for driving under the influence. The judge had appointed her to go into rehab instead of jail. I guess in hopes my mother would go down the right path. The Smiths had gone to court and since they were foster parents the judge accepted my Moms request to let me stay with them. Looking back on it I assume it's cause she didn't want them to find out I had other relatives.
I had been living with the Smiths for all of summer and it was the best two months of my life. I didn't have to worry about my Mom calling their house insisting that I come home when she was sober and hateful cause she needed more drugs. They did take me up to the rehab center to see her however after the second time when she was hateful and told me I was a demon I asked to not go again.
At the end of two months her car came rolling up their drive, when I was in the field riding Starbuck. "Kat come here." Pa hollered from where he was leaning on the fence watching me. I trotted Starbuck to him and dismounted her. The entire time he never took his eyes of the old sliver 1990 Toyota Camry. "Tie Starbuck up to the fence then run inside and get your Momma." He said glancing at me for a split second to see if I understood. I nod quickly tying the horse up and running up to the house to get Momma.
I swing the front door open and yelled "Momma!" As I felt the anxiety and fear start to slip in. Momma came running out of the kitchen looking straight at me, concern written all over her face. Her pale blue eyes scanning every part of my body looking for any injuries.
"What is it baby? Are you okay?" She asked grabbing my hands still searching for something. I stood there for a minute looking at her thinking about how I wished she was my actual Mom and not the woman that was pulling up the driveway. The thought froze me in place as I imagined what life would be like. Although I was around them a lot and more often than not they took care of me the fact that for two months I didn't have to leave made me want to stay even more. My body tensed up as I thought about how the person coming up the drive was probably going to take me away from my piece of heaven and pull me back to hell. That was the thought that sent me over board. Without warning the tears started to fall and I became hysterical.
Momma pulled me into a hug and squeezed me. "Baby everything is okay." She tried to sooth me. She pulled back putting her hands on my arms, squatted down and looked at my face. "What's wrong Kat? I can't help unless you tell me what's wrong."
"Mm-m-m-my m-m-mo-mother is -h-h-here." I managed to get out as I sobbed crying harder. I felt Momma tense up as her face turned sour for a split second but then it disappeared. She smiled at me, "Everything is going to be okay love." She wiped my tears away with her hand. "Let's get your faced washed up and then we will go outside together. Okay?"
I nod and she took me to the kitchen picking me up and sitting me on the counter. She got a wash rag and got it wet. She then handed me a paper towel and told me to blow my nose. Next she took the wet rag and wiped my face with it. Once done she grabbed three water bottles out of the fridge and handed one to me. "Okay love ready to go out there?" I nodded and she grabs my hand and we walk outside.
Pa and my Mom were standing by her car talking when we walked out. They both looked up when the heard the screen door shut. I looked over to the barn to see the twins peaking out giving me a sad look. Momma handed Pa a water and offered the other to my Momma.
"Hey Kat why don't you go get Starbuck and put her away. Your Mom, Laura and I need to talk for a minute." Pa gave me a narrow look as if to say don't question it and do what he said.
"Yes sir." I replied and hurried off. I got Starbuck and took her to the barn.
"What is she doing here?" Jaz asked and I shrugged.
"Will you have to go back with her?" Jase asked and I shrugged again. They didn't say anything else and just helped me untack Starbuck. Once we were done we all sat in the hay loft and the twins talked about the rodeo we just got back from, while I sat there thinking about what was going to happen.
It wasn't long before Pa was yelling for me and I made my way to the front porch where the three of them were.
"Katherine your mother is here to talk to you. Laura and I will be right in the house if you need us okay?" Pa had squatted down and got eye level with me searching my face to gage my emotions.
"Okay." I mumbled and he stood up and they walked into the house.
"Hey Katherine." My Mom's voice pulled my attention to her. She sounded normal, she didn't sound angry and she wasn't slurring her words. "I have done a lot of work at rehab and I have been clean for two months now. I am back at home and John is not living with me anymore. I have cleaned up Kat and I am working on getting you back baby. It will be just you and me!" She looked at me with so much hope in her face however her bright blue eyes shined with sadness. It's like they were a deep puddle that was filled with all our past and it showed her regret. Or at least that's what I thought. "We can redecorate the house I have been trying to clean it and make it more livable. We can repaint your room!" She said trying to make it seem more appealing for me to come home.
"Your really clean? He's really gone?" I mumbled.
