“Then you don’t have any business coming around here dallying with me when you already have a girlfriend.”

“Malorie isn’t my girlfriend.”

“Does Malorie know that?” My eyebrows shot up. “Does your family?”

Vance scrubbed a hand down his face. “It’s complicated.”

I snorted. “Wow. What a big word to cower behind.” I used the bucket to shove him to the side and stomped away. “Go hang out with Boss like everyone thinks you’re out here doing anyway and leave me the heck alone!”

“Austin! Don’t be like this!”

His pleas didn’t slow me down, and it was easy to put a wall up between us when a couple of weeks went by with no farm visits. It stung how quickly he gave up, but it was for the best.

Vance’s privileged world continued trucking along while I remained anchored to the farm and my anger. I was even mad at myself for keeping track of him with the help of the local paper.

It was unsurprising, albeit upsetting, to find a photo of him with Malorie, decked out in prom attire with the addition of crowns and sashes, on the front page. Of course they would be crowned prom king and queen. The only credit I gave him was for the fact that he also escorted Boss to the prom, even ensuring that it wasn’t turned into a headline to make his family look good.

Thankfully, Pa managed to pull himself out of his shadows long enough to take Boss to rent a tux from the department store in town. My brother was elated, standing between the couple in most of the pictures Pa took when he dropped Boss off at the mayor’s mansion. Malorie, not so much, if the tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes was any indicator. Oh, I felt her pain, skipping my junior prom to babysit a herd of rambunctious young’uns while the guy I couldn’t stop daydreaming about was giving his attention to someone else.

A week later, I attended the graduation ceremony to watch Boss receive an honorary diploma, which basically noted my brother put in the required years. Vance gave the valedictorian speech with his eyes pinned to me the entire time as he spoke about future goals and taking chances, and that made me spittin’ mad. My life was complicated enough as it was; there was no room for whatever game he wanted to play. I made sure our paths didn’t cross afterwards, hightailing it as soon as we were dismissed.

Avoidance became easier as life got busy with tobacco season for me and a shared family vacation with the Fitzgeralds for Vance. Even though an odd ache developed in the center of my chest, I shook the dust off my shoes and moved on.

––––––––––––––––