Post by Anabelle Grace Bryan on Nov 19, 2015 13:31:03 GMT -5
The summer before Senior year had been a complete and total blur. It had started with the fact that Hunter’s mother wanted him to take Senior pictures. That wasn’t really Hunter’s speed. Every one in that small Texas town knew that he was going to play professional football. And his mama just wanted to savor every piece of him being there that she could. If Senior pictures weren’t his vibe, she just needed to ask Anabelle how she planned on doing hers. That’s how Anabelle and Hunter ended up at the river together with a photographer. It was the same river he’d saved her from drowning in when they were young kids, and had effectively changed their friendship forever. Anabelle looked down at the white sun dress she had put on, dangling her cowboy boots from the end of Hunter’s tailgate. Her fingers gripped the rusty red paint as a smile passed her lips. She could just imagine what he was thinking. “Why in the heck do I have a football out by a river?”. He was always just so funny..going along with things, usually with a smirk and running his hand through his hair.
Anabelle had already taken most of her pictures, stepping carefully into the water, holding flowers, but watching Hunter she could tell he wasn’t comfortable. So eventually, she hopped off the back of his tailgate and ran over, asking him to throw the ball to her. Which turned into her going to get the American flag she had taken pictures with and forced him to wrap it around the both of them for a picture. Because it was Hunter, and the best thing they did together was have fun, somehow by the end of the photography session, her white sun dress had been covered in mud. The streaks covered her arms, face, and had gotten into her hair. All she could do was laugh the entire way home, trying to get the mud off of her boots. When they had run inside his house, thinking his mama had gone off to the store, Anabelle came to a halt in the entry way. There was a slight gasp from his mama, covered by her putting her hands over her mouth, “ What on earth did y’all do?” Anabelle paused a moment, looking at Hunter before looking back at his mama with a broad smile. “ We took our Senior pictures,” she said before slipping out of her cowboy boots completely and running upstairs to get cleaned up.
It was a summer spent listening to country radio that was filled with static as he worked on his truck, until eventually he started teaching her everything he knew about it. To this day Anabelle could look under the hood of any of her and Luke’s cars and trucks without any hesitation thanks to Hunter’s persistence that she knew about it. He was always worried about if something happened to her and she was left on the side of the road. But Anabelle wasn’t worried. People were always so friendly, surely someone would stop and help her. But it seemed important to him, so she had learned. He’d put up with her hiding behind hay bails when she had gotten bored, only to spring up onto him and jump on his back when he looked for her. Stealing his hat and wearing it had become tradition. And during Football camp in the summer, her favorite part of the day was coming to meet him at the school so that they could walk down to the Tastee-Freeze and get some ice cream. Sometimes if he was really hungry, they stopped and ate cheeseburgers with grape slushies. But most days, they were able to just walk around with ice cream for a while. And those days had felt like some of the most magical days in the world.
Which is why as she stood outside his front door, she couldn’t understand where things had gone wrong in her day to day. The rain came pouring down, and she was wearing Hunter’s leather jacket over her the same white sun dress that she had spent playing around with Hunter in just a month before. Her hair, soaked from the downpour, clung to her features as she held on tightly to the jacket. The porch light flickered on and the door swung upon suddenly. “ Good heavens, Anabelle, what are you doing on the porch? Get inside,” his mama had said, placing her hand behind Anabelle before ushering her into the house. “ Baby! Get some towels, would ya?” his mom hollered out. And in almost no time, Hunter came around the corner carrying towels. He hadn’t been expecting her, so when he looked up and realized that she was here a small smile flickered onto his face, until he noticed. Surely, he must have noticed. Every time since they were kids that she had seen him, she’d burst into a smile. But she couldn’t. She just stood there, looking like a drowned rat while his mama took his jacket off of her and took the towel from Hunter, wrapping it around Anabelle. “I’m going to make y’all something to eat and drink, why don’t you take her on upstairs, Hunter?”
