I didn't sleep. How could I? I spent the entire night packing—overpacking, probably—and spiraling through every possible scenario of how this summer could go wrong. Z had convinced my father to let me at least sleep the night away since I was quite drunk and thank god he agreed. It was also an excuse for me to actually bring more than one bag— Because what the hell was I supposed to do with ONE bag? Like let’s be serious.
At 6:55 AM, Harrison pulled up in the town car, and I loaded my three suitcases, garment bag, and toiletry case into the trunk while my father watched from the doorway.
"See you in September," I said, trying for casual. "I'll come back a changed man. Probably know how to milk a cow or whatever."
"Beau." My father's voice stopped me at the car door. "I mean it. Come back different, or don't come back."
I got in the car without answering.
The drive to Oklahoma took six hours. Six hours of watching Dallas disappear in the rearview mirror, replaced by increasingly rural landscape. Six hours to wonder what the hell I'd gotten myself into.
Six hours to remember Jameson Ranch, and the girl I used to know there.
Winnie.
God, I hadn't thought about her in years. Winnie Jameson—Pops' granddaughter, my childhood summer companion, the girl who'd taught me how to catch fireflies and laugh at myself. We'd spent everysummer together from ages eight to twelve, until her grandmother died and my family stopped visiting.
I wondered if she even remembered me. I wondered if she'd heard about the person I'd become and hated me, if she didn’t already.
I wondered if a summer on a ranch could actually change anything, or if I was exactly as pathetic as my father thought.
The sign appeared around 2 PM:JAMESON RANCHin faded letters that had seen better years.
"This is it?" I asked Harrison.
"This is it, Mr. Sterling."
I stared at the dirt road, the wooden fence that needed repairs, the house in the distance that looked exactly like every Western movie ever made.
"Fuck," I whispered.
"Indeed, sir."
As we drove up to the house, I could see a figure on the porch—tall, broad-shouldered, with a white beard that caught the sunlight.
Pops.
He looked older than I remembered, but his smile was exactly the same as he waved at the car.
And then, because the universe has a sick sense of humor, a rooster ran across the driveway and I flinched so hard I hit my head on the car roof.
Harrison didn't even try to hide his laugh.
"Welcome to Oklahoma, Mr. Sterling."
Yeah. This was going to be a long fucking summer.
BEAU
Welcome to hell
Pawhuska, Oklahoma
14h15
The devil went down to Georgia, he was lookin' for a soul to steal / He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind and he was willin' to make a deal - Charlie Daniels Band
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