FIRST MEETING…
Boisterous teens crowded the school’s main hallway as they headed toward the cafeteria, the hungry herd full of chatter and random laughter. Thank God it was lunchtime.
Clay Watkins followed the crowd, anxious to sit and eat. His first morning being the new kid at Lakeside High School went okay, albeit a few teasing comments about his footwear. So what – he wore cowboy boots. What was the big deal? All it took was for one outspoken jackass to dub him “Cowboy” out loud in the hallway in between classes, and the nickname seemed to follow him everywhere. As a senior, he knew his last year in public school would be more challenging than most, especially not having any friends.
That morning, before he headed off to his new school in his pickup truck, his daddy encouraged him to go outside his comfort zone and introduce himself to some of the fellas, maybe even some of the pretty girls. Easier said than done. His once-debilitating stutter he now had under control thanks to expensive therapy seemed to rear its ugly head and make an appearance when he was nervous, so he kept mostly to himself all morning.
Rounding the corner to stand in the cafeteria line with all the other famished kids, the scent of fried chicken hit his senses and made his stomach growl. The freshmen on either side of him seemed preoccupied, and Clay remained quiet while awaiting his turn. When a pleasant cafeteria lady asked him what he wanted to eat, he politely pointed to the chicken and the accompanying sides, paid for his meal, and stood uneasily by the wall eyeing the sea of students already sitting in established groups. The jocks, the preps, the goths, and the geeks were oblivious to his presence as he gripped his tray a little tighter. Inhaling a determined breath, he was about to sit at the nearest vacant seat when a sweet voice interrupted his anxious thoughts.
"You're the new guy in town, huh?"
Clay turned to look at the girl, his voice catching in his throat. She was beautiful, her doe eyes blinking back at him as a look of empathy crossed her angelic features. Her dark hair was long and hung over her shoulders, and her skin was flawless with a natural pinkish hue dotting her cheeks. He could only offer a slight nod and watched her full lips curl up into a sincere smile.
"I'm Katie Parker. Come on. You can sit with me, and I'll introduce you to my friends."
"Okay," he managed to stammer. "M…my name is Clay."
"It's nice to meet you, Clay."
When she clutched him by the elbow and guided him through the loud throng to a table, he couldn't help but tense, her touch leaving him reeling.
"Hey, Stace. Scooch over – we have company."
A pretty blonde wearing way too much makeup swung her head to look at them, her grin on her over-glossed lips, immediate. "Oh, hey, Cowboy. How's it goin'?" She'd been talking closely with a big guy Clay assumed was her boyfriend.
"Stacey," Katie immediately admonished with a frown. "His name is Clay. Be nice." She sat next to her friend and placed her lunch bag on the faux wood table. "Clay, this is my best friend, Stacey, and her boyfriend, Brent."
"Nice to meet y'all," he mumbled.
"Nice to meet you," Stacey replied with an over-friendly tone. Brent flicked his head in a non-verbal greeting of his own. "So what's with the cowboy boots anyway?" She probed. "And you have a thick Southern accent. You from the sticks?"
"Stacey!" Katie warned.
Clay picked up his milk carton and started to open it. "I prefer the country," he offered before taking a big swig. "You can call me Cowboy. I don't mind." He reached for the drumstick on his plate and took a bite.
Stacey squinted as if trying to figure him out. "Cool," she finally quipped. The girl didn't have any lunch in front of her and turned all of her attention back to her boyfriend, who was stuffing his face with chips.
"You'll have to excuse her," Katie spoke softly, leaned toward his ear.
A waft of her girlie scent caught his attention, and he set the piece of chicken down, unaccustomed to being in such close proximity to the opposite sex. He was a loner and preferred his beloved guitar and songwriting over girls. Hanging out with kids his own age wasn't something he regularly did, especially with his family moving every couple of years. It just wasn't worth the heartache, knowing any friendships he made wouldn't last.
"It must be hard being the new kid at school. And you're a senior, right?" She took a sandwich half out of a plastic bag and brought it up to her lips to take a tiny bite. He was mesmerized, watching her mouth.
"Umm, yeah."
