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Georgia's heat is indescribable.
I've had my share of hot summer days in Ohio, but here the sun seemed to beat down ten times more fiercely. It heated the leather seats beneath me, causing a pool of sweat to form where my bare thigh met the seat. The humid air rushing in from the open window beside me offered little relief.
"How much longer?" I ask my mom, turning towards her. "It seems like we've been driving forever." A road trip from Ohio to Georgia in the dead heat of June is just as bad as it sounds.
"We're almost there, I promise." She glances over at me, sensing my uncomfortable expression. "You're going to have so much fun this summer, Leighton. A summer in the country will do us both some good."
I shoot her a look. "I highly doubt that."
She grips the steering wheel, her face and voice growing softer. "Look, I get that you'd rather hang out with your friends than do some farm chores for someone you probably don't remember. But Kelly and I have been friends since college, and summer is always the busiest for them. With Colin gone, they're really going to need the extra help. Please just try to have an open mind."
And as irritated as I am, I can't help but let some of my frustration go. My mom always has the ability to make me feel guilty.
"And besides, from the pictures Kelly's sent me of Nick, he's growing up to be a mighty handsome boy."
"Mom!" I groan, my cheeks blushing a bright red. I can tell from her face the satisfaction that she gets from being able to embarrass me.
I look out the passenger window, watching the rolling green fields rush by. The last time I saw Nick was six years ago, when he was missing three of his teeth and cried over anything and everything. Even though I was one year younger than him, I was always the more mature one.
Now he's eighteen, and I have no clue what he's like. And after everything that just happened with his dad, I shudder. I couldn't imagine any of my parents passing away, and the two of them were always so close. Although we haven't talked in years, I can't help but feel a pang of sympathy for him.
My eyes focus on my reflection in the car's side mirror. The heat has caused my face to grow warm as my long coils of muddy-brown hair whip wildly in the wind. A thin layer of sweat covers my face, and I can't help but be thankful that my acne phase of puberty is finally over, knowing the horrible breakout that the excess oil would have caused.
My mom takes a left onto an unpaved dirt road. The green fields on either side of the road are haphazardly fenced in with wooden stakes and wire, and cows can be seen dotted in the field. The smell of manure hits me at once. My mom's nose scrunches up.
""Don't even comment on it," she warns.
Slowly, a house rolls into view. It's a modest ranch, its walls made of white weathered planks. Tall trees frame the house, a tire swing hanging from its branches, and a swinging chair hangs from the porch. Behind the ranch, I can just make out the faded red barn and a wooden stable.
My mom parks the car in front, and I hop out, eager to stretch my legs. A figure stands from the porch, and by the way she runs and engulfs my mom in a bear hug, I can tell it's Kelly.
"Syrina!" she squeals, swinging my mom into a circle before finally letting her go. "It's been so long!"
"Too long," my mom interjects. "Ever since you packed up from Ohio and moved down here, you've become a ghost."
"I know. Colin always wanted to take over his family's farm, and..." she trails off. My mom's body language instantly changes. Her voice grows softer, the way it used to when I would lose my little league softball games.
"How have you been doing?"
Kelly hesitates. "I've been getting by, just taking it day by day," she shrugs it off. "But let's not talk about it now. It's time to celebrate!" She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. My mom can tell, but she plays along, nodding her head enthusiastically.
Suddenly, Kelly's gaze shifts towards me, and her face genuinely lights up. "Is that Leighton I see? The last time I saw you, you were this tall," she holds her hand up to her waist. I can't help it, and a wide smile engulfs my face. She pulls me tightly into a hug before pulling away, keeping me at arm's distance. Her eyes scan me, inspecting.
"You've grown up so much! And your face, gosh, you're stunning. You must drive all the boys back home wild." My face grows hot, and I shake my head fiercely. "Not really."
She waves me off. "Nonsense. You just don't notice. Pretty girls like you are always clueless that way."
She claps her hands together. "Enough talking! Let's get y'all inside with some food and cold water. You look like you've been sweating buckets." Suddenly I'm reminded of my dry mouth and throat, and I find myself eagerly awaiting a glass of water.
She makes her way to the car, and as she pops open the trunk, I can't help but get a good look at her. She's wearing jean shorts, short, dark, and faded, paired with a white tank top. She's all legs, tall and lean like a model. Her arms and legs are toned, no doubt a result of her laborious work on the ranch.
She lifts a suitcase in each hand, and I try to take one, but she shoots me a warning glare.
"I got these bags. What kind of host would I be if I let you carry them in yourselves?" She heads into the house, and my mom and I follow suit. "Nick can take the rest later."
She sets the bags down at the foot of the steps. "Nick!" she calls up the stairs. "Leighton and Syrina are here!" She waits a few moments before seemingly giving up.
"He's always wandering around somewhere. We'll run into him eventually." She leads us into the living room and kitchen, and it's everything that I expected it to be.
