Note: I do not own Georgia Rule or Go by The Civil Wars
Chapter One
I don't wanna stay
I don't wanna go
The small room was almost empty, only a mattress on the floor with a plain white sheet and a pillow. A box sat next to it that read "Lee's closet."
Lee walked into the room with her dad following behind her. She grabbed the pillow on the bed and he grabbed the last box. "You know," her father started, "I'm sorry you have to go. I wish you didn't have to."
Lee nodded her head, hugging the pillow against her. "Yeah, I know."
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright," she stated, following her dad out of the room.
He walked down the stairs and through the kitchen to his left, where he was able to exit out to the garage. It wasn't the biggest condo in the world, but since it was just him and Lee, they didn't need much space. It was home to them.
A small moving van was parked in front of the garage. Her dad set the last box inside and locked everything up. "Ready?" her father asked, getting into the driver's seat and looking over at her.
Lee let out a soft sigh. "Yep."
Once the garage door closed they drove out of the complex and hit the highway.
"So after I drop you off, I've gotta head back and load up all of my stuff. Gotta be out by the end of the week."
Lee smirked. "Say 'hi' to grandma for me."
He ignored her comment and watched the road. The faint country station playing on the radio filled the silence for a couple minutes.
"Hopefully I'll be able to find a new job soon and you can come live with me again. If you wanted to."
Lee nodded and chewed on her lip, looking out the window at the scenery around her.
She wasn't overly excited about moving from California to Idaho. The only thing she was excited about was a new place where no one knew her. She needed some fresh faces.
She had to admit, living with her dad wasn't much different then living on her own. Most of the time he'd be in the garage, drinking, probably watching porn, or smoking a bowl. Either that, or working from 9-5 every day of the week.
She liked the freedom, and he didn't mind her doing what she wanted, as long as she did a few chores every once in a while.
Her mom was a whole different ball game. She went to church, worked, and she always reminded you to follow her rules. Lee hated being told what to do, which is why she liked living with her dad so much.
After a couple hours of driving they stopped at a gas station and a quick bathroom break before hitting the road again.
"How much longer do you think?" Lee asked, trying to get comfortable with the pillow leaned against the window.
"Well, we're almost in Vegas. Maybe about… 10 hours?"
She groaned. "Great." She didn't mind road trips, but 10 hours of driving was a little much.
"We'll try not to stop unless we have to. I want to get there by 9am."
"Fine with me."
…
5 stops and 9 and a half hours later, they parked in front of a small, two-story, light blue house.
Lee stood on the front lawn and looked it over, her long blonde hair up in a pony-tail. "Cute."
A moment later she heard the front door open and close. "Hey!" her mom grinned, opening her arms as she walked down the steps from the porch.
Lee smiled. "Hey, mom."
They both hugged while her dad opened the back of the moving van.
"How was the drive?" her mom asked curiously.
She was a couple inches shorter than Lee, blonde hair and thin, in her mid-thirties.
Lee shrugged. "It was alright. I got to sleep for a third of it."
"Yeah, thanks for helping out with the driving," her dad said sarcastically as he walked past them with a box.
"Shut up," Lee muttered.
"You look so good!" Her mom looked her up and down and hugged her tight again. "I'm so happy you're here."
Lee was 5'10 and got her height from her dad, who was 6'2. She had long blonde hair like both her parents and was thin. Thinner than she used to be, probably what her mom was commenting on.
"It's good to see you," Lee smiled. She wasn't sure what else to say; she'd be lying if she said she was happy to be there.
"Come on, I'll show you your room." Her mother led her into the house. Her boxes were left in the entry way where her dad placed them. The kitchen was on the left, and the living room was past the stairs at the back of the house, right of the dining room. They walked up the stairs and she eyed the pictures hanging on the wall as they passed them. Most of them were of Lee when she was younger, both of them together or just her at Disneyland or Sea World. None of her dad. Others were of pictures of aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas. The master bedroom was right of the stairs and they walked across the banister to a room, left of the bathroom. "Here we are."
Lee looked around. There was a large window that viewed the side of the house, as well as the neighboring house. A full bed was against the right wall, and a closet was parallel to it in the back wall. She nodded and smiled. "Nice."
Her mom grinned. "We can go into town later and pick up some things to spruce the place up a little if you'd like. Once you have all your boxes in here and you've unpacked a little."
Lee nodded. "Sounds good."
"Well I'm gonna go finish up breakfast. Your dad is welcome to stay if he'd like, unless he needs to get back on the road."
Lee shrugged. "You can ask."
Her mom nodded. "Alright, well I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." She walked back downstairs, stopping at the front door where her dad placed the last box.
Lee stood in the doorway of her new room, listening for any conversation between them.
"You're welcome to stay for breakfast," she heard her mother say.
"It's alright. Gotta get back on the road."
"Alright. Just offering."
Lee rolled her eyes. Figures. Her mom didn't even say hello to her dad when they first pulled up. What made her think they would want to be in the same room together?
She walked back downstairs and stepped onto the porch. Lee watched her father walk across the grass and up the steps. "That's all of 'em."
She smiled and they hugged. "I'll miss you."
He cleared his throat. "I'll miss you too."
"Don't cry, dad. It's not goodbye forever."
His eyes got a little teary. "I know." He forced a smile. "You're just my special girl."
Lee swallowed. "I know." She held back the tears the pricked at her eyes. "I love you, dad."
