Secrets of a Southern Belle

Chapter 8

The sound of the screen slamming against the door frame brought mine and my grandma's attention to the door. Savannah and Molly walked into the kitchen and sat on the bar stools on either side of me. Gigi immediately made them plates of food and sat them on the counter even though probably already ate. They didn't object.

"Thank you, Gigi," they said unison.

My grandma responded with a smile and leaned on the counter with her coffee in her hand. Brown curls were sticking out of her bun due to the Georgia heat despite it still being morning.

Savannah turned her attention from my grandmother to me. Savannah gave me a small smile and greeted, "Hey, Rae."

"Hey," I replied simply and tried to give her a smile back.

I wasn't mad at my friends, but the events of last night still ran fresh in my head, making me not so happy with everyone at that booth, even if it was my brother.

"Are y'all ready for the creek?" Gigi asked out of nowhere.

"Yeah. We are trying to enjoy it as much as possible before winter comes," Molly explained between bites of food.

Savannah chimed in, "And today is gonna be extra fun because everyone is celebrating how well Sawyer played at the game last night.  He is basically Darling's star player right now."

Oh, great.

There would be no way avoiding anything today. I would just have to deal with it, or make up with my brother, but we are both stubborn, so making up will probably be out of the question.

"That boy is pretty good at football. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets some type of scholarship for college," Gigi praised as she took another sip of coffee.

"That's the plan," Sawyer happily agreed as he past the kitchen to the front door. His eyes momentarily met mine, and I could see that he was still upset. His attention shifted to Savannah and Molly, and his expression turned cheery again. "I'm heading over there now to meet Wes and Austin. I'll see y'all there."

"Okay," Molly replied and set her fork down on her now empty plate, causing a clinking sound.

"We will see ya there," Savannah responded as Sawyer left the house.

My grandma pulled her peach colored apron over her head and hung it up on the hook before grabbing my friends' plates and washing them.  An unsettling silence filled the air besides the clanking of the dishes Gigi was washing in the sink. I looked up at my friends, who were staring at me and then to my grandma, who was also giving me a strange look.

"What?" My eyes darted back and forth between them.

"Shouldn't you guys get going?  It's almost eleven." Gigi pointed out and then looked at Molly and Savannah.

"Um, yeah I guess we should," I reluctantly agreed and got off of the chair.

My friends knew I was in a mood, so they knew to keep their distance. I definitely did not want to deal with the aftermath of last night. I walked around the counter and gave my grandma a side hug.

"Love you," I stated as I began to walk out the door while my friends followed.

"Bye Gigi!" I heard them call out behind me.

The stairs creaked as I stepped down them and onto the pathway leading me away from my safe haven and to a place I did not want to be today. Savannah and Molly walked right next to each other and whispered amongst themselves.

After a few moments, I felt a hand on my shoulder, bringing my attention from the dirt road in front of me to Savannah's concerned face. "Rae, I know you are probably still upset about last night, but today will be fun, I promise. I'm sure everyone forgot about what happened already."