I wanna thank everyone who reviewed cuz I forget to give shout outs but I was so happy to read them all! I was bragging to all my classmates of how awesome you guys are! ;) And whoever said that Travis wasn't a hot name, that's your opinion. I like that you cared enough to tell me tho! The reason I picked it is because it gave it a country-feel and that's what I want. And I hope I'm doin that! Oh, and I picked Hawthorne cuz I freaking love Gale Hawthorne from the Hunger Games! If you haven't read the series, DO IT NOW!
Also, if you live in the South like moi, you'd know how freaking ANNOYING all the dang severe weather is! And it's scary too. Tornados freak me out more than anything, and I am NOT proud to say that one passed right over the town next to where I live last Thursday when it was real bad. Because I had my Shox on when I heard the first crack of thunder at like 5:00 pm. Can it just end already?
P.S. I got a review from someone who said Kick It In The Sticks was their fav song. I forgot who you were so mind tellin' me? Thanks. And I totally agree with you!
P.P.S. If you've listened to the song, PM and tell me what you think and how I can make my story better.:)
P.P.P.S. Just a little info for ya: I've decided that this story is gonna be more than 10 chapters cuz I'm adding stuff from other songs that talk about partying in the south. We're looking around 15 – 20, maybe more. We can do it!
Disclaimer: Me, sadly, no own any copyrighted material that is mentioned in this story, but I like to think I do! :)
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After silently fuming over my obvious distress and leaving the house with Fang leading the way, I was ready as I'd ever be to fish. But I couldn't guarantee that I'd catch anything other than a stick or boot or something to that effect. Heck, I had trouble catching lightning bugs when I was little, so what made anyone think that I could catch a freaking fish? And did I even have to mention that I was still inwardly freaking out over my encounter with Fang by the bathroom? Jeez, I was practically hyperventilating, and I've never had breathing trouble before other than when my allergies kicked up.
I was painfully aware of Fang as he held the door open for me, and the way his scent filled my nostrils. And, this may sound weird, but he smelled amazing, like leather and Axe. God, his smell practically had me drooling in front of him as he stopped to greet a woman of about twenty something with flowing blonde hair pulled back in a loose braid. I can't explain it, but I felt oddly... possessive of Fang as the woman flirted by fingering his shirt lovingly. She was almost as bad as Kate. But I didn't have time to get mad because Fang said a quick goodbye and we walked off, leaving the woman staring confusedly at our backs. Suck it, whoever you are!
We stepped from the porch, Fang's boots giving off a mild clicking sound on the plywood boards compared to my soundless sneakers, and I noticed that the sun had almost completely set behind the house. Looking around curiously, I saw that there were about thirty people crowding around the steps, with many others spread out around the extensive yard, and I could just barely make out Dylan's golden blonde hair as he chatted away with a tall kid of maybe sixteen who had spiky cornsilk yellow hair and deep blue eyes.
Dylan spotted us standing next to a rock pillar and, saying a quick goodbye to the guy, jogged over to me with a bright smile on his too-cute face. He skidded to a halt in front of me, wrapping his arms loosely around my waist as Fang – still intimidating me and confusing me by the feelings that were swarming around in my chest – smirked at us. "Hey, babe," Dylan said, and I rolled my eyes at his nickname for me. Although I couldn't help the smile as it spread across my face. Dylan was always good at giving me sweet attention like that. "Did Fang tell you that we're going fishing?" Dang, his voice sounded so much different from the others' around here.
Fang – the hunk, I've decided to refer to him as – nodded his head, refusing to speak it seemed, and so I spoke for him. "Yeah," I planted a tiny kiss on his nose before backing out of his arms, unknowingly stepping closer to Fang in the process, and I professionally ignored the fluttering of my heart as it almost beat from my chest. What was up with that? "When are we leaving?" I'd do anything to stop the sudden raging flame that was engulfing my entire body as I stood next to Fang, and I silently wondered if he had to do the same, although I highly doubted it.
"Now," he replied, drawing the word out. Dylan looked at us quizzically, first at Fang and then me, like he was checking if something was wrong. Which nothing was, I assure you (and if you're smart enough, you can tell that I'm being sarcastic). I guess he didn't find anything wrong, though, because he added easily, "Oh, Max, you'll have to ride with Fang if you don't mind." Whaaaaaaaaat?
Did I mind? Of course I freakin' minded! My mouth dropped open without my knowing, and I could feel my eyes almost pop out of my head. You're my boyfriend, Dylan. You're not supposed to let me hang around with a guy – especially your cousin – that sent my heart racing whenever I caught I glimpse of him. That's, like, a rule for dating. And if it isn't, it should be. Either Dylan was just stupid, or really, really trusting. Dear Hotdogs how was I going to survive?