They hugged tighter. "I love you too, baby."
"Try and find a job so I'm not stuck here forever," Lee muttered, hoping her mother wasn't listening.
"If she's being a pain in the ass, you can always call and vent to me about it," her father whispered.
She chuckled. "Alright. Now get outta here."
"Bye, Lee."
Lee watched her dad walk down the steps and get into the moving van, waving before starting the engine and disappearing down the street.
She waved, the tears finally coming to her eyes as she watched him drive away.
Lee did her best to wipe her eyes before walking inside to the kitchen, where her mom had prepared eggs and bacon.
They both sat at the table, eating in silence at first. "You alright?" her mom asked.
Lee nodded. "I'm good."
"Once you've settled in enough we can head to town," her mom smiled, getting up to set her plate into the sink.
"Sounds like a plan."
…
Lee unpacked her clothes and hung them in the closet, setting out other pictures on her nightstand and a lamp next to her bed. She wasn't sure what else she needed, but her mom seemed to be excited to show her around town, so she didn't protest.
Her mom showed her where they'd go to church and what time each Sunday. She told her which ward she was in and explained how the Bishop wanted to meet with her to welcome her to the area. Since they were Mormon, they only went to church once a week, and maybe a few activities if the ward had anything planned. A ward is a congregation, meeting at a certain time each Sunday. It has its own Bishop and high counselors, who watch over the members of the ward. Lee was in a ward called the "Single Adult Ward." Full of people 18 years and over who hadn't yet married, since married couples attended the family wards.
It didn't appeal to her, but she'd go at least one Sunday and try it out. She had fallen into the habit of not going since she lived with her dad. Her mom didn't know, nor was she going to tell her.
If she really didn't want to go, she'd bring a change of clothes and hide out for three hours each Sunday.
They parked in front of a general store that was on Main Street. Lee noticed a few trucks parked next to theirs and someone loading their truck bed with hay bales that sat on the curb.
He glanced her way as they stepped onto the curb, approaching him. He was tall, around what she guessed to be about 6 foot. He wore a light blue, plaid shirt, jeans, and old work boots. His hair was blonde and almost reached his shoulders.
"Morning, Harlan," her mom greeted as they passed.
"Mornin', Sister H," he smiled, wiping his forehead with the back of his glove.
"Harlan, this is my daughter Lee." Her mom gestured to her and she smiled politely. "She just moved into town."
Harlan smiled. "Nice to meet you." He put his hand out to Lee, taking off one of his gloves.
They shook hands and Lee nodded. "Pleasure."
"Harlan's in your ward," her mom stated.
"Cool," Lee smiled.
Harlan grinned. "Awesome. Let me know if you need anything." Lee nodded and he slipped his glove back onto his hand. "Ride to church, tour guide, anything," he added.
She nodded. "Great. I'll have to keep that in mind."
Her mom nudged her. "You guys get to know each other a bit, I'll be inside."
Lee opened her mouth to protest, but her mom was gone before she could say anything.
Harlan lifted up the last bale of hay onto his truck and shut the tailgate. "So where'd you move from?"
"California."
"What brings you to the beautiful town of Hull, Idaho?" he asked, leaning casually against his truck. He took off his gloves and shoved them into his back pocket.
Lee shrugged. "My dad lost his job, so I moved up here with my mom."
"I'm sorry to hear that." He seemed sympathetic, and Lee shrugged again, giving him a small smile.
"It's alright."
"How long are you staying for?"
"I don't know. Could be stuck here forever."
Harlan smiled. "You make it sound like a bad thing."
Well, yeah, it's a bad thing. She wasn't going to deny missing California. But maybe she'd warm up to this small town. "What're those hay bales for?"
"I was picking them up for my boss. I'm a ranch hand."
Lee nodded. "Ah, very cool."
Harlan smiled. "Yeah, it's a lot of hard work but it pays well."
"That's good," Lee smiled. "So you work with horses and stuff?"
Harlan nodded. "You like horses?"
"Yeah, I used to take lessons. Not for very long though," she smiled. "But yeah, I like to ride."
"Very cool."
Lee smiled. "Yep."
There was a bit of an awkward silence and Lee chewed on her lip, blanking on what else she could possibly say. She was about to excuse herself before Harlan broke the silence.
"I'm not quite sure, but my guess is that you need someone to tag along with for your first Sunday here." Harlan grinned.
It forced a smile out of Lee and she glanced away, now noticing how gorgeous his smile was. "I'm alright, thanks."
"Alright, well if you need someone to sit next to, I'll save you a seat."
Lee shook her head slightly, the smile still on her face. "I may not make it. I've got plans."
"Plans?" Harlan was curious and he wrinkled his eyebrows.
Lee nodded and folded her arms, shifting her weight.
"Plans to do what?"
"Explore?" Lee shrugged, her eyebrows raised.
Harlan chuckled. "We could do that any day."
"We?" Lee laughed. "Are you always this forward in the first five minutes?"
Harlan shook his head slightly. "I'm just bein' nice. Nothing wrong with being nice."
Lee nodded slowly. "Right…well, maybe."
"I'll take a maybe," Harlan smiled.
Lee chuckled and glanced toward the general store. "I'd better go. It was nice meeting you."
Harlan gave her a nod. "So I'll see you around then?"
Lee smiled. "Sure."