Love Me (The Love Between Us Book 1)

Chapter One

Chapter One

Two years Later…

“Hair up or hair down?”, I ask myself while starring in my bedroom mirror. I don’t know why I ask, there wasn’t really a lot of options to contain my naturally curly hair except to straight-in what I considered a mess of hair and finish it with a high ponytail to save time and heartache of future tangles.

But today I was nervous and was questioning every detail right down to what shoes completed my ensemble.

I had been gone for two years playing with the Junior Olympic Girls basketball team. Showing scouts across the country that I had what it took to play in next level. After winning two gold medals and reaching the cut-off age of seventeen I said my, “Goodbye’s” to that chapter in my life and began the planning for the next part.

Now here I stood in the bedroom of my home in White Deer, Texas looking into a mirror making one last check of my appearance before I took the short drive to the school to start my Junior year of high school.

As a sound of a car horn travel into my conscience, I let out one last shaky breath picked up my school bag from my bed and the folded piece of paper that saw better day. It was a letter that I wrote to myself when I began my journey and planning to get out of this farm town. The letter was simple “Stay focused no matter what, no distractions” it was to the point for me and when I needed a reminder I was able to pull it out and read what my fifteen year old self wrote.

I passed my parents in the kitchen while heading for the front door receiving a “good luck”, from my mom who is the local librarian. It doesn’t pay much but gives her the opportunity to set her own schedule so she is able to be there for my two younger brothers whenever they need her.

Then came a kiss on the cheek from dad with a well needed hug of reassurance that everything would be okay, he’s one of the reasons why I push myself so hard to get a scholarship for basketball. The fears of him pushing himself to far to provide for us four kids lays heavy in my mind. His working the fields early in the mornings to the oil fields throughout the day, then back to fields late in the evenings has provided the family with a few health scares these past couple of years.

“Love you both” I reply, before shutting the front door and walking the short distance to the ford pickup truck that contains my best friend Julia, even though I haven’t been here for the past two years she remained constant in my life always providing the gossip and happenings in this small town.

As I sit down in the passenger seat and shut the door my best friend provides me with the biggest grin she can form and begins the morning chat.

“Bree Porter, I can’t believe you are back in town, I’m so excited we get to finish these last couple of years together, the football games, the parties I can’t wait!.” she says excitedly, and like she just didn’t see me two days ago when we went shopping for the new school year.

“I’m nervous, I feel like everyone going to stare at me like I’m the new student and they need to decide if their going to hate me or like me.” I state back to her.

“Well you kind of are Bree” she replies back, as she puts the pickup truck into drive to start our ten mile trek to the high school but still continuing to talk to me while she drives.

“Look Bree, you were only here for six weeks our freshman year and then poof you were gone and before that you put basketball at the top of your priorities over having a life.” she says, taking her eyes of the road every now and then to see my reaction to what she saying to me.

“I know, its just after my dad had his first mild heart attack I felt like I needed to do my part to take some of the pressure away from him. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like our friendship wasn’t important to me or neglected you has a friend, but I needed to find a way to get out of this town on my own and basketball was and is it for me.” I hate this feeling that comes over me has I speak the words to her I never wanted to make anyone feel like they didn’t matter to me. But once I played my first basketball game in third grade I fell in love with the sport and wanted to work to improve my skills. And when my dad had his first heart attack I worked harder to put those skills to use and started planning a future where my parents wouldn’t have to worry how they would send me to college.

As we come to the halfway point of the drive we pass by the Anderson Ranch I take in the changes that the house has gone through, even before the add-ons the house was beautiful but now it gives off “This Ranch does just find on its own” vibe unlike the farm house I live at gives “We manage okay” vibe.

Julia starts to slow the pickup down as we approach the only stop sign on our route and my heartbeat picks up knowing just a couple more miles and will be at a school that I’m afraid to walk into. Part of me wants to beg Julia to turn back and plead for my parents to homeschool me. I don’t know why I feel like this I wasn’t bullied when I attended the elementary, junior high, or even the short time I spent in high school here before I left.

But for some reason the feeling of being an outsider in my own home town takes over and has me taking small in and out breaths to get my nerves under control. Julia takes the final turn that leads to the high school and finds a parking space that gives a view of the front of the school. White Deer High school isn’t big, one long hallway and one short hallway and two entrances. The main one, which for some reason is consider the lower class entrance and then at the end of the school the second entrance is for the upper class.