Closing my mouth before any germ-infested bugs could fly in, I responded wittily, "Sure, fine, whatever." Okay, maybe it wasn't as witty as I'd planned, but it was for me and the current hormonal state I was in. Feigning casualty, I shrugged and risked a quick glance up at Fang. "Who's all riding with you?" Was it just me, or did my voice just crack in embarrassment? Father who is in Heaven, please help me! I didn't think I could survive being in a car with someone that looked like Fang.
He shrugged in answer to my question, and I saw him glance at about five other people, several of which looked familiar, as they approached us from all different directions. "Whoever can fit, I guess," he said, his voice sounding gruff as if he had something clogging up his throat. "Ratchet'll take his truck, which means he'll have about six people ridin' with him, and I'll let someone else barrow my truck." His truck? What was he going to drive then? I wasn't walking through a muddy pasture and to a probably-muddier pond because these jeans I had on were new and from the Buckle at the mall in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Nice and stylish jeans, I really liked them and the way they allowed me to move comfortably.
After a moment of silence from all three of us – although it wasn't exactly silent considering all the loud noise and activity that was going on around us – Dylan announced, "I'm gonna head out, then." Fang and I nodded our understanding and waved as he jogged off toward his Silverado after he'd given me a quick kiss on the temple. "Oh, and Max? I think Ari and Nudge want to ride with you," he called out over his shoulder as he dodged a couple sucking each other's faces off. Yuck.
Fang and I stood there in an awkward silence, waiting as the five people – including my brother and Nudge – all were surrounded around us. Everyone I pretty muck knew except for the two blondes, but the boy looked familiar; he was the boy Dylan had been talking to. There was a girl, though, that I didn't know. She had cornsilk yellow hair and big blue eyes. Was she that boy's sister? Probably, I guess.
Ari, realizing that I had no idea who the two siblings standing in front of me were, was nice enough to introduce them. "Oh, Max. This is Gazzy," he announced, pointing at the boy. Gazzy – what an odd name – smiled crookedly and tipped his black cowboy hat at me; I smiled back politely. "And this is Angel, his sister." The girl, Angel, well she did look like an angel. Her blonde hair was framing her pale face, and her deep blue eyes gave her an innocent appeal. She was beautiful, I realized, smiling and holding my hand out to her.
"Hi, Angel. My name's Max," I said, shocked at the tight grip her hand had on mine. To me, strong grips mean strong people. And very few people had grips that compared to mine and even my brother's. But Angel didn't strike me as a strong person. Although, a crazy, insane part of me deep down inside said that she was one of the strongest people I'd ever meet. The sun had officially descended behind the huge mountain that surrounded the small town of Monroe, and the bright moon shone on her blonde hair, making her look even more like an angel. Heck, her soft pink Western-style shirt and dark Levis even made her look like an angel.
"I know," she said, smiling welcomely in return. I liked her already. "My older sister Star told me she'd met you." Oh, so Angel wasn't as old as I'd thought, maybe sixteen at the most. She seemed nice, and her brother acted as if he were gentlemanly enough. Although I did know one thing for sure: country boys were raised to respect people and even give the shirt off their back if someone was in need of it. I'd learned that much from all the movies I'd watched.
"Well, now that everyone's met, I say we head out 'fore Jim and Bo take my honey hole," Iggy said, using both thumbs to point backward toward something. Straining on my tip-toes – the guy was taller than me, thank you very much – I looked over his shoulder and gasped loudly. I never knew...
Parked beside the house was a 1969 Dodge Challenger – like the General Lee from the Duke's of Hazard – painted blood red with a the number fifteen wrote on the side, written in big, bold, black letters and outlined with white. On the top, from what I could see, looked like a T and an H intertwined together, written in white and slanted over the top. It was two-door, so I figured the black leather seats were able to be pushed up if necessary. Which it was.
It was an amazing car, and I was still gawking openly at it as we neared it, unconsciously aware of how dangerously close Fang was to me. And you know what? I couldn't care less about the indescribable feeling his closeness was bringing as I stared at the car. I really did like his car; I should probably take a picture of it for my dad since he was a classic car fanatic.
Three thoughts entered my mind right then, and they were: Oh God someone get his hunk away from me, Wow Fang's butt looks absolutely amazing in those tight Wranglers, and This hillbilly's got class.
