Small Town Girl (8 page)

“I’ll get a hold of you once I get
settled, okay?” I said. “I have to run over to my mom’s and talk to her. She
hasn’t been answering her phone lately. She’s probably passed out drunk. You
know how she is.”

“Alright,” Piper said as she hung up.

As I drove to my mom’s little house on
the south side of town, I didn’t know what to expect. She worked long days at
the factory in the next town over, and at night she’d come home and drink until
she passed out. We weren’t that close, but I couldn’t leave town without
telling her.

I walked into the back door. Instantly
the smell of stale kitty litter filled my nostrils, and I couldn’t help but
notice the myriad of beer cans and empty alcohol bottles lining the kitchen
counter.

“Mom?” I called out.

No one answered, but I could hear the
T.V. blaring from the living room.

“Mom,” I said as I found her passed out
on the couch, half covered with a ratty blanket.

Her eyes opened just a tinge before she
smacked her lips and sat up.

“Oh, hey,” she said. “What time is it?”

“It’s late,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

“What’s going on?” she asked. She was
still very much out of it.

“I’m leaving town for a bit,” I said. “I
just wanted to say bye and let you know what’s going on. You’ll need to find
someone else to help feed your cats and water your flowers for a while. Can you
do that?”

She nodded, her eyes still droopy, as she
stared ahead at the T.V. screen.

“Mom,” I said, growing frustrated with
her lack of comprehension and alertness. “Do you understand what I just said?”

She nodded and smacked her lips. Her hair
stuck up all over the place and soon she laid herself back down and closed her
eyes. She didn’t even ask where I was going or
who
I
was going with. There was no way she’d remember this the next day.

I rifled through her filthy kitchen until
I came across a notepad. I scribbled a quick note telling her where I was going
and that I didn’t know when I’d be back. I wrote down my number for her, just
in case she lost her phone, and hung the note to her refrigerator with a
magnet.

Lingering in the doorway for a bit, I
stared at my mother. She was just a shell of her former self. She married her
high school sweetheart, my father, who had passed early and left her a widow
with a small child. She never remarried because she was too busy working to
support the two of us. Her days were filled with hard labor at the factory, and
as I got older and more self-sufficient, her nights were filled with alcohol
and the occasional tranquilizer or sleeping pill. We’d lost our closeness years
ago, but she was still my mother and I still loved her more than anything.

I left her house quietly and zoomed back
over to my apartment, all the while wondering if maybe I should tell Luke I was
leaving.

I sat in my quiet living room, fingers
scrolling through all my contacts in my phone and hovering over his name. It
was late, I knew, but I knew he’d answer if I called him. In the back of my
mind, I almost wanted to give him one more chance to change this situation. I
wanted to see if he’d fight for me. I wanted to see if he’d beg me not to go or
admit that he felt something for me. I didn’t expect any of it, but his lack of
caring would be the final sign I needed. Leaving Rock River and flying to L.A.
with Hudson was the scariest thing I’d ever done in my
life.
I needed to know I was making the right decision.

My thumb pressed his name on my screen
and it began ringing. It was a little past eleven, and I didn’t expect him to
answer, especially not after what we’d just been through, but I was taking my
chances regardless.

“Hello,” he said in a
groggy
voice. I’d clearly woken him up. “Brynn. What do you want?”

“Hey,” I said softly. “Sorry to call you
so late.”

He sighed loudly into the phone, and I
could hear the creaking of his bed as he rolled over.

“I just wanted you to know I was leaving
town tomorrow,” I said.

“Leaving town?” he replied. “Like a
vacation or something?”

“No,” I said. “I’m going to L.A. for a
while.”

He was quiet, and part of me wondered if
I was really just rubbing salt onto his wound.

“I wasn’t calling to upset you or
anything,” I said.

“Why would I be upset?” he huffed. He was
pretending not to care, but I didn’t buy it.

“I just wanted you to hear it from me,” I
said. “You know how Rock River is with rumors and stuff.”

“Alright,” he sighed. He said nothing
beyond that. He wasn’t going to fight for me.
 
He didn’t care that I was running off
with some ridiculously handsome movie star. It was exactly the confirmation I
needed from him.

“Goodbye, Luke,” I said.

“Yep,” he said before hanging up.

I threw my phone on the couch and sunk
down. I had my answer. He didn’t want to fight for me. Everything was pointing
towards Hudson, and I had no excuses to stay in Rock River a minute longer than
I had to.

My alarm went off early Thursday morning.
The second I came to, I felt like I wanted to throw up. My stomach twirled and
twisted. I’d only ever been on an airplane once in my life before, and I still
couldn’t believe I was leaving town with Hudson in a couple short hours.

I showered and threw on a pair of jeans
and a tank top. It was warm out in L.A., at least according to the Internet
weather websites. I slipped on a pair of sparkly sandals and threw my long,
dark hair back into a low bun. I patted on some tinted moisturizer, creamy
blush, and mascara, followed by a slick or two of pink lip balm.

I popped in a pair of green peridot
earrings. They were birthstone earrings my father had gifted me on my eighth
birthday, and I always kept them safe. I wore them whenever I was nervous or
scared about something, and they instantly made me feel better.

I tried to eat a big breakfast, but my
appetite was virtually nonexistent. I’d heard airplane food was crap, and I
didn’t want to deal with a rumbling tummy when we were several thousand feet up
in the air.

I thought about my apartment and what I
was going to do with it while I was gone. It hadn’t even occurred to me until
then. I emptied out the milk and perishables and cleaned out the refrigerator,
taking a couple bags worth of stuff out to the dumpsters. I set my thermostat
to a reasonable, energy saving setting, and went around and unplugged as many
electronics as I could. I honestly had no idea when I’d be returning, but at
least I could leave knowing my apartment, my safe haven, was going to be fine
without me.

I rolled my suitcase to the door then
perched myself onto my couch, watching out the window for Hudson to pull up. I
wasn’t sure what he was going to be driving, as he hadn’t had a car that entire
week, and suddenly I began to panic. I realized, too, that I didn’t even have
his phone number.

What was I doing? My mind started to
race. I didn’t really even know him that well, and I was giving up everything I
knew for some good sex and a little bit of attention and ego stroking?

Before I could talk myself out of it, a
black Town Car pulled up and honked. Hudson climbed out of the back seat and
stretched his legs, looking up towards my apartment building. I realized he
probably didn’t know which unit was mine, so I grabbed my bag, locked up, and
hurried down as fast as I could.

The second I emerged from the building,
his face lit up. The driver came from around the side of the car and took my
suitcase, hoisting it into the popped trunk.

“You ready, Brynn?” Hudson asked as he
reached his hand out and led me to the car.

I nodded. The whooshing of my heart
pulsed in my ears, and I thought for a second I would pass out from the
excitement and nervousness that coursed through my body, but I didn’t. I slid
into the backseat, across the buttery black leather, and took a deep breath.

“Don’t be so nervous,” he said as he
climbed in next to me and took my hand. “I don’t know about you, but I’m
excited.”

“I am too,” I said. I suddenly felt like
I couldn’t breathe, like someone was sitting on my chest.

The driver pulled away from my apartment,
and I forced myself to look away. It didn’t help that I could still see the
building growing smaller and smaller in the distance through his rearview
mirror.

“It’s going to be okay,” Hