Rachel had failed to realize the impact of agreeing to a first date with Emmett McCarty when she did it. Such knowledge dawned on her as soon as the date was over, and she climbed back into her car. She checked her phone before heading home and was greeted with a slew of text messages from Lucy, Madison, and even Chloe. The latter was in freaking New York.
She called Chloe first when she arrived home, not ready to listen to the squeals of Lucy or Madison. But eventually they couldn't be avoided. Chloe was the only one who wasn't off in the deep end of the pool, another reason why Rachel liked to talk to her first. Madison had the audacity to ask, 'how Emmett was,' thoroughly digging her own grave. Lucy was slightly more level-headed, simply asking if the guy was a good kisser. Rachel wasn't able to answer the question though.
Things had been completely innocent during the date. They just talked, laughed, a lot, and got to know each other better. Rachel learned more about Emmett's family, his four older brothers – Will, Nolan, Henry, and Jackson – and their parents. He was a real family man at heart, which had been a surprising fact to learn about him, excitedly talking about Nolan's two kids. Apparently, being an uncle was one of the best things.
"You have a bunch of fun, watch them do cool tricks, then when they're sticky or crying or tired, you just give them back." He had shrugged with a chuckle. Rachel wasn't sure why she'd never really thought of Emmett as someone who would like kids or enjoy hanging around his family. Maybe his dating habits had cast him in more of a negative light in her mind than she'd originally thought.
In return, Rachel had shared a bit about herself as well. She told him about her parents and how she met her three best friends. She also elaborated more on the softball fight with the Pidgeon Forge pitcher, Mariah Keyes. The girl had smirked at Rachel every time right before she threw the softball. What else was Rachel supposed to think when each ball thrown was aimed right at her head?
"At least we were both ejected." Rachel mumbled with a blush. "Hopefully senior season will be less eventful."
"I'll come keep them in line, Rae Rae." Emmett had winked. Rachel scoffed internally at the statement, seriously doubting that Emmett would keep her around that long.
Still, they had set up a second date, a dinner date the following Friday that was subject to change depending on the weather. Emmett would be needed in the fields if it rained earlier in the week and Rachel found herself hoping for nice weather harder than she ever had in her life.
Even her father's frustration couldn't dampen her spirits or hopes for the weekend. Dennis had been quick to corner her Monday after he returned home from work, having heard from his co-workers that Rachel had breakfast with a McCarty boy. "You can't keep us informed? You know how embarrassing it is to not know anything about your own damn daughter's life?" His sharp words bounced easily off her skin. She'd been his daughter long enough to know he'd be fine in a few minutes as long as she stayed cool.
"It wasn't anything major." Rachel brushed it off. "You've never cared when I went out before. I didn't think you'd care this time either. Are there special rules in place if I go out with a McCarty?"
"There are special rules in place if you go out with a damn boy, Rachel." Dennis rose his voice slightly, lying through his teeth. He'd never cared before when Rachel went on dates. He was only upset because he was embarrassed that he didn't know. It wasn't her fault he had been out with his friends, and she couldn't see him to tell him about the date. Still, he continued his rant, "I expect to know who you're going with, where you're going, and when you'll be home. You don't know what boys are like."
Theresa stepped in then with a gentle, "She told me, Hon. I knew where she was and that she was going with Emmett. You were out last Saturday night with Joe and Steven, so she didn't see you."
"And you couldn't think to pass that information on? What if something happened to her? McCarty's are big boys. She's not fighting them off and you sure as hell aren't taking them on."
Rachel rose an eyebrow at her father's words. Normally he was all 'pro-McCarty'…or at least never had anything bad to say about them. Suddenly they were creeps who forced themselves on women?
Theresa had the same line of thinking because she asked, "What are you on about? You are always talking about what good people Tim and Judy are."
"They are fine people. But those sons they raised are hoodlums. I've heard all the trouble they cause."
Rachel sure hadn't heard about any trouble that the McCarty boys had caused – Well, aside from the audacity Emmett had to turn down a football scholarship to work the farm – so she assumed her father had been talking about Emmett dating around. That was a fair judgement….