"Yes baby he's gone for good and I am clean." She gave me a sheepish smile. She talked a little bit more and then Momma and Pa invited her to stay for dinner which she did. Three weeks later she was able to take me home. One week after I got home she let John back in and started drinking then doing drugs again.
It's like I was nine again and I could see her siting on the porch swing with her blue eyes bright and sad. Just like Sam's were right now. What I didn't realize is I was crying and we had made it to school.
"Kat! Kat! Katherine, are you okay?" Sam's voice pulled me away from my thoughts and brought me back to the present. As the eyes changed from our Moms to Sam's. But all the sadness had disappeared and now his blue eyes were filled with worry. I couldn't seem to answer as I started to sob harder. Sam got out and ran around the car to my side opening the door and pulling me into his arms.
"Shhh it's okay." He cooed as he held me.
"Is she okay?" I heard Logan's voice as I head him run up.
"I don't know she just started crying and won't tell us why." Wes said.
"Sam let go of her." Reuben said. Sam gave me one quick squeeze and then let go, stepping back for Reuben to step in front of me. "Princess I need to you take a deep breath and try to calm down for me." He said softly and he bend down to get eye level with me. "Whatever it is, everything is okay. You're with us, just tell me what's wrong and I will fix it."
I took a deep breath in and tried to center myself. It took me a minute to calm down but I focused on taking deep breaths and that helped.
"Did you have a flashback?" Reuben asked and I nodded my head. "Do I need to call Ben to come get you?"
I shake my head. "No it wasn't a bad one just a sad one." I finally said.
"Okay, you good to go to class then?" He asked as his eyes searched my face for any signs. I nodded and he hugs me. "Okay Princess if you need us call okay?"
"Yes sir."
He let go of me and looked at all of us. "Okay get to class they start in five minutes." Everyone gave me a quick hug and we walked towards the building. They went to the high school and I went to the middle school.
"Girl where were you Friday? I tried to text you but you didn't answer." Crystal started in on me as soon as I sat down.
"I had a doctor's appointment and I am grounded."
"Well Alex Presley was asking about you Friday wanting to know where you were." She giggled. When all I gave her was a look of questioning she sighed. "Girl he is the quarter back of our middle school team. Every girl wants to be with him and he was asking things like: does she have a boy friend."
"Oh well he is cute." I said as Mrs. Feeble walked in and started teaching class.
Mrs. Feeble had us take notes on probability which was long and boring. Once the bell rang I sighed in relief as I grabbed my stuff and shuffled out the door with the rest of the class. Heading to my English class next. I was one of the first people in class, this teacher was the only teacher that did not have us in a seating chart. So in order to not be front and center I had to get there fast. I went to the very middle of the class and all the way to the left side.
"Hey there I was wondering where you were on Friday." Alex said as he plopped down in the chair next to me. I looked up and blushed. I mean I had a meltdown and ended up at his house. Totally not awkward.
"Ummmm I had a doctor's appointment." I mumbled trying not to make full eye contact.
"Well I would have texted you but I don't have your number." He said as I saw a smirk form on his face.
"Is that your way of asking for my number?"
"Ha kind of."
"Well I don't have a phone at the moment."
"How come?"
"Grounded."
"That sucks. Maybe when you get it back we can text or snap."
"Yeah maybe." I shrugged acting cool but on the inside I was screaming with joy. Alex was hot, he had brown curly hair and the brightest green eyes. Before he could answer the teacher walked in and started class.
Alex ended up meeting me in study hall and we talked the entire time. "So have you been around horses a lot?"
"Yeah I barrel race." I said still looking down at my math book.
"That's awesome I have been to horse shows but never rodeos."
"That's cool what do you do?"
"I show English." He replies and I start to giggle. "What?"
"Oh nothing." I finally look up to see his green eyes beamed at me glistening in the light as if they were emeralds. "Where I am from English is a rich snobby person thing."
"You do realize you're the richest person in this school other than your brothers." He chuckles.
"Well I didn't grow up that way. It's not something I am used to. I grew up sometimes not knowing if I would eat for days unless I went over to my friends."
"I am sorry to hear that Kat."
"No need to be. Everything is good now. I go home and have to much food."
"Well that's good." He said looking down at his math book that he was suppose to be working on. The rest of the time was silent until the bell rang. "Well maybe one day you can come over and I will teach you how to be rich and snobby by riding English."
I laugh as I grab my stuff and head to lunch. "Sounds like a plan."