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The dictionary's definition of fishing is the activity of catching fish, either for food or as a sport. My definition of fishing is hell, pure, undeniable hell for both the fish and me. And, again, being the city-slicker that I was, I had no idea how to bait a hook, cast out, or even reel in. Luckily, I had the Greek god's (Fang) older brother Ratchet teaching me how to bait, cast, and reel. Unluckily, I was completely ticked off because A) my boyfriend Dylan was too busy fishing to teach me, and B) I thought Fang would be the one to teach me. Jeez, I sounded like a whine bag. Which I wasn't, I swear to you. But Fang did say he would instruct me. Was I that terrible to be around?
And this is just a little secret between you and me, but I actually wanted Fang – badly – to coach me on fishing more than I did Dylan. Is that wrong?
"Okay, this is how you do it, Max," Ratchet announced, taking my attention off Dylan and the way he was too caught up in fishing to help me – his girlfriend – learn how to bait a hook. Also, yanking me away from watching Fang walk up a small hill and idolizing his amazing butt. And did I mention that Fang was like a freaking Greek god? Oh, I did? Sorry, his hotness is totally screwing with my mind. "You take the minnow and take the hook. Then you hook the minnow through his top fin, 'cause it has a better chance at stayin' on that way. And if you need to you can double-hook it you can, but it kills the fish faster."
As he spoke, I couldn't help myself as I wondered about Fang and how his large, calloused hands baited his hook with such care. They were big and tan, although they could do the hardest of tasks with the utmost gentleness, and with a sudden shock I realized I wouldn't mind having them hands on my body. Which wasn't just insane and out of the question but totally weird, considering Dylan and I haven't even been passed second base. And I'd like to keep it that way, thank you very much.
And do I even half to tell you about the card ride over here? Dear goodness, it was absolutely terrible yet amazing at the same time. Is that even possible? Fang, Iggy, and I were in the front, and of course I was in the middle, my left leg nearly overlapping Fang's and my heart beating so loud I thought it'd wake up the penguins in Antarctica. In the back were Ari, Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy, and they wouldn't shut up the whole ten minutes it took to drive from Fang's house to the pond. And do I have to mention that we had to cross a barbwire fence? Well, we did, and Iggy fell flat on his face in the mud as I tripped over the fencing, but Fang caught me and, Dear Lord, the boy has the most amazing body in the world! I never thought a chest could be that hard...
"Max. Max? Are you listenin'?" Ratchet asked, snapping his fingers in my face, grabbing me from my ever-wondering thoughts. I shook my head to clear my mind, and nodded my head quickly in answer to his question. Just touch me with those godly hands already, Fang... Wait, where the crap had that come from? That question was impossible to answer.
"Yeah," I voiced my answer just in case he misunderstood the shake of my head and my nod. He eyed me skeptically, crossing his arms over his muscular chest, the Bass Pro Shop hat he was wearing shadowing his face from my immediate view. Off to the side, I heard Iggy laughing softly as he helped Angel grab a minnow from the neon yellow bucket in the back of Fang's other vehicle, his 2006 black Chevy Silverado – different from Dylan's. And, I was beginning to realize, different was better sometimes. Fang's truck was the only one that had enough power to drive through the metal gate and not get stuck, so it was the only one over here, and everything was piled on it.
"Oh, yeah?" he challenged, his eyes narrowing as he bent slightly so he could see my face more preferably, even though it was a full moon out tonight. I had to admit, he looked totally cute – not the way Fang did – but still cute nonetheless. "Prove it. What'd I just say?" Holy crap, what do I do?
"Uh... um, well you said something about a fin and minnow," I answered, shrugging unknowingly as I forced myself not to freak out. I really had to work on controlling myself whenever Fang was around. I guess it didn't exactly help when I was talking to his older brother who looked much like him except he was lighter and his eyes were just brown, not that gorgeous dark brown. He smiled softly at me and began to talk again.
Music was blaring from someone's truck – Ratchet's, who was older than Fang by three years at twenty-one – and I realized I knew this song. It was Fishin' In The Dark by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. My dad used to play it all the time in the car, and I thought of how perfect it suited what we were currently doing: fishin' in the dark.
Unfortunately, I got so wrapped up in the song that I didn't listen to Ratchet as he was explaining it again. And by the time it registered in my mind that maybe I should listen he was finishing up. "Got it?" Uh, no?
Thankfully, I was nice enough to save him from explaining it again, and I just nodded my head. "Yeah, thanks Ratchet, you're real cool," I said, praising him, and his eyes beamed with acceptance and appreciation. Ratchet really wasn't all that bad; he was more talkative than Fang and more open, but he wasn't too chatty and I was grateful to him for that because sometimes I have nothing to say and don't really want to talk. He really was pretty cool, and Star was lucky to have him as a fiance.
