Unbroken Promises (11 page)

Becky did ask Beth why she didn’t come to the camp that night so Beth just assumed Randy told them she did not sneak out that night at all. She couldn’t help but wonder what reason he gave for being so beat up. He doubtless made up some excuse probably said some unknown gang jump him.

The few times when Beth did run into the other girls and they asked her to go with them somewhere she always made some excuse and turned them down. Finally, after a while of Beth they stopped asking.

Beth did keep talking to Annette, though. Annette told Beth that she had noticed her dodging the other girls and confided that she was also. She said they were wilder than she liked and seemed to be getting more and more out of control. Annette told Beth she liked the excitement at first but it got old. She said she wanted to return to her more vigilant ways. Annette was afraid that one, if not all the other girls, were going to end up in jail or an early grave if they didn’t slow down some.

Beth agreed with her 100 percent. She was relieved to hear Annette’s confession. Beth told Annette she felt the same way. It was fun for a season, but now it was time to grow up a little.

Beth couldn’t help but like the other girls. She had a lot of good memories with them that would last a lifetime. In addition, after a period of time, she planned to get back in touch with them, especially Becky. Right now, she needed to put some space between her past and what she wanted for her future.

The woman from Austin called Jordon back late one Saturday evening. She told him that, if he could have Beth there by Monday morning, she could start the summer semester. She said they had a dorm room that just became available and Beth could start now if she wanted to.

Jordon asked Beth if that was what she wanted to do. He reminded her she would be giving up her summer, but Beth was ready to get away for a while. Besides, by taking the summer classes, she might be able to finish school sooner.

Susan said they could not have all Beth’s things packed that quickly, but Jordon told her the main thing right now was to get Beth there and signed in. The two of them could bring the other things later.

They packed like crazy. They were going to leave early the next morning because Jordon wanted to get a hotel room and still have enough daylight to look around and find everything.

Cody helped them pack all night, so Beth hugged him goodbye before he went to bed so he wouldn’t have to get up and see her off. Jesse still wasn’t at his house when Beth checked before she finally lay down at 2 a.m. She was afraid he wasn’t going to come home at all and she wouldn’t be able to tell him goodbye.

None of them had much sleep because of packing and trying to get everything ready, but they made it. They had the truck loaded down with everything Beth might need.

Susan and Jordon were in the truck waiting on her with the truck running. Before Beth got in, she looked around the side of the house again and saw Jesse’s truck. Beth opened the truck door and told them she would be right back. Instead of going around to the house, Beth turned and dashed back inside and through the house to Jesse’s apartment.

“Jes-” His name died on her lips as Beth burst through the door and flicked on the lights.

Jesse must not have been home long. On the end table beside the bed, smoke rolled and swirled from the tip of a cigar that was sitting on a dirty saucer. Jesse was still fully clothed and lying sideways across the bed, his booted feet on the hardwood floor, a brown whiskey bottle lying in his slack hand. The bottom of the bottle sat on the bed, but the top was tiled precariously over his stomach. When Beth flipped on the lights, Jesse jumped and jerked, sloshing whiskey all over him and the bed.

“Elizabeth! Don’t you know how to knock? And turn those light back off!” he grouched, then capped one hand on his head and groaned.

“I’ve got to learn to lock that damn door,” Jesse muttered.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Beth rushed the apology “I just came to tell you goodbye.

I don’t know when I’ll see you again. It may be two years, so, um, goodbye.” With that, Beth turned and ran back through the breezeway into the main house and down the hallway.

How Jesse made to his feet and caught up with her before she made it to the front door she’d never know. However, he caught up with her, grabbed her arm, and turned her around.

“Wait, Beth! What do you mean you might not see me for two years?” Beth told him quickly that she decided to go ahead and start the summer semester of the school that specialized in music and she had to leave now to be able to get the room that had just become available. If she waited, it would be too late and she would have to wait until August to begin.

“As much as I’m going to miss everybody, I feel I need to get away for a little while. I want to make new friends and get hold of my life again. I realize now I’ve been a little out of control.

