In the Lyrics (5 page)

I don’t have to answer out loud. We both know it’s going to be an interesting two months until our sophomore year starts.

I put the car in park and give myself a mental pep talk to open the driver’s side door. Colby pulls in a few seconds later with a smile on his face. I knew it the moment our eyes locked, and he listened as I sang. Not just to my voice, but to my soul. Colby Grant is going to be hard to keep at a distance, especially as he walks towards me, his pearly white teeth glistening in the moonlight and his perfect brown hair – hair that begs to be tousled.
Oh shit, not again. He isn’t worth it. He isn’t worth it.
He is not worth being stuck in this town. No man is worth that. Holding on to my dream of blowing this popsicle stand one day, I turn and walk towards the restaurant leaving Dusty and Colby in my wake.

DINNER WAS AWKWARD, to put it mildly, and it wasn’t the third wheel status that hung around my neck like a dog tag that made me feel like an outcast. It was Hensley and her standoffish behavior. I don’t know what it is about her, but she seems a tad bit unsociable. I’m new in town; you’d think she would be warm and welcoming. At least that’s how it is in Texas. But nope, she is as cold as they come. Dusty is pretty cool though and made sure to include me in their conversation.

She, on the other hand, put a damper on the night. I sensed that she didn’t want me there and she made that crystal clear by ignoring me the entire dinner. The only time we exchanged any sort of communication was when I asked her to pass me the salt for my napkin.
I hate when my drink gets stuck to it, so I sprinkle a little salt on it.
A few baskets of chips and a quesadilla later, we piled back in our vehicles to go home. I offered to drive Dusty so Hensley didn’t have to waste her gas, and almost immediately I regretted it. Both of their necks snapped around to look at me, both faces wearing a blank expression.

“No, bro, I’m good riding with Hensley,” he paused and looked a little nervous about finishing his sentence. “She’s, umm…well, you’ll see her around the apartment a lot. She’s sort of like my built-in roommate except she doesn’t actually pay any rent. Got any problems with that?”

I almost felt like it was a test. I guess I passed because as soon as I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head, he patted the hood of my truck and left me standing, staring at the back of his head as he opened the passenger side door and climbed into her car.

The apartment complex was only a few minutes from the restaurant, which was about thirty minutes outside of Nashville. The town is small, but that is nothing new compared to my hometown. Comparing it to home makes me think about my momma. Lord, I hope she is okay. My old man is a loose cannon. You never know when he is going to go off. Normally he would take his aggression and heartache out on me, but now with me not being there, I can only pray that she doesn’t get the brunt of his hatred. Things weren’t always bad though. Well, not this bad. I had a good childhood. Growing up on the farm helped me in many ways; it instilled responsibility and taught me to work with my hands. It wasn’t until the accident that my life started spiraling out of control. That night all of our lives changed. After my little brother, Levi, died, it was like the glue that had held the Grant family together and kept us connected vanished with him. Hell, we might as well have raised our hands and said farewell to the once-happy lives we lived, if I’m being honest.

My father will never be able to forgive himself for that night. The night God called Levi home, the night I promised myself, no matter what, I would strive to reach my goal. I love to sing and entertain people, don’t get me wrong, but I’m here because I promised my brother I would make something of myself. I would be somebody. I remember seeing him sitting in front of the television watching the Country Music Awards, his small body swaying to the music as he sat Indian-style on the floor with his favorite red cowboy boots on. This move is about me fulfilling the dream he had for me. My only desire is to become someone, for Levi. He might not have known what a big impact he made in our lives during the eight short years he was with us, but his joy for life despite his disability was enough to make us all strive to be our best.

“You comin’ in? Or are you going to stare off into space like some blitzed cowboy?” Hensley’s voice interrupts my stupor as she approaches my driver’s side window that has been rolled down the entire ride.

Tilting my head to the side, I crinkle my forehead and put my gearshift into park. “Blitzed cowboy?”

“Oh shit, Dusty, he really is country,” she sneers. “Blitzed as in stoned?” I can’t tell if she is asking a question from her facial expression.

Yup, she thinks I’m an idiot
.

“Just forget it.”
Great
, annoyed Hensley is back. “Are you coming or not? It might get cold sleeping in this truck.”

“So you’re worried about me now, Sunshine?” I tease, sensing that somewhere under her cold exterior there really is a girl with a heart somewhere in there.

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear earlier, but I’m not into nicknames or any form of endearment from strangers, and I’m sure as hell not into your lame attempts to woo me. So let’s just get a few things straight right now,” she pauses, I assume waiting to see if she gets a rise out of me, which she won’t. I’m no fool. I know she’s attracted to me. After all this isn’t my first rodeo. And as bad as she’s trying to fight it, I actually find her attempts at masking her blushing cheeks a little cute.
She really needs to work on her badass look, because right now she looks like she wants to fall on her knees in front of me.
As drawn as I am to her, for whatever reason, I know she isn’t the type to fall easily. She seems more like the type you have to chase. Good thing for her I’m a fast runner.

“Listen, Hensley…” I interrupt her. “I really don’t want to get off on the wrong foot here. It seems you and Dusty are real close. Kind of weird where I come from seeing a man and a woman so close without having, ya know, relations. But, that ain’t really my business either. But we both know there is a mutual attraction here. Let’s just see how long it takes you to realize it too. Now excuse me, ma’am. I have a lot of bags to carry in.”

