I thought about back home in Texas, Beck, Laurie and even Logan. I swallowed hard. I missed my life back there. The sting of my birthday still bit like a mother. Even still, arguing was pointless now. Just like I’d left my friends in Texas, in the same sense, I’d left my birthday back there too. I decided no more friends and no more crying over the birthday of yesteryear. I just wanted to stop thinking. I closed my eyes. Soon sleep devoured my thoughts, and all forgotten, at least until I awake.

 

 

*** 

When my eyes slowly opened, everything came barreling through my mind. I jolted to a start as my memories of yesterday began to sink in. A frown blanketed my face. I hoped it had been a bad dream, but it wasn’t. And the realization that Texas had long passed my rear view mirror struck me with a disheartening blow. I flopped on my back in an ireful huff and spotted Sara’s empty bed.

A couple of wet towels were in a heap on the floor in the corner, and her suitcase looked as if a thief had pilfered through it. Clothes were scattered about on the bed and floor, and Sara was nowhere in sight. I reckoned she might be either getting breakfast, which I doubted, or out job hunting.

Begrudgingly I hauled myself out of bed kicking out from under the covers and padded over to the door, swinging it wide open. “Geez!” I jumped back, squinting, cuffing my hand over my brow. “Damn!” I shrieked, glimpsing at the clock. “Only eight in the morning and it was already sweltering hot,” I grumbled at the stifling heat, wiping the sweat that beaded across the bridge of my nose. I stood there taking in the surroundings. The only creatures that seemed to be stirring were the annoying bobwhites chirping, hidden in the brush of trees. The air had a pungent smell of fish. “Yuck!” I scrunched up my nose.

This new place was such a contrast to Sweetwater. West Texas was flat and riddled with dust devils and tumbleweeds. Here, I saw nothing but tall, towering pines and rolling hills of green. I reckoned that if you liked this sort of stuff, the land was beautiful. Even still, the land didn’t change the fact that the town sucked.

What did Sara see in this dump? I saw no point in arguing with her.