I know my friends here have a lot of influence over me no matter how much I want to believe otherwise. And, as much as I hate to admit it, it would only be a matter of time before they talked me in to doing something else that I shouldn’t do.” Beth spoke without stopping so she could get everything out. “So I feel I must get away for a while to gain back control of my life and to hopefully grow up some. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not blaming my friends for the chaos I caused in my life. Many of the things we did at first I wanted to do, but it seemed that we kept getting a little more daring each time. And, somewhere along the way this year, I lost control and I want to get it back. I haven’t always been a follower and I don’t plan on being one any longer.” After she spent herself, she met Jesse’s gaze.

Jesse looked stunned. He pulled Beth to him and enfolded her in his arms. He tightened the hug again, and then dropped his arms because Jordon was honking the horn. “I’ll miss you, pumpkin,” Jesse said affectionately.

“Me, too,” Beth said in return, and opened the door; but, before she went outside, she stopped where she stood and looked back up at him from across her shoulder. “Jess, you won’t forget your promise while I’m gone, will you?”

“No,” Jesse answered simply and softly as he shook his head.

With a single nod, Beth went out the door. She got into the truck and did not look back.

While they pulled out of the driveway, Beth wondered what in the heck made her say she would be gone for two years. It sounded good at the time, but now she could kick herself. She knew she wanted him to miss her, but, two years? In the end, she knew she might have to eat those words. She was going to try to stay away as long as she could, but it was going to be hard. It wasn’t only Jesse she would miss but everyone and everything—her room, her bed, and her home. She felt her eyes tearing up so she tried to change her thoughts.

It wouldn’t do to have Jordon and Susan see her crying because she really did want to go for many reasons and they may call the whole thing off if they thought she was upset.

She had read a lot about this school. She knew it was one of the best and it would help her in any music career she wanted to pursue. She could do this; she just had to be strong.

When they got to Austin, Jordon and Susan helped her get situated and stayed in town for a few days to make sure she was going to be all right.

Beth started school that first summer and then went straight into her junior year. Her junior summer she spent in Europe with a new friend and her family, whom Jordon and Susan both met and were reassured that she would be well-chaperoned and taken care of on this vacation-of-a-lifetime. They had returned to Austin only a few days before her senior year began.

Beth wanted to go home many times, but she tried to hold out as long as she could. She wanted to prove to herself she could stay away from Jesse. She only came home on the holidays when he was visiting his mom and dad in Colorado or was off hunting with his friend, Beaux.

Nevertheless, Beth knew deep down the main reason she stayed away was that she wanted and hoped the next time Jesse saw her; he would see her as a much more mature person than the wildchild who’d left.

Jordon had bought both Jesse and Cody new 4x4’s when they turned 18 and for Beth he had splurged and shown-up in Austin on her birthday with new shiny black sports car. Although she had her car for several months, Beth was afraid to drive it all the way home by herself, so she agreed to ride home with a small group who was heading to a town 30 minutes past hers.

Beth went to school with a friend’s brother who was driving the group home. Troy told Beth he would drop her off and come back to pick her up on their way back to school.

Beth was so excited to see everyone. Jordon and Susan had been to see her every other weekend, and sometimes Cody would come with them; but she had not seen Jesse since she left home. She had missed all of them and her home terribly.

Although Jesse greeted her with a warm embrace, Beth thought he acted a little standoffish, but she didn’t let it bother her. She just kept right on talking and telling them everything that had been happening at school.

Unbeknown to her, Jesse thought she was the most beautiful creature on God’s green earth.

He had been stunned when he first saw her. It had been almost two years since she left and he had ached to see her, talk to her and hear her laugh. She was 18 now and a raving beauty.

Jordon, Susan, and Cody had gone to see her frequently but he hadn’t seen her since she left. He had been so busy at the Veterinarian Medical College trying to finish so he could obtain his D.V.M. that he never seemed to have any time to do anything else. But Jesse knew that was an excuse; he could have made time if he really needed to.