Therefore, when Emmett asked her to join him at the Fourth of July fair, she hesitated. She didn't want to be just another name on his list and thought that jumping in too quickly would land her there.
"I dunno. We'll see." She had said noncommittally.
"Oh, come on, Rachel. We got a good thing going!" He said, gesturing around. "We went out last weekend. And this Friday. The fair is next Saturday. Gotta keep the train rolling. Otherwise, how will I go two weeks without seeing you?"
Rachel scoffed, shooting him a disbelieving look, "Yeah, right. I think you'll live. We'll see if you even stick around that long. Probably get sick of me."
"Oh no," Emmett shook his head slowly, eyes still solely on her. "No can do. This one's mine."
She leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest as she thought of something to say. Obviously, he had been joking. They'd only been on one and a quarter dates. There was no way Emmett knew for sure he wasn't going to break up with her in six months. She'd be lucky to make it as the girl he was going on dates with until the end of the summer.
Therefore, Rachel gave him a skeptical, "Hmm, we'll see."
"Alright fine. If I can't entice you with the idea of just the fair, how about a bubble waffle date?" He had said cheerfully, taking the plate of food from the waiter. "You can't resist a bubble waffle. Or me, but that's besides the point."
Rachel openly scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah…right. Sure. I mean, I kind of planned on going to the fair with Lucy and Mads and…." She trailed off, letting Emmett come to his own conclusion. It wasn't that she was opposed to going with Emmett, she just didn't want to get any more attached than she feared she already was. If he was just going to break it off with her anyway, then what was the point?
"Oh." Emmett paused, looking slightly disappointed. He was quiet for a minute before glancing up at Rachel skeptically, "Well, we could always meet up a little later? Give you some girl time and then I can steal you for a bubble waffle?"
Truthfully, she hadn't made any solid plans with either girl – it was just tradition that she went with her friends. But she supposed that would be a good compromise. That way she could spend time with both.
When she mentioned it to the girls though after they had arrived at the fair together, they both completely ditched her.
"I can't believe you didn't mention anything sooner! What the frick!" Madison exclaimed, giving Rachel a hard shove. "Girl, go spend time with your man. Get him to introduce me to Ethan."
Rachel gaped, nudging the girl back. "No! Come on. I already told Emmett I was spending the first part of the night with you. He said it's no biggie."
"Get out." Lucy pushed Rachel away, "One of us should get lucky tonight. And who better than Rachel Kenten?" She giggled with Madison, taking her arm and walking away from Rachel.
"Uh, excuse you! You can't just ditch me!" Rachel called, chasing after the girls like a third wheel. When she caught back up to the two, she flung her arms around them, forcing herself into the middle.
Both girls shared a look and nodded. "Alright fine." Lucy conceded. "Come walk around with us for a bit."
"Thank you." Rachel smirked in victory. "I'm not the kind of girl who ditches my friends for some boy, you know."
"I'd ditch your butt for Emmett McCarty. No offense." Madison shrugged. "He is one fine boy."
"Speaking of…." Lucy started but didn't finish without protest from Rachel. They hadn't done anything, and Rachel would be doing nothing with Emmett. She wasn't about to get her heart broken.
Her friends had other opinions. Discussing Rachel and Emmett's potential physical relationship as they walked, was enough to eventually distract the interrogated girl and after twenty minutes Lucy was able to lead her around the grounds, right to the one person she had been trying to avoid.
"Hey, Emmett!" Madison waved the older boy down, gripping Rachel's arm with her other hand so she was stuck. That didn't stop Rachel from shooting her friends dirty looks, muttering about how they were traitors and trying to get rid of her.
Emmett seemed a little confused by the situation unfolding, sharing unsure but amused looks with his friends. His lack of knowledge on the situation didn't stop him from breaking away from his group to meet the girls, we'll mostly Rachel, with a cocky smirk. "Told you that you couldn't resist me, Rae Rae. Miss me already?"
