Rebel Soul: (Rebel Series Book 1) ((Rebel Series)) (2 page)

I’d finally gotten the attention of my crush at the time, Corbin Little. He asked me to dance and ended up with a broken nose, courtesy of Tommy,
just
for copping a feel when we were dancing. I was so livid at Tommy that I was practically seeing red. Gordon drove us home and I couldn’t stop yelling at them about what huge jerks they were. Somehow, I ended up grounded for drinking and Tommy and Gordon got a pat on the back for “protecting their sister’s virtue”.

It was really difficult being
the only
girl in the house, and not just because of my family’s
extreme
overprotectiveness of me. Growing up, I often felt torn between what I did like and what I should like. I liked hanging out with my friends and didn’t mind farm work. I loved horseback riding and I knew how to drive pretty much every all-terrain vehicle known to man. I played football with my brothers and cousins and I had helped over a hundred cows give birth. I was a better shot with a bow and arrow than my brothers, and I could aim pretty well with a shotgun too.

I wasn’t afraid to get my hands dirty. I liked my old truck, my casual wardrobe and my cowboy boots, but I also liked lipstick and makeup and secretly daydreamed of getting kissed by a boy and falling in love. Although in the same breath, the very idea terrified me.

I didn’t fit into one category or another, and sometimes…that was maddening.

My best friend’s mom, pretty much the
only
female constant in my life, always said I could still ride horses and dirt bikes and rock lipstick. At the thought of my friend’s mom, I smiled. If it weren’t for Sue Thompson, I didn’t know
how
I’d survive this world, brought up by these Neanderthals. I went to Sue when I first got my period, crying my eyes out because I was so scared. She taught me about menstruation and she was the one who took me to the walk-in clinic to get birth control, not because I was sexually active, but because my cramps were unbearable and I was too mortified to broach the subject with my old-fashioned father.

Tonight I was wearing a pair of faded blue skinny jeans, my genuine brown leather cowboy boots, and a red plaid blouse over a white tank top. I’d braided my hair in the familiar style I always wore it in just to keep it out of my face. My deep-set amber eyes seemed brighter with the added embellishment of makeup.

My cell phone started to vibrate, and I made my way over to the old desk that had belonged to someone in my family. Basically everything in my house belonged to someone else in my family at some point. I don’t think the décor or furniture had changed in a hundred years; I both loved and hated it.

I slid my phone off the surface of the desk, unlocking it with a swipe of my finger to read the message. It was Elle, demanding to know where I was. I texted her back to tell her that I would be there in fifteen minutes, and shoved my phone into the back pocket of my jeans.

I grabbed my overnight bag and paused in the kitchen to check the crock pot on the counter. I knew I wasn’t going to be home for dinner, but I still wanted my dad and brothers to eat so I’d prepared a stew that had slow-cooked all day. I flicked the switch to low heat before I raced out the front door.

The sun was just setting as I walked to my truck. My heart was pounding with excitement, and I couldn’t say why for certain. I knew it had very little to do with the evening before me. It felt more like something in the air; the excitement, the thrill. I just had a good feeling about tonight, and I couldn’t wait.

After watching the smash-up derby and hitting up the Midway, we were going to a bush party, the
first ever
bush party without any of my brothers hovering over me like a protective mother hen. I thanked the stars that both of my older brothers were working nights trying to finish up a residential job for Gordon’s construction company. 

Elle had already gotten our tent set up, and she’d managed to score us several cases of beer. Elle assured me it would be safe; it was a friend’s family’s property, so there wasn’t a risk of getting the cops called on us.

I was intent on enjoying my last carefree summer. In September, I would be heading off to college and the fun would have to stop so I could focus on my studies and my goals.

I was enrolled in the veterinarian technician program at Georgian College. The ultimate goal was to work for a couple of years as a veterinarian technician and save up for the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at Guelph University. I knew my father couldn’t afford the program or the living expenses at Guelph and I didn’t want him to end up stretching our family finances even more than they were already strained. Plus, a part of me wanted to do this on my own.

Barrie was far enough away from Parry Sound that I might actually gain some distance—and independence—from my family, yet close enough that I could easily drive home whenever I missed them. The living expenses of Barrie were super cheap too, and I’d gotten several scholarships and bursaries.

I was excited for September, excited for all the new possibilities. Better yet, I was excited that my best friend would be at my side. Elle was also enrolled at Georgian College; she was going to take the paramedic course.

This was the moment we’d both been eagerly anticipating for the last four years, when we’d get to be
college students
together. I could only imagine the different kinds of trouble Elle would attempt to lead me into, but I was hoping I could keep her head on straight.

I spotted her waiting for me by the ticket booth. She was peering around, looking for me. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of my friend. We’d been best friends since the day she was born, seven months after I was born. Her mother, Sue, had been my mother’s best friend growing up. She’d always had my back, and I’d always had hers. We were as close as two people could be, yet we were as different as night and day. She was more of a free spirit than me, and her sense of adventure was never ending. I worried about consequences and Elle worried about nothing.

Elle was thin and curvy with dark hair and dark eyes and a mischievous smile that always meant she was up to no good. She was one of the town’s darlings though, and could often get away with anything just by flashing her sweetest, most demure smile. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with, and I’d seen her in action.

Tonight, she was dressed in her black cowgirl hat and the shortest shorts known to mankind; Daisy Duke herself would likely cringe at the amount of thigh showing. She squealed when she caught sight of me and bounced over, throwing her arms around me as if she hadn’t seen me in months.

“Jesus, Elle. Did you consider putting on pants tonight?” I joked, shaking my head at her.

“You sound like your dad.” She snorted. “Besides, I’ll just have to take them off later for Braden.”

