My Country Love Story

20- Second Chances

The couch really is not comfortable at all. I kept tossing and turning. The last time I checked the time on my phone I saw 3am. Our alarm went off at 6:30. I got pretty much three and half hours of sleep. I woke up and forgot why I was sleeping on the couch, until I saw Blake still fast asleep. I left my phone playing the alarm and walked to the downstairs bathroom to at least brush my hair before he saw it. Good thing because it’s a knotted mess.

I heard my alarm shut off and realized that he sat up long enough just to snooze it. Lazy ass. I put four pieces of bread in the toaster and made two cups of coffee. The next alarm went off five minutes later and he again pressed snooze. I laughed to myself because I used to be the same way. I walked over to the couch that he slept on.

Me: “Blake?”

Blake: (inaudible mumbling)

Me: “Com’on I made breakfast and we gotta go.”

Blake: “Why?”

Me: “School that’s why.”

Blake: “How about no.”

Me: “Don’t make me get a cup of cold water…”

Blake: he sat up fast. “Ok fine I’m up.”

Me: “I see that, congrats sleepy head. Here’s some coffee with cream and sugar, you’re gunna need it.”

Blake: “Thank you.”

He put an arm over my shoulder briefly and then the toast popped out of the toaster. I got up buttered two pieces for each of us and brought him a plate.

Me: “Buttered toast because that’s all we have time for.”

Blake: “Really what time is it?”

Me: “10 minutes before 7.”

Blake: “What?!?”

Me: “Yeah.”

Blake: “That’s fine I’ll eat in the truck if you drive.”

Me: “School doesn’t start until 7:15.”

Blake: “Yeah but remember it’s a 20 minute drive and I speed.”

Me: “Oh shit.”

We both threw on our boots and ran out to my truck. Good thing I premixed the horses grain. I gave it to them out in the pasture and we were off.

Me: “Hah my boots are still muddy from yesterday.”

Blake: “Good job.”

We pulled into the parking lot with two minutes to spare.

Tyler: “What the hell where have you two been?”

Me: “Blake’s a lazy ass and slept through two alarms.”

Tyler: “But why are you driving him here?”

Blake: “I was fighting with my Dad last night and slept on her couch.”

Just then the bell rang and our whole group of rednecks walked inside together. Blake quickly kissed my cheek and we split up to go to classes.

We snapchatted each other all class since it’s Monday no one ever teaches anything anyways.

By lunch I was finally awake. I sat with Evan and Liz while I waited for Blake to get out of class. Blake sat down next to me just like always but today things changed. Turner Evans sat down at the other end of our table.

Blake: “Um can we help you?”

Turner: “I realized that I’ve screwed up.”

Blake: “It took you this long to figure that out.”

Turner: “You know what dude I’m trying to reach out to you, you don’t need to shoot me down.”

Blake: “Yeah whatever.”

Turner just got up and walked away.

Evan: “I wonder what that was about.”

Blake: “He probably injected himself before school and was too high to recognize where he is.”

Evan: “You do know he quit that just after your friendship fell through. I also heard his Dad just died.”

Blake: “I didn’t know either of those things.”

Blake got up and went over to Turner’s table. I couldn’t hear them talking but their actions didn’t look too hostile.

Just before Blake returned the two of them shook hands and Turner followed him back to our table.

Soon enough the awkwardness faded away and the five of us were all laughing.

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The next day Turner parked with our group at school. There was quite an uproar between Blake’s friends when this happened.

Blake: “Whoa easy I gave him a chance to prove himself.”

James: “We all just want him to know that if he screws up again it’s five against him.”

Turner: “Alright I got it.”

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