“You’ll see in a few minutes. Just know that Maggie is one of the best,” Pete says.
Storm and I wait until Jade gives me the single to go. We start racing through the barrels. I get to the end and turn storm around. Jade gives me the thumbs up and calls out my time, “33.43 seconds! Awesome job!”
I look around to see that Adam and Pete have huge smiles. “Great job, Maggie!” Pete yells and Adam nods. I look at Heather, and she and Jase look shocked. I laugh at their shocked faces
“That’s what barrel racing is” Pete tells them. They shake their heads and smile her me
“Damn Maggie… that was awesome” Jase tells me, after a while we all head back towards the house.
It was time for Heather and Jase to head home so we all said our goodbyes. I headed in to take a shower, then call Amy. After I was done, I went back downstairs to watch a movie with Dad because everyone else was off doing something else. Halfway through the movie, I say, “Goodnight, Daddy. I’m beat.”
“Goodnight, baby girl,” Dad said, giving me a hug. Heading up to my room, I crawl into bed and was out like a light in seconds.
****
The next morning, I pick out a pale pink sundress and my pale pink cowgirl boots, and head for the shower. Getting dressed, I pull my hair up into a ponytail, put on my necklace and earrings, and do my make-up. I head downstairs for some of Mom’s eggs and bacon. Everyone else was already at the table. “Aww, baby girl, you look cute in that dress,” Mom says. I make a face and she laughs.
“Hey, Mags, you gonna ride with me today?” Adam asks.
“I was planning on it,” I say. After breakfast, we grab our stuff and head out.
As we pull into the school parking lot, we see that Pete, Jake, Travis, and Josh are all there waiting on us. Josh starts to walk towards me when Jase shows up and stands in front of me. Adam gives him a small nod, and I put my hand on his back and whisper, “Thanks, Jase.”
I walk away to join Heather, Kelly, Sarah, Jeff, and Amy. I look back towards the guys to see both Adam and Jase staring this way. Jase is definitely hot but, after what Heather told me last night, I’m not going there. From what she said, it sounds like he’s just like my brothers and that’s something I don’t do. It really is to bad “Hey, girls. Ready for cheerleading tryouts today?” I ask.
“Hell, yeah!” they all say, making me giggle.
The boys head over to us. Adam puts his arm around my shoulders. “Let me guess. You girls were just talking about cheerleading tryouts, right?” Adam says. We all smirk at him and nod our heads.
Jeff walks over to Jase and holds out his hand. “Hey, I’m Jeff. I never got the chance to meet you yesterday,” he said.
Jase shakes his hand but, before he got the chance to say anything, Josh chimes in. “Jase, you do know that he’s a fag, right?”
I go to slap him, but Jase stops me. “No, Maggie.” He turns to Josh. “Why would I care if he’s gay? The only one I dislike right now is you. For one, you can’t seem to keep your hands off of a girl that wants nothing to do with you. Two, saying shit like that just shows what kind of person you are.” Josh gives him a dirty look, walking away. I didn’t think he would stand up for Jeff. Maybe there’s a lot more to him than I think.
“Thanks, man,” Jeff says and I smile at him.
“Alright, boys and girls. Time to get to class,” Mr. Ward says to us. Amy, Jeff, and I all head to Advanced History, and take our seats. I’m just about to ask Amy about track when my cell phone buzzes. I look and see that it’s a message from Adam.
Adam: Hey, sis, looks like someone has the hots for you.
Me: Whatever, Adam. It’s not happening.
Adam: And why is that, Maggie?
Me: Because Heather told me that he’s a player just like you. No thanks.
Adam: Come on, Maggie. Since when did you start listening to what other people say?
Me: Just drop it, please.
Adam: Fine. Whatever you say.
I look back up to see Amy and Jeff both staring at me. What?” I say.
“How come you look so pissed off?” Amy asks.
I wish that there could be something between Jase and I, but there’s no way I’m going for a one-night stand. “Adam is trying to tell me that Jase has the hots for me, but there no way I’ll do anything about it. Heather told me that he’s just like my brothers.”
“Really, Maggie, since when have you ever listened to what other people say?” Jeff said. They’re right, but I’ve seen how my brothers are.
