ROMANCE: YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE: WESTERN ROMANCE: The Smoking Cowboy (SPECIAL FREE BOOK INCLUDED PLUS FREE GIFT) (CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE) (3 page)

The meal I had been looking forward to never happened. Instead, I sat up the whole night, whilst I waited for sleep to arrive, but that never happened either. I could feel the seconds dragging passed, as though they had turned into hours. I hadn’t seen James for the entire day. I don’t know if he stayed in his room or whether he’d slipped out, but he’d stayed out of my way.

My brain was still trying to understand what happened. I couldn’t figure out what had changed, but I knew that something had. I knew that something had made James decide to end things and it wasn’t long distance. I kept rerunning the words he had used through in my head, I could hear them being said, as though he was right next to me. I could hear the lies behind them. I knew that it was something I’d done and I just wished he ‘d told me the truth, so that I could have, at least, tried to make it better.

When the sun finally appeared on the skyline, I got up and packed my bags. Liam wasn’t driving me back to the airport, I was getting a cab and I didn’t see any point in waiting around to say goodbye. It wasn’t like James wanted to talk to me anyway.

It didn’t take me long to get all of my stuff together and when I’d pulled it all down the stairs, I picked up the phone and called for the cab. I could hear movement upstairs when I was getting the last bag from the porch and I walked quickly to the cab, so that I’d be gone by the time they made it downstairs.

When I’d sat in the back of the cab, I told the driver that I was going to the airport and sat back, as the car pulled away from the ranch, where I had spent the last nine months of my life. I watched the building getting smaller in the mirror, as the wheels put distance between it and me.  I could feel a dull aching in my chest, as I realized that I might never see James again.

I’d realized, as soon, as he’d told me that it was over, that I’d been in love with him. I’d never told him that. It was something, which I wasn’t even sure about until it was too late, but I was deeply in love with him, in a way that I had never experienced before and every mile that was being put between us, felt like a knife being stuck into my back.

I closed my eyes, as the sand spread out around me. There was nothing now until the airport and I let myself drift off, as the car bumping around lulled me to an uneasy sleep. When I eventually woke up, I could hear the cab driver calling out numbers to me and I pushed my eyes open quickly, as I realized we had pulled to a stop.

We were at the airport and he was waiting to be paid. I pushed my hand into my pocket and pulled out some notes, which I sorted and gave to him. My plane wasn’t due for hours yet, but it was better being at the airport than at a house where I wasn’t wanted. I got a trolley for my luggage and packed it all onto it.

When I walked into the airport I was surprised to see that it wasn’t busy. I managed to get checked in quickly and I went to find a café where I could get some breakfast. I could tell that the day was going to be long and it hadn’t even really started yet. I blinked my eyes, as they fought back the tired feeling, which was weighing them down.

As I sat waiting to set off I tried to think about where I was going, rather than where I was leaving. When my mom had sent me to Texas she had meant it, as a punishment, but the nine months I’d spent there had been some of the best of my life. I wasn’t sure they were worth it though. Every beat, which my heart gave, made my chest ache and I wondered whether my mom would be happy knowing that my heart was broken due to her punishment. I wondered whether she would consider that justice for my crimes.

I heard the voice over the speaker system call out my flight number. I could feel my pulse picking up, as I walked towards to the flight gate. At least I was heading back to the city. At least in the city I could be the person I was meant to be, I thought to myself, as I joined the que of people who were waiting to board.

A small part of me though felt the bitter lashing of disappointment that James hadn’t tried to stop me. A tiny part of me had hoped that he might at least try to say goodbye. He knew which airport I would be at. He knew which flight I was getting on and he had chosen to not come.

I stepped onto the plane and back into my old life.

College hadn’t changed. It was still the same boring place, where people went and nearly killed themselves, so they could have a certificate at the end. It was less than a week after arriving that I ran into John. He was starting his second year and at first he looked surprised to see me, but when he realized that I wasn’t pissed at him, he quickly started to worm his way back into my life.

At first I was hesitant to let him back in. I’d starting smoking weed again, but that didn’t mean that I wanted to fall back into old habits entirely. He persisted though and, before long I found myself sitting on his couch and smoking pot like the good old days, before I had even given James a second thought.

It wasn’t like the good old days though. We both knew that even though neither one of us was pointing it out. We weren’t together anymore, and I’d made it clear from the start that it wouldn’t be happening. I still wasn’t over James and I couldn’t think about being with anybody else, never mind somebody who did what they did and then left me to take the fall. I didn’t have anybody else though, and just having a friend, even if they were a shabby one, was better than nothing.

“I’m going to need you to do me a favour.” John said, as he passed the joint over to me and let out the smoke he was holding in his lungs.

“Oh yeah?” I asked suspiciously, as I started to smoke.

“I need you to look after some stuff at yours for me for a bit.” John said, as though it was no big deal.

“Are you for real?” I asked in disbelief.

“What d’ya mean?” John asked looking confused at my reaction.

“You realized that’s what got me kicked out of college last year right? You realized that’s what nearly drove my family apart right? You realize that’s what I took the fall for, so you wouldn’t have to right? I mean you do actually remember that?” I said, as though he might have been stupid enough to forget.

“Obviously I remember.” John said, as he grunted in anger at being mocked.

“Well then you should know that I’m not going to be that stupid twice.” I said, as I sat back and took another pull of the joint.

“Okay let me rephrase myself.” John said, as he sat forward and pulled the joint from the hands. “I’m going to be keeping some stuff at yours for a while. Cheers for being a pal.” He said and then took drag himself.