"That totally sucks. I mean, you don't know anyone. And it's your senior year, too. Are you totally mad at your parents?"
Her leg brushed against his denim, and he flinched. He loved his parents. His mama depended on him when his daddy was out on the road in his big-rig. They were a close-knit family. He could never be mad at them, especially after everything they'd done for him.
"I'm not mad," he said simply.
Katie's brow furrowed for a second as she chewed, their eyes locking for a few seconds before she suddenly smiled. "How's the fried chicken today?" she asked, changing the subject.
"It's…good. You want a bite?" Picking up his drumstick, he held it up for her to see, surprised when she eagerly nodded. "Well, here ya go," he offered. When she opened her mouth instead of reaching for the piece of chicken, he could feel immediate heat creep up the back of his neck. Licking his lips, he maintained a steady hand, holding it to her mouth, and watched as her teeth bit into the meat, her eyes never leaving his.
"Mmmm," she moaned. "It is good. Better than bologna any day." Giggling, she held up her half-eaten sandwich. All Clay could do was nod.
Stacey garnered Katie's attention, and the two girls chatted while Clay finished his lunch. He was grateful for Katie's kindness in inviting him to join their table and wanted to properly thank her when he had her undivided attention again. As they gathered their trash and started toward the receptacles, Clay fumbled for the right words to say, but she beat him to the punch.
"Don't be a stranger, okay? You're welcome to sit with us anytime." She patted his arm.
Before he could respond, Stacey energetically pulled Katie by the hand toward the exit. "See ya, Cowboy!" she giggled. Katie offered one last smile over her shoulder and was gone.
Standing tall in his boots among the shrill of the bell as high school students scrambled to get to their next class, Clay's lips tugged at the corner of his mouth into a lopsided grin. Running his hands through his shaggy hair, he nodded to himself. Things were definitely looking up for his senior year thanks to the nicest, most sincere girl he'd ever met. He was inspired to write a song about the doe-eyed beauty – a melody dedicated to his first official friend in Georgia, Miss Katie Parker.
Copyright © 2020 Kelly Genelle Fletcher
All rights reserved.
Edited by Vicky Burkholder
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
Boisterous teens crowded the school’s main hallway as they headed toward the cafeteria, the hungry herd full of chatter and random laughter. Thank God it was lunchtime.
Clay Watkins followed the crowd, anxious to sit and eat. His first morning being the new kid at Lakeside High School went okay, albeit a few teasing comments about his footwear. So what – he wore cowboy boots. What was the big deal? All it took was for one outspoken jackass to dub him “Cowboy” out loud in the hallway in between classes, and the nickname seemed to follow him everywhere. As a senior, he knew his last year in public school would be more challenging than most, especially not having any friends.
That morning, before he headed off to his new school in his pickup truck, his daddy encouraged him to go outside his comfort zone and introduce himself to some of the fellas, maybe even some of the pretty girls. Easier said than done. His once-debilitating stutter he now had under control thanks to expensive therapy seemed to rear its ugly head and make an appearance when he was nervous, so he kept mostly to himself all morning.
Rounding the corner to stand in the cafeteria line with all the other famished kids, the scent of fried chicken hit his senses and made his stomach growl. The freshmen on either side of him seemed preoccupied, and Clay remained quiet while awaiting his turn. When a pleasant cafeteria lady asked him what he wanted to eat, he politely pointed to the chicken and the accompanying sides, paid for his meal, and stood uneasily by the wall eyeing the sea of students already sitting in established groups. The jocks, the preps, the goths, and the geeks were oblivious to his presence as he gripped his tray a little tighter. Inhaling a determined breath, he was about to sit at the nearest vacant seat when a sweet voice interrupted his anxious thoughts.
"You're the new guy in town, huh?"
Clay turned to look at the girl, his voice catching in his throat. She was beautiful, her doe eyes blinking back at him as a look of empathy crossed her angelic features. Her dark hair was long and hung over her shoulders, and her skin was flawless with a natural pinkish hue dotting her cheeks. He could only offer a slight nod and watched her full lips curl up into a sincere smile.
"I'm Katie Parker. Come on. You can sit with me, and I'll introduce you to my friends."
"Okay," he managed to stammer. "M…my name is Clay."