Anabelle held onto the towel, forgetting her manners in thanking his mama for everything she was doing when she head out to the kitchen, and instead brought her focus to Hunter. When they got upstairs, he was moving around his room, finding something dry for her to wear. She hadn’t realized it as she stepped outside of her boots yet again, but being in the rain had made her cold. “Thank you,” she said quietly before taking them. Anabelle stepped into the bathroom attached to his room, pulling on a pair of his sweat pants. After tugging at the strings as much as she could, she got it to wear they would fit without sliding off of her hips. Reaching up for the shirt, she felt a catch in her throat. The maroon and black fabric under her fingertips was probably her favorite thing in the world; Hunter’s practice jersey. Every Friday growing up, she’d worn his jersey to school before he wore it to the games. And his practice jersey, it was her favorite. He put so much hard work into what he did, and when you loved someone, you loved their passions. You loved the struggles they went through that made them better, the ups and the downs. Hunter put his heart on the football field. He’d had great upsets, and even more success. But this jersey was who he was. And it meant everything to be closer to him.
Stepping out of the bathroom she looked up at Hunter who .. well, she couldn’t quite place his facial expression. She hadn’t mentioned why she was here, and surely he was anxious to know why she was upset. But she couldn’t tell if he looked protective or pissed. Anabelle pushed some of the wet hair from her face, trying to get her thoughts together. “..Tyler said he um…” she started, feeling her eyebrows furrow together before she sniffled slightly. “ Well, it’s just. He told me that he loved me, and I thought…” she said, shaking her head again. “I thought..” she stated, trying her best not to cry. Crying was something she never really understood, mainly because as terrible as it sounded, life was beautiful. “So we.. he told me that if I loved him…I’d..” she said, sniffling. “But, then he told me he couldn’t be with me,” she said, finally looking up at Hunter before she allowed herself to cry.
An hour later and she was still curled up beside him. They’d drank their share of hot chocolate and had eaten more apple pie than was probably humanly possible. Her hair had dried, and thanks to being curled up to Hunter, had soaked up the scent of his body wash. The rain was falling down against the window, and yet she was wrapped up in a blanket with Hunter, listening to the sound of his heart beating through his chest. It was so dark and stormy outside, but here with Hunter she felt safe. It was true to so much of her life. She always felt safe with him, like she was being protected even when she didn’t need it. Anabelle moved, wrapping her arm more tightly around his body, pulling herself closer to her safety and warmth. If heaven was a place on earth, it was probably in Hunter’s arms. She could stay like this forever, in this small town with a boy who was too big for it. But she knew someday he’d be gone, loving on some girl who didn’t know what she had. She’d have this moment. It was a matter of time until their world was bigger than this little town, and maybe talking to her would get more and more difficult. He had bigger plans, even if he didn’t know it. And someday when he was in the big city lights, she knew she’d curl up in this very same blanket, telling stories about the boy she used to call home.
Anabelle had already taken most of her pictures, stepping carefully into the water, holding flowers, but watching Hunter she could tell he wasn’t comfortable. So eventually, she hopped off the back of his tailgate and ran over, asking him to throw the ball to her. Which turned into her going to get the American flag she had taken pictures with and forced him to wrap it around the both of them for a picture. Because it was Hunter, and the best thing they did together was have fun, somehow by the end of the photography session, her white sun dress had been covered in mud. The streaks covered her arms, face, and had gotten into her hair. All she could do was laugh the entire way home, trying to get the mud off of her boots. When they had run inside his house, thinking his mama had gone off to the store, Anabelle came to a halt in the entry way. There was a slight gasp from his mama, covered by her putting her hands over her mouth, “ What on earth did y’all do?” Anabelle paused a moment, looking at Hunter before looking back at his mama with a broad smile. “ We took our Senior pictures,” she said before slipping out of her cowboy boots completely and running upstairs to get cleaned up.
It was a summer spent listening to country radio that was filled with static as he worked on his truck, until eventually he started teaching her everything he knew about it. To this day Anabelle could look under the hood of any of her and Luke’s cars and trucks without any hesitation thanks to Hunter’s persistence that she knew about it. He was always worried about if something happened to her and she was left on the side of the road. But Anabelle wasn’t worried. People were always so friendly, surely someone would stop and help her. But it seemed important to him, so she had learned. He’d put up with her hiding behind hay bails when she had gotten bored, only to spring up onto him and jump on his back when he looked for her. Stealing his hat and wearing it had become tradition. And during Football camp in the summer, her favorite part of the day was coming to meet him at the school so that they could walk down to the Tastee-Freeze and get some ice cream. Sometimes if he was really hungry, they stopped and ate cheeseburgers with grape slushies. But most days, they were able to just walk around with ice cream for a while. And those days had felt like some of the most magical days in the world.