Rachel glared at her two friends. "This is your fault." She mumbled before looking back at Emmett, "Apparently my friends hate me and want to torment me with your presence."
He busted out laughing, joined in by a couple buddies who were close enough to hear. Rachel's response prompted the other boys to listen in, eagerly waiting to see what quips she had up her sleeve. Ethan and Travis spoke in hushed tones to the group, likely telling them about Rachel's sass during their meals at the diner.
"Sure, sure, Rachel. Whatever you gotta tell yourself." Emmett winked. "You hanging with us?"
"Sure is." Madison answered for Rachel nudging her forward. She waved innocently at Rachel as she took Lucy's arm.
The other girl gave Rach a smile, saying, "Paybacks a beach!"
"Alright, you gotta tell me what that's about." Emmett chuckled as he closed the distance between them, before leaning down to speak low in Rachel's ear.
Seeing as Lucy and Madison were abandoning her, she had no problem giving Lucy a little payback of her own. "She's got a massive crush on Jake Reiter. I just engaged them both in lovely conversation at the Memorial Day fair. Not sure why she was so upset. She's too nervous to make a move on her own."
"Ohh!" Emmett nudged Rachel, giving her a mischievous look, "Playing match maker! I like it. With Jake though? Ugh." He scrunched up his nose, walking Rachel back to the group of guys.
"What's wrong with Jake? He seemed nice enough when I talked to him." Rachel asked, genuinely curious. If she should be deterring Lucy from the boy, then she wanted to know. She didn't want Lucy's heart to get broken.
Emmett chuckled, bumping shoulders with Ethan as they entered the guy-circle. "She wants to know what's wrong with Jake Reiter."
Ethan and a couple other boys laughed at something Rachel didn't understand. Travis shook his head, looking fauxly-disappointed in Rachel. "Damn, Kenten. Gave up on Em already!"
"No!" Emmett was quick to set the record straight. "She's asking for Lucy" he gestured to the retreating girl's form and Rachel felt a little sick in her stomach. She hadn't meant for Lucy's secret to be spread that far. She didn't actually want Jake to find out about Lucy's feelings. She didn't want anyone to know. She didn't mean to break Lucy's trust like that. Mentally, she kicked herself.
She smacked Emmett's arm, more in anger at herself than him. It was her fault for telling Emmett, but he didn't need to go blabbing about it either. "Shut up. Who gave you permission to shout to the town about it?"
"You didn't say it was a secret." Emmett protested as he rubbed the spot. Rachel hadn't hit him hard enough to leave a mark, but the expression on her face told her it stung from surprise than pain.
"Stuff like that is always a secret, you jerk." Rachel snapped. "You go around telling everyone your business?"
Travis was quick to step up and defend Emmett, gesturing to the boy, "S'a good thing he did. Jake ain't worth shit. Unless it comes in a little clear baggie, he ain't interested."
Her eyebrows shot up then, eyes dancing around the circle at each boy's face before they finally landed on Emmett. Why she thought he was more trustworthy than Travis, she wasn't entirely sure. But still, she wasn't satisfied until Emmett agreed, "He's been like that since sophomore year. His dad is big into the stuff I guess."
A few things about Mr. Reiter made sense at that moment. "Dang." Rachel whispered. "That sucks. Steven too? They're always together."
"Oh yeah," Jonathan Young nodded heavily, "used to be good friends with 'em both. That stuff fucks you up though. Took me a year to feel normal again."
"Now we just get drunk every weekend." Ethan teased the group to lighten the mood. The guys chuckled, easily moving off of such a deep topic in favor of the more lighthearted one. Rachel wasn't sure how she felt letting it go. Someone should get Steven and Jake help, right? Or maybe they didn't want it. They had free will didn't they? Maybe Jonathan had tried….
"Speaking of," Jonathan interjected, "we gotta eat before the night gets old. I'm not puking my guts out like Memorial Day weekend. 'Sides, Emmett's gunna starve to death. It's been like three hours."
