The next day at school, Gunner and Faith were waiting for Palmer once again at the entrance. Gunner was leaning against his truck while Faith was in front of him with her arms crossed.
“Come on, Faith. Why don’t you accept and go out with me? There is a barn party on Saturday, and I would love it if you were my date,” he pleaded while she looked away, not paying attention to him. Faith wanted him to work a little harder to convince her.
“I’m actually going with a guy from the rodeo,” she said, turning around so he couldn’t see the smirk on her face. All she needed was a reaction, and it seemed like she was going to get it.
“Who is it? I want to know,” he said, his voice sounded upset. Faith had to press her lips to hold back a laugh, and when she was serious enough, she turned back around to face him.
“You don’t know him, he likes to be on the down-low, and no one really knows much about him. He uses a different name on the rodeo, and he is very handsome. Oh, and he’s in college already!” Faith lied, but when Gunner was about to say something else, Palmer arrived.
Faith looked at him, and she noticed how upset he was. He slammed the door of his truck before he stomped away, making her smile.
“What got his knickers in a twist?” Palmer asked, making Faith shrug her shoulders, “What did you say to him?”
“Nothing. Gunner’s just upset because he invited me to the barn party, and I said I couldn’t go with him.”
Palmer looked at her friend and raised an eyebrow, knowing there was something else she was not saying. Faith looked at her and let out a loud exhale.
“I might have told him I was going with this cute cowboy from the rodeo, a college boy.”
Palmer laughed at her friend’s tactic to make Gunner jealous, but she had to plan a way for them to stop this game they both had with each other, or more like Faith. He would not wait a moment longer.
“We better go in, or we’ll get in trouble with the teachers,” Palmer said. They both headed with their arms linked to each other towards their first class. As they approached Faith’s classroom, they noticed Christopher sitting on his desk already, reading a book.
“You didn’t tell me he was in your first class,” Palmer said, getting a sheepish smile from Faith in return.
“It must have slipped my mind, sorry. Let’s say hi before you go to your classroom.”
They both approached Christopher and sat next to him, looking at him with puppy dog eyes as Palmer put her hands on her chin.
“Good morning!” Faith said. He looked up and tried to hide his face behind that same book he was reading the other day. Palmer raised her hand and brought the book down to look at his face.
“Why are you hiding? We just want to talk to you. It would be nice if you let us,” Palmer pitched in with a smile that had Christopher looking at her in awe. That smile was genuine and different from the one she had shown him.
“Oh, I have an idea! Why don’t we invite him to the party? He can go as your date, Palmer,” Faith said, making Christopher choke.
“Come on, Faith. Don’t scare him. Although inviting him is a great idea. What do you think, Christopher?” Palmer asked him, and he just opened his eyes wide.
If he wanted them to like him, he would have to give them a chance, but their extroversion was a bit too much for him. He was afraid he couldn’t keep up with them. But it looked like they were the only ones willing to hang out with him.
“I want to go,” he whispered, making the girls look at him with their eyebrows raised.
“What was that?” Palmer asked. Christopher lifted his head and took a deep breath while he worried his lip.
“I said I want to go. Maybe getting out of my house would be good for me if I get to come with you.”
“Of course! That’s why we’re inviting you. We would be happy to have you,” Faith said, shooting a big smile towards him to make him comfortable.
The bell rang. Palmer quickly got out of the chair, and without saying goodbye, she ran out of the classroom to make it on time to her class, making Christopher let out a small laugh.
“You’re laughing,” Faith said excitedly. Christopher quickly got serious and went back to his book until the teacher walked in. She hoped that between Palmer and her, they would help him stop being a bit shy.
An hour had gone by, and the class was over. Christopher grabbed his backpack and walked out with Faith, following behind.
“So, Chris. Can I call you Chris?” She asked. He nodded, giving up on the fact that he could ignore her; no such thing.
“I was thinking, maybe you can join us for lunch. I’m sure Palmer would love to have you at our table.”
He didn’t think it was a good idea, but Faith didn’t let him talk when she grabbed him by the arm, pulling him towards their next class. Faith was Palmer’s friend for sure, and they will pull out his limbs just for him to spend some time with them.
♥♥♥♥♥♥
It was finally lunchtime, every student’s favorite time of the day. Still, today was even more exciting since it was the day where the lunch ladies at the cafeteria would spoil them with some steak and loaded mashed potatoes, so everyone rushed to get there.
Palmer and Gunner were already at their table waiting for Faith, but they didn’t expect her to walk in, dragging Christopher.
“Oh, poor guy,” Gunner said with a sympathetic smile, making Palmer laugh.
