Welcome To Hickville High (Hickville High Series Book 1) (21 page)

Her dad pulled up to scene behind the police. When she saw him, all worries about being in trouble were suspended, and she ran to him. But he didn’t open his arms to her, so she stopped short, in front of him.

“Are you okay Kelsey? What happened?”

She wanted to throw her arms around his waist and cry into his shirt, but forced herself to tell him what happened—without revealing the texting part. She’d barely finished her story before he started inspecting the cars.

The left side of the front bumper of the truck drug the ground, but otherwise, it looked unscathed. The car she hit was smashed on both ends, and the red car had a pretty messed up front. Her dad shook his head. “Have you told work you’re going to be late?”

“No. You expect me to go back to work?”
Is he crazy, I just had a wreck?

He folded his arms across his chest. “You’re not hurt. If we can’t get the truck drivable, I’ll drop you off.”

No room for argument. Just forget that you’ve been traumatized and go wash dishes. He had no heart.

“Okay.” She tapped the number on her phone and tried to bite back tears. Sandy answered. “Hi. Umm. I’m going to be late, I had a wreck.” As soon as she said the word wreck the tears she’d been holding erupted.

“My word. Are you hurt? Is anybody hurt?”

She could hear concern and sympathy in Sandy’s voice and hoped she’d tell her to skip work today. She managed to calm herself enough to say, “No. Just shook up.”

“Do you need some help? Is your momma there?”

I wish Mom was here. She’d understand.
“Dad is here.”

“Okay, take you’re time. We’ll handle things until you get here.”

Wait. You didn’t say don’t come in.
She’d barely ended the call when her dad motioned her to him. He stood between the policeman and the women from the other cars. Kelsey gave her statement to the police, apologized again for causing the wreck, and the whole time felt like she was watching the scene through a computer screen or something.

While the other women gave their statements, Dad inspected the truck again. He determined that the radiator was busted and the truck had to be towed. He made a few calls and then turned to Kelsey. “The tow truck has to come from Spring Creek, it’s going to be awhile. You need to get to work. Mom and Aunt Susan are on their way. They’ll drop you off at the diner. I’ll wait for the tow.”

She wanted to shout at her dad. Couldn’t he see how upset she was? “I’m really sorry, Dad.”

“I’m sure you are. I don’t know how this is going to affect insurance. I just hope they don’t drop you.”

The officer walked over to Kelsey and her dad. “Young lady, I’m going to cite you for the accident. The woman driving the red Honda said she thought you were texting. Is that right?”

Kelsey’s heart thudded in her chest and tears flowed again. Her throat was too constricted to talk, so she just nodded. She looked at her dad. The endless stream of tears may have blurred her vision, but not enough to miss the flat line that his mouth formed.

The officer shook his head. “You’re lucky, no one was hurt. Two years ago, I worked the worse accident this county has seen. Three girls, about your age, lost their lives because they were texting.” She signed the ticket and he ripped the yellow portion from his pad and handed it to her. He spouted something about her having the right to appeal or claim deferred adjut-a-something. She took the ticket, and he left.

An armadillo is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.

She expected her dad to yell at her after the officer left. But he didn’t. He didn’t even look at her. He just stood next to her with his arms folded across his chest. When Aunt Susan’s car pulled up to the intersection, he walked to the car. Kelsey followed a few feet behind.

Her mom didn’t even get out of the car. She talked to Kelsey’s dad through the open window. “Don’t worry about the store. The girls and Austin are doing fine. I’ll head back as soon as we drop Kelsey off.”

Her dad opened the back door and Kelsey crawled in. “I don’t know how long I’ll be here waiting on the tow. All three cars are going to have to be moved.”

Kelsey leaned forward and looked at her dad through her mom’s window. “I’ll stay, Daddy.”

“No, you need to get to work. You’re going to have to pay for this.”

Pay for this? I thought insurance did that.
She nodded and sat back in her seat.

