by Nicole Hart
LOVE ON A DIRT ROAD
Chapter 1
I'm so stupid! How could I be so stupid? Those were the only words that kept running through my mind as I sped down the highway. My tears were making it hard to see. God, I hated to cry! How could I be so stupid? I should have known something was going on with Derek. He had been shady for months. I kept convincing myself he was just distracted with work. Staying late at his office. Keeping his phone super glued to his pocket. But it all came crashing down around me when I came home early from work. Who knew a power outage at my office would change my life forever?
As I opened my front door, there it was right in front of me. Derek had a long legged blonde bent over our loveseat. The furniture we picked out together when we first moved into our apartment. I fell in love with that furniture and now I wanted to burn it, with that skank attached to it. The sound of my keys falling to the floor got his attention. I'm not sure who was more surprised, Derek and his skank or me? Something happened in that moment, I went completely numb. I rushed past them and locked myself in my room. Our room. I vaguely heard Derek telling the skank to get out. She called him an asshole and then I heard the door slam. Derek started banging on the door as I furiously packed. I didn't want to talk, I wanted to get out of here. I HAD to get out of here. As soon as I packed up my necessities, I flung the door open. He was pacing back and forth in a panic.
"Lainey, wait, don't go, I'm sorry"
"Fuck you!" Maybe it wasn't the classiest response, but in that moment, it's all I had. I picked up my keys where I dropped them and slammed the door. He didn't try to follow me, which was a good thing. Because I know I would have punched him if he even got close to me.
The sound of Miranda Lambert's voice jerked me out of my thoughts. Sam's ringtone. Thank God.
"Hello" I said
"Oh my God, girl, I'm sorry I missed your call. My stupid phone went dead and I had to charge it. Your voicemail said you were on your way? What did the douche do? I'll cut his dick off and shove it down his throat if he hurt you" Sam sure had a way with words.
"He was cheating on me. I saw it. With my own eyes. Right in front of me, I don't think I'll ever get that image out of my head." My voice started to crack and I cleared my throat to push the tears away.
"No, do not cry right now! Especially over Derek the Douche. I don't even want you driving and talking on the phone. We can talk when you get here, with wine. Lots and lots of wine. How much longer?"
"I'm about 45 minutes away"
"Ok, get off the phone, be careful. I'll see you soon. I love you"
"I love you too. Sam?"
"Yeah"
"Thank you"
"Shut up, and hurry up! But be careful!"
Sam had been my best friend since we were 8 years old. We were on the playground at school and a boy was making fun of my hair. Sam racked him right there. She's always been a badass, even as a kid. Some things never change. When my parents died right before graduation, she kept me sane. She's been there through it all, and this was no exception. I knew I could always count on Sam. I couldn't wait to see her face and cry on her shoulder. I couldn't do this without her.
Bailey Texas Population 889
I hadn't seen that faded green sign in five years. Not since I watched it disappear from my rearview mirror on my way to college. Part of me wanted to change it to 888 that day. I was convinced I was leaving this place behind. But here I was, heading back. As much as I wanted to escape Bailey after my parents died, it was home. And as I pulled up to the only red light in this town, I almost felt a sense of peace. Nothing about Bailey ever changed. Is it possible that I actually missed it?
I took a left at the red light and headed to the outskirts of town. Sam still lived in the house she grew up in. Her dad worked on an oilrig and got a big promotion a couple of years ago that kept him gone most of the time. He only came home every few months and had asked Sam to keep up with it. Sam loved her dad and would do anything for him. It had just been the two of them since Sam was a little girl. Her mom decided that being a wife and mother wasn't for her and just took off one night. But according to Sam, her daddy loved her enough for 2 parents and she didn't need her mom anyway. I don't know if she ever really meant it, but she put up a good front and I wasn't going to go down that road with her. Besides, Sam was tough. Period.
