James parked his truck near the crash site, and the firetrucks and ambulance were already there, trying to take Palmer’s friends out of the vehicle. She wanted to run towards them, but her father stopped her and ordered her to wait by the truck while he checked on them.She prayed that they were okay. Her anxiety was getting stronger when she couldn’t see them emerge from Gunner’s truck. The cool summer night made her shiver as she waited and waited until she saw any signs of life. “Please, let them be okay,” she whispered sadly. James walked back to his daughter and hugged her, knowing how she felt, and he needed to comfort her. Palmer knew it was late, but she needed someone to talk to, so she called Christopher again. She knew he wouldn’t speak to her, but if his mom told him what happened, he might take the call. “Hello?” This time it was him. He was still awake, something she was thankful for.“Christopher, please don’t hang up. I needed someone to talk to, and you were the fir
“Sweetheart, come down and eat. Your breakfast is going to get cold!” Palmer heard her mom. She groaned, covering herself with her soft blanket, not in the mood for anything. Knowing her friends were in the hospital made her want to stay in bed, sulking all day. Palmer looked at the ceiling, thinking about them when she heard a knock on the door. “Come on, sweet pea. It’s time to come out of the room. You have to eat and then do chores before we go visit your friends,” James called. With a long sigh, she got out of bed. Dragging her feet to the bathroom, she took a warm shower before getting ready. Palmer put on some jeans, a red flannel shirt, and grabbed her sneakers. She walked down the stairs with only her socks on. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, and her freckles were pronounced as she didn’t wear any makeup. Her eagerness to join her family for breakfast was more prominent than her sadness, especially knowing that she would see her friends. “So, how are they, Dad?” She as
Palmer sat by her friend’s bed, making sure she was eating well. There was a bowl of chicken noodle soup on her tray and some ginger ale. “I wish there was a nice burger and some shakes from Dino’s. This food here is bland and always cold,” Faith complained, pushing the tray away from her. Palmer laughed, shaking her head while taking a spoonful of the soup to feed her. “You can’t eat anything else. This is what’s best for you at the moment, so eat it. If you behave, I promise to take you out for some burgers as soon as you leave this hospital,” she mentioned, bringing a smile on her friend’s face.Christopher admired Palmer from the other side of the room. How she valued those she loved. He wanted to tell her so many things, but he was afraid of screwing up. As he was about to head out, Faith called him back inside.“Don’t go anywhere. I want you both here. While you’re at it, I want to know what’s going on between you two,” Faith asked, pointing at them. Palmer looked at her with h
“Chris, come on, honey! We have to get to the party!” Grace shouted from the bottom of the stairs as Christopher was nervously putting his clothes on. He was wearing faded jeans and black converse with a black flannel shirt, hoping he was presentable enough for his date.His first official date. It felt weird for him to talk about it when Palmer was just his friend. He ruffled his hair, letting some strands fall on his forehead, and put on some light perfume and deodorant. Christopher walked out and joined Grace at her car, getting in before they drove off. They arrived at the farm, and he was already feeling anxious. His hands were sweating, and a blush of pink crept up his cheeks. Grace took his hand, trying to get him to take deep breaths.“Calm down, sweetheart. It will be fun, and I’m sure Palmer will be cute to look at,” she said, smiling at him. Those last words made him even more nervous. He looked down at his outfit once more, taking a deep breath to calm himself.“Mom, plea
Palmer headed the next day to the hospital to check on her friends. She was still thinking about the kiss she stole from Chris.“Oh, my God! Tell me everything!” Faith said, not waiting for Palmer to walk into the room. “Good morning to you too, crazy one,” she replied, laughing as she hugged her before she sat down. Her friend was very impatient.“Oh, hush. I want to know the deets of the party. Did you dance? Did you confess your attraction or did you kiss him?” Palmer laughed, but she couldn’t lie to her friend. Faith knew her too much already. She took a deep breath and nodded, giving the confirmation to all her questions. Faith squealed, asking for every single detail she could give her. “It was such a fun night, and Christopher is the sweetest. We talked and danced for a while, but Hunter wanted to ruin our moment. Good thing I taught his friends a lesson. I regret not teaching him one. They left us alone for the rest of the night.”Faith smiled and waved her hand, urging her
After the visit to the hospital, Palmer went back home. She was heading straight to the stables to check on Misty and Jackal. The smell of ammonia was something that beckoned her. Palmer loved the smell since she was a little girl.“Hello, precious,” she said as she walked inside the stall. Misty approached her and nuzzled her, tugging on her hair while tickling her neck.“Stop it! You’re tickling me!” Palmer laughed, kissing Misty’s forehead while rubbing her beautiful brown mane. She opened the stall and let them out to the pen where they galloped around until they got tired.Leaning against the fence, she let them have their fun as she observed them closely, especially Jackal since he needed to stretch his little legs. He was one active little creature.
“Christopher, are you okay?” Palmer asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. He looked at her and nodded. But his heart was pounding at the knowledge of Palmer being that little girl he played with back when he was a kid.“And where is that boy now?”“I don’t know, but I was hoping you would tell me,” she gave him a faint smile, her turquoise eyes looking straight into his icy blue ones. Christopher gulped and sat down under the shade of a tree, trying to catch his breath. He felt like he would hyperventilate at any moment.“I mean, maybe it’s just coincidence, but that boy looked so much like you, and I was just thinking, what if you are him? Anything is possible, right?
Faith was finally discharged from the hospital. The doctor told her and her parents the proper aftercare before they left. As they got into her father’s car, Faith was thinking of ways to convince them to change their mind about Gunner.She couldn’t wait to get home.The silence in the car was almost deafening to her. A smile escaped her lips at the thought of being Gunner’s girlfriend. Her parents were not letting her live that moment, and she hated it with all her might.Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket with text messages from Gunner and Palmer. She opened his, loving what it said.Hello, lovely girl. I’m glad you were able to leave the hospital, but I will miss you.She