"No prob, Max," he retorted, holding his hand out for a shake. I accepted it willingly, not freaking out that he had numerous fish scales glued to his hands. I didn't even think twice about wiping the scales twice on my Buckle jeans – which was a great accomplishment for me, let me tell you – as Ratchet walked off to where Star and Kate were fishing by a towering oak.
It was then that I finally took a good look around. About twenty feet in front of me was the pond, and even though it looked murky and ominous in the faint moonlight, I didn't feel scared or intimidated by its dark depths. The pond was surrounded by different kinds of trees – like oak, spruce, pine, maple, and cedar – and on the far right side there was a small hill that ran the length of the pond. That was where most of the people were. Nudge, Ari and Holden were close to Dylan, attempting casual conversation as they fished. Star, Kate, Ratchet, and Angel were on the left side, and I saw Angel wiggle up a tree like a squirrel. Tons of other people that I didn't know were spread out spaciously around the pond, laughing and talking loudly, and I even saw someone throw a beer bottle into the water. Sitting below a small maple was Gazzy and Iggy, and I saw them holding a piece of paper out, reading it from the light of Iggy's apparent cell phone. Oh, my cell phone! Digging around in my back pocket, I grasped my iPhone 4 and set it on the tailgate, under someone's orange Western-style shirt.
And then there was Fang, all alone on the far right corner, his dog Boomer, who was a hyper half-lab half-pitt, snuggling closely to him, begging Fang to scratch him behind the ears. He was so... so... God he was indescribable!
"Hey, you must be Max," a high-pitched voice – though it didn't even compare to Star's – said behind me, and I spun around, almost dropping the pole Fang had let me use. I saw a girl of probably nineteen, with long light brown hair and brown eyes like mine, though that was where the similarities ended. Whereas I was tall, she was short and not as muscular as me. She was thicker, likely from eating grilled food and drinking all the time like the other people. And her face had way too much make-up on it. Other than that, she was actually pretty. Under all that powder, that is. "I'm Maya."
I grasped her outstretched hand and shook it, noticing that her grip wasn't as strong as Angel's or the other people I'd shook hands with. "Nice to meet you," I said, smiling although I could tell it wasn't her pleasure to meet me. What had I done? Something told me to be aware of Maya, and to watch my back. I dropped her hand, noticing she was starting to squeeze a little too tight for my comfort. Awkwardly, I turned my head upward and gazed at the starry sky, wanting to just forget about what had just happened. Wait. What had just happened? Shrugging it off mentally, I said, "Nice night."
She sighed. "Sure is," she replied, her voice sounding oddly loud in the quietness of the night. "I've seen better though." Okay, did she mean to do that? Make me want to ask her a question? Jeez, why am I so curious all the time? Can't I, for once maybe, mind my own dang business? Guess not, 'cause I asked anyway.
Intrigued, I asked quietly, "Oh, when?" Again, why do I have to be like I am? I swear, one of these days my curiosity is either going to get in me serious trouble or – worse – killed.
I could practically see the triumphant grin on her heavily made-up face. "When Fang took me to go skinny dippin' here a couple weeks ago," was her victorious answer.
That news hit home, hard. My eyes – I was really starting to feel bad for them – almost dropped onto the muddy ground below and I had to regulate my breathing before it got too out of hand. Fang was with... her? Really? And skinny dipping, too! Heck, when she jumped in all the water probably splashed out! (Hahahaha, that wasn't nice, she really isn't that fat but it was funny.) And when he could do so much better. Jealously bubbled up in my stomach but I refused to let her see that her pointless words had gotten to me, and that I actually cared what skank Fang hang out with. What really ticked me off was that she'd intentionally tried to make me jealous by using Fang when I had a boyfriend – who was somewhere on the other side of the pond talking with some guy. I just... Ugh, I just wanted to slap the shit out of Maya!
I nodded once, letting her know I'd heard and shrugged casually, although I was practically blazing inside from the hot jealousy that was threatening to make itself seen. But, believe it or not, I had more self-control than that. "Cool," was all I said, and let me tell how well I played the whole not-caring thing. Not very good, thank you very much. "So, how long have you two been dating?" Seriously, did I have to ask? Why yes, yes I did.