Emmett shrugged good naturedly. Though she was certain Jonathan said it to take a teasing jab at his friend, she knew it had some truth. She'd served him at the diner long enough to know Emmett ate a lot.
As they headed towards the food stands, Emmett placed his arm around Rachel's waist so he could lean in again, "You met everybody before?"
"I know who they are. S'all good." That was true. Like Emmett, she knew all the boys by name, even if she hadn't ever had a real conversation with them.
"Okay." Emmett nodded, pulling away so he wasn't as close to her face anymore. He never removed his hand though, gently guiding her along as though he was afraid she'd fall and break her ankle. His hand was warm against her back, and she briefly worried he'd feel how sweaty she was and be grossed out. Not that she cared what he thought.
It was warmer in July than it had been in May, and Rachel was dressed for it. Short shorts and a flowy tank top so her skin could breathe; but Emmett's close contact wasn't helping that much. Still, if she was being truthful, she couldn't say she minded much. His tan skin was warm and while not welcome at that moment, she knew he'd feel nice at night when the sun went down and took the heat with it. Not that she was going to be up against him or anything.
Rachel inhaled deeply as they made it to the stands, various food smells filling the air. Most of them fried and completely unhealthy, but the fair was a time to indulge a little, right?
"Whatcha thinkin?" Emmett asked, not taking his eyes off the various signs. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to read one better, leaning forward slightly. She was far busier watching him than looking at menus, finding his concentration amusing. When he did finally meet her eye, his face relaxed, "what?"
"What are you thinking?" She asked in return taking a step away from him so she could look at him better.
Emmett shrugged, "They got all kinds of good stuff. Pizza, hotdogs, cheese curds, cauliflower, mushrooms, mini donuts"
"That's not dinner." Rachel giggled, nudging his arm. "Do you actually like mushrooms, or are you just listing food?"
"Mushrooms are good. You want some?"
No one Rachel ever came to the fair with liked mushrooms. Since she couldn't ever eat a whole thing by herself, she had to take the opportunity to get some with Emmett. "Yes, please! I can go get those and meet you wherever you wanna go?"
"Oh, no, Rae Rae." Emmett shook his head, gently taking hold of her hand to take her with. "I'm not letting you get lost or kidnapped around here."
She scoffed, letting herself be dragged down the main walkway. "Oh please. I know everyone here…mostly."
He continued to protest by shaking his head. Once she was close enough, he wrapped his arm tightly around her waist, bringing him so their sides were touching. His voice was low, breath hot as he reminded her, "Yeah, but I already told you, I gotta take real good care of you, baby."
Her stupid cheeks slowly flushed, from the heat she'd say he if asked. Why did everything out of his mouth sound so damn sensual? Surely he knew exactly what he was doing. He's been with so many other girls he probably had it down to a science; so calculating and precise. Thought he knew exactly what to say and do…did know exactly what to say and do. Rachel felt sick being another one of his little games.
"Just as well as you took care of Sara Bennett?" She whispered before she really even knew what she was doing. When her brain caught up, she pressed her lips together and stared wide-eyed at the boy.
Before she could get the apology out of her mouth, Emmett took her over to the side, out of the line of traffic. He spun her slightly, so she was facing him, allowing her to see hours playfully narrowed eyes. "You, dear Rae Rae, don't trust me."
"I'm sorry, that was rude and"
"You didn't deny it." Emmett cut her off, "You don't trust me."
"I'm not…" Rachel hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I'm not interested in being a toy or a temporary plaything or"
"Who said that's what I was interested in?" He asked. He knew the answer, judging by the mock-curious expression on his face. It was too dramatized for it to be real.
"Well, no one but"
He rose his head in understanding then, "You just don't believe me when I say that I'm not interested in drawing things out if I don't think they're going to work."
"What was wrong with Sara?" She asked instead, genuinely curious to hear his response.
"Will you stop doubting me if I tell you? If I go through the list of every girl I dated and explain to you why I wasn't going to work, will you seriously give this a shot instead of believing I'm playing with you?"