I knew I would have to pass by my old house on the way to Sam’s. I felt the knot in my stomach as soon as I turned down that road. I hadn't seen it since I cleaned it out after my parents passed away. Thank God Joe, Sam's dad helped me get rid of the things I couldn't keep and he hired a realtor to get it sold as fast as possible. I could never have done that on my own. My aunt Shannon, my mom’s sister tried to help me, but she was having a hard time keeping herself together, so when Joe stepped in I was relieved.
And there it was, the long gravel driveway that led to the red brick house where I spent my childhood. The trees were bigger and the new owners had painted the fence. But it still looked like home. I had pulled in the driveway without realizing it. And I wept. I cried because I missed my mom’s hugs. I missed the sound of my dad’s laugh. I missed the long car rides to Galveston, listening to my Dad sing along with George Strait on the radio. He would belt those songs out and mom would laugh until she cried. I cried because I missed baking cookies with my mom and fishing on Saturday mornings with my dad.
But most of all I cried because one mistake took them both away from me. One night of drinking too much and they were gone. I couldn't blame my dad for getting behind the wheel. I missed them too much to be angry with them anymore. I'd been through that. Anger was just one phase of the grieving process, at least that's what my therapist said. So I allowed myself to miss them, and to cry.
Then I dried my eyes, put my car in drive and got back on that dirt road.
Chapter 2
I pulled into Sam's driveway and let out the breath I didn't even realize is was holding.
She was sitting on her front porch waiting for me, just like I knew she would be.
"Finally! I thought I was gonna have to come looking for you!" she yelled as I got out of my car. We met in the driveway and she hugged me tight. Thankfully, I didn't start to cry again, I was too relieved for tears.
"Come on, let's go inside" she said. "I have the wine ready and you can tell me all about what a prick he is"
"I can't believe I haven't been here in 5 years. How could I stay away so long?"
"It was too hard for you to come back until now. Plus you had The Douche convincing you there was nothing left for you here."
I never even told Sam how much Derek didn't like her. But of course she knew. She wasn't stupid. He would hardly say 2 words to her when she came to visit me. He usually wouldn't even stick around at all. Truth be told, I'm pretty sure he was a little scared of her. I can't say I blamed him though. She would have totally kicked his ass at any given time if she had the opportunity. But she was my best friend, she knew I loved him, so she kept quiet. For the most part.
I walked in the house and flopped down on the oversized sectional. Even though my world was crumbling around me, I felt peace. Even if it was short lived, it felt good for a minute.
Sam brought the bottle of wine and two glasses into the living room immediately.
"There's plenty more where this came from. And there's some Shine in the freezer if necessary" She said with her devious smile.
"Oh God no. None for me thanks. Moon is still at it I'm guessing?"
"Girl, he's been making that kerosene shit since high school, he isn't stopping anytime soon. He just makes it part time now, when he's not on hitch."
Moon was our friend since we were kids too. Since he went by Robbie, but no one has called him that in years. Not since he tried to make a career out of making moonshine. Instead he just kept us all drunk in high school. He worked on an oilrig now too. But according to Sam he was still just as wild as ever. I don't think he would ever change.
Sam poured our glasses and we drank. I repeated the whole disgusting scenario that I walked into. I told her about the way Derek had been acting for months. I was so angry with him. I was angry with myself for being so naive. But the more wine I drank, the less I cared. Sam could always make me laugh. So that's what we did. We laughed until the wine got the best of me and I sank into the couch.
The sound of rustling in the kitchen woke me from my wine coma. I covered my face with the blanket Sam must have covered me with after I fell asleep. Or passed out. Whatever. It was a new day and I had to get it together. I had to figure out what I was going to do. How was I getting all my belongings? I needed a job. Ugh, it made my head hurt just thinking about it.
"Oh my God, I'm fucking starving!" She yelled from the kitchen. “I'm going to be late but I've got to eat or I'll never make it without hurting someone."