“Yeah, maybe, but she’s telling the truth and I don’t want to get hurt.”
“Whatever. Anyway, what are you doing tonight?” Amy asks.
I look at her, wondering what she’s up to. “Nothing, why? What’s up?”
“There’s a bonfire over at Sarah’s tonight. Want to go?”
“Sure,” I say, just as Mrs. Mills walks in.
Chapter 4 (Jase)
As soon as Heather and I got home from the Summers’ ranch, Mom and Dad ask us about our first day of school and our new friends. “We had a great time with Adam and Maggie, and school was good,” Heather says.
“Yeah, I got to play football with them and some of Adam’s friends, and their mom is an awesome cook. You and Dad should go out there some time,” I say.
I can’t stop thinking about Maggie. She’s not like girls from New York, that’s for sure. She likes getting down and dirty, and she doesn’t care what anyone thinks. I’ve got to say, that’s refreshing. When I saw that gorgeous girl covered in dirt and found out that she helps her dad on the ranch, I was blown away. I didn’t think girls did stuff like that. I’m guessing that most of the girls here do the same thing. I know that I will never be good enough for someone like her because I don’t date and, as hot as she is, I could never try anything with her. I like her and respect her too much.
“We are so happy that you two had a good time. Maybe you’d like to invite them over here one night this week so we can get to know them,” Mom says.
We hear footsteps on the stairs, and see April and her friend, Tina, come down. “‘Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Jacks.” She glances at me and then looks again. “Oh, wow, April. Your brother is hot.” We all stare at her, shocked.
“And he’s too old for you. Besides, I think he has his eyes on someone else,” Heather says and grins at me. Damn, shut up, Heather. Now Mom and Dad are going to ask questions. It doesn’t matter, though. Once she finds out about my rep, she’ll steer clear of me.
“Heather, seriously, why can’t you keep your mouth shut? Anyway, I’m not the only one. I seem to remember someone not being able to take her eyes off of a certain boy,” I point out.
Mom and Dad look at both of us and are about to say something when April’s friend says, “She means Madison High’s sweetheart, Maggie, and I’m guessing that the boy you’re talking about is her brother, Adam, right? I’m telling you right now that Maggie doesn’t do one-night stands, and that’s all Adam does. I’ve known them forever.”
I really want to tell her to shut up. I look over at April and give her a look that says she better get her out of here. Just what we need is this brat saying stuff like that to our parents. I mean, come on. What the hell is this girl’s problem? Is she just that jealous of Maggie? I look over at Heather and she looks just as pissed off as I am. “This isn’t any of our business except to say that I really hope that you’re both careful,” Mom says. I say goodnight to everyone, and head upstairs for a shower and bed.
****
When I arrive at school the next morning, I see Josh walking towards Maggie so I step in front of him. Was he so dense that he didn’t get that she didn’t want him touching her? Adam gives me a small nod of thanks, and Maggie touches my back. I would really like it if she touched me more. Damn, no, I can’t think like that. “Keep bugging my sister and see what happens, Josh,” Adam says He looks pissed off, but so does Josh. If the guy was smart, he’d leave Maggie alone because she doesn’t just h
ave Adam protecting her anymore.
“Damn, Adam. How did she put up with this shit last year?” I ask. Everybody laughs. Okay, I’m not getting the joke.
“She didn’t have to because our other brother, Mark, beat his ass the first time he tried it. That lasted most of the year. Guess he thinks that he’s got a clear shot now. Looks like I’m going to have to pick up where Mark left off,” Adam says.
We head over to where the girls are standing. There’s a guy with them but…wait a second. He’s checking me out. I smirk to myself. Sorry buddy, I don’t swing that way. I go over and stand near Maggie. Adam has his arm around her shoulders. I really wish I could touch her like that. “Let me guess. You girls were just talking about cheerleading tryouts today, right?” Adam asks. They smirk at him and nod.
That guy comes up to me and we shake hands. “Hey, I’m Jeff. I never got the chance to meet you yesterday.”
I’m about to say something but, before I can, Josh walks up. “Jase, you do know that he’s a fag, right?”
