Page 7

JAMIE

I haven’t been able to eat or sleep for days. Not since the fight between Oakley and I. No matter how many times I promise myself I’ll get over it and start to move on, so far, all I’ve been able to do is stare out the window of my bedroom. Or drive in endless circles for hours.

Every time I look over at the passenger side seat, all I can see is her smiling at me. Wind tossing her hair as the hem of her skirt slowly rises along her leg. My fingers tickling her knee as she playfully swats at me, before telling me to keep my eyes on the road.

Scraping both hands through my hair, not caring if it stands on end or that I look like I’ve been through a cyclone—as my mom would’ve said—I’m suddenly desperate to talk to her.

To my mom, that is. To sit down and tell her how badly I fucked up and how desperate I am to make things right with Oakley.

I lift my phone and swipe to bring up her number.

But a part of me knows that it’s useless.

She hasn’t answered the dozens of calls I’ve already made.

Though, just like every time before, I call anyway, praying that this time she’ll answer.

But as usual, my call goes straight to voicemail, yet again.

Anger boils through my veins like a hot flame as I throw my phone onto the table with a clatter, not caring if I shatter the screen. I can always get another phone.

She won’t respond to calls, texts, or even emails. I’ve tried reaching out to her through every social network I could find, but she’s unfriended, unfollowed, and blocked me everywhere. I even showed up at her house. Her mom turned me away.

I guess I should be lucky it was her mom and not her dad who answered the door.

Mrs. Montgomery looked sympathetic, at least. She’d shaken her head when I asked if Oakley was home.

Told me it would be best if I left without making a fuss.

Of course I had, but now I regret that I didn’t stay, didn’t climb the tree next to her room.

Thrown pebbles at her window. Done whatever it took to show her that I wasn’t going to settle for her ignoring me.

I’ll never be able to replace Oakley.

How can you beg someone to give you another chance when they won’t even see you?

My dad was happy when I told him that I’d committed to the circuit, but he’s pissed off at me now because every time he’s asked me to go practice, I’ve turned him down.

Ignored his subtle, then blatant attempts at guilting me.

His threats slide right off me, slick as oil.

I think he’s starting to get a little afraid I’m going to back out on him.

Hell. Maybe I will.

I don’t even know if I want the circuit anymore. The only reason I was considering doing it was to save up money for me and Oakley. Everything I do is for her, but now with her gone, what’s the point?

My dad might lose some money, but I think it’s his reputation that he’s more worried about.

Walker Rodeo is all he’s cared about since we lost Mom.

It’s like, once she died, he poured every spare emotion he had into the business.

Sometimes I wonder if he wishes me and my sister Penny would just up and disappear so he could spend all of his time working instead of having to worry about us and how we’re turning out.

Regardless, even if I’m old enough to be out on my own now, Penny’s only sixteen.

She still needs him, and his blatant disregard for her most of the time is irritating.

Granted, Dad doesn’t pester her about taking up bull riding, of course.

Sometimes I envy that, but other times, I’m glad that I at least have the option.

Without riding, Penny’s stuck doing the grunt work for the business.

Billing and stuff like that. I know she hates it. But, like me, she feels stuck.

No place to go but Walker Rodeo.

The Skyview Falls High School graduation ceremony starts in just over an hour. I’m supposed to be there, graduating with her. To cheer Oakley on as she gets her diploma, then hear her voice when I get mine. Pose for pictures with her in our caps and gowns.

Hell, start our adulthood together. But now it’s all just gone.

I’ve spent the past three years of my life picturing how we’d live once we got out of school, and never once did I imagine that we wouldn’t be together.

“You ready?” My dad knocks on my doorframe. Sounding gruff, he’s wearing a tie and shirt. It looks weird on him. I’m used to him in jeans, a flannel shirt and cowboy boots.

“I don’t really want to go. Might just skip it. It’s just a bunch of speeches that last too long.” I shrug.

Dad frowns. Narrows his eyes at me. “Too bad. You’re going. Your high school graduation is a big deal. You can’t let some silly breakup stop you from taking your honors. Your mom… She’d have been so proud.”