Which is why as she stood outside his front door, she couldn’t understand where things had gone wrong in her day to day. The rain came pouring down, and she was wearing Hunter’s leather jacket over her the same white sun dress that she had spent playing around with Hunter in just a month before. Her hair, soaked from the downpour, clung to her features as she held on tightly to the jacket. The porch light flickered on and the door swung upon suddenly. “ Good heavens, Anabelle, what are you doing on the porch? Get inside,” his mama had said, placing her hand behind Anabelle before ushering her into the house. “ Baby! Get some towels, would ya?” his mom hollered out. And in almost no time, Hunter came around the corner carrying towels. He hadn’t been expecting her, so when he looked up and realized that she was here a small smile flickered onto his face, until he noticed. Surely, he must have noticed. Every time since they were kids that she had seen him, she’d burst into a smile. But she couldn’t. She just stood there, looking like a drowned rat while his mama took his jacket off of her and took the towel from Hunter, wrapping it around Anabelle. “I’m going to make y’all something to eat and drink, why don’t you take her on upstairs, Hunter?”
Anabelle held onto the towel, forgetting her manners in thanking his mama for everything she was doing when she head out to the kitchen, and instead brought her focus to Hunter. When they got upstairs, he was moving around his room, finding something dry for her to wear. She hadn’t realized it as she stepped outside of her boots yet again, but being in the rain had made her cold. “Thank you,” she said quietly before taking them. Anabelle stepped into the bathroom attached to his room, pulling on a pair of his sweat pants. After tugging at the strings as much as she could, she got it to wear they would fit without sliding off of her hips. Reaching up for the shirt, she felt a catch in her throat. The maroon and black fabric under her fingertips was probably her favorite thing in the world; Hunter’s practice jersey. Every Friday growing up, she’d worn his jersey to school before he wore it to the games. And his practice jersey, it was her favorite. He put so much hard work into what he did, and when you loved someone, you loved their passions. You loved the struggles they went through that made them better, the ups and the downs. Hunter put his heart on the football field. He’d had great upsets, and even more success. But this jersey was who he was. And it meant everything to be closer to him.
Stepping out of the bathroom she looked up at Hunter who .. well, she couldn’t quite place his facial expression. She hadn’t mentioned why she was here, and surely he was anxious to know why she was upset. But she couldn’t tell if he looked protective or pissed. Anabelle pushed some of the wet hair from her face, trying to get her thoughts together. “..Tyler said he um…” she started, feeling her eyebrows furrow together before she sniffled slightly. “ Well, it’s just. He told me that he loved me, and I thought…” she said, shaking her head again. “I thought..” she stated, trying her best not to cry. Crying was something she never really understood, mainly because as terrible as it sounded, life was beautiful. “So we.. he told me that if I loved him…I’d..” she said, sniffling. “But, then he told me he couldn’t be with me,” she said, finally looking up at Hunter before she allowed herself to cry.
An hour later and she was still curled up beside him. They’d drank their share of hot chocolate and had eaten more apple pie than was probably humanly possible. Her hair had dried, and thanks to being curled up to Hunter, had soaked up the scent of his body wash. The rain was falling down against the window, and yet she was wrapped up in a blanket with Hunter, listening to the sound of his heart beating through his chest. It was so dark and stormy outside, but here with Hunter she felt safe. It was true to so much of her life. She always felt safe with him, like she was being protected even when she didn’t need it. Anabelle moved, wrapping her arm more tightly around his body, pulling herself closer to her safety and warmth. If heaven was a place on earth, it was probably in Hunter’s arms. She could stay like this forever, in this small town with a boy who was too big for it. But she knew someday he’d be gone, loving on some girl who didn’t know what she had. She’d have this moment. It was a matter of time until their world was bigger than this little town, and maybe talking to her would get more and more difficult. He had bigger plans, even if he didn’t know it. And someday when he was in the big city lights, she knew she’d curl up in this very same blanket, telling stories about the boy she used to call home.