Maggie raises her hand to slap him, but I grab it before she can. No, pretty girl. I want that to be my job. “No, Maggie. Josh, why would I care if he’s gay? The only one I dislike right now is you. For one, you can’t seem to keep your hands off of a girl that wants nothing to do with you. Two, saying shit like that only shows what kind of person you are.” I look at Maggie and she’s smiling at me. God, I’d love to see her smile more.
“Alright, boys and girls. Time to get to class,” Mr. Ward says to us and we all file into the building.
Adam and I are sitting in math class when I notice that he’s texting someone. He keeps looking up at me, grinning. God, I hope he’s making plans for football after school and not talking to his sister. He put his phone away. “Dude, your sister told mine that you’re a player, just like me. I’d kick her ass if I were you.”
Fuck, Heather, why would you do that? So much for sister loyalty. “I guess she hates me now, huh?” I say.
Adam looks at me for a minute, thinking about it. “No, man, she doesn’t hate you. What she hates is what we stand for. Maggie doesn’t like anyone getting hurt, including herself. What gets me is that she usually doesn’t listen to what others say.” I’m not sure what to say to Adam. I wonder when Heather talked to her about this. Probably yesterday sometime. Maybe I can talk to Maggie later on today, just the two of us.
“So why is she listening now?” I ask.
“I have no fucking clue. I’ll talk to her about it at lunch.” I just nod. He does know her better so I’ll just have to trust him at this point.
After the bell rings at the end of class, we all file out of the room and head to our next one. I see that Maggie is already sitting with Jenny. I walk over and sit beside Clay, a guy on the football team. Jenny and Maggie are sitting right behind us so I turn around. “I heard that my sister told you some things. Can we talk about it later?” She looks surprised. I hate what Heather did and I want Maggie to understand.
“Um, yeah, sure. Whenever you want,” she says. We’re both getting weird looks from Jenny and Clay. Fuck them. I don’t care what they think.
After class, we all start going down to the lunchroom. Maggie and Jenny walk by me and I reach out and grab her arm. She turns around, looking confused. “Can we talk while we walk to lunch?”
“Sure,” she says and we start walking.
“Listen, about what Heather told you…yes, I’m a player. But I wouldn’t even think of doing that to you, no matter what. I think you’re the hottest girl in school, but I also respect you too much to hurt you. Can we just agree to be friends? I’m still in high school. I don’t want to change the person I am until I graduate.”
She smiles at me, looking relieved. “Sure, Jase. We can be friends.” I smile at her.
She makes her way to the lunch line, and I walk over to Adam, who’s sitting with Pete and Jake. “I don’t need to talk to her anymore, I guess,” Adam says with a smirk.
“No, dude, did it myself. I told her that I’m not going to change who I am until after high school so we agreed to be friends.” He smiles and nods.
****
After school, all of us guy’s head out to the field to kill some time while Adam waits for Maggie to be done with cheerleading tryouts. “Adam!” we hear. We all look over to see a guy that looks a lot like him walking towards us. God, how many brothers does this guy have?
“Shit. Hey, Mark. Why aren’t you at school?” Adam asks. Oh…Mark, the one that beat the shit out of Josh. I glance around and see Josh hiding behind Pete. Dumb ass.
“I gotta talk to you and Maggie. It’s about Gabe,” he says, grimly. I look back over at Adam, who’s gone pale.
He walks over and puts his hand on Mark’s shoulder. “What’s wrong with Gabe?” he whispers.
Mark shakes his head. “Where’s Maggie?”
Adam points towards the gym. “Tryouts.” They start walking that way, the rest of us following behind them. Guess I’m not the only one that wants to see what’s going on.
We get there in time to see Maggie up in front of the judges. Amy turns and sees Mark, then comes running over to give him a big hug. “Hey, Mark. How come you’re here?” Mark just shakes head, leaving Amy looking confused. She’s not the only one. We all look at each other, shrugging, as Mark walks towards Maggie.
“Hey, baby girl!” Mark calls out.
Maggie turns around with a huge smile on her face…until she sees Adam’s and Mark’s grim expressions. “Mark, what’s going on?” Maggie asks, biting her bottom lip. Whatever this is about, it can’t be good and I’m starting to get worried. Everyone starts gathering around, and I don’t know if we should stay here or leave.