Her parents said goodbye and her mom handed her a packet of Kleenex. “Here. Wipe your face as best you can.”

“Mom, do I really have to go to work?”

Her mom looked over the seat to her. “Yes, Kelsey. You have a responsibility. You’re not hurt, and you need to earn some money. We’re not paying for this.”

“I thought insurance covered everything.”

“There is a deductable. We’ll pay it up front, but you’re going to pay us back.”

“How much is it?”

“A thousand dollars. I’ll take the money you earned for Chicago as a down payment.”

Crap. They were going to take her airline money. She’d planned to purchase the tickets after work. The money was in the bank. All she had to do was make a simple transaction. If she waited much longer, the ticket prices would go up.

“Mom, I know you’re angry with me, but just listen. Promise you’ll listen.”

“I’m listening.”

“I’m trying really hard to be responsible. I got a job, I don’t complain about chores or work. I have the money for the tickets now. If I can just go to the gala, I’ll pay you and Dad back for the wreck. I promise. I’ll even pay you back with interest. Will you at least think about it?”

Her mom parked in front of the café and looked at her across the seat again. “When you’re off, let us know. You’ll have to wait a few minutes, but someone will pick you up.”

“Mom?”

“We’ll talk more tonight.”

“Will you think about it? Please.”

“Don’t push it, Kelsey.”

A thousand dollars.
She was going to have to bus a lot of tables to earn that kind of money. She climbed the steps to the sidewalk feeling so sticky, sweaty, and dirty she could almost feel zits forming on her face. The last thing she wanted to do was clean up other people’s gross stuff. She opened the door to the café and wanted to cry.

The place was full of people. Sandy and another waitress, Jenny, were running around like crazy and empty tables were piled with dirty dishes.

No time to feel sorry for herself. Kelsey put her purse away and grabbed an apron from the hook on the wall. She needed to clear dishes from the tables, but there was nowhere to put them. She rinsed and loaded dishes as fast as she could. About the time she’d get caught up enough to clear tables, more would appear on the stainless counter.

Things didn’t slow until after three-o-clock. She’d been on her feet for hours. Her hands were raw from the hot water. Her stomach had given up begging for food hours ago.

T-bone stuck his head around the corner. “Lunch is up.”

He never asked her what she wanted, but it was always good. Today it was chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes. She hadn’t had this dish since the day they arrived in Hillside.

She sat at the bar with Jenny and Sandy. Jenny was younger than Sandy, but Kelsey couldn’t tell her age. She was a single mom with a four-year-old and a six-year-old. If the dark circles under eyes were erased and the haggard look softened, she would be pretty. Kelsey felt sorry for her. She was sweet but always seemed so sad. So it felt a little odd when she reached out and touched Kelsey’s arm. “Honey, are you okay? Was anybody hurt?”

“I’m good. Nobody was hurt but the cars. I was distracted and slammed into a car at the light.”

Sandy said, “I’m sure glad you weren’t hurt. We were drowning before you came in.”

“I’m sorry.”
In more ways than you know.
If she couldn’t earn extra money, she could kiss the trip to Chicago goodbye. “Sandy, do you think I could work extra?”

“Like when?”

“After school.”

She yelled over her shoulder, “Hey, T, come here.”

He appeared from the kitchen wiping his hands with a towel.

Sandy looked across the bar at him. “What do you think about Kelsey working after school?”

“She can work four to seven. I don’t want to be responsible for interfering with her studies.” He walked back into the kitchen. That was that.

Sandy faced Kelsey. “There you have it. The man has spoken.” She stood, “Do you have a way home, Kelsey?”

“Yes. I texted Mom, she’s on her way.”

Sandy retreated to the back room and T set a plate of food on the counter and took her place on the stool. “Rough day?”

He’d probably said less than a dozen words to her since Kelsey started working. When he spoke she almost fell off her seat. “Yeah.”

“Makes you strong.”

She nodded and wondered why today had to be the day he decided to talk to her. T-bone was a mystery. “Hey, T? Did you know my dad in high school?”

