Kennedy's P.O.V
"You ungrateful little bitch!"
It was half past midnight, and the road ahead of me was void of all cars. Below the worn out tires of my Jeep, the highway glistened with freshly fallen rain. Above, there was a cloudless sky with a bright moon illuminating the streets below.
Blinking hard, I wished the fresh memories from my brain. Although they were a week old, and I found the wounds were still pretty fresh. It doesn't matter, I told myself; that life was behind me. I'd thrown out my cell phone, so she couldn't reach me.
I was never going back.
Crammed into the Jeep was every possession I'd ever own. The vehicle was packed tightly, the only space left open being the driver's seat. Each mile of space I put between me and Raleigh, North Carolina etched a little bit more relief into me.
"I hope I never see you again! I can't ever forgive you for this."
My hands gripped the steering wheel harder, causing my knuckles to become white. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves as more of her biting words cut into me. That woman was supposed to be my mother.
Her and I had never been close. There had been an underlying tension for as long as I could remember. She's always been distant from me; cold, even. The Ice Queen, I used to call her to my friends. My father left her when I was just two years old for another woman. I looked just like him, and my suspicion was that she resented me for the close similarities to the man who'd broken her heart.
My mother wasn't close to either of her parents, who - according to her - had been overbearing and over critical. I had no idea, because there were only a few times I had met them. My grandmother died when I was just fifteen years old. Two weeks ago, my grandfather died.
That's where this story begins.
Unbeknownst to me, my grandfather had a lot of money. Though he hadn't talked to his daughter in years, he left his small house to my mother. He left all of his money to me.
My mother was furious, beyond any anger I had ever seen in her. She had grieved for her father, yes but that was soon overwhelmed by her fury that he had left most of his assets to me. With one half of the guilty party deceased, her anger had only one target; me.
She'd yelled and shouted for hours, calling me every name in the book and then some. She had said some of the most hurtful things that I'd ever heard, and the only reason I hadn't been overwhelmed by my hurt was the anger I'd had at being the innocent target of her rage.
I hadn't had anything to do with my grandfather leaving me his small fortune. I hadn't talked to him in years, and I definitely hadn't asked for it. The only communication I'd had was a letter and bank account in my name by his lawyer, arriving at my doorstep three days after his funeral.
She'd kicked me out before even giving me a chance to consider if I wanted to take the money or not. I didn't even know the man...Was it even right to take it?
But after being booted out of her house, I found myself with nowhere to go. For one week, I couch surfed with various friends. However, it quickly became apparent that I couldn't stay. Their home lives were either as unstable as mine or it was clear my presence wouldn't be something that was acceptable long term. Jobs around me were scarce, and I had less than a hundred dollars in my own bank account. It was clear I only had one choice.
To take the money.
So I took closed my very small, very dismal bank account and got a debit card and a checkbook for my new bank account. While my mother was at work, I retrieved all of my stuff from my house and hit the road with no destination. I'd been on the road for about eight hours now.
Out of snacks and needing to use the bathroom, I stopped at a dingy looking rest stop. After double checking that the car doors were locked, I gathered up some quarters and headed inside.
I kept a hand on the pocket knife in my pocket, eyeing the sketchy looking truck drivers that were milling about the place in the middle of the night. I slipped inside, quickly relieving myself and getting a soda and some chips from the vending machine. On the way out, there was a detailed map of the southern part of the United States.
You are here was marked on a small store about fifteen minutes outside of Chattanooga. I shook my head. That was too close to Raleigh, and too large of a city. I wanted something much smaller. I closed my eyes and pointed, my finger roaming the map blindly for a moment before opening my eyes.
I removed my finger and found it had been on a small town labeled Hudson, Tennessee. I smiled to myself. That would be my new home. Getting back into the Jeep, I set off.
Deciding to push all negative thoughts out of my head, I began to grow more and more excited now that I had a final destination. What was Hudson going to be like? It was clearly a very small town. I'd never lived in a small town before.
I had lived in Raleigh all of my life.
Although it wasn't too big of a city, I always found that it was too crowded. Too busy. There were too many tall buildings and not enough grass. Too much traffic - far too much traffic.
A small, non crowded town would be perfect for me. No one would know me. I could even get a dog!
Although I was distracted by the prospects of the small dot labeled Hudson, I found myself distracted by the sign on the side of the road.
Local Rodeo
The sign was posted on the edge of the grass lining the highway. I'd seen at least half a dozen of them, but I had taken no notice. It gave details, and I found myself rather interested.
