My first fanfiction! I apologize for the crappy summary: I just really wanted to hurry up and get
this story underway. Any sort of like, follow, review, or criticism is greatly appreciated! If you
have any questions or comments, feel free to ask!
I do not own Twilight, but I do own Saige!
"Are you sure this is what you want to do? There are other places around here that you can work at", my dad said, as he loaded the last plastic tote into the bed of my truck.
"Dad, I'm absolutely, positively, beyond-the-shadow-of-a-doubt sure this is what's best for me. We both know that I've always wanted to live in Washington. And besides, in this economy, I'm lucky to even have found a job." That was one discussion I knew that I'd win.
I had just graduated from Tarleton State University in May: I even had the crisp, clean diploma on the wall to prove it. On the other hand, I also had the outrageous debt in student loans that I needed to start paying on. I had originally gone there for a Pre Vet degree, hell-bent on going to Vet school at A&M soon after. One semester was all it took for me to realize that I wasn't cut out for it- too many chemistry classes for my liking, I suppose. So two semesters in, I switched to a major in Psychology, with a minor in English and Animal Science. Northwestern Washington State, with all my belongings packed into the back of my single cab Dodge pickup.
"What am I supposed to do when you're gone? Who's going to feed the dogs? What about your horse? Hell, what about me?" he asked.
"Just do what you've always done: work, come home, and then on the weekends, go to the deer lease. I'm taking my dog with me, duh", I said with a sarcastic tone. "Don't forget to feed your dog: half a butter tub once a day. And just make sure Twist has plenty of water and a round bale. Since I'm not riding her, she doesn't need to be grained. Oh, and I've already set up regular appointments with the farrier to get her feet trimmed, so just remember to take money out to the barn every 5th Saturday."
If there was one thing I was proud of, it was Twist, my horse. I'd bought her back in 2006, and I was the only one to ride and train her since. She was a beautiful dappled palomino color, with a creamy white mane and tail, a small star on her forehead, and two socks on her hind legs. She was my world: every day that I didn't work, I'd be out in the arena practicing barrels or out on the trails. Other times, I'd just go out to see how she was doing and spend some time just talking to her. Like the quote says, there's something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a woman.
Slamming shut the tailgate, I turned back to my dad. "Once I've been in Forks for a few months, I'll see if I can get someone to transport her up to me. Until then, she's just going out to pasture. Everything will be ok, Daddy. I promise". I pecked a swift kiss to his cheek and threw my arms around his neck. "I love you dad, you know that. I just can't stay here anymore; I need to 'do my thing'. And you've got Wanda to take care of you...if she decides to stick around. You need to make a move." My dad and his girlfriend Wanda had been dating for over a year now. As far as I was concerned, she was a perfect match for him. If my dad ever got snippy with someone or had a shitty attitude, Wanda would call him out on it. Problem was, my dad still hadn't told her he loved her. She still lived in Plano, while he and I lived in Midlothian on our small ranch. I had a feeling if he didn't ask her to move in here soon, she'd be gone. "Don't lose her, daddy. She's the best thing that ever happened to you."
As I walked back inside to grab a few miscellaneous things, I could hear him mutter, "Damn kid grew up too quick".
Instead of calling him out, I just shook my head and kept walking. Once I walked down the short hallway to my room, I saw that my grandmother was already taking my clothes out of my closet and laying them on my bed. "Nonnie, what are you doing?"
"Now I know you said that you would get everythin', but I couldn't just sit around twiddlin' my thumbs", she stated with a smile. "I picked out a few snacks you could take on the road with ya. Wouldn't want my Tinkerbell gettin' hungry and havin' to stop in some strange town. There's a Yoo-Hoo in the fridge door for you too, baby doll." And with that, she let herself out of my room and disappeared into the room across the hall. There was probably a rerun of a NASCAR race on the Speed channel.
I was going to miss my Nonnie. She was one of the strongest, sweetest women I had ever come to meet. She practically adopted all of my friends, and she'd give anyone the shirt right off her back if they asked-politely enough, I might add. She was a strong, kind, beautiful, downright gentle southern woman, but you didn't mess with her grandbabies. Or her animals. Or her car. Pretty much, you didn't want to be on Nonnie's bad side. I'd been there once, and I had no desire to go see it again.
A little while later, I was all packed up and ready to go. My family had thrown me a going away party last weekend, so all of my goodbyes were taken care of. Even still, my aunt's family, my best guy friend, Josh had shown up to send me off.
I'm not one to cry. Ever. I almost made it through everyone before I completely lost it. There's only been 3 times when I've ever seen my father cry: when his dog died, my senior prom, and my college graduation. As soon as I saw his eyes rimmed in red, I went into a fit of sobs.
"I love you so much, baby girl. You are my biggest accomplishment in my entire life. I'm so proud of everything you've done." He started sniffling and coughing, trying to get his emotions back in check. "You call me whenever you stop somewhere, when you leave somewhere, and before you go to sleep every night, ok?" he questioned. My Dad never asked me for much, so when he did, I immediately obliged.
Nodding my head, I said, "Yes sir. I love you too, Daddy. And no matter what, I'll always be your little girl." I buried my face into his neck and attempted to get myself under control. Once I figured I could hold myself together, I stood back and looked at my family. God, I would miss them.
"Alright guys, I've got to hit the road if I'm going to make it out of Texas by dark. I love you guys so much, and I'll call and write every chance I get."
They all shouted a chorus of "Be careful", "I love you", and "Drive safe". Turning to Josh, who'd been pretty quiet, I looked him dead in the eye. "Hey, you know what?"
"What?"
"I kinda love you. Don't miss me too much while I'm gone."
He just gave me a tight smile. "I'll try not to. And I love you too, Saige." Of all the hugs in the world, I was going to miss his the most. Our relationship was a rocky one. We had known each other for going on 5 years, and we had dated on and off for 4 of them. He was one of the nicest guys I had met. But we never seemed to be able to stay together for very long.
With all of my goodbyes done and over with, I forced myself to get into my truck before I changed my mind. Looking over at my dog, Rebel, I smiled. "Well, let's get started, huh big boy?" I reached over and scratched him behind his ear. His tongue flopped out and he tilted his head. "I'll take that as an 'ok'. Off we go then!"
With my family, my hometown, and everything I'd ever known slowly shrinking in my rearview, I headed off to Port Angeles, Washington. Off to a fresh, new beginning.