“Okay, gross.” I frowned, my excitement for the night waning at the mention of Elle’s boyfriend. Braden wasn’t my most favourite person. He worked as a mechanic at Chuck’s Garage; he wasn’t very book smart, but he definitely knew his way around an engine block. His talent would have been more impressive if he wasn’t such an arrogant prick.

Braden annoyed the hell out of me, and I sort of resented him. Before him, Elle and I could talk about literally anything. That girl and I were tight, and we still were…just not when it came to Braden. When they started dating two years ago, she started to get
really
defensive about her relationship with him. She loved him, and I tried to tell myself that was all that mattered. Elle was happy, and despite how much of a dick Braden was to everyone else, he was kind of sweet to her, in his own way.

Besides, I’d known that Braden was going to be a part of Elle’s grand plans. He always was and it really didn’t come as a surprise to hear that he’d be partying with us. I just hoped that Elle wouldn’t leave me completely to the wolves and ditch me to hang out with Braden…alone. The last thing I wanted was to start off my summer feeling like the third wheel, again.

“Oh relax, Tess. Tonight is going to be amazing,” Elle said decidedly, linking her arm through mine and leading me away from the gates.

I pushed down my feelings of discomfort and smiled at my friend. When Elle decided something, it was done and she was usually right. We
would
have fun tonight, despite Braden’s presence.

The number of people at the rodeo was astronomical. It felt as if the entire town was there, along with all the people from the smaller local communities. Twilight fell and the energy around us cracked and sizzled.
Everybody
was excited to be at the annual rodeo. Elle led me to the bleachers around the show ring, where our friends were saving our seats. Krista Turnkey and Joanna Poole were in our tight knit circle of friends. They both loved the same things as Elle and me, basically anything country. I’d taken horseback riding lessons from Krista’s mom growing up.

“Hey, Tessa!” Krista grinned, moving closer to Joanna to make room for Elle and me in the packed stands.

“Hey.” I smiled back, biting my tongue and resisting the urge to comment on their similar state of undress. Krista and Joanna were both wearing jean shorts and tight tank tops like Elle. They were the kind of girls that loved flaunting their bodies and giggling any time they got hit on. I almost felt out of place sitting amongst them.

The smash-up derby was about to begin, and Elle stood up and cupped her hands around her mouth to scream for Braden. He’d entered the derby, driving an old Sunfire that he and his friends had painted to look like some kind of monster.

Elle dropped down to sit beside me as soon as the squeals of tires announced the beginning of the derby. She clung to my arm, watching with wide eyes as Braden rammed his car into the others with notorious precision and speed.

Every year, Braden entered the smash-up derby and almost every year, he placed in the top three. This year, he came in second place to one of his friends, Ezra Johnson.

An hour later, Elle, Krista, Joanna and I met up with the guys outside of the ring. Elle dropped my arm the second she got close enough to Braden and threw herself into his arms. He grabbed her ass, pulling her against him, and started to kiss her. I rolled my eyes at their nauseating display.

“Hey, Tessy.” Braden grinned when he finally came up for air. I glared at him; he knew how much I
hated
that variation of my name, but it didn’t prevent him from using it as often as he could. It was one of
many
reasons why he annoyed me.

“Hi, Brandon,” I retorted, feeling very much like a third grader the moment the words fell from my mouth. I knew it; I was lame.

Braden chuckled, shaking his head at me as if we were in on a private joke. I glowered at him. I didn’t ever want to be in on a private joke with him.

“Can you two just
try
to get along tonight for my benefit?” Elle pouted. “It’s my birthday soon!”

“Elle, your birthday isn’t until October,” I pointed out, arching my brow at her. The corners of my lips perked up in a bemused smile. Elle shrugged.

“Don’t worry, babe. I think I’m growing on her,” Braden responded, smirking at me.

“Yeah, like a fungus,” I muttered back. Braden hadn’t heard, or if he did, he didn’t care. His lips were busy kissing Elle’s neck. He’d already gotten bored with taunting me, thankfully.

We stayed at the fairgrounds until they shut it down around eleven. Then we all piled into cars and trucks and headed to the backwoods for the after-party. Much to my chagrin, Elle had insisted on allowing Braden to ride with us in
my
truck. For the entire short drive, he mocked the age of my truck and joked about it being a Ford. I could take jokes about my truck’s age and make, but coming from Braden, especially with his work boots mucking up my dash, they just peeved me off.

It was particularly infuriating because his truck was in the shop with a blown fuel pump.

I was in a foul mood by the time we arrived and set up. Elle had chosen a clearing in the midst of the bush. There was an access road that led straight to it, but unless you knew where to go you wouldn’t find it.

The moment we pulled up, everyone got to work on setting up camp. Within twenty minutes, the tents were set up and Braden, Ezra Johnson, and Peter O’Connor set to work on building a small fire in the old fire pit. Joanna and Krista were focused on setting up some cordless speakers on the back of Ezra’s Chevy, leaving Elle and me to wander around.

The clearing was shaped like a circle, with the access road on the south side. Directly across from it was an old but clean looking trailer. Before I could ask who’d brought the camper, Elle was darting off to join Braden at the fire pit in the center of the clearing.

I watched as she leaned into him and whispered in his ear. He grinned, nodding at her with an affectionate smile as she ran her hand along his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him and pressing a slow, tender kiss to her lips.

For a moment, a small swell of jealousy pressed down on me. Not because it was Braden, but because
I
wanted that. I wanted someone to kiss me slowly; I wanted to feel strong arms around me. I wanted intimacy and tender touches.

I glanced around the party, noting there wasn’t anyone even
remotely
interesting around. These were all guys that I’d gone to school with, or guys that were Braden’s and Tommy’s friends. None of them made my heart beat faster and my palms sweat. Hell, I got a better chemical reaction from shooting a bow and hitting my target than with any of the guys around this lame town.