I had never been to a rodeo before.
Flipping on my blinker, I took the exit as directed. It wasn't until tomorrow - Sunday - and I was growing tired anyway. I decided to sleep in a hotel for the night, finding one just off the exit I'd been directed to take. I could do with a little exploring tomorrow afternoon anyway.
The next day, I went to a cafe and a museum and found small shops here and there to look into. It was fun, and helped relieve some stress that had been piled on me the last week.
At half past seven, I left the hotel and took the directions that were posted through out the city.
The traffic closer to the rodeo was becoming more and more dense. It was clearly something that was very popular. I found a parking spot quiet far away from the fairground entrance in which it was located.
Spring was just settling into the south, but it was still quite cool. I shoved my hands into the pocket of my zipped up jacket and followed the throng of people getting to the event as late as I was.
"That will be five dollars, please."
I reached into my jeans pocket, producing five crumpled dollar bills. I expected the woman behind the table to give me a dirty look, but she took the money with a friendly smile on her face.
She stamped my hand with a black cowboy hat stamp.
"Enjoy the show!" She chirped. I offered her a small smile back and thanked her.
Finding any space in the stands was difficult. There was a lot of people. I managed to find a seat in the middle about halfway up the stands, high enough to be able to see over the heads of the people in front of me but close enough to be able to see all of the action.
I was sitting between a woman that had dressed up far too much to attend a rodeo and a rather hefty family with two misbehaving children. They were dressed nearly head to foot in camo clothing and snapping at their children in thick, nearly indiscernible southern accents to behave.
Just as I was beginning to wonder what we were all waiting for, the announcer began to speak in a voice that told me he was clearly involved in radio.
"And now for our next event... The statewide bull riding semi-finals!"
The energy in the air was palpable.
In the stands surrounding the large arena, thousands of people were packed tightly into the seats. They were all on their feet, eyes on the gate to the far east. Behind a thick metal gate, an impatient bull was itching to be released. The bull snorted as it pawed the ground with his hooves, obviously very angry.
On it's back was a man about nineteen years old. My blood was pumping too quickly, my heart pounding too loudly to hear what the announcer was saying next. Was he really going to do this? I found myself nervous for a person I didn't know.
The action in front of me snapped me out of my observation, and I'd found that the bull had been released. He immediately began bucking, desperately trying to throw the cowboy off his back. It was over quickly, and the young man was tossed to the ground rather roughly.
I expected him to lie there for a second because there was no way he hadn't been hurt. But the young man sprang to his feet, kicking the ground below with his boots. He appeared to be frustrated that he hadn't stayed on longer.
As the young man exited, the bull was still in the arena. Two men on horses attempted to steer him back into the pen, while a clown was hanging halfway out of a thick, plastic barrel to distract the bull if needed.
But he wasn't needed. The bull, sensing defeat, huffed his way back into the small pen.
"And that is a four point three second run, giving young Ryan Lewis a score of just fifty points! Give the young man some love, Chattanooga!"
Although clearly disappointed by the short ride, the crowd clapped and cheered in support.
Rider after rider came after him, some staying on for lengthly periods of time - longer than the required eight seconds - while some were bucked off almost immediately. I was highly surprised that no one was hurt.
One man did nearly get stomped on though, but a distraction from the rodeo clown saved him just in time.
Finally, it was time for the last rider.
"Next is a young man reigning from-"
The next few words from the announcer was cut out by the wailing of one of the camo clad children next to me. Her brother was standing up, tugging on her hair and she cried loudly in retaliation.
"Sit your ass down," I heard the father snap through gritted teeth.
My eyes returned to the front.
"He is currently twelfth in the state semi-finals and needs a score of at least seventy seven point four to move on to the state finals! Wish him luck!"
The heavy metal gate banged open, and the bull and rider was released. The man on the back had to be at least twenty two. He looked young, but was very handsome. He had on dark jeans, and the black chaps that every other bull rider had worn. A matching black cowboy hat was on his head.
The other's chaps and hats had been rather flashy, but his were simple. To me, though, it looked much better. After all, they were here to ride, not be flashy. The bull bucked and kicked his rear legs heavily, shaking his mighty head and snorting.
How on earth was he managing to stay on?
The buzzer announcing he'd been riding for eight seconds went off, and he stayed on for a bit longer. Finally, he was bucked off and landed rather smoothly.