I think about asking if it’s too much for him to admit that he’s proud, too.

But, in the end, I don’t bother. I don’t have the energy to fight with him about anything more.

Though, the more I think about it, it would be the perfect opportunity to finally speak to Oakley.

She’s going to be there, and there’s no way she can avoid me then.

The moment we arrive at the field, I take my place among my classmates.

I scan the assigned seats for any sign of her, then deflate when I realize that I won’t be able to tell where she’ll be sitting.

So, instead, like a zombie, I suffer through the ceremony.

My heart nearly stops when she crosses the stage to get her diploma.

Listening as they rattle off the long list of her accomplishments, everything she’s worked so hard for over the years.

A sense of pride sweeps over me, filled with nothing but love for my girl.

As the ceremony finally ends and the crowd disperses, I look for her.

She won’t be able to run away from me without making a scene, something I know she won’t want to do.

I do my best to avoid the rest of the Montgomery family, but they seem to be everywhere I turn.

Her brother, Bo. Little sister, Maggie. Her dad.

All of them block her off from me, and when they’re not, my dad drags me around to meet someone he wants to brag to.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was some kind of conspiracy to keep Oakley and me apart.

When I finally get a moment to break away from my dad, I try to look around for Oakley again, only to realize that she’s nowhere in sight. I spot Phoebe standing with a bunch of our classmates taking selfies, so I push through the crowd to get to her. “Where’s Oakley?”

At first, Phoebe clearly doesn’t want to answer. Then, she shrugs. “I guess it doesn’t matter if I tell you. She already left.”

My heart twists. Frowning, I clench my fists at my sides to stop myself from raking them through my already messy hair. “For home?”

Phoebe hesitates, looking wary. I pace in front of her, then stop dead center to look her right in the eyes.“Where. Is. She?”

“She left as soon as graduation was over. She and her mom went home to change, then they’re leaving for New York.”

“Tonight?” My heart stops. My stomach twists and turns like I’m on one of those spinning rides at the carnival.

Phoebe shrugs. “They might already be on the road.”

“No.” That single word drops out of my mouth, heavy as a stone. “No. She can’t. Without even saying goodbye? I don’t believe it.”

“You really hurt her,” Phoebe replies, staring at me with a look that shows nothing but disappointment. “What did you expect?”

“I don’t know!” I shout. Frustration fills me as people around us begin to look on. “Not for all this shit to happen though. Not for her to…leave! Not without a chance to earn her forgiveness.”

Stepping forward, I meet Phoebe’s gaze, silently pleading with her to do something to help me, but, deep down,I know she can’t. “If you hurry…” she says, “you might be able to catch her.” She lets out a heavy breath. “Maybe.”

All I need is a maybe.

Without wasting another moment, I rush through the crowd in search of my dad. My heart beats rapidly with the anticipation of getting to her. In convincing her not to leave with the way things are.

The moment I spot him talking to the hardware clerk from town, I catch his eye and shout from a distance that he’s going to have to ride home with someone else.

Laughter escapes his lips for a moment, seeming to think that I’m joking.

But he must quickly realize that I’m serious by the way I swing the keys in my hand.

I’d driven to this place, and now—I’d be driving out.

I peel out of the parking lot and drive like a bat out of hell to the Montgomery Ranch, tearing up the long driveway, all the way to the main house. I screech to a halt in front. Gravel sprays everywhere. I jump out of the truck, the engine still running.

“Oakley!” I yell, taking the steps two at a time as I scale her front porch. “Oakley! Please, don’t leave like this!”

It’s too late, though. The sound of tires on gravel perks my ears. My feet rush around the side of the house as I leap over the porch railing just in time to see Mrs. Montgomery’s car pulling out from the shorter driveway at the back of the house.

There’s no way that she didn’t know I was here. She knew, and regardless of that—she left.

Head hanging, I finally stop. Tears brim my eyes as I trudge back toward the house. Defeated.

I’d tried everything to get her to see me… To listen to me and potentially forgive me.

And she refused. She refused to give me the time of day.