"It's nice to meet you, Clay."
When she clutched him by the elbow and guided him through the loud throng to a table, he couldn't help but tense, her touch leaving him reeling.
"Hey, Stace. Scooch over – we have company."
A pretty blonde wearing way too much makeup swung her head to look at them, her grin on her over-glossed lips, immediate. "Oh, hey, Cowboy. How's it goin'?" She'd been talking closely with a big guy Clay assumed was her boyfriend.
"Stacey," Katie immediately admonished with a frown. "His name is Clay. Be nice." She sat next to her friend and placed her lunch bag on the faux wood table. "Clay, this is my best friend, Stacey, and her boyfriend, Brent."
"Nice to meet y'all," he mumbled.
"Nice to meet you," Stacey replied with an over-friendly tone. Brent flicked his head in a non-verbal greeting of his own. "So what's with the cowboy boots anyway?" She probed. "And you have a thick Southern accent. You from the sticks?"
"Stacey!" Katie warned.
Clay picked up his milk carton and started to open it. "I prefer the country," he offered before taking a big swig. "You can call me Cowboy. I don't mind." He reached for the drumstick on his plate and took a bite.
Stacey squinted as if trying to figure him out. "Cool," she finally quipped. The girl didn't have any lunch in front of her and turned all of her attention back to her boyfriend, who was stuffing his face with chips.
"You'll have to excuse her," Katie spoke softly, leaned toward his ear.
A waft of her girlie scent caught his attention, and he set the piece of chicken down, unaccustomed to being in such close proximity to the opposite sex. He was a loner and preferred his beloved guitar and songwriting over girls. Hanging out with kids his own age wasn't something he regularly did, especially with his family moving every couple of years. It just wasn't worth the heartache, knowing any friendships he made wouldn't last.
"It must be hard being the new kid at school. And you're a senior, right?" She took a sandwich half out of a plastic bag and brought it up to her lips to take a tiny bite. He was mesmerized, watching her mouth.
"Umm, yeah."
"That totally sucks. I mean, you don't know anyone. And it's your senior year, too. Are you totally mad at your parents?"
Her leg brushed against his denim, and he flinched. He loved his parents. His mama depended on him when his daddy was out on the road in his big-rig. They were a close-knit family. He could never be mad at them, especially after everything they'd done for him.
"I'm not mad," he said simply.
Katie's brow furrowed for a second as she chewed, their eyes locking for a few seconds before she suddenly smiled. "How's the fried chicken today?" she asked, changing the subject.
"It's…good. You want a bite?" Picking up his drumstick, he held it up for her to see, surprised when she eagerly nodded. "Well, here ya go," he offered. When she opened her mouth instead of reaching for the piece of chicken, he could feel immediate heat creep up the back of his neck. Licking his lips, he maintained a steady hand, holding it to her mouth, and watched as her teeth bit into the meat, her eyes never leaving his.
"Mmmm," she moaned. "It is good. Better than bologna any day." Giggling, she held up her half-eaten sandwich. All Clay could do was nod.
Stacey garnered Katie's attention, and the two girls chatted while Clay finished his lunch. He was grateful for Katie's kindness in inviting him to join their table and wanted to properly thank her when he had her undivided attention again. As they gathered their trash and started toward the receptacles, Clay fumbled for the right words to say, but she beat him to the punch.
"Don't be a stranger, okay? You're welcome to sit with us anytime." She patted his arm.
Before he could respond, Stacey energetically pulled Katie by the hand toward the exit. "See ya, Cowboy!" she giggled. Katie offered one last smile over her shoulder and was gone.
Standing tall in his boots among the shrill of the bell as high school students scrambled to get to their next class, Clay's lips tugged at the corner of his mouth into a lopsided grin. Running his hands through his shaggy hair, he nodded to himself. Things were definitely looking up for his senior year thanks to the nicest, most sincere girl he'd ever met. He was inspired to write a song about the doe-eyed beauty – a melody dedicated to his first official friend in Georgia, Miss Katie Parker.
Copyright © 2020 Kelly Genelle Fletcher
All rights reserved.
Edited by Vicky Burkholder
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.