Our eyes don’t break contact as I move my right hand across my body, towards her. Turning her head slightly to the side, she looks as if she is in a trance or she thinks I’m going to reach out the open window and grab her face. She is dead wrong. My hand fumbles with the black knob as I pull it up and unlock my driver’s side door. Glancing up, I know that is exactly what she thought I was going to do; her mouth is hanging open. I’m not sure if it’s because she is shocked I didn’t do it, or more shocked that she wanted me to. Either way, I know I got to her.

“Didn’t your momma ever tell you if you keep your mouth hung open like that a bird’s liable to fly by and shit on your tongue?” She doesn’t answer. Instead she snaps her mouth shut and scowls. She’d resemble one of those cartoons characters I used to watch with Levi on Saturday mornings, if she wasn’t so damn cute; you know, the one that has steam blowing out its ears.

“Nice. That’s real nice, Colby,” she mutters under her breath before walking away without a second glance. Getting out of my truck, I grab my bags and sit them on the pavement. My eyes drift to the steps that Hensley is climbing.

Dusty’s voice suspends my thoughts, “She’s feisty, isn’t she?”

Sarcastically I ask, “Feisty is putting it mildly, don’t ya think?”

“She has her reasons. We all do.” He shrugs his shoulders like I should know what he is talking about.

I guess we all have our own demons, and reasons for being who we are today. I know I do. But what I can’t understand is why I have a sudden fascination with discovering what she’s all about.

“Yeah, I guess we do. You wanna help with these bags? I’m beat.”

“Sure thing, man.” He bends and picks up my black duffle bag. As he slings the nylon strap over his shoulder he says, “We might want to hurry in there before she gets to the shower first and uses all the hot water.”

Hensley in the shower would be a sight for sore eyes.

Shaking my head, I nod in his direction as he leads the way up the concrete steps to my new home.

THE LOUD SOUND of someone pounding on the bathroom door reminds me why I still live at home. Having roommates isn’t something I would like. Yet here I am showering in someone else’s shower. C
an’t a girl have some privacy?

“Dusty, I’ll be right out!” I holler, annoyed that I’ve only been in here a few minutes. He knows I like to take long, hot showers.

“It’s Colby, and I have to pee. Can you hurry up?”

“Yeah…umm…give me five.” The sound of my voice stuttering is unmistakable. I just pray that he didn’t hear it. A shower, a few solid minutes of alone time to think is all I need.

A few minutes later I turn off the shower and slide the curtain over just enough so I can lean forward and reach my towel.

“Holy shit, Dusty!” I screech as my hand touches a man’s flesh.

“Shit. It’s not Dusty. It’s me.” He doesn’t have to say his name; I know who “me” is.

Colby looks in the mirror with horror in his eyes, like his presence in the steamy bathroom and his closeness to my naked body scare him. My hands dart to cover up my lady parts. Even though they are hidden behind the shower curtain, I still feel exposed. He wiggles his ass as he stands in front of the toilet, attempting to stop the flow as he’s emptying his bladder in front of me.

“Sorry,” he belts out. “I honestly thought I could sneak in and piss without you knowing.” He frowns as his hands fumble with the soap dispenser on the counter. “Really, this is…well, this is weird. I would never intrude on a lady in the shower; I just had to pee, and Dusty was in his bathroom. It was either in here or outside. And I doubt the residents below us would vote for that option. Please don’t think I’m some sicko.” He rushes as he washes his hands and then dries them on my towel lying next to the sink. Swallowing, I fight the urge to laugh. I mean, it was rude of him to barge in here, and yes, he did startle me, but it’s not like he just committed a crime or anything.

“Apology accepted. Now if you’ll please go, I’m naked and freezing if you couldn’t tell. Wait,” I stop him from leaving. Taking his hand off the wooden door he turns back around to face me. “Could you at least hand me my towel?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As soon as he walks out of the bathroom, I rush out of the tiled shower and lock the door. I’ve never had a reason to before. Dusty has a half-bath in the master bedroom, so he’s never needed to come in while I was in here. I should have realized it wasn’t Dusty in the first place.
Stupid girl.
Although his demeanor was funny, like he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, I’ll have to remember Dusty and I aren’t alone here anymore.

Drying off, I wrap the towel around my chest, careful to hold it at its ends. We don’t need it falling down as I’m walking down the hallway and mistakenly flashing Colby for what could possibly be the second time tonight. Rounding the corner, I open Dusty’s bedroom door and step in. He is sitting with his laptop on his lap and a grin on his face.

“What’s so funny?”

The coyness in the air is tangible. “Oh, nothing.”

Walking over to the queen bed Dusty is resting on, I sit down and wait for him to tell me what he’s laughing at. I know him like the back of my hand, and I know he won’t be able to keep whatever has him laughing to himself for long.

A few seconds pass before he speaks up, just like I knew he would. “Want to see what Brittani posted on her Facebook wall?”

“Not really. Is there a reason why I need to see it?” Who knows what that little priss has done or said this time. I wouldn’t put anything past her bimbo ass.

“You don’t need to…but I think you’d want to, considering Colby is going to be living here. He might want to see it too.” Without hesitation, Dusty jumps off the bed and lays his computer down on his flannel comforter before stepping out into the hallway. Scared that he might bring Colby back with him, I get up and throw on a pair of Dusty’s sweatpants. I slide on my sports bra and plain white T-shirt from the bottom drawer of his dresser.