I stay seated inside the pickup wanting to take every precious minute I can get before I have to walk in and start this new school year. Just has I reach for the door handle Julia gets my attention, “Listen Bree ,I’m proud of what you accomplished, don’t ever feel like you weren’t there for me or hurt my feelings. I saw what happened to your dad and what it did to you and I understand, you have a gift when you play. Were here now, your here and we get to finish our high school years together that what matters.”

“Thank you Julia”

“Okay with that said, no more stalling lets get this Junior year started”

With my school bag on my shoulder and one last deep breathe I begin the steps towards the upper class doors while keeping my strides in step with Julia. The first step in the school I take in my surroundings, signs of all colors plastered on the walls cheering on for the upcoming football season, signs hanging from the ceilings marking each sections for freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors along with their graduating class year.

I began to turn my head left towards where my locker should be, but moving in my peripheral vision has me switching to the right. The five golden boys of our town some standing the others sitting on top of their throne. It wasn’t an actual throne but an old long wall heater the school kept in place after the upgrades were made. However, the way they are position around the heater it was like their own throne to showcase who ran this school. It provided a view from both hallways to let others know as well that this was theirs.

I take a good look at each of them, two years ago I only took small glimpses. The two standing to the left are Ford and Brady, to their right and sitting on top of the heater is Logan and to the right of him are the Anderson twins, Carter choosing to sit on top as well while, his twin Chase stood to his right with a confused look on his face with his eyes set on me.

“Damn, look at Ford, I don’t understand why he can’t just finally see that I’m the right girl for him.” Julia’s voice that provided a sigh at the end, has me looking away from Chase just in time before my face began to show any sign of embarrassment from starring to long.

“So, I see you haven’t gotten over your crush. Do you still get tongue tied when he’s around you?” A year ago she called me upset because Ford had finally spoke to her, but because she wasn’t prepared she became a mute and nodded her answers instead of speaking whenever he asked a question.

“Well I gave up hope on your brother Kale after he brought his girlfriend home on two separate holiday occasions, and to answer your question just a little. I can’t help it, I get lost in his eyes an see our future together.”

I’m not able to to hold back a laugh “A future he is unaware of because your too lost in his eyes to tell him you like him.”

“I want him to look into my eyes and see the same. I just need him to stop looking into other girls eyes for that to work.”

“Well if what you tell me about those boys, you might be waiting for awhile or you can just walk up to him, hold his head and force him to look into your eyes.”

“I don’t want to look desperate Bree,” she says with an eye roll “and another thing, those are not boys I don’t why this town keeps calling them golden boys. Their men, just look at them, but not to long at Ford he’s mine.” she finish her rant and turns toward where our lockers are located.

“Don’t worry Julia I’m not interested in Ford, or any of those other golden men. I still have to concentrate on basketball and my studies. I might be home, but my plans haven’t changed.” I tell her while following her to our lockers which by some miracle are right beside each other.

“I know Bree, but don’t forget what we talked about last week allowing yourself to enjoy high school and have fun along the way as well.” she replies back to me while putting her school bag and supplies in her locker, as I do the same with my belongings.

As I shut my locker and wait for the bell to ring to signal time for first period, I take a chance to look over my schedule one more time. I’ve chosen to do three advance classes and with Julia telling me all the time she just trying to get through school work one day at a time. I already know we won’t be in many classes together like I would like to be.

My eyes are on the schedule in my hand when the first bell goes off. Not ready to part from my only friend here, I remain standing in front of my locker with my eyes still on the paper in my hands. It’s not until I feel a hand on my shoulder that I look up, already knowing who it is I look to meet Julia’s face.

“It will be okay Bree, we have third period together so whichever one of us gets there first saves a seat for the other, okay?.”

“Your right, I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” And with that we part and go our opposite ways to different classes. I might have been gone for two years, but with this school being small I’m not able to get lost and it doesn’t take me long before I’m entering the classroom for “Speech”. Students already sitting and taking up most of the seats I notice a seat towards the back and head back to claim it before anyone else comes in.

The second bell goes off alerting that students are late as our teacher begins to shut the door two of the golden boys step in “Oops” I mean golden men, Logan greets Mrs. Brown with a smile along with a “Good morning” while the other who happens to be Chase looks around for open seats. As his eyes skim the class they land on me and the open seat right beside mine “please don’t pick that one” but with a knowing smirk from Chase he heads for the seat to take his place beside me.

For the next fifty minutes class is a blur, whatever Mrs. Brown said didn’t register but thankfully she passed out handouts that I’ll have to review later. As I make my way to second period Advance English I replay the distractions that took my focus away from what Mrs. Stiles had said about what was expected in her class. The way Chase leaned more towards me, his cologne overpowering my senses, causing me to question in my head throughout class what type it was. I guess you can say I played the “Guessing Game” instead of paying attention, which I know better. Because “no distractions” is my number one rule that I set for myself when I began to plan for my future.