It was her turn to stare up at the night. "A couple months before we graduated high school last year," she retorted, smiling to herself. A part of me didn't want to believe her, to think that she was just making this up to his if I liked Fang that way (which I didn't; I've only known him for, like, an hour) and I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me all jealous that the hottest guy I've ever met was taken. But there was a part, deeper down, that insisted that I believe her because she had no reason to lie to me. And, sadly, that side won hands down. "I'm plannin' on gettin' a ring from him soon."
Okay, if I'd have had something to drink right then, I'd have spit it out all over her powdery face, hopefully washing some of it off. But I didn't, so I just decided to freak out in my mind. He was going to marry her? Honestly? Why? I wouldn't even let Ari look at a girl like her. But then it hit me. Boys from the south liked their women different than men in the city, and I was learning that the hard way. I shouldn't even be thinking of Fang in that way; he's my boyfriend's
cousin for crying out loud! I couldn't help the way my mind was so possessive over Fang, though. But I could stop my seething anger and jealousy from leaking out and displaying themselves on the ground in front of us. I was good at that, at least.
"That's great," I said cumbersomely, grabbing my pole from where I'd lain it down on the tailgate. I just wanted to be away from her at the moment. I needed to get away before I gave in to my anger and smashed her head in like I would've done to any other girl who was talking about Dylan. Yeah, I'm a fierce girlfriend, but what's mine is mine. But I don't really understand why I wanted to bash her head in when I don't even know Fang. That just stumped me. "I'm gonna go. Guess I'll see you around, uh, Maya." I almost choked on her name, and I knew she'd heard the slight hesitation in my voice as I said her name. And the smile on her face made me even more angry. I waved and smiled politely as I walked off, watching the ground intently while I amateurishly navigated through the tall, wheat-color grass that was growing around the bank of the pond.
Where to go. I could sit by Ari, but Holden would just tick me off and I'd end up leaving. I was so ticked off with Dylan that I didn't even want to look at him. I liked Angel well enough, and I wouldn't mind fishing with her or Ratchet, but I knew Kate would spill some of my secrets if I were over there. Iggy and Gazzy seemed to like me, but that note I saw them with earlier was a little – well, weird. I didn't really know anyone else, so I decided to try my luck with Fang. And no, you crazy people, I wasn't going over there just to prove to Maya that I could. Wait, maybe I was...
I stumped up the hill, my unusual anger and jealousy toward Maya causing my footsteps to sink further into the mud as I trudged up the hill. People gave me odd looks, and I didn't even flip them off like I normally would. Add my anger to Maya the skank, me forgetting to bait my hook, me trying to spin around quickly on my heel so that I looked hot with my hair flowing out behind me, the slippery, soggy ground beneath my feet, and some nimrod trying to be Sam Bradford by attempting to throw a football across the large pond but only succeeding in hitting me in the face knocked me off balance and I started to fall down, down, down.
And guess where I ended up? Yeah, you're right; in the mother effing pond! My night was not going well.
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Okay, that was longer than I thought and I'm happy! Also, my cousin recently totaled my Mom's (soon-to-be mine in three years) truck and we're getting a new one, hopefully the Dodge Mega-cab that my Dad's been practically drooling over for the past month. And my cousin isn't hurt, so don't worry. She just has whiplash, and when she went to the hospital she got asked out by a Doc. Yeah I busted a gut laughing at that.
Anyway, I said that the story was going to be longer than I'd originally planned because I'm doing it over more than one song now, but Kick It In The Sticks is still the main one. Here's the current list:
Kick It In The Sticks – Brantley Gilbert
Backwoods – Justin Moore
Hell On Wheels – Brantley Gilbert
Country Must Be Country Wide – Brantley Gilbert
What Was I Thinking? – Dierks Bentley
How I Got To Be This Way – Justin Moore
I Love This Bar – Toby Keith
Take It Outside – Brantley Gilbert
My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean (Brantley Gilbert wrote it lol)
Days Like These – Jason Aldean
A Country Boys World – Jason Aldean
Bending The Rules and Breaking The Law – Brantley Gilbert
That Was Us – Justin McBride
That's all I've got so far, and in case you haven't figured it out yet I totally love Brantley Gilbert and Jason Aldean! They're like my favorites! And if you want to know how those songs are gonna contribute to this story, go listen to them and watch the video if you need to. They're all great songs! No lie!
P.S. I got 8 reviews for my 1ST chapter and do you know how psyched I was? I was literally making my friend read everything that you guys sent me. I am sooo happy, and I wish we could really send virtual cookies cuz all y'all deserve one! 3 Don't stop with the reviews I really need suggestions on how to make my story better and and improve my writing. I like love you guys!
~ SoonerMagic