“Played with him. I was a receiver.”

Kelsey toyed with her paper napkin. “Do you know why Dad quit?”

“Got his heart broke.” He held his fork suspended over his mashed potatoes and looked her in the eyes. “Women are poison for quarterbacks.”

His words bore through her straight to her heart. Was he talking about her or her dad? And what could she say? She just nodded and cleared her plate.
Wow, women are poison for quarterbacks?
Well, at least she knew. Cassidy Jones broke her dad’s heart.

She rinsed her dishes and placed them in the washer. It was a good thing she and Austin had cooled it. She didn’t want anybody thinking she was poison for Austin.

But then she turned and he was there. Austin McCoy, quarterback, stood in the doorway to the office with his arms opened to her. “Kelsey, I’m sorry.”

She shouldn’t have fallen against his chest, wrapped her arms around his waist, or reveled in the feel of his hands on her back. But the sympathy she needed from her parents never materialized. For them, she had to handle the situation with maturity and that didn’t include hugs.

He stroked the back of her hair and rested his chin on the top of her head. “When I heard that you had a wreck…”

Kelsey nestled against his chest and let tears fall. She felt safe in his arms. She felt something else too. Something bigger, deeper, scarier.

“I’m sorry I said those things.”

She moved her hands to his waist and pushed away from his embrace. “I know.” His words had cut deep, mostly because there was some truth to them. She had taken the job for the sole purpose of earning money for airline tickets. She hadn’t given a second thought to the people she worked with. Imagine, the “trailer trash” waitress had not only became her boss, she was her friend. She’d even grown fond of T-bone’s surly attitude.

“Kelsey, your mom’s here.” Mrs. McCoy’s voice sounded from outside the office. They both dropped their hands and took a step back.

Kelsey moved around Austin. “I’ve got to go.”

“Kelsey?” He stood still, not facing her.

“Yeah?” She hesitated, but didn’t look at back.

“Are we still friends?”

“Of course.” She said it like he’d asked the stupidest question in the world and that’s the way she meant it. She hurried from the office and away from emotions that swirled in the air there.

When she reached her mom waiting in the dining room, she was relieved to find a smile on her lips—even if it did seem a little forced.

“Hey Mom. I have good news.”

“We could use a little good news, what is it?”

“T-bone said I could work four to seven during the week.”

Her mom took a seat on one of the counter stools. “Okay. But we need to figure out transportation. The truck is out of commission for awhile.”

“I can bring her home after football practice. It’s practically on the way.” Austin stood next to Kelsey. Her friend, supporting her, no matter how big of a jerk she’d been.

“That’s nice of you, Austin, but she still has to get here from school.” Her mom rubbed her forehead like the gesture would help her make a decision. “I guess I could drop you off here when I pick the girls up after school. It’s not that far from the store.”

“Thanks Mom. Umm—did you think about my idea to pay you and Dad back after the gala?”

“Yes. We talked.” This time she smiled for real. “You’ve worked really hard. We’re going to let you buy the tickets. You’ll have to pay us back for the repairs with interest. Sound good?”

Kelsey had to suppress the urge to squeal and do a few spontaneous jumping jacks. “Sounds wonderful.” She turned to Austin and pointed at him with both hands. “I’ll see you Monday morning.”

*

She practically skipped out of the cafe with her mom and Austin was left scratching his head. T-bone took a spin on the stool to face him. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I just offered to give her a ride so she could earn more money.”

“Yeah, so why do you look like she just sold your favorite filly?”

“Because she’s earning money to go to some dance with her boyfriend in Chicago.”

T-bone hunched his shoulders and shook his head. “Well, what’d you go and do that for?”

Austin mimicked T-bones expression. “Cuz I’m a dumbass. If she asked me to piggyback her to Chicago so she could see her boyfriend, I’d probably at least consider it.”

“Boy, you got it bad. Is she worth it?”

“It doesn’t matter. We had the
lets be friends
talk.”

