Title: That Tim McGraw Song
Rating: K
Summary: The Malloys, Bensons, and the Hatfords all find themselves in Savannah Georgia during their summer vacations. During that summer love blossoms between two 16 year olds. Song fic to Tim McGraw by Taylor Swift. The love story between Eddie Malloy and Steve Benson during a summer to Georgia. Spoilers to the Boys Return in flashbacks.
"That Tim McGraw Song"
Both girls had left leaving their sister waiting for them to leave before sneaking out. Now Edith Ann "Eddie" Malloy only tapped her hand against her thigh. Her favorite worn jeans sat on her hips and her dark blue baseball cap sat on her head. Normally right now she should be with her family on a ghost tour. Instead, she had said that she wasn't interested. After they had left she had changed from sweats into what she was currently wearing. Which right now consisted of light worn jeans, faded sneakers, and a worn Wal*Mart tank.
She looked around the lobby of the Holiday Inn looking for Steve Benson. The fluttering in her stomach had stopped when she spotted him smiling. His smile was wider than her own after seeing each other after so long. They weren't really dating each other but they were happier around each other.
"Ready?" he asked, helping her into the Chevy Truck. He had driven about, at least, 6 miles out of town. Not being a native of Georgia, she currently had no idea where they were going. Until she say nothing but wide open space. For a second she thought that Steve had pulled her leg somehow. Making a face, she turned and looked at him bemused.
"We're not stuck are we?" Her eyes narrowed which only made Steve laugh.
"Of course not, just look up," he said pointing. Above them millions of stars dotted across the night sky. One of them was brighter than the others, which Eddie noticed as the North Star. Steve started to point out constellations that they had learned about back in the fifth grade. During his talk he had taken the time to get up and turn on to country radio.
'Talk is cheap and free advice, is worth the price you pay,' sang out Tim McGraw from the radio. Being a country boy, Steve immediately turned the song up. Eddie only shook her head before joining in with him. Both of them were far from civilization, so nobody could hear them sounding like dying cats, or wolves howling at the moon. As if there were any in the state of Georgia.
It wasn't until they had collapsed into the bed of the truck getting tired of the dancing. Yes, Steve had actually turned the radio all the way up to dance in the middle of the field. The Tim McGraw song had changed to some baseball game.
The Cincinnati Reds were playing The Atlanta Braves. Neither one of them supported a certain team, even though it was obviously between Ohio and Georgia. Right now the Braves were beating the Reds by 10 to 4. As if that mattered at all to either of the teens.
"Those stars really are pretty, even though you know I'm not that much of a sap to use better similes. That's Beth's job," she said offhand. She didn't expect Steven Howard Benson to actually reply to that.
"You know I hate being a sap too, but I thought of something that could put those stars to shame," he said having a glint in his eyes.
"Oh yea and what might that be?" she asked narrowing her own. She was silently hoping it wasn't something over the top or cheesy. Not that she would mind that of course. She didn't want to expect it every time they were together or anything.
"Your blue eyes, they put those Georgia stars to shame tonight."
Now that was when she hit him with her hat. He wasn't allowed to say something sappy, as that wasn't them. She also hated to admit it, but she didn't want it to sound like they were saying goodbye. Goodbye sounded like too much of a permanent word. Maybe "see you later" was a better phrase. After all of those years: the Bensons, the Hatfords, and the Malloys were all still close friends. They could see each other again. Soon.
"That's a lie," she paused before speaking again. The uncertainty in her voice was very clear, "Soooo, what's going to happen next year in college? You staying in West Virginia or coming back here…?"
"I'm going to West Virginia State," said Steve making her heart deflate. "I'm going to be a university history teacher. What about you?"
"Pharmaceutical work," she said quickly, "At Ohio State."
It made both a little sad to know they wouldn't be going to school together. Just maybe they had though of each other. Going to the same school might cross their minds? Sure, both had different boyfriends and girlfriends throughout the years. When they were together it was different. Like they were connected in some strange, yet, beautiful way.
After what seemed like hours they finally decided that it would soon be time to leave. The tour was over in four hours.
As soon as they got back, the ghost tour bus was filing people out to get back to their rooms. Among the last to get off of the bus was the Malloys, Bensons, and the Hatfords. Both of them had let go of their hands they were holding before they got caught.
"I knew it!" screamed Caroline. "I knew she didn't want to go on the ghost tour, because she wanted to see Steve!"
Both of them froze as they had entered the lobby. They had to get caught right then and there? Thing is none of their parents even looked phased. Jake looked insulted that his friend had decided to hang out with Eddie. Josh was still in a daze from kissing Beth during the ride back. Apparently, it was to make him feel better about the ghost that might have followed him.
Just the thought of everybody knowing only painted a blush on their cheeks. A memory, entirely nostalgic, had remembered a time when everybody knew something. It was a comforting moment, seeing as their parents didn't even seem to mind.
"We didn't either," Doug piped up. "We were going to wave sheets in front window and make you think it was the ghosts."
"Shut up Dougie," Bill told him.
"And Steve was going to slip a note under your door," said Peter.
"Shut up!" said Steve. His face turned pink.
Eddie's did as well.
The last time they saw each other was the next day. A moment of weakness as they parted awkwardly in front of their parents.
"Don't read this until you get halfway across the state line," he said slipping her a note that was in green construction paper. It was older and started to crumble from age. Although he knew it wasn't written that long ago. Maybe back when they were 11 and now they were 17… Yea, it was a while ago.
"I have one to give to you too," she said handing him an envelope. His name in a the simple scrawl of her handwriting across the front.
He said the way my blue eyes shine
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night
I said: "That's a lie"