Page 57 of Sunday Morning
That streak of rebellion? It divided and multiplied exponentially, poisoning my morality. Isaac dirtied everything. He dirtied me, turning white into gray.
I hugged the guitar tighter like it was Isaac, borderline wanting to hump it. My grin made my face hurt.
“Where are we going?”Heather asked as I hopped into her car.
“The rodeo, duh,” I said, eyeing her jeans, red cowboy boots, and straw cowboy hat.
“No duh,” she said. “I meant, where do your parents think we’re going?”
“Mini golf and the movies. What did you tell your parents?” I closed my door and fastened my seat belt.
She shrugged. “Nothing. I just told them we were going out. They don’t give me the third degree like your parents do.”
Heather was the youngest of three kids, so she basically raised herself. Her mom worked the night shift at the gas station, and her dad worked long hours at the tire plant just outside of Devil’s Head.
She laughed. “And when I’m going out with Pastor Jacobson’s daughter, they feel like I’m traveling with a guardian angel. Besides, we’re adults. What are they going to do when we go to college in the fall?”
Or Nashville.
“True,” I murmured. “But one of us isn’t going away to college.”
“Stop. You’ll get in somewhere,” Heather said as we pulled out of the driveway.
“I need to tell you something.” I drummed my fingers on my legs. “I think Isaac’s been flirting with me. Oh, and Mr. Cory is having an affair,” I said quickly with one long breath.
I wasn’t planning on spilling everything all at once, but the secrets were killing me. And Eve wasaperson I couldconfide in, but Heather wastheperson I needed. Nothing felt real until I shared it with her.
Heather didn’t respond, not a blink or the slightest muscle twitch as she gazed at the road.
“If I had the money, I’d pack a bag, leave everyone a note, and move to Nashville now. When I got there, I’d find a cheap place to stay and a day job so I could get bar gigs at night. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with any of this.”
“S-Sarah,” Heather coughed on her words. “What are you—” She shook her head. “W-when did this happen? Isaac? Mr. Cory? What the heck?”
I rubbed my hands over my face and mumbled, “I know. Don’t be mad. I know you like him.”
“Who cares about Isaac. Mr. Cory is having an affair?”
I nodded. “It’s so unimaginable. Isaac has been letting me borrow one of his guitars. When I went to his room to get it, I heard something. And so I peeked my head around the corner to Wesley and Violet’s bedroom, and some dark-haired woman was naked on top of him in bed. I totally died because the floor squeaked under my feet, so I hid in Isaac’s closet until they left. Her voice soundedsofamiliar, but I couldn’t place it. And I never saw her face. And then Isaac has been saying some really inappropriate things to me, which makes me think he likes me. And as if all of that isn’t enough, I called Matt an asshole on the phone the other night and hung up on him because I don’t think he cares about my dreams.”
Heather shook her head a half dozen times. “I don’t even know what to say. But I mean, are you going to tell Matt about his dad? Andhowinappropriate has Isaac been? Like, has he done something or just said things that make youthink he likes you? Now I feel bad for kissing him if you like him.”
“What? No. I don’t like him. I mean, I don’t … it’s just … never mind. And I’m not telling Matt about his dad. Wesley owns my family’s house, and he’s overlooked my parents missing some rent payments. It would destroy everything if I were the one to tell on him.”
Heather shook her head, speechless for a good minute or more.
“You can tell me if you like Isaac. Come on, Sarah; we’ve had a crush on him forever. Matt will totallydiewhen he finds out, but you can’t control your feelings.”
“I wrote my name on the inside of his guitar case. It was so small you could barely see it. I still can’t believe he saw it. So he marched into the farm stand, grabbed a Sharpie, and yanked the neck of my shirt down to write his name on my boob.My boob!” I unbuttoned my blouse enough to show Heather.
She nearly ran her car into the ditch, making a quick correction after refocusing on the road. “Oh my god, that’s so …”
“Deranged.”
She shook her head. “Hot. That’s so hot. And awful. And …” Her face wrinkled. “Weird. Messed up. Sarah, your boyfriend’sbrotherwrote his name on your boob!”
“I know. I was there.” I buttoned my shirt.
“Soseriously,do you like him?” Heather shot me another quick glance with disbelief etched into her brow.