“So that’s what you’re gonna do?”

“Yep.”

“Women are poison.”

“Yep.”

It is illegal to bathe in the streets of Amarillo…during business hours.

Establishing a “friend only” status with Austin was the greatest and worst thing ever. They rode to school together, walked side-by-side to classes, and sat next to each other at lunch. When he brought her home after her shift, he usually stayed to swim, watch TV, or hang out on the front porch. He teased her sisters like they were his, and there was no guy-at-the-dinner-table awkwardness.

It was so easy to be around him. She didn’t worry about perfect makeup or flat-ironed hair. He didn’t seem to notice her freckles or the curls that refused to be tamed. He was her friend and he liked
her
, not who he expected her to be. And that was the bad part.

Because after all those weeks of chemistry between them, after an hour or so of serious make-out time, and one post-wreck hug, boom, nothing. They were friends, nothing more. If he had any residual feelings for her, he didn’t show it. The ugly truth was, she wanted him to. She wanted him to keep flirting with her, to “accidentally” touch her, but it just wasn’t happening.

So she focused on her trip while the rest of Hillside focused on Homecoming. Technically, she could do both. Homecoming was the weekend after the gala. But, she was about to step back into her old life, and following the glamour of the gala with a football homecoming dance just seemed messed up.

To the town, Homecoming must be the biggest thing ever. The storefronts were decked out in gold and black and hornets were everywhere. Ryan even painted a huge hornet on the feed store window with the words “Fear the Sting” written across the top.

Every organization in school, the flower shop, and even the grocery store sold
Homecoming mums
and apparently, the bigger and gaudier the better. The Monday before Kelsey was to leave for Chicago, she rode with Hannah and Shelby to Spring Creek to pick up their mums.

While they waited for Hannah’s and Shelby’s mums to arrive from somewhere in the back of the store, Kelsey toured Texas Mums Etc. Braided ribbons, glitter ribbons, gold, black, white, green and probably every other Texas football team color ribbons hung across a wall. Jingle bells, miniature cowbells, silver footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, and megaphones filled baskets lining the floor in front of the ribbon wall. On one side of the store, white, brown, and black miniature teddy bears sat on shelves from floor to ceiling. Next to the bears hung bear-sized cheerleading and football uniforms in various color combinations. Just beyond the bear section, goats, hawks, rams, bulldogs, and hornets were among an array of toy mascots that filled the shelves.

The racks in the center of the store held single, double, and triple mums. Kelsey lifted a triple mum. Three silk mums were attached to a kind of heavy poster board.

Shelby walked over. “See, you start with the base and then pick out ribbons and stuff.”

“Is yours this big?” Kelsey held the thing out and tried to imagine why anyone would want to wear the monstrosity.

“Oh yeah. Are you kidding? We’re seniors.”

“And?”

“It’s sort of an unwritten tradition that seniors get the biggest and baddest mums. Are you sure you don’t want to order one? You’re only a senior once.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. I’m not going anyway.”

Hannah flashed giant cow eyes at her. “I wish you’d change your mind.”

Fortunately, before Kelsey had to think up excuse number two-thousand-and-two, a middle-aged woman appeared from the back room carrying two breastplate sized mums hanging from coat hangers, wrapped in dry cleaning plastic. “Here we go, girls. Did you order garters too?”

Hannah replied. “Not this year.”

“Then I think you’re all set.”

Kelsey looked at Hannah. “Garters?”

“For the guys. But since we’re single, we didn’t have to shell out the cash for one.”

The lady handed the girls their prize and they held them up for Kelsey to inspect. Hannah asked, “What do you think?”

Three silk mums were clumped together with a giant hornet stuck in the middle. White ribbons cascaded down from the flowers. Silver glittered letters spelled out “Hornets Homecoming” across one ribbon and “Seniors” down another. Tinsel curly ribbon and jingle bells fell between the folds of the satin strips. Shelby’s matched Hannah’s, except instead of a hornet she had a bear in the center of hers. “Wow, that’s amazing. And you pin that thing to your clothes?”