Faith and Christopher arrived at the table, and Palmer greeted them before they sat down. Gunner had already picked Faith’s lunch. A steak salad with extra lettuce and light on the dressing, just how she liked it.
Faith had moved to town a few years back, and just like Christopher, she used to be from the city. Her mom met her stepdad in Chicago, and they fell in love, so he offered her to move here, where his home was, to start fresh. She was grateful for it, a change had done her good, and she went from a spoiled rebel girl to a humble one.
“We didn’t know you were going to join us, but come on, let’s get your lunch,” Palmer said, getting up from the bench.
“That’s okay, I’m not hungry,” Christopher replied nervously, putting his hand in his pockets.
“Nonsense. Come on,” Palmer insisted.
Faith leaned towards him, “If I were you, I would go. She doesn’t take no for an answer.”
No kidding, he thought. Christopher got off the bench and followed Palmer to the food line. As they were picking the food, he realized he didn’t bring money to pay for his lunch. At the register, Palmer looked at him with her eyebrows raised, confused.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I forgot my lunch money,” he replied, ashamed.
“That’s okay. I got you covered, only because you’re talking just a little more this time, but you can do better at it, just have some fun,” Palmer whispered the last part, and he nodded, giving her a faint and nervous smile. After finally taking their food, they walked back to the table and sat down to enjoy their lunch.
“So, we have to go shopping for the barn party. I’m sure our friend Chris here would look good in a flannel shirt and jeans,” Faith said, making Gunner jealous as he narrowed his eyes at her.
“Yeah, he would look good in that, maybe for Palmer?” He mentioned. Palmer looked at Gunner with her eyes wide open and apologized to Christopher on their behalf.
“What is your problem, Gunner?” Faith asked, looking at him with her arms folded on her chest.
“Nothing, or maybe the rodeo cowboy can tell you what’s my problem,” he replied. Palmer shook her head. Her friends were acting childish, in her opinion.
“Gunner, she’s not going anywhere with anyone, so feel free to take her there,” she said, earning a glare from Faith and a kick on her shin from under the table, making her hiss in pain.
“Okay, we all agree to go shopping this Friday after school for Saturday. Are you up for it, Chris?” Palmer asked, getting Christopher’s attention, who had his head down until she mentioned his name.
“Um…” he said, looking at Faith and remembering what she told him earlier, “Okay, I just need to let my mom know I’ll be late from school.”
“Perfect! So, this Friday, we’ll meet at the entrance, and we’ll take Gunner’s truck.”
Gunner groaned because he knew going shopping with the girls would mean the bed of his truck would be full of bags, and he would have to end up carrying it all himself. But at least he’d have Christopher to help him so he couldn’t complain. It would definitely be a fun trip.
The school day was over, and the three friends were walking towards the exit. Palmer saw Christopher waiting in line to get on the school bus, and she headed over after she told her goodbyes to Faith and Gunner.“Hey!” She greeted him, and all he could do was give her a small smile.“Hey, yourself.”“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out at my ranch. We have horses, and we can ride them around,” Palmer mentioned, hoping he would say yes. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. My mom is probably waiting for me to help with dinner,” he replied when Palmer’s cell phone rang. James was on the other line. He gave her the news that Misty was finally in position, which meant she would give birth at any moment. She squealed excitedly and turned to face Christopher, pulling him towards her mom’s car. Getting away from her would be impossible.“I’ll miss the bus home, and my mom will wonder where I’m at.”Palmer asked him to give her their phone number, and he hesitantly did. She didn’t waste ti
“Hello, Palmer,” Hunter approached her as she was putting some books on her locker. Palmer had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at his presence.“Hi, Hunter. What can I help you with?” She asked, closing her locker door and walking towards her classroom. Hunter walked next to her, trying to make conversation. “I was wondering since the barn party is this Saturday, and you have agreed on a date; maybe we could go together?” He asked, showing her a flirtatious smile. Palmer sucked in a breath as she turned around to face him.“I’m sorry, but I’ll be going with Faith and Gunner, and we also invited Christopher,” she replied. Hunter looked at her with narrowed eyes before he laughed.“You mean to tell me you’re going out with that, that gallon of milk?”“Watch your mouth, Hunter. I better not hear you talk about him that way again, and you know what? I don’t want to go out on a date with you anymore.”Palmer walked away before he said another word. She was upset and didn’t even want to