When I enter into the next class room my eyes automatically spots the figure in the back surrounded by three others. “What the hell, you have to be kidding me.” I think to myself, all four seats in back row are filled with Brady, Ford, Carter, and the one that kept my thoughts and mind wandering in the last class, Chase Anderson.

“Distraction Bree, that is all he is nothing else” I say to my inner conscience, I choose a seat up front and just as I sit down a loud voice over takes the room and the attention of the other students who are present for class.

“New girl what's your name?” keeping my focus forward to the front, I wait and listen for the new student to respond as well, but after few seconds no one replies back to the question and with a growl the voice speaks again.

“What you can’t answer the question new girl? Or should I just call you “New Girl”?”

“Maybe she thinks she’s too good enough to answer your question Ford” another male voice says.

So it was Ford who’s been asking the questions, maybe whoever he asking is like Julia and becomes a mute as well and lost her way while looking in his eyes. The thought causes me to giggle out loud.

“Oh, so the stuck up b***h wants to laugh at me now.” Ford says with venom in his voice, that gets my attention to turn around in my seat. I look right at Ford before I respond, “Are you talking about me? Did you just call me a b***h?” I ask Ford.

“Yeah, new girl I did or should I say stuck up b***h seeing as that’s what got your attention.” Ford replies back to me,

“Well seeing as I’m not new, I didn’t know you were actually speaking to me. So that is the reason I didn’t answer back.”

“What do you mean your not new? I’ve never seen you here before.” Ford replies back, with a confused look on his face.

“I have lived in this town my whole life Ford, I have just been gone the last two years. But I was home every holiday and if I remember correctly I passed by you a couple of those times around town.” I say back to him, even though I know I was gone more than I was home my appearance hasn’t change that much, maybe two inches taller and hair longer length than I used to keep it before. To me I still looked the same but I guess not being here a constant presence in this town, I had become forgotten in this town.

“Where do you live? If you say you lived here your whole life.” Ford ask, still with that confused look on his face. Which is more causing him to look constipated more than confused. “I’m going to need Julia to explain more to me why she thinks Ford is the one again and how she’s able to look in those eyes when he makes that face.” thinking to myself before answering him back.

“The Porter Farm” My reply short and at this point I start to get a little frustrated with this conversation. Which reminds me that he called me a b***h,”Jack-ass” I mind yell towards him, that’s what I should have added at the end of my reply.

“Your Kale’s little sister, the one that went off to play for some basketball team.” he says back to me, with a small smile forming at his lips.

“It was the Junior Olympic girls basketball team. Where I was able to win two gold medals asshole. Something you’ll never be able to say you accomplished, with your stupid football team.” already regretting the last part has it slips out of my mouth before I can stop it, seeing how this is football country. I should probably go ahead and paint a target on my forehead with words that says, “Football Hater” because one thing I know. You never disrespect football in Texas, and I just did.

“Well our football team, which I can inform you and even this town will agree with is not stupid. And we have three State Championships with a fourth on its way coming this year. Which means in this part of the country, gives us a status you’ll never accomplish “Basketball Girl”.” Brady says, bringing himself in the conversation and confirming that I just f****d up big time with my remark.

I can feel the heat in my face and feel all the other students eyes on me now. Watching my face turn a shade of red, as my eyes stay focus now on Brady, who’s about to speak again, but before the first word is completely out of his mouth.

“Enough” comes from a husky voice right beside Brady, my eyes follow the voice and land on Chase who is looking back at me. As I try to tell him “thank you” with my eyes, but come up short when he begins with another response sent my way.

“Let her think what she wants about our team. Bree, has the right to her opinions. It doesn’t matter because we all know at least we have a town that supports and cheers us on every Friday night and gives us the recognition we earned.”

I feel the tears forming, but not wanting to show how his words affected me I turn around to face the board just as Mrs. Brown walks in to begin the class. As I sit there trying to keep the tears at bay I replay his comment over in my mind, I hate to admit but he was right. And I begin to feel that familiar hurt that I felt when I came home the first time for a visit right after I won the first gold medal. I remember asking my parents did the local newspaper mention about me being in the Jr. Olympics and winning the finals because I wanted to cut out the clip and start a scrapbook for myself. But when both my parents gave me their sad faces, I knew nothing was printed about what I had done and nothing would ever out shine the football team or their players. My only congratulations on that trip home came from my family and Julia no one in this town supported or just didn’t care what I had done in basketball.