“Oh, we don’t pin them.” Shelby turned the mum around. “See, there’s a cord that slips over your head.”

“Seriously?”

Shelby nodded. “Feel how heavy it is.”

Kelsey held the thing suspended in one hand. “This thing weighs a ton. Doesn’t it hurt your neck?”

“After awhile. But it’s totally worth it.”

“But how do you dance with one of these things on?”

Hannah shook her head. “You don’t wear them to the dance. They’re for the parade and game.”

“You know school is out the Friday of Homecoming.” Shelby said.

Kelsey smiled. “Yeah, that’s another thing that’d never happen back home.”

Shelby led the group out of the store. “It’s awesome. The parade starts downtown and goes down Main Street to the old high school. Then there’s a pep rally. It’s been a tradition like forever. The whole town shows up. Pretty much the only thing open during the parade is Wal-Mart.”

Hannah unlocked the doors and climbed behind the wheel. “All of the school clubs have some sort of float, then there’s the Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Kiwanis clowns. You’re going to love it.”

“I can’t wait.” She tried to sound excited but the words came out flat.

Sarah turned to Kelsey. “I know you’re brain is totally on seeing Drew. So when are we going to meet him?”

“I don’t know—he’s so busy.” But she wasn’t sure she wanted him to come to Hillside. Not because she didn’t want him to meet her friends. She didn’t want her
friends
to meet him. She was afraid he’d use the same condescending tone he used when he poked fun at Hillside. The tone she’d been guilty of until a few weeks ago.

Hannah pulled onto the highway heading back to Hillside. “Well at least he’s not too busy to take you to—what’s this thing?”

“It’s a gala that my old school hosts to raise money. It’s bigger than prom. It’s not just for students either. It’s for students, and anybody else who has deep pockets.”

Hannah glanced at Kelsey in the rear-view mirror. “Wow. What are you going to wear?”

“Surely you have dresses as fabulous as the rest of your wardrobe,” Shelby said.

“I have what I wore last year.”

Shelby shook her head. “You can’t wear that.”

“Yeah, and I can’t buy a new one. Zoe said she was going to get my friends to bring their dresses over and see what we can figure out.”

“That’s a great idea,” Hannah said. “We’d bring our old prom dresses for you try on but you’d drown in them.”

Shelby laughed. “Especially mine. But my little sister is tiny like you, Kelsey. She had a beautiful one last year. I can see if she’ll let you try it on.”

“Uh, okay. I can give it a try.” But judging by their taste in mums, she doubted very seriously she was going to wear a Hickville hand-me-down.

Hannah dropped by Shelby’s house before taking Kelsey home. They waited in the car while Shelby ran-in to get the dress. In less than five minutes she returned carrying a dry cleaning bag full of coral fabric.

“Here’s the dress. Take it and see if you like it. If it doesn’t work, I’ll pick it up later. No big deal. She said she was going to donate it to this organization that gives prom dresses to underprivileged girls anyway.”

Kelsey Quinn and underprivileged, those were words she never thought she’d hear together. “Thanks. It’s really nice of you—and your sister.”

Shelby handed Kelsey the dress and slid back into the front passenger seat. Hannah pulled out of the drive and returned to their favorite topic, Homecoming.

Kelsey looked at the dress lying on the seat next to her. A year ago, she would have shopped Saks for a dress. Sue Wong, BCBG Maxazria, Tadashi—those were the designers she loved. And now? She was officially reduced to a charity case.

Hannah turned down the long drive leading to the farmhouse. The Infinity looked out of place in front of the weathered farmhouse. The contrast between their old life and their now life was once again brought into focus. Kelsey loved the remnants of the nice things they had. She could hang on to “then.” Anger at her dad burned in her again. How had he screwed up so bad that he’d lost everything? Dads weren’t supposed to do that.