“Mom and Dad sent me to get you two after I got home. There was a shooting at a store that Gabe was in. It doesn’t look good.” You could hear his voice breaking. Maggie starts shaking her head and the tears start falling. Mark grabs her and wraps her in a hug, motioning for Adam and Amy to join them. Gabe must be one of the other brothers. The rest of us just stand there, wondering what to do.
“Come on. We better get home,” Mark says, wiping the girls’ tears. We watch the three of them leave. They all look so heartbroken. Hell, I’m heartbroken. Heather and I don’t know Gabe, but news like that is still hard to hear. I can feel the pain of our friends.
“Are you ready to go home, Heather?” I ask, somberly, and she nods. For the first time, I notice that my sister is crying. I put my arm around her shoulder and we walk out of the gym.
The ride home is quiet, neither one of us quite knowing what to say. We walk into the house and mom knows that there is something wrong. Maybe our faces give it away. “What’s wrong?”
“Maggie and Adam’s brother showed up at school today and said that their other brother was involved in a shooting. It doesn’t look good,” I said.
“Oh, my. What that poor family must be going through,” Mom says.
****
The next day at school, neither Adam nor Maggie are there. “Hey, Amy, do you know what’s going on?” I ask.
“No, I don’t. I tried calling Maggie a few times this morning, but I didn’t get an answer.” Of all people, I thought she would know, but it doesn’t look like anyone does. We will just have to wait until we see them, or one of them calls somebody, I guess. I hope everything turns out okay. Amy and me, start walking towards the school and the rest of our friends. The rest of the day goes by in a blur, I can’t stop thinking about Adam and Maggie, what they’re going though and weather their brother is okay. I haven’t known them every long but I can tell their close family and I’m guessing this would tear them apart if they lose him! That night at dinner dad says prays for them.
Chapter 5 (Maggie)
I was so happy to see Mark… until I really looked at his and Adam’s faces. Right away, I knew something was very wrong, but I never thought it would be about Gabe. He’s one of my big brothers and my hero. Oh, my god. This can’t be happening. When we
get home, Dad says, “Okay, kids. We’re heading to Dallas in an hour so go pack a bag.” Adam and I head upstairs.
Within an hour, we’re all in the truck and ready to go. Mom turns around from the front seat and tries to smile. “Don’t think the worst. We didn’t get much info so let’s just wait until we get to the hospital.”
Nobody says anything on the drive. We’re all paying like there’s no tomorrow. Once we get to the hospital, Mark says, “One of us should call Chase and let him know what’s going on. Even if he can’t leave and come home, we need to tell him.” They had already called Creed and Jade, who are on their way home from an event.
Mom shakes her head. “I don’t want him to know just yet. What if something bad happens to him because his mind is on home?” Dad looks at her and nods.
We make are way into the hospital, and see that Creed and Jade are already there. They gave everyone a hug. Mom and Dad walk over to the nurse’s station and say who they are. The nurse pages and doctor, who comes into the ER a few minutes later. “Mr. and Mrs. Summers, hello. Your son pulled through surgery. Over the next few days, we’ll make sure there’s no damage from the bullet, but it looks good. He’s still unconscious but, once we get him in a room, you can go see him.” My mom breaks into tears and my dad puts his arm around her, shaking the doctor’s hand. Creed, Jade, and I volunteer to go get everyone coffee, and make calls to other family members.
****
Over the next few days, Gabe gets stronger. The doctor says that he’s going to be just fine, and will be able to finish collage and play football. We also find out the he has a girlfriend, whom he’s serious about. Wow, if Gabe can change, maybe there is hope for the rest of my brothers…Jase, too. “So, baby boy. When do we get to meet this girl?” Mom asks.
He smirks at her. “As soon as she gets here, mom. It should be any minute now,” Gabe laughs.
Just then, a beautiful girl with short brown hair and big brown eyes walks into the room. We all turn to look at her and she stops short, looking as if she’d like to run the other way. Mom is the first to say something. “You must be Gabe’s girlfriend. I’m sorry. He didn’t say what your name was. I’ll smack him for that later.”
My Texas Sweetheart (book one) Page 3
