Wishing On Dandelions

It was one of those weekends where the Texas heat was absolutely melting everything. My boyfriend at the time, Christopher Delcourt, and I went out to Gladewater Lake to meet up with my best friend Madi and her family for a swim day. We were hanging out at one of the picnic tables when we noticed a guy about our age sitting at the table next to us with his dog. Madi immediately wanted to pet the dog, but she was entirely too chicken to go up to the guy—mostly because he was as hot as the Texas heat itself. Being the bold friend, I told her, "Look, girl, if I get my butt up and go ask him, will you actually get up and come over there with me?" She promised she would. Now, a quick **flashback**: I had actually spotted this exact same guy at the lake the weekend before when I was there with my mom and stepdad, David. I felt drawn to him even then, but since Chris was at work and I was technically in a relationship (a highly toxic one, but still), I chose not to say anything. This time, though, I had a mission. I marched over and introduced myself. "Hi, my name is Sabra! My friend Madi and I were wondering if we could pet your dog? Also, is there any chance I could snag a cigarette from you?" He looked up and said, "Hi, I'm Bailee, and this is Wolfy. You can pet him, but on that cigarette... no offense, but I'm going to need to see some ID. You look twelve." Honestly? That was the exact moment I fell hard and fast. I signaled for Madi to bring her butt over, and from there, we all ended up hitting it off and getting pretty close. Of course, Madi being Madi, she made *me* do the heavy lifting again and ask Bailee if he liked her. Naturally, he did. You can probably guess how that ended up: they started dating. As the months went by, Bailee ended up staying at my house for a good while with me, my family, and Chris. Because we were all living under the same roof, Bailee got a front-row seat to exactly what I was dealing with when it came to Chris. We argued all the time over the most trivial, stupid things, and it was *always* Chris picking the fights. The ultimate turning point happened when a massive tree fell on the backside of our house. Bailee, my neighbor Will, and a guy named Colton immediately jumped up onto the roof to cut the tree down and start repairs. Go figure, no sooner had Bailee climbed up there to help, Chris decided it was time for him to jump down. Bailee asked him where he was going. Chris casually replied that he was "going to take a break" since he had been up there before Bailee arrived. About an hour later, we decided to go see where Chris had run off to. Where was he? His lazy ass was sitting on the couch playing PlayStation. Meanwhile, Bailee was still up there busting his back. He ended up standing on a support beam in the attic when, suddenly, the beam gave out and he crashed straight through the kitchen ceiling! I was standing right there and absolutely died laughing. I couldn't breathe, I was laughing so hard, all while between giggles asking him, "Oh my god, are you okay?!" Fast forward about a month or so me and Chris split up and he takes the local Greyhound bus to Kansas to live with a friend of his. I stupidly kept talking to him slightly trying to see if we can make things work. Stupidly I end up letting his ass come back after a few months. He then gained the nickname second chance. 💔 Early 2021: Breakups, Secrets, and a Rock Through the Window By the beginning of 2021, the drama was at an all-time high. Bailee and Madi were having their own relationship issues, and as for me and Chris? We never stopped having ours. The fighting and arguing had gotten so much worse. After a solid week of non-stop yelling, I had finally had enough. I decided our time was officially over, broke up with him, and kicked him out for good. He begged my family and me to let him stay just for one more week so he could save up enough money to get back home. Lucky for him, we aren't heartless, so we agreed. Lucky for me, my mom and David had an apartment in Longview. I decided to stay there to get away from Chris, and Bailee—knowing I hated being the only one awake at night and hated sleeping in that back bedroom alone—offered to come with me. Then the weekend rolled around, and Bailee’s mom called. She wanted to know what he was up to and asked if he wanted her and her boyfriend to come pick him up for the weekend. I immediately looked at him and said, *"You better ask her if I can come too."* Of course, she said yes—his mom has always loved me! So, they picked us up and we headed over there. A few hours into the visit, his mom and her boyfriend decided they wanted some "adult time" in the main bedroom, so they kicked Bailee and me out to the building next door, which was set up as a kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room area. Keep in mind, Bailee and Madi were still on the rocks. So, Bailee and I were just hanging out in the outbuilding when the flirting started. Eventually, he made a move and kissed me. One thing led to another, and we ended up having some "adult time" of our own. From that weekend on, I developed a bit of a habit: anytime I saw a dandelion, I would pick it and make a wish. **My wish was always the same—that Bailee would open his eyes and choose to be with me.** A few months went by, and Bailee and Madi finally officially broke up. I decided to come clean to her about what had happened that weekend at his mom's house. It was chaotic, and the rest of the year became a whirlwind of new relationships. On December 2nd, 2021—which happened to be his birthday—I started dating a guy we all called Redneck. Meanwhile, Madi ended up getting together with my neighbor, Will. They actually stayed with me and my family for a bit, at least until my mom and Granny got fed up and kicked them out. Next thing we knew, someone was throwing a rock straight through our front window! Eventually, things fizzled out between me and Redneck, and during all of this fallout, Bailee ended up getting into a relationship with Chloe, a mutual friend of mine and Madi's. The drama just never stopped. 🏠 Bailee’s POV: The Christmas Trap I guess we’ll just start out like this: I told Chloe at one point in time that it would be a very, *very* toxic situation if I ever had to move back in with my mother again. Well, not too much later, I was on the phone with my mother around Christmas time. She wanted me to come visit for the holidays. So, I told her, "Yeah, I'll come visit and spend some time with you for Christmas." I figured, why not, right? So, I get to my mother's house and I'm actually having a pretty good time. Out of nowhere, I get a call from Chloe. She tells me, point-blank, "You need to find somewhere else to stay." I was completely confused, especially considering the previous conversation we’d had about exactly how toxic living at my mom's place would be for me. But after that phone call, my visit turned permanent, and I proceeded to be living with my mother once again.