Once inside the house, Hannah and Shelby sprinted up the stairs to the bedroom while Kelsey trudged up behind them and slipped into the bathroom. She didn’t want to try on the dress any more than she wanted to embrace the life her dad had forced her into. But Shelby and Hannah didn’t deserve the disdain she held for her situation, so she tried on the dress and stepped into the hallway to show the girls.

She took two steps before she heard a soft whistle followed by, “Damn. That Drew is a lucky man.”

As soon as Kelsey heard his voice her face broke into that too big smile and warmth spread through her. She turned to face him and hoped she could keep her voice casual. “Hey, I didn’t know you were here.”

“Just got here,” Austin said. “Is that what you’re wearing to the thing?”

“I don’t know. Just trying it on. It’s Shelby’s sister’s.” She spun in a semi-slow circle. “What do you think?”

“Beautiful. And the dress is pretty too.”

“You’re funny.”

Austin looked past Kelsey. “Hey, you two.”

Hannah and Shelby stepped into the hall. Hannah said, “I thought that was your voice we heard.”

Austin nodded. “Yeah, but I need to go there.” He pointed to the bathroom. The girls backed toward Kelsey’s room to allow Austin to pass. Before he got to the door, he stopped and turned toward Shelby. “By the way, Caleb asked me if you were okay. He said something about you not being around lately.” He headed into the bathroom and the girls retreated to Kelsey’s room.

Shelby closed the door and fell against it. “Did you hear? Oh my God, Kelsey you are a friggin’ genius! I can’t wait to see him tomorrow.”

Hannah shook her head, “I don’t want to be a buzz kill, Shelby, but you can’t chase him now.”

Kelsey nodded. “She’s right. He has to come to you. He’s worried and that’s good. If he didn’t care, then you’d know you didn’t have a chance. Obviously, he does care.”

Shelby fanned her face with her hands. “Okay. Okay.” She drew a long, deep, breath and blew it out slowly. “But for Homecoming, I want to make him wish he was mine.”

Hannah smiled. “Just make him come to you.”

Kelsey said. “You got this, girl.”

“Yeah. I got this. So—Kelsey, what do you think about the dress?”

“I haven’t really looked at it. The bathroom mirror is so small.”

Hannah pulled Kelsey to stand in front of the full-length mirror next to the dressing table. “Look at yourself, girl. You’re gorgeous.”

“The dress is gorgeous.” And it was. The coral chiffon fabric fell from the empire waist in soft pleats. The bodice fabric rippled across her breasts and was held by rhinestone spaghetti straps. The beauty of the dress was in its simple elegance.

The coral color somehow made her skin glow and it was awesome with her hair. But the crazy curls and minimal makeup sort of ruined the effect. “I look like crap from the neck up.”

Shelby plopped on the bed. “I don’t know where you get that. You never look like crap. Girl, if I had your curls I wouldn’t even own a flat iron.”

“Drew loves my hair straight. I used to straighten it every day. But it’s just easier to let it curl. Besides, I’m not trying to please anybody here.”

Shelby cocked her head at Kelsey. “Please anybody? Girl, I’d wear my hair however it suits me. Screw the rich boy if he can’t handle it.”

Oh God, same song, different accent.
“It’s not like that. I care about Drew and want to look my best for him. I don’t think he really cares if I don’t straighten my hair, I just know he likes it better that way. Does that make sense?”

“No,” they both said.

“I’m going to change back into my shorts. Thanks for the dress, Shelby.”

After Kelsey changed, the girls ran downstairs to grab a snack. Austin, Ryan, and Mackenzie sat on the sofa shooting imaginary guns at the TV. Austin bumped shoulders with Ryan and said, “Dang, girl. Are you even aiming at the screen?”

“Yes. But you and Mackenzie are faster at blowing stuff up.”

Mackenzie grabbed his shooting arm and pulled it away from the TV. “Now’s your chance, Ryan.”

A brief wrestling match ensued and for an instant Kelsey wished she could trade places with her sister. But then she remembered he was just a friend. Her boyfriend was waiting in Chicago.