"What a wonderful ride! Give the man a round of applause. With a score of eighty nine point six, he moves to the Tennessee state bull riding finals!"
The next two events involved children riding sheep and some sort of show, neither of which I was very interested in. Wanting to beat the traffic, I left and headed back to the hotel.
I was going to stay one more night and head out early, so I would arrive in Hudson mid morning. I was only four more hours away.
At five fifteen the next morning, I got up and showered. I put the things I had taken into hotel into my backpack and left the key in the drop box by the office, which was not yet open. I grabbed a coffee from a nearby gas station and hit the road.
The next few hours dragged on. I was too excited to see what Hudson was like, making every passing minute seem slower than I was. I was nervous, too. What if I didn't like it? What if they all though I was some weirdo, rolling into their town on a whim?
Hudson, Tennessee
The sign's town came, at last, into view. Beyond it a small, comfortable little town appeared. There were small shops here and there, restaurants and stores selling hardware goods and things of the sorts. All of the businesses appeared be hometown, mom and pop type stores. No chain business came into sight.
I parked my car near the center of town, next to the sidewalk across from a large fountain surrounded by beautiful grass and flowers, and benches for the sitting. I pulled my purse over my head and began to walk.
My first order of business was to find a place to live.
I walked up the sidewalk of downtown Hudson, peering in the shop windows. It was Monday morning, and everybody appeared to be somewhat busy. I didn't want to go in anywhere, intent on the task at hand.
Finally, at the second street over I found it.
Parker Reality
It was a business that was between an adorable little cafe and a clothing store, and I opened the door and went in. Above me, a bell chimed to announce my entrance. A middle aged man that was beginning to bald was the first thing I saw. He was wearing black slacks, and a long sleeved, button up blue shirt and a black tie. He was just ending a phone conversation as I walked in.
"Hello, my name is Ronald Parker. What can I help you with?"
"I'm looking into buying a house," I said brightly.
The man frowned slightly.
"By yourself?" He asked. I nodded.
He tried to conceal a sigh as he turned around, leading me to his office. He knew I was young and probably thought the process was useless. He sat down at his desk and I sat across from him.
"We'll have to do a credit check first, of course," He said, and as he went to speak more I interrupted him.
"I won't be needing a loan," I said confidently.
"Beg pardon?" He asked.
"I do not need a loan to buy a house. I have the money."
Mr. Parker became considerably warmer immediately.
"Well then...Let's discuss houses. Can I get you something to drink?"
"I'd love some coffee, please."
After receiving my coffee - with lots of hazelnut creamer - we began to talk. I wasn't offended, because I couldn't blame him for being skeptical of a nineteen year old girl wanting to buy a house on her own. He hadn't been rude.
He began to show me some houses in Hudson, either very close to downtown or not that far from it. Some were cute, but some didn't catch my eye at all.
"I'd like something...A little more in the country."
"Of course," He said, stowing away the different pictures he'd brought out. He thumbed through another pile. "I have a great one. The man that owned it died about six months ago - Lord rest his soul - and none of his next of kin has claimed it. So now, it's up for sale. Just today, actually. I'm selling it for the state. It's got fifteen acres of land. It's going to go quickly."
I was rather weary of the story, but when he showed me the picture, I fell in love.
It was a square, two story house with a large front porch. It was painted a light blue, with the shutters white. The grass was rather unkempt, but the land beyond it was beautiful. My mind was made.
"I'll take it."
"Let's set up an appointment to look at it first, and-"
"No need," I grinned. "You said it yourself it's going to go quick. I'll take it."
The buying process was much quicker than I thought it was going to be. I gave a small deposit, which was much less than it would normally be when buying a house. But because I wasn't taking out a loan, and it would be paid off within just a couple of days, the deposit was just a couple of hundred dollars.
I signed a contract and wrote a check that would completely pay off the house. The bank would clear the check in just two business days, and the state would receive the 90% while Mr. Parker would receive his 10% commission. He was a very happy camper.
"Now, all you have to do is take the main road three miles past downtown. Copper Road will be on your right hand side. It's a dirt road. Exactly two miles down that road will be your driveway - 3217 Copper Road."
"Thank you," I said as I scribbled the address on my hand.
He dropped a pair of keys into my hand.
"Kennedy, congratulations on your new home."
Author's Note: WOWWWW! Over four thousand reads on the prologue!! Thank you guys SO MUCH. Here is chapter one - tell me what you think! You guys rock! (Keep those cover submissions coming!) I LOVE YOU GUYS!