In the Lyrics (6 page)

I open the nightstand on my side of his bed and pull out my brush. As I’m running it through my wet hair, the door opens, and in steps Dusty with Colby close behind. Colby’s eyes glance around the room as he takes another step towards the edge of the bed.

“Wow, this is a big bedroom.”

“Yeah, I know. If you wanna trade, we can, but your rent will go up,” Dusty teases.

“Does she come with the room?” My eyes widen as he and Dusty burst out in laughter. I don’t know what was funny about that. It was a rather obnoxious question if you ask me.

Interrupting them, I grab ahold of the laptop and am rendered speechless as my eyes take in the words on the screen. Looking up, I see Dusty leaning against his dresser. His arms are folded over his chest. All I can do is shake my head.
It’s Colby who should be worried, not me.

Without saying a word, I get up and hand him the computer. He looks lost and oblivious to the fact that our town’s slut has already claimed him. “New boy in town bitches!” I read out loud with disgust oozing out of my mouth, lacing my words. “You might want to steer clear of Barbie. Well, unless she’s your type. If that’s the case, I’d say she’s a sure thing.” Turning on my heels, I walk out of the bedroom. Feeling aggravated, I march towards the front door. I need fresh air.

THE SOUND OF footsteps on the pavement tells me someone is coming up behind me. The noise grabs my attention away from my roaming thoughts. We live in a safe, small town, don’t get me wrong, but there are psychos all over the world. Turning my head to the side, I see my best friend wearing nothing but a pair of jeans tucked in his boots and I feel a sense of relief wash over me.

Playing with a small pebble, I smile. “Well, hey there, country bumpkin’.” He strolls closer and sits beside me on the curb out front of the apartment complex. Dusty is never quiet; something has to be wrong. “Are you okay?” I probe, looking for a reason for his lowness.

“Are
you
okay?”

The funny part is I don’t even have to tell him I’m not. He knows, and he always knows where to find me. “I’m fine,” I lie.

“You’re lying is what you’re doing. Now ‘fess up, what’s got you walking out of the room in such a hurry?”

Feeling stupid, the truth is I did feel a hint of jealousy. Brittani is beautiful. I’m not gonna lie. And although she is a raging bitch most of the time, she has everything I don’t. Money, blonde hair, and a pack of friends following her around like her shit don’t stink, including Logan. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Dusty, but he’s all I have, other than Logan. They make up my inner circle, and to have to share Logan’s friendship with Queen B sucks. I know it’s my fault for pushing everyone away, but at least I know I have those two on my side, regardless if Logan is Mr. Popularity too.

For once I wish I could just be like Brittani and not have to worry about how the hell I am going to get out of this town. She could leave and never look back; her family has the resources, and mine doesn’t. The only way I’m going to make it out of here is by having no connections to keep me tied here. Sometimes the realization of my dreams of fleeing and my dreams of being a normal college student weigh heavily on my shoulders.

“You like him?”

“I don’t know him, Dusty. Come on now. How dumb does that sound?” My tone sounds bitchier than it should. Dusty hasn’t done anything wrong, but…I don’t know, maybe I am being a bit harsh.

“It doesn’t have to make sense, ya know. Everything doesn’t come with a rhyme or reason. You know that, Hensley You just don’t want to believe it. I don’t know why you can’t see how amazing you are.” He raises his hand and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “Just because you’re attracted to someone doesn’t mean the end of the world is coming. It means you’re normal, human. Wait, you are human, right?” His hands grip around my belly, pulling me closer to his body, and then he starts tickling me. Laughter erupts from my mouth. “Okay, you’re ticklish, you’re human. But really, Hensley, you have got to let someone in, other than me. Maybe Colby is the one to break through the hellishly tall wall you’ve built around your heart.”

Maybe he’s right. After all Colby is attractive and nice; I guess I can cut him some slack. I mean, we did just meet today, and I’ve been acting like Cruella Deville.

Standing up, Dusty wipes the palms of his hands on his jeans and then holds one out to me. “Come on, sweets. We don’t want to leave
our
new roommate waiting. Let’s go set some ground rules.”

Taking his hand, I pull myself up.

“Listen, you think he’s hot, so what? Just be yourself and a little bit nicer to him than you’ve been today,” he pleads. I didn’t know my behavior was that obvious.

“Okay, okay, but this Brittani shit is crazy. She will never be allowed over here. I swear, D. I don’t care if he’s paying rent, and they start dating or something. You know how much I hate her.”

“That broad doesn’t have anything on you, baby girl. Come on.”

The next hour passes without notice. It’s nearly midnight so I assume Colby is in his room unpacking and organizing his things, and then I hear the strumming of a guitar. I could spot that sound from anywhere. Trying to be discreet, I tiptoe into the hallway and make my way to his door, where the music is coming from. Putting my head against it, the sound abruptly stops
.
The door swings open and startles me, causing me to stagger backwards. I’m desperate to get back to Dusty’s room, but get caught looking like a deer in the headlights.

“Hensley, are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost.” He looks concerned and a tad bit bemused.

“Yeah, I’m totally fine. Ugh, I was actually coming to get you.” I fib. “Dusty wanted us to go ahead and have our ‘meeting’ so we could all get to bed.”

“Sounds good, let me just throw on a shirt.”