“Go to hell.” I said, as I stood up and pushed back the head spin. As soon, as the room had slowed to a stop, I walked out of the room without turning back. I couldn’t believe that he really thought I’d agree to that. I couldn’t believe that he thought I was that stupid. I couldn’t believe that I had almost let him use me like that again.

When I got back to my room, I lay down and went to sleep. I needed to get the pot out of my system so that I could think clearly about what John had just asked. I obviously wasn’t going to say yes, but that didn’t mean he would accept me saying no. I’d seen John lose his temper before, and it wasn’t pretty, but I had never been on the receiving end of it at least that was until now.

I didn’t wake until the next. The sun blared in through the window, as I’d forgotten to close the curtains and it felt almost, as though my eyes were burning in its light. It took a little while for my eyes to adjust properly, but when they did, I sat up and looked around the room. I tried to keep the thoughts of the night before from my mind, as I started to wake up, but they kept drifting back, as though they knew they were more important than all the rest.

When I finally pulled myself out of bed, I looked at the little lock, which was supposed to keep intruders out. It didn’t look like much and I couldn’t help, but feel, as though if you really wanted to, then it wouldn’t be that hard to break one. I looked at it for a moment longer and then went to get showered for the day.

My new college course had more lessons than my old one, but I was enjoying them a lot more. I’d taken art this time around and I found having a creative outlet had helped me to cut down on how much I was smoking, plus it kept my attention in class, so I wasn’t getting kicked out all the time.

At the end of the first month of being back at college, I was starting to get good grades. I hadn’t spoken to John since he had asked me to look after his stuff and because of that, I hadn’t been smoking either and I felt a lot sharper in the mind because of it.

I couldn’t help but feel a bitter sadness though over James, who still hadn’t called or emailed me. I had really thought that the nine months we had shared were special, but it seemed, as though they had only been special to me. I wondered whether he had already moved on. Whether he had found a girl who was prettier and smarter than me, but I didn’t dare reach out myself to ask. Although I hadn’t been able to figure out what I had done wrong, I knew that it had been something I had done and I’d accepted that James, just obviously wasn’t forgiving me for that.

I’d found my hand hanging over my cell phone from time to time, as the urge to call him picked up its strength, but in the end, I’d always flip my cell closed, because if he wanted me in his life, then he wouldn’t have sent me away.

I woke up from dreaming to a loud knocking on my door. As I blinked open my eyes and pushed back the hazily feeling of sleep from my mind, I heard another knock. It was late, I could tell from the darkness, which was hiding behind my curtains. I looked at the clock and saw that it was the early hours of the morning. I wondered who might possibly be knocking on my door, so late in the night.

I quickly pulled myself out of bed and walked over to the door. They started to knock just, as I was opening it and they nearly hit me in the process. The college dean apologises, whilst two fully uniformed police officers stand next to him.

“Sophie, these two policemen are here to search your room.” The dean said, as he looked at me with disappointment in my eyes.

“This has to be a mistake? I don’t have anything in here. I mean you can do a drugs test and everything, I’m clean.” I said quickly, as they walked into my room and started to pull everything out from it place.

I watched, as they opened the large wardrobe and started to riffle through it.

“Miss is this yours?” One of the police officers asked, as he held out one of my purses.

“Yeah.” I said, as I looked at it.

“I’m sorry miss, but you’re under arrest.” The policeman said, as he walked towards me and held out a pair of handcuffs.

“For what?” I asked desperately, as he put my hands behind my back and started to read off my charges.

I’m sitting in a cell, as I’m waiting to be questioned. It’s all very surreal. The grey walls with the crumbling bricks looked almost like a television set, as I stared at them. I could see where people had engraved their names into the soft bricks. Why would anyone carve their names here? Who would want to be remembered for being in a police cell?

The officer, who had arrested me, told me that they were waiting for my parents. That meant they were going to tell my mom. I tried to think about the situation logically. They weren’t my drugs. I knew whose they were and this time, I hadn’t promised to keep it a secret, but would anyone believe me, especially after I didn’t speak up the first time.

I could hear someone walking down the hall. The footsteps stopped outside the heavy metal door, which was keeping me locked in like an animal. I waited, as the small letter sized slit opened.

“Stand clear.” A voice with authority called out, although he knew he didn’t need to. He could see me sitting on the small slab, which was meant to serve, as a bed. I couldn’t have been further away from the door if I had of tried.

He waited, as though it was just standard procedure to do so, and then opened the door.

“Your parents have refused to come.” The officer said, as he started to walk me out of the small cell. The hallway was equally, as grey and neglected, as the cell. We walked down the stretch of hallway in silence and it wasn’t until the officer, stopped to open a gated section that he spoke again.  “You get one phone call and if I were you, I would call your parents.” The officer finished, as he slid open the gate and directed me to the phone.

I looked at the phone. The numbers on its face loomed out to me, as I tried to choose the right ones to dial. I finally made up my mind and put them in. I could hear the phone connecting. It started to ring, as I held my breath and waited for the voice I was hoping to hear. The phone was still ringing. Then just, as I was about to give up and put the phone down, I heard a click and then a voice.

“Hello?” James said from the other end.

“James, it’s Sophie.” I said, as I waited to see what the response would be.

“Sophie.” James said gently. “I’ve missed you.”

“James, I need your help.” I said quickly, as the officer started to tap his foot impatiently.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” James asked with concern in his voice.

“I got arrested.” I said, as I hung my head. He needed to know the full story, but I couldn’t give it to him over the phone. I waited for him to reply, but he didn’t, and then I heard the phone click and I knew he’d hung up.