“Do you want to pet Jackal?” Palmer asked, but Christopher was still hesitant. She stepped out of the stall and extended her hand for him to grab. When he did, she pulled him back inside, and they both sat down on the hay. The silence was deafening, but neither one of them could speak. They just looked at Jackal and Misty bond.“When I was in elementary school, and probably most of my middle school year, I was shy and alone. No one wanted to be my friend because they would say I was a nerd, with my nose stuck in a book all the time. I even had these big rimmed glasses, and they were always making fun of me,” she chuckled nervously. Christopher said nothing. Gunner was right; she was always friendless. “I was always looking for ways for the other kids to like me, but I wasn’t having any luck. Until Faith arrived at school, she had come from the city too, Chicago. As soon as she saw me, she wanted to be my friend, and at first, I was hesitant. As I got to know her, I realized she was t
Friday arrived, and Palmer took time off from classes to rehearse some dance moves. Sarah, a classmate, had accompanied her. She was an expert at playing the piano, and Palmer wanted her to play the musical instrument for her. “Are you sure they gave us permission to skip class and do this?” She asked skeptically.“Yes, Sarah. For the tenth time, I asked for permission. I’ll collect all my schoolwork as soon as classes are over, and you can do the same. The principal called every single teacher and let them know, so no need to worry,” Palmer replied, putting her bag on the stage and getting in position as Sarah did the same behind the piano.She ordered her to play something lively, no matter what it was, since all she wanted was to dance.“What’s this for?” Sarah asked while Palmer did pirouettes on the stage. “I just wanted to dance, besides the barn party is coming up soon, so I have to practice my moves. You’re going, right?” Sarah looked at her with an apologetic smile and shook
Palmer pulled away from Christopher, seeing his face had turned much paler than before. She looked at him with her eyes wide open as she covered her mouth, realizing what she had just done. “Oops,” she said before looking at her quiet friends, but Faith had a smirk on her face. Her friend had been bold, and she couldn’t be any prouder.“Wow, you really have poor taste in boys, Palmer. You should have stuck with me. We would have been a good power couple at school,” Hunter said, shaking his head before he walked away with his friends, but not before murmuring something about Christopher. They all knew he was being childish. “Let’s go before any more drama unfolds,” Gunner said, taking Faith’s hand and walking out of the store as she laughed at Hunter. Palmer smiled shyly at Christopher as she headed to the truck with him following right behind. They got in and drove off, deciding to stop at the diner to get something to eat. Palmer and Christopher didn’t say a single word on the enti
James parked his truck near the crash site, and the firetrucks and ambulance were already there, trying to take Palmer’s friends out of the vehicle. She wanted to run towards them, but her father stopped her and ordered her to wait by the truck while he checked on them.She prayed that they were okay. Her anxiety was getting stronger when she couldn’t see them emerge from Gunner’s truck. The cool summer night made her shiver as she waited and waited until she saw any signs of life. “Please, let them be okay,” she whispered sadly. James walked back to his daughter and hugged her, knowing how she felt, and he needed to comfort her. Palmer knew it was late, but she needed someone to talk to, so she called Christopher again. She knew he wouldn’t speak to her, but if his mom told him what happened, he might take the call. “Hello?” This time it was him. He was still awake, something she was thankful for.“Christopher, please don’t hang up. I needed someone to talk to, and you were the fir
“Sweetheart, come down and eat. Your breakfast is going to get cold!” Palmer heard her mom. She groaned, covering herself with her soft blanket, not in the mood for anything. Knowing her friends were in the hospital made her want to stay in bed, sulking all day. Palmer looked at the ceiling, thinking about them when she heard a knock on the door. “Come on, sweet pea. It’s time to come out of the room. You have to eat and then do chores before we go visit your friends,” James called. With a long sigh, she got out of bed. Dragging her feet to the bathroom, she took a warm shower before getting ready. Palmer put on some jeans, a red flannel shirt, and grabbed her sneakers. She walked down the stairs with only her socks on. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, and her freckles were pronounced as she didn’t wear any makeup. Her eagerness to join her family for breakfast was more prominent than her sadness, especially knowing that she would see her friends. “So, how are they, Dad?” She as
Palmer sat by her friend’s bed, making sure she was eating well. There was a bowl of chicken noodle soup on her tray and some ginger ale. “I wish there was a nice burger and some shakes from Dino’s. This food here is bland and always cold,” Faith complained, pushing the tray away from her. Palmer laughed, shaking her head while taking a spoonful of the soup to feed her. “You can’t eat anything else. This is what’s best for you at the moment, so eat it. If you behave, I promise to take you out for some burgers as soon as you leave this hospital,” she mentioned, bringing a smile on her friend’s face.Christopher admired Palmer from the other side of the room. How she valued those she loved. He wanted to tell her so many things, but he was afraid of screwing up. As he was about to head out, Faith called him back inside.“Don’t go anywhere. I want you both here. While you’re at it, I want to know what’s going on between you two,” Faith asked, pointing at them. Palmer looked at her with h