At the center of the room is a stone fireplace. The floors are a worn cherry red, and the walls are a yellowish-tan hue. The couches are all leather, and the tables and shelves are all littered with trinkets and photos. There are not enough for the space to feel cluttered, but just the right amount for it to feel like a home.
Before I can inspect the photos on the shelves too closely, Kelly draws my attention to the kitchen, an ice-cold pitcher of lemonade in her hand.
"Would you like a glass?" she asks, and my mom and I nod eagerly, taking stools on the kitchen island as she slides us glasses. I chug mine thirstily before setting the empty glass on the black granite countertop. I look up to see Kelly eyeing me comically.
"I see some things don't change. You still chow down your food like a hog. It's a wonder you stay so skinny."
"It's all the softball she plays," my mom boasts proudly. "She practices all the time and is the best at her school. She's going to get a scholarship to Ohio State for it next fall."
"Mom," I groan. "We don't know that yet." She shakes her head at me.
"She hates it when I say that, she's too modest."
Kelly grabs my glass, pouring me another cup. "You've got to believe in yourself, Leighton, or no one else will."
I nod my head. It isn't that I don't believe in myself, it's just that I like to do it in private, just in case it doesn't happen.
"What about Nick?" my mom asks. "Where's he going in the fall?"
Kelly lets out a loud huff. "He committed to the University of Georgia in January, but nowadays it seems like he's just going to stay here for a year and help out." My mom furrows her eyebrows.
"Do you want him to?"
She sighs. "It doesn't matter what I want. He's stubborn, that one. I can't force him to do squat these days. I'd like to believe that it's because he's a teenage boy, but now sometimes I think it's because..." she doesn't finish her sentence, but we all understand what she's insinuating.
My mom reassures her. "I wouldn't sweat it. You know how men are, they never listen."
Kelly nods her head and turns around, reaching into the fridge and pulling out two sandwiches. As she does so, a deep frown sets onto my mom's face, and her eyes lock on mine. The message goes unspoken, both of us worried about how Kelly is dealing with the grief.
We are interrupted by the clattering of plates in front of us, and I am so hungry that I can't help but distract myself by gobbling down the sandwich. When I finish, Kelly turns towards me.
"Why don't you go and explore the ranch a bit?" I nod and quickly deposit my plate in the sink, knowing that they want some adult time.
I exit through the screen door in the back and make my way to the red barn. We had never visited the farm since they moved here seven years ago, so everything is new to me. I wander inside the red structure, the pungent scent of animal manure hitting me immediately. My eyes water, and it isn't until they refocus that I spot him.
He's on the top floor of the barn, standing atop a pile of hay bales. His golden blonde hair is pulled back with a black baseball cap, and I can hardly recognize the ten-year-old boy I remembered him as. He's all muscle, the lankiness of his youth now gone. His flannel shirt is rolled up, so I can see his muscles flex as he lifts a bale, throwing it through the large opening in the center to the bottom floor. It isn't until he's repeated the process a few more times that he notices me at the entrance. His body instantly tenses up.
"Has anyone ever told you not to stare?"
I slightly jump, startled, forgetting that I had been watching him. He continues with his work, not waiting for a reply.
"I'm sorry," I stammer. I scrape together an excuse. "I just didn't want to disturb you."
His eyes don't leave the bales in front of him. "I take it you're Leighton?" I nod, then call out, "Yes," realizing that he can't see me.
His dark brown eyes connect with mine, and even from far away I can see the stern, cold nature to them. "Just don't get in my way. I don't need your help."
I gawk at him, frozen in a state of shock. How dare he! I feel a rush of anger so fast that I can barely string together a cohesive sentence.
"What is your issue?"
He pauses from his work. "You. I have everything under control here, and the last thing I need is some girl prancing around the farm doing more harm than good."
I gasp. "That's sexist!"
He squints his eyes at me. "Tell me the first thing you know about running a farm." I rack my head for anything to say, but my brain seems to abandon me. He takes my silence as confirmation. "It's not sexist, it's true. I would say the same thing if you were this clueless and a guy."
I cross my arms. "Well, I promise you that I have no desire to work with you either."
"Good," he says, resuming his work and effectively dismissing me. I send him one last glare before spinning on my heels and exiting the barn.
I can't help but fume as I leave. Who does he think he is, talking to me like that? Sure, I may not be the most knowledgeable about farming, but I am just trying to help him! The phrase "no good deed goes unpunished" circles through my head as I stalk toward the stables, and I can't help but acknowledge how true it is.
And dealing with him for the rest of the summer? Two months isolated on a farm is awfully long to spend with someone who seemingly hates your guts for no reason. I shudder at the thought. These months can't pass fast enough. And with Nick? While most of this trip was uncertain, I was sure of one thing.
This is going to be the worst summer of my life.