I heard the beep of the microwave. Then Sam sat on the end of the couch by my feet and starting putting her Nike's on. She's the only person I knew who could rock scrubs and a ponytail. Sam worked at the only vet's office in town. It was definitely her true calling. I'm convinced she loved animals more than most people.
She grabbed her keys, purse and breakfast and headed to the front door.
"I'll be home around 1. Fridays are my half days. Don't clean my house today! It's not that bad!"
"I wasn't going to" She knew me too well.
"Get some rest, we're going out tonight" She said with a wink.
"Sam, I really don't feel like…"
"Shh" She interrupted me. "We're going"
"Ok" I relented.
"Later, bitch! Love you!"
"Love you too" I sighed.
As soon as the door slammed I covered my head with the blanket. But couldn't help but giggle. Maybe going out was what I needed.
While I was mindlessly flipping TV stations I heard the ding of a text coming from my purse. I knew it was him before I even grabbed my phone.
Derek: I'm sorry
Me: Sorry you got caught, or sorry you were fucking some chick in our living room
Derek: Please don't talk like that
Me: Are you seriously telling me how to talk? I was pretty sick of him telling me who to be.
Derek: Look I didn't mean for you to see that. But the truth is I'm not ready to settle down. Maybe I'm not meant to just be with one woman
Me: Maybe something you should have thought about before you asked me to move in with you. 2 YEARS DEREK! I gave 2 years of my life to you and you just throw it away like it was nothing. I know she wasn't the only one. I'm done.
Derek: I still want to see you. I do love you. I'm just not ready for all the other stuff.
Me: So you want to date?
Derek: Yeah
Me: Go to hell. Seriously, don't call or text me again. He really was an idiot.
Derek: So you're just going to go back to that hick town and live your life with all those rednecks you call friends.
Me: Yep! That's exactly what I'm going to do! And I'm going to say it one more time, DON'T CALL OR TEXT ME AGAIN. I'M DONE.
I almost threw my phone across the room before I remembered I didn't have a job. I had to save all the money I could. Man! He pissed me off so bad I was shaking. I had to calm down, so I started straightening the house. Which led to baking cupcakes. Because that's what I did when I was stressed. I baked. I know that sounds crazy but it's something I've done since my mom taught me to bake when I was around 13. Before I knew it, it was 2 o'clock. So I wrapped up my beautiful cupcakes and left them on the counter. I didn't even have the appetite to taste them. Sam still wasn't home so I figured I better get in the shower.
As I showered I remembered about going out tonight. Then realized I didn't have any of my "cute clothes" I grabbed my stuff so fast I only got the clothes that were easily accessible. And that was all my work clothes. Derek never really took me out anywhere so all my going out clothes were still in the back of my closet. Great! Hopefully Sam had something I could wear. I threw on some sweats and waited for her to get home.
Where was she? I thought.
Around 5 I heard her car pull in the driveway. Thank God, I had been alone with my thoughts for too long today.
"Hey" I said as she walked in the door
"Hey, sorry I'm late I had errands and I have great news!" She said with a huge grin
"What's up?"
"So, our front office girl put in her 2 week notice today. I talked to Dr. Weston and he said the job is yours if you want it. I told him you had plenty of office experience and you can start Monday!"
"Are you serious? Oh my God. He's just going to hire me, just like that?"
"Well he trusts me, of course" She said with a wink and a grin
"Sam, you're not sleeping with him are you?" I said half kidding.
"Ew, no, that's fucking disgusting!"
We both started to laugh.
"But I have caught him staring at my ass" She said with a smirk "So I asked sweetly and he was more than happy to give you a shot"
"Thank you so much! You're the best!"
"You know I don't like that sappy shit" She said with a smile. "You start Monday morning, Jennifer will spend the next 2 weeks training you before she leaves. Now, let's find something sexy to wear tonight." She got off the couch and walked past the kitchen. "Oh my God, did you make cupcakes?"