He had wanted to go see her several times but stopped himself. Jesse knew the main reason Beth moved away wasn’t just because of some super school but because she wanted to put some space between the two of them. Beth left because he kept hurting her. He didn’t mean to hurt her, but he didn’t know what to do about it. She wanted—as she had wanted since she was eight-years old—to marry him. She also wanted him to stay celibate until she grew into a woman.

However, that just was not going to happen. He was a healthy young man with a young man’s needs. In his mind, he knew her leaving was a wise decision, but he couldn’t help but miss her and worry about her.

The weekend went by too quickly. Her ride came to get her two hours earlier than what Troy had said. The two girls were sweet, but Troy was very arrogant.

He was a big football player. Troy had tried to come on to Beth a few times on the way home. First, she thought it was by accident, but then he kept brushing up against her every chance he got. Finally, Beth told him to quit touching her. She knew she made him mad because he acted like a jerk the rest of the way home. He probably showed up early just to be hateful.

Jordon had gone to go pick up their pizza when Troy and the girls drove up slinging gravel and dust. Troy honked the horn then stepped out and looked at Beth over the roof of the car.

“Let’s go, Beth!” he shouted as if he was already ticked off about something. However, Beth didn’t want to miss telling Jordon goodbye, so she walked closer to Troy and asked him if he would wait a few more minutes.

“I’m leaving in three minutes. Whoever isn’t in this little red convertible when that time is up is going to be left.”

Jesse eyes grew steely as he looked at Troy while he spoke to Beth. “Beth, just stay and I will take you back later today.”

“Thank you, Jess, but there is no use in your having to drive a 10-hour round trip. Just tell Daddy bye for me and I love him.”

Beth held back tears as she got in the car. She didn’t want Susan to see her cry. She knew Susan was already upset at the way she was having to leave.

As Troy was driving up one side of the driveway, Jordon pulled in the other side of the circle drive.

“Troy, there’s Daddy now, please just let me tell him goodbye.”

“Not no, but hell no,” Troy said bitterly.

Troy was already mad at her because she put a stop to every move he tried to make on her.

Hell, all three girls who were riding didn’t want to put out. He was sick of all of them and couldn’t wait to get rid of them.

Troy thought to himself, “I’ll see how bad she wants me to wait.” He ran his hand up her leg. “If you be nice to me, I’ll let you stay and visit all day.” At his touch, Beth swung and punched him in the arm. That was the wrong thing to do because, unlike Cody, he hit back. Troy reared back and backhanded her hard across the face.

That was also the wrong thing for him to do. Because of traffic, he was stuck at the end of the driveway, and Jesse happened to see the assault. Jesse ran the distance in a few seconds.

Troy glanced at the rearview mirror, saw him coming, and shoved the car in park.

Troy stepped out, “You want some of me, cowboy?” Troy said cockily.

It happened so fast Troy didn’t know what hit him. Jesse was punching, kicking, and jabbing so quick and hard that the jock didn’t have a chance. Jesse jumped, spun, and connected with the side of Troy’s head. Troy fell like a rock without even getting a punch in.

A sheriff pulled up soon after. Someone passing by had called him. The sheriff was an old friend of Jordon’s. When the sheriff got out, Jesse told him he had better call an ambulance, too.

Elizabeth would not go to the hospital. She told them she would be fine. Her eyes would most likely be black, but her nose wasn’t broken.

Jesse had to go to the police station to file a report. The sheriff assured Jordon there would not be any charges filed against his brother. He grinned at his old high school buddy and said he would make sure of it.

Jordon and Susan ended up taking all the girls to Austin. Beth sat in the front seat between Jordon and Susan and slept on her daddy’s shoulder all the way back.

Later they found out Troy had three badly broken ribs and a concussion, but the worst injury was to his knee. He would not be able to play football for a whole year, if ever.

Troy came from money and his family tried their best to get charges pressed against Jesse; but, true to his word, the old sheriff kept him out of trouble.