Roped In

The bus isn’t pulling away so I know Sava

After throwing my shoulder into the door, I hop out and clap my hands once out of excitement. I rush over to Sava

“Uh, put me down, please.”

Fulfilling her request, but not ready to let go, I pull her into a hug. Her hands push firmly against my chest as she steps away. Sava

“Are you ready to go, Sava

“Yes, I am.” The blonde speaks up. I look at her. With her hand on her hip, she taps her toe on the ground and smirks.

“Look ma’am, I’m sorry your kinfolk aren’t here to get ya and if ya want we can wait, but I’m sure they’ll be along soon.” I reach for Sava

“I don’t know you,” she says quietly as she removes my hand from her suitcase.

“Excuse me?” I question, as I stand tall. “What do you mean you don’t know me?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know you and my name’s not Sava

“Mine is though, and just wait until I tell my Uncle Bobby how you tried to take someone else home, Tyler King.”

Slowly turning and eyeing the statuesque blonde, my heart stops beating. The smirk is back, or it never left. I step closer so I can see what happened to the mousy brunette I used to know. Her gaze follows mine and I look her over. She’s taller, leaner and, besides the obvious hair color change, looks nothing like she did when she left here. Her teeth are straight and missing the metal that used to clog her mouth. There’s no way this woman is only seventeen years old.

I swallow hard and break eye contact. This ain’t go

“Wow, Sava

She nods, pursing her lips. “It’s Va

“Sorry ‘bout that,” I say. “Um… do you need a ride?”

She shakes her head and I deduce that I’m better off just leaving her. I’ve already embarrassed her and myself enough to last us a lifetime. I pick up Sava

I remember the day she left. I thought her momma was joking when she said they were moving, so when they packed their bags and got into the car, I was left standing there, stu

I was fifteen when she left. We’d grown up together, attending the same school, church and having Sunday suppers on her uncle’s wrap-around porch. Our mommas always joked that we’d end up married to each other as soon as she turned eighteen and we’d start spitting out babies. After a while, I just believed them. It seemed like destiny. That was until my teenage hormones kicked in, and when I discovered girls, Sava

Even though our mommas wanted us to get married, there is an age difference between us and I matured faster. Sava

I climb into the cab of my truck and pull the door shut. She jumps in and clutches her purse tightly to her body. I let my hand dangle over the steering wheel thinking about all the things I want to say to her. Right now the only thing forming is the idiotic sentence of “damn, you grew up”, but I have a feeling that will earn me a slap and I’d rather save that for later in the barn. I instantly chide myself for thinking I’ll get her to the barn like that. She just got here and I’m sure she has a rich pretty boy waiting on her back home.

“Hello, Sava

“It’s Va

I want to laugh at how straight-laced she sounds but hold back. Something tells me she’s turned into a spitfire and that would be the spark to set her off. I’ve already pissed her off enough for one day. Her uncle said something about her getting into trouble one too many times at school and that her momma is too busy with her job to keep her under control. Apparently the answer was to send her back to where she got her start, even if she’s not going to fit in around these parts anymore.

“Sava

She huffs, but doesn’t say anything. I get the impression that she’s used to getting her way, especially with men. Sadly for her, life doesn’t work like that in these parts.

“How far ‘til my uncle’s house?”

I look out the windshield, pretending I need to gauge the distance. I shrug. “Twenty minutes or so.”

“Well, shouldn’t we get moving?”

I shake my head and mentally kick my own ass for how this day has started. I’d like a redo, please. Hell yeah I’d jump out of this truck and scoop her up in my arms if I knew what she had grown into, but I was remembering my reserved Sava

Cranking my key to start the engine, I’m happy for the loud roar to drown out my thoughts about her and us… in the barn. It’s never go

“Hang on tight, sweetheart.” I press down on the gas as I throw my truck into drive. She slams back against the seat, her door barely closed. I’m trying not to laugh but her high-pitched squeal is cracking me up. She’s turned into such a girly girl that someone is going to have to break her out of it and it ain’t go

The Reeducation of Sava

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