"Yeah, Chocolate, your favorite"
"Listen, you can't make this shit all the time." She took the cellophane off the cupcakes and grabbed one. "Mmmmm" She moaned. "These are so good, but seriously I can't let my ass get fat. And neither can you! I can't have a fat wing bitch!" She laughed. We both did. She was one of a kind.
"I need clothes for tonight. I don't have anything cute! I need to get my stuff from Derek's."
"We'll worry about that later. You can wear something of mine. And Mackenzie from work is coming with us, we need a DD."
She really was the best, she knew how I felt about drinking and driving.
"Thanks Bitch!"
"There she is! Thank God! I was wondering where you were!"
I walked over to get my makeup from my bag next to the couch.
"You know I have the extra room for you to put your stuff in. I put fresh sheets on there yesterday before you got here, but your drunk ass passed out on the couch."
"I wasn't drunk" I giggled. "Just a little buzzed."
"Okkkaayyy" She exaggerated "And you're a lying ass too."
I grabbed my bags and took them to the spare room. I wanted to crawl in the bed and pout for a while but I knew Sam wouldn't allow it tonight. So I grabbed my makeup instead.
After going through Sam's closet I decided to go with jeans and boots. Old faithful. Sam on the other hand, chose super short shorts, a fitted top and black corral boots. Pair that outfit with her perfect blond hair and flawless skin and I knew I needed to step it up. I felt frumpy compared to her. So I changed into an off the shoulder, a little too short for my comfort, flowing dress and her brown boots. I put on more makeup than usual, a smoky eye to bring out my blue eyes. I put my hair in loose curls and decided that was good enough. I stepped out of the bathroom.
"Damn girl, you look hot!" Sam yelled.
"Whatever" I said "I'm just trying not to look like the cousin your daddy made you take out on the town"
"Oh shut the fuck up! You look amazing"
"Thanks"
Just then there was a knock at the door.
"That must be Mackenzie. Come in!" She yelled.
The front door opened and Mackenzie bounced in. She had short brown hair and a smile from ear to ear. Man this girl was bubbly I could tell.
"Hey I'm Mackenzie. You must be Lainey! It's so nice to meet you. "
"Nice to meet you too"
We loaded up into Mackenzie's SUV and headed out of town. I sat in the back and let Sam sit up front. We were headed to JRs. I'd never been there and used my real ID. This was going to be different.
While on our way I told Sam about the text from Derek. I probably shouldn't have brought it up with Mackenzie around but I wasn't thinking and I just blurted it out. She kept quiet during my whole story, but I'm sure she was listening. She probably felt sorry for me.
"You know, he was never really your type anyway, pretty boys were never your thing"
"Hey! I like pretty boys!" Mackenzie chimed in. It was the first thing she had said the whole ride.
"I know you do sweetie" Sam said with sympathy. Then looked back at me and pretended to stick her finger down her throat.
"I saw that!" Mackenzie said.
We all laughed and I started to relax.
"You have to realize it Lainey! He was all preppy and clean shaven. You know you like the bad boy type!"
"I can't even argue with you. You're right." I had thought about it so many times. Derek really wasn't the type of guy I had ever been into. Maybe that was the attraction to him. I was trying to get away from everything I had ever known. And God knows, he was so different from everything I left behind.
Just then we pulled up to the bar. It was only 9 o'clock and it was already crowded. We found a parking spot in the back.
"Let's do this bitches!" Sam yelled.
As soon as we walked in the door, the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke engulfed me. The sound of Luke Bryans voice telling me to shake it for him put a bounce in my step as we looked for a table.
Mackenzie pointed to an empty table and did a quick walk to get to it. I followed behind her as Sam went to the bar to order drinks.
Two margaritas and a shot of tequila later we were all on the dance floor. Other than the occasional sweaty guy trying to grind on me, it was just us girls and we were having a blast.
