Lost in the Shadows

20

Later that night we pulled up to the bonfire In my truck. "Why are the boys staring at you," Wes asked confused as I parked on the side of a small blue truck.

"Not me, they're staring at the truck," I admitted, "they'll want to race later," I laughed hopping out of the black beast.

Wes followed me to the gathering of people by the fire. "No way! Dani?" My old friend May shouted greeting me with two beers. One for me and one for Wes.

"Oh my gosh, hey," I hugged as she admires Wes with her lovey eyes. She elbowed me indicating for me to introduce them. "Wes this is May. May this is Wes," I laughed as she greeted him with a hand shake. She was practically drooling over him, but I knew May wasn't a threat. She's the sweetest and she was my best friend in elementary school through out High school. We still face time every now and then to see what's going on with each other. She actually just opened up a cute boutique near the town, which I have yet to visit.

"Well, I'll catch up with you later. I have to pick up Blake," she smiled.

"Blake as in Blake Blake," I shockingly asked her. She's had a crush on Blake since birth, but he always had a girlfriend and didn't feel comfortable telling him at the time. She nodded and waved at us as she left.

"Who's Blake," Wes asked popping off the cap off the bud light.

"She's been in love with him forever," I told him handing him my beer for him to open.

"I hope you like Bud Light, because thats about the only thing you'll find here," I laughed.

"Well I'm more of a bourbon guy, but beer is fine."

"Aren't you too young for bourbon," I questioned, because every time I see a man drinking bourbon he's about 50 or older.

"Aren't you a little too young to be drinking at all," he made a point. I always forget that I'm only 19 and he's 21. It's not that big of a difference.

"That's not what my fake says," I chuckled reaching for his hand and dragging him closer to the fire.

Luke combs blared through someone's truck speaker causing the natural sounds of the croaking frogs and crickets to become inaudible. However, I'm not complaining. It's Luke Combs.

"Long neck, Ice cold beer never broke me heart. Like diamond rings and football teams have torn this boy apart. Like a neon dream, it just dawned on me, that bars and this guitar And long-neck ice-cold beer never broke my heart," I sung along forcing Wes to dance with me, but it was mostly just me moving his arms with along with the song and me pretending my beer was a microphone.

"You're a goofball," he laughed making me laugh. Did he really call me a goofball? I haven't heard that phrase since I was 8 by my mom.

I walked Wes to my truck and pulled down my tailgate for us to sit on. I decided to give him the dirt on everyone, since it is a small town and everyone knows everyone's business.

I told him about James cheating on his girlfriend with his best friends widowed mom; Mary Jane ironically being named after the reason why her mothers in jail; Sarah dropping out of high school her senior year to try to pursue a modeling career, it didn't work out; Spence getting a DUI the day he got his drivers license; Conner being expelled at school for releasing chickens in the hallways as a senior prank; and Jack shooting his own foot while hunting. The list continued for about half an hour before we were interrupting by Buck and Em. Me being the girl he cheated on me with.

"I didn't know you were back in town," he said in his camouflage jacket and cowboy boots. I mentally laughed at the fact that him and Wes were total opposites. Wes had on a leather jacket and vans, and I wouldn't have wanted him any other way.

"Yeah, we got back yesterday," I told him noticing the dirty look he was giving Wes.

"I'm Wes," Wes introduced himself, I was honestly shocked, usually Wes doesn't take the high roads.

"I'm Buck, this is Em."

"Oh so you're the fuck up and you're the hoe," Wes blurted out causing me to cough my beer out all over the back of my truck. That was enough to make Buck drag Em away before giving us another glance back.

"Wes, you can just say stuff like that," I chuckled pushing my shoulder onto his. I didn't mind though, he only said what I've been wanting to say.

"Don't pretend that it wasn't funny," he pressed looking at my humored face.

"It was funny," i admitted before jumping down from the tailgate. "I'm going to get us more beers, I'll be right back," I told him before walking back into the pack of people. I was stopped multiple times by people wondering what I've been up to and how college was going.

As I reached into the cooler I was approached by a voice, "he's not wrong you know," it was Buck. I would have swore I saw him walk in the opposite direction like three minutes ago.

"What," I asked confused.

"I did fuck up, and Em even cheated on me. If I could take it all back I would, I want you to know that. Maybe we could hang out later," hang out means hookup.

"No thanks, I'm good," I shot at him before trying to walk away.

He grabbed my arm, "You know you want a cowboy, it'll be better than what he has to offer I promise you that." Ew. Did he just refer himself as a cowboy, because if so I feel like barfing.

"Like I said, I'm good."

"You never even gave it a shot. How do you know you won't like it," he aggressively grabbed my arm again.

"Let go," I yelled as Wes stepped in with anger written all over his face. That face will never get any easier to look it, it simply just screamed murder. Something that terrified me, and not much scares me.

"Wes, let's go," I pleaded not wanting him to make a scene. However, Wes wouldn't bulge, he reminded me of a lion who had eyes on the prey and was ready to attack at any minute now. As he was about to throw a punch I stepped in front of him causing him to return to my world. "I said let's go," I scolded before dragging him out of the crowd and to my truck.

"Never step in front of me again," he scolded, and he was right that was stupid of me, because I knew that if I got punched by Wes it would be game over for me, however, somehow I feel like I'll do it again.

"Never punch someone in front of me again," I told him and stuck out my tongue.

"He deserved to get the shit knocked out of him."

"I'm not disagreeing, but what if I told you I know a better way to get back at him," and with a single sentence I had his undivided attention.

Next thing I knew Wes and I were staking out the house until Buck got home and his lights turned off. Wes started toilet papering their house while I started placing sticky notes al over Bucks truck. We didn't stop until every inch of the house was covered in toilet paper and the truck was completely pink. We then did something extremely childish, we dumped rubber bands all over the patio and driveway, because it's impossible to sweep up rubber bands meaning that he's going to have pick each one up individually.

On the ride home we rolled the windows down to feel the dark chilly humid air while blasting music. I allowed Wes to drive the truck back, because he wouldn't shut up about it. And since it was extremely late and no one else would be up at this time, if he hit something there's no witnesses.

"Are you sure he's going to be mad," he asked turning down the music.

"It's a small town, I'm sure they'll be a news article about it before he even realizes it. His moms a hard ass and knows that when something like this happens it's his fault, so I guarantee tomorrow if we pass by he'll be in the heat cleaning the house. He'll be pissed," I laughed as I reached my hand out the window pretending to grab the air.

"Good."

For the rest of the night we laid in the bed of my truck looking at the stars and commenting on how the stars here are so much prettier than the ones in New York. Through, We sat in silence for the majority of the time as we found solitude in the sounds of the farm animals roaming around. "Wes," I called to ask if he wanted to go back inside, but he had already fell asleep.