By the time I reach the front of the house, Bo’s standing by my truck, which isn’t running anymore. His eyes narrow in my direction as his arms crossed over his chest, completely dissatisfied by my presence.

I wonder what he sees in my expression since he looks like he’s squaring up. I’m suddenly too furious to hold back. “Call her,” I demand. “Tell them to come back.”

“No, man.” He scoffs, standing up so that his arms fall to his side. “That’s fucking stupid. You need to get over yourself and let her go.”

I don’t care. “Call her. Tell her I’m here. She’ll want to say goodbye. She can’t leave without…without…”

“Let her go,” Bo says again, a little more firmly. “She’s better off without you.”

At that moment, I’m a bull and Bo’s the red flag. All I see is red. I’m not even sure how I end up crossing the distance between us, only that my fists are swinging, and Bo clocks me square in the jaw. Sending me back spinning, only to put my head down and come at him again.

He ducks out of the way. “Cut it out, J! She’d hate this!”

Panting, I face him. My face hurts, but not as much as my pride. Or my heart.

“What did you think would happen when you took up with Savannah?” Bo says, shaking his head. “You can’t think my sister would stand for that.”

“I didn’t take up with that fucking whore. Shit, why would I? I already had the most perfect girl in the world! That stupid bitch tried to force herself on me on purpose!”

Bo looks startled for a moment. His eyes widen before his shoulders sag slightly with a nod of his head. “I should’ve known better than to believe anything that girl says. But, J, man, that’s not the only reason you chose the circuit over her.”

“I don’t give a fuck about the circuit. I was only doing it to make sure that I had money saved to take care of her. To make sure our future was set. I’d never fucking leave Oakley. My life is nothing without her.”

Before Bo can open his mouth again, the sound of the screen door slamming against the house echoes through the air, turning both my and Bo’s attention to the house behind us.

David Montgomery storms out of the front door.

The man is nothing but pure intimidation with his six foot seven linebacker-built physique, and dark narrowed eyes that are staring straight in my direction.

“What the hell is going on out here?” he snaps, glancing at his son. “Bo? Is this jackass coming at you?”

Despite the man having more graying hair than most men his age, he isn’t out of shape. I know better than to piss off David Montgomery, but I suppose that did go out the door the moment Bo told me to get lost.

“He held his own,” I reply, running a hand over my jaw. “I didn’t even get in a punch.”

“Good. Because if I found out you’d put a hand on my son, your ass would be in jail so fast your head would spin. Now get out of here,” Mr. Montgomery says in a steady, flat voice.

I can’t figure out why it sounds so familiar. Then it hits me. It’s how Oakley had sounded when she told me she was going to New York.

My chin tips up, my voice solid and steady with the same icy chill as his. “I came to say goodbye to Oakley.”

“I know what you came here for, and I’m glad she left before she had to be subjected to you.

To…this.” Mr. Montgomery twists his hand in Bo’s direction, then at me, face creasing with disgust. “I should’ve known you’d behave like this.

Any son of Greg Walker’s can’t be trusted to know how to behave right. ”

“I know you’ve never liked me,” I tell him steadily.

“That’s right. I never have. Never will. You’re not good enough for my daughter. Are you happy I finally said it out loud? You will never be good enough.”

His words hit me harder than they should. I knew deep down that he felt that way, but hearing him say it out loud is a slap in the face that I’m not prepared for. Regardless, if a part of me wants to let him see how much his words affect me, I don’t.

“Yeah. Now that she’s not here to hear it and argue with you,” I tell him.

“But you should know something. You can hate me from now until the cows come home. That’s fine with me since I guess right now I’m not such a fan of yours, either.

But, with all due respect, sir, I love your daughter and I will never let her go. ”

I turn on my heel and climb back into my truck, then drive off, unwilling to look back at the one place that held so many memories between me and Oakley. Away from Montgomery Ranch, filled with people who despise my presence.

People who will eventually be eating their words when I finally make Oakley Montgomery mine. Because one thing I’m sure of more than anything, she will be mine.

No matter what it takes to make that happen.

THE END

Jamie’s and Oakley’s story will continue soon in Riding Jamie.