Chapter One #2
Footsteps against the gravel draw close, Jeremy not looking over even though a passing breeze catches the end of the cigarette and whisks some stray embers into the wind toward the approaching person.
The wooden rail moans and slouches in the post’s notches at the additional weight as Barry sits down, voice gentle, “Hey.”
Jeremy inhales more smoke, eyes trained at the sky.
“Where’ve you been? You really booked it out of there earlier.”
Chewing on his lip, Jeremy’s gaze lowers to the bright burning at the end of the Marlboro as he asks, “What do you think about the new owner thing?”
“Clark Radison?”
Jeremy nods.
Barry takes a deep breath before replying, “Well, on one hand it’s kinda cool, right? Like, working for someone famous. But on the other hand it’s bullshit. Feels like he’s just another Californian coming here to play cowboy, y’know?”
Nodding again, Jeremy’s brain hurts as he can’t help from panicking. His knee bounces with anxiety, making the fear obvious.
“Dude, what’s up with you?” Barry sounds concerned, leaning in.
Finally looking over, he shares, “I seriously hate it, man. I’m thinking about quitting. I could pack up now and thumb it to-”
“What?” Barry laughs in shock, “The fuck you talkin’ about?”
Jeremy shrugs, “I do not want to work on a ranch owned and operated by Clark goddamn Radison.”
“Okay. And why exactly?”
“Cuz,” he huffs, looking back out to the night as he lowers his voice and shares, “I went to school with him, okay?”
“Woah. For real?”
“Yeah. He’s from here. We were friends all throughout elementary and middle school but he just became such an asshole in high school,” Jeremy spits out, flicking the ash harshly before deeply inhaling the nicotine, “Then he went to some fancy art college in California and it was, like, good riddance. But now he’s coming back and, fuck, what if he recognizes me? ”
“What if he does?” Barry muses, “You think he’d fire you?”
Jeremy shakes his head, “Nah, I think he’d make my life a living hell.”
“Why?”
“Why else?” Jeremy rolls out the last of the tobacco, ember falling to the muddy ground, “For fun.”
“Yikes,” Barry thinks for a moment before wondering aloud, “How long has it been since you’ve seen him?”
“Like, two decades maybe.”
“So what if he’s changed?” Barry lightly smacks his arm encouragingly, “You don’t know! So please don’t run away. Think about the rodeo.”
Shrugging, Jeremy shakes his head, “That’s not for months.”
“But we need you,” Barry urges him, “You’re the best damn cowboy I’ve ever seen.”
Jeremy glances over once more, catching Barry’s gaze and feeling magnetized to him. Looking from one eye to the other, the dark eyes glance down to Jeremy’s lips as he says, “You know, I really want to revisit this whole ‘no kissing’ policy.”
Chewing on his bottom lip, Jeremy fights back a grin as he teasingly leans in. His voice is rough as he tells him, “Join me on the roundup again tomorrow. We can discuss it then.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Barry sits up straight, smiling from ear to ear. Standing up, he nods his head back to the bunkhouse, “C’mon. You seriously need to stop worrying about this and get some rest.”
Sighing heavily as he stands along with the ranch hand, Jeremy’s shoulders still feel heavy as he answers honestly, “I really think that’s gonna be impossible.”
Barry pats him on the back as they meander back to their beds, saying, “You know, I really can’t imagine you of all people getting bullied.”
“It’s not like he gave me swirlies or anything,” Jeremy kicks his foot against a loose clump of dirt, “He was just a shit talker. He got popular and he let everybody know it.”
“Mm, and now he’s an international movie star.”
“Yep,” Jeremy says sarcastically, “I’m sure he’s super humble now.”
Barry laughs, his hand lingering on the small of Jeremy’s back as they approach the dimmed house.
Going to his private room, Jeremy flops down on top of the covers with his face shoved in the pillow.
He hadn’t been completely honest with Barry.
Well, Clark was a total ego maniac. Absolutely.
And he did tend to turn people against Jeremy, like not invite him to school wide parties or by teasing him about his secondhand attire.
But despite all of that, Jeremy had still been totally in love with him. His crush was fat, intense, entrancing.
When they were kids, they were beyond close.
Hugging, holding hands, constantly wrestling.
Even through middle school, they still had a close relationship.
They even kissed once, Jeremy’s first, clumsy and innocent.
That left a stinging sensation in his heart, knowing that it hadn’t meant nearly as much to Clark as it did to Jeremy.
Even beyond those childish experiences, though, Jeremy will never forget certain aspects of Clark that made him so lovable.
That smile, or how the sunlight would silhouette his golden hair, even his quick-witted smart ass remarks.
And then everything had changed their freshman year when he’d joined the lacrosse team and theatre club.
Still, Jeremy will admit only to himself how he would catch Clark from across the hall or through the window out on the field and his heart would skip a beat.
All the memories are coated with a layer of shimmer, creating a somber effect in recollection.
And finally, Jeremy’s last lie to Barry was that when Clark did leave Colorado for college, he was devastated.
Over the passing years, Jeremy has watched every single movie and television show Clark has been featured in.
Although, he has always been resolute that their paths would never cross again.
Now that they most certainly will, Jeremy has an overwhelming urge to hit the highway and chase the storm.