Rachel thought for a moment, fiddling with the woven bracelet on her wrist. She wanted to put a caveat that the reasons had to be legitimate but figured that was probably implied. "Okay. Yeah."
Emmett smiled, somehow looking quite amused. His eyes danced across her face as he wore a small smirk. Rachel wasn't sure what he found funny about the whole thing, but she wasn't going to argue.
"Can we do it over dinner?" He asked, tossing a thumb over to the food stand they had been heading to.
Rachel scoffed, smiling as well as she agreed, "Sure, sure. Starving and all that, right?"
Emmett laughed then, resting his arm across her shoulders as they began walking again, "One thing you should know about Jonathan - he's a good exaggerator."
Somehow, she doubted that. Especially when Em insisted on ordering the large platter with mushrooms, cauliflower, cheese curds, and pickles. Rachel couldn't exactly say she protested too hard…everything sounded delicious. And it was all stuff that Rachel only got during these events, some of them not even because no one would share. Maybe if things didn't work out, Rachel could still convince Emmett to split mushrooms with her every now and then.
He waved to his friends and pointed to another table off of the side. The group of boys proceeded to make kissy faces and haggle the two, not that Rachel was surprised. Boys.
"Alright, Rae Rae. Take notes, baby." Emmett stretched his back and shoulders like he was prepping for a strenuous workout. "I'll go down the list, newest girl first. Sara: too clingy. Did not like me hanging out with the boys, also didn't like me hanging out with my brothers. Mandy: she complained all the time about how loud me and my friends are and didn't like our extracurricular activities. Amber broke up with me because of the whole not going to college thing. Who was there before that? Was it Ashley?"
Rachel shook her head, carefully dipping the mushroom in ranch before popping it in her mouth. It was still hot, nearly burning her tongue before she tossed it into her cheek. She sucked air into her mouth while Emmett chuckled. "Careful it's hot."
She rolled her eyes at him, flipping him off as she tried to finish her bite.
"I can't remember if Ashley or Maya came next. Either way, I broke up with Ashley because I thought we didn't have anything in common. She's nice to look at but she doesn't get down and dirty."
Rachel scoffed and shook her head.
"Not like that," he chided, picking up a cauliflower. "I'm not a total jerk. I just meant she didn't like to work outside and wasn't willing to go to bonfires or drive around or hike. God, Rachel. Head out of the gutter. Maya I broke up with because she was weird."
"Fair." She would give him that one. Maya was nice, but definitely had some weird habits. And she wasn't even in Rachel's grade and Rachel knew that.
He chuckled, giving her an appreciative nod, "Thank you. Claire expected me to go to every single thing she had for band and every single meet for cross country and that's not realistic as a farm kid. I barely made my own football practices and games. I'm totally just listing girls as I remember them now, sorry. Lisa was-"
As Emmett went through and listed each girl he'd dated, Rachel was forced to sit and consider her reasoning for asking him to do such a thing. At that point, he was listing girls Rachel hadn't even known he'd been with. She had no idea that he had dated Trinity Olson. Or Maggie Treyton. What was the point? To prove he was valid in breaking up with them? What if he wasn't? He couldn't go back in time and not date them. He couldn't pick a different reason for. Going their separate ways, at least not truthfully.
Rachel waved him off, stopping him from his discussion on why he'd broken it off with Kaitlyn Clemming. "No, Emmett, you're fine. You don't have to keep listing them."
"Really?" He quirked his brow, suspicious of her sudden change of heart, "I can keep going."
She gave him a small smile, pushing her hair out of her face, "No. You're good. I just…I'm not a 'date knowing you're going to break up with me' kind of girl. I just want to know you're going to give this a fair shot."
He grinned, looking more relaxed and comfortable now that they'd finished with dating history. "I already told you, Rachel. I'm keeping you around for a long time."
"Sure, sure." Rachel shrugged. Though she'd be lying if she said she didn't have a little more hope in her heart.