Holy shit
, stop the clock.
How did I
not
notice he wasn’t wearing one when he almost came barreling into me? His abs are the most defined I’ve ever seen in real life. My eyes take a mental picture of the scrumptious man in front of me.
Crapola.

“Umm, yeah, sounds good.” I quickly turn on my heels and head towards the living room. Dusty is watching TV, so I grab a blanket off the top of the recliner and snuggle up next to him. Colby walks in and assesses the seating arrangement then sits on the floor directly in front of us.

“Dude, we can move over or you can have the recliner. You don’t have to sit on the floor.”

“I’m good. So what’s this meeting about?” He seems curious.

Dusty’s arm snakes around my waist as he begins to talk. “It’s nothing formal. Just wanted to welcome you…”

I interrupt him, “Actually, this is more of an informational meeting. As you can see, I am here a lot. While I can’t stop you from bringing women around, there is one that is not invited. Ever.”

He smirks, “Let me guess – Brittani?”

My smile answers his question. “Whatever you two do or don’t do is your business, but she isn’t welcome here. And another thing, the sorbet is mine. Don’t touch it.” My side stings as Dusty’s fingers pinch my skin. “Please. I mean, please, don’t touch my ice cream or my groceries. You’ll know what items are mine because I write my name on them.”

“Got it. Any other rules I should know about, Dusty?” I pay careful attention to how he doesn’t address me.
Good.
Maybe if he really does think I’m a bitch he will avoid me, and it will make this little living arrangement a hell of a lot easier. On second thought, he lives here now. I’m going to see his handsome face every day and hear his music.
Maybe I should stay at my own house for the next few months.

“Nope, man, she about summed it up.” He laughs. “But really dude, my only rule is to put the seat down. I loathe walking into the bathroom and the seat’s up. Call me a pussy. I don’t care. It’s gross.”

I nudge Dusty in his side.

He growls, “Ouch, brat.”

“Thanks for throwing me under the bus, and then backing up and driving over me,” I snarl.

Colby’s voice interrupts our banter. “Uh, guys? I’m still sitting here.”

“Sorry, man. Told you she was feisty.” Dusty reaches over and grabs my face like my grandma used to do at Christmas. It’s annoying.

“What do you mean, you told him I was feisty? When? And I’m not feisty!” I whine.

“Hensley, sorry to break it to ya, Sunshine, but you’re totally feisty.” Colby laughs while pushing himself up off the floor. Rolling my eyes, I attempt to say fuck you without actually speaking the words. “And on that note, I’m going to bed. See ya both in the morning.”

Mission accomplished.

Dusty is silent as he sits beside me shaking his head.

“What?”

“You remind me of an eight-year-old little boy. Teasing the girl you have a crush on during recess.”

Not funny.
“Har-har! You’re hilarious.”

I get up and walk down the hallway to Dusty’s room. He can watch TV by himself.

AFTER OUR IMPROMPTU meeting, I went back to my room to finish unpacking, and Dusty and Hensley went to theirs. It’s still a little strange to me that they sleep in the same bed, but who am I to judge? It’s apparent she doesn’t want anything to do with me. Why would she? I’m a complete stranger to her. But that doesn’t stop the nagging feeling in my gut that there could be, or there already is something else between us. I can feel it, although she is doing a damn good job at trying to push me away. I know her brashness is all a front. One day she’ll let me in. I just have to get to know her, and learn why she’s so guarded. And trust me, I will.

Settling into bed, I am reminded that I’m not at home on the farm anymore. Long gone are the sounds of pots and pans being rummaged through in the kitchen as Pops tries to find his bottles of alcohol, the ones he hides in an attempt to act like he doesn’t drink. It’s a useless endeavor because we all know about his drinking habits. The peacefulness in my ten by ten bedroom is golden, but I can’t shake the sense that something awful is going to happen. I guess old feelings die hard. Reminding myself that I’m not in Texas and that I don’t have to be on edge all the time, I’m finally able to convince myself to fall asleep.

THE SOUNDS OF clanging metal alert my eyes to open. As I jump up in bed, my left hand swings over towards my nightstand to grab my alarm clock, but it isn’t there. Rubbing my eyes, I glance around the room and realize where I am. I’m in my new room, and my alarm clock is safely packed away in a large duffle bag two feet away from me. Taking in my surroundings, I squint as I try to locate my cell phone to check the time. I’m not used to sleeping in, at least not at home. There is always an animal that needs feedin’ at the crack of dawn or a field that needs to be plowed. I guess the years of five a.m. mornings really took their toll on me as I peer at the time on my cell phone. Nine a.m.
Damn
, I did oversleep.

The mouthwatering aroma of bacon frying jars my senses. My stomach tells my brain I’m starving and urges my legs to move from their spot under my blanket to the floor. Bending to grab a pair of pants, my morning wood gets in the way. Opting out of the thin black pants I had in mind, I walk over to my dresser and pull out a thicker, grey pair. Sliding them on, I know I can’t walk out of this room with a raging boner. Normally it goes down on its own – maybe knowing Hensley is lying in the next room unconsciously made it a little harder. Opening my bedroom door I quietly walk into the bathroom to take a leak, secretly praying that draining it will help it go down.
Doubt it.
A few minutes and thoughts of randomness later, I’m able to adjust myself comfortably in my pants and walk down the small hallway to the kitchen.