Big Girl Boots

Twelve

Aw, yes! I'm so proud to say I finally got out of this stupid funk I've been in! I guess letting your nine year old sister paint your toenails and watching dumb movies tends to have that effect on some people ;)

Anyway, here is a chapter I'm actually pretty dang happy with! It started out rough and I was tempted to delete the whole dumb thing and start over, but I'm very glad I didn't. Let me know what you think!

Big thanks to ShelaMalu, @jesser1234, @JessieG17, @nonabritt2000, @ChattahoocheeAflint, @CowgirlUp_97, and @_Texas_Cowgirl for voting on basically every single chapter! You guys are the reason I try to write even why I don't feel like it.

Anyway, enjoy!

--Lindsey

***

I didn't roll out of bed on Sunday until nearly noon, and even then, I wasn't feeling the best. Though I never threw up, I was good and hungover, which was never a fun ordeal for me or my housemates. That was probably why nobody bothered to wake me up.

Still in my sweats, I wandered down the steps and searched out the coffee maker. There was about half a cup of old coffee that nobody had finished off this morning and I just threw it out to brew a new pot.

I jumped a little when Coda spoke from behind me. "Hey."

Holding a hand to my beating heart, I spun around. "Oh, hey. You scared me."

"Sorry." Coda's stormy blue eyes were apologetic as she cowered on her barstool.

"No, you're fine. I just didn't realize you were in here."

For a while, the only noise was me wrestling with the coffeemaker. Once it was whirring and gurgling, I walked around and plopped down to her left. "How did yesterday go for you?"

She glanced up in surprise as if she didn't expect me to be speaking to her. "It was okay."

"Did you place?"

Coda nodded and I grinned, even though my head ached. "Yeah, first in breakaway."

"Atta girl! I told you you could do it!"

She rolled her eyes. "There were only three girls competing."

"So? You still placed. I didn't, and neither did Dustie."

When the light faded from her expression, a niggling feeling of irritation bubbled up in my stomach.

Coda sighed and traced the mottled pattern of Aunt Callie's countertop. "Blake, why did you have to go and invite Dustie?"

Instead of answering, I just stared at her long and hard with furrowed brows. After about thirty seconds, she crumpled under my gaze.

"I know you told me to give her a chance, but dammit, Blake, I don't want to!"

"Well, you know what, Coda?"

"What?" Her voice was small and her eyes wide. We'd been friends long enough for her to be wary of what I had to say following such an outburst.

"I don't really give a damn if you like her or not. That girl has been through hell just like you, and I'll be damned if I don't give her a fair chance. You didn't come off as very friendly the first day I met you, either, and that didn't stop me from being your friend. Sometimes it's the people that seem the most rude that actually just need a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. I've been that for you and I don't plan on stopping, but Dustie's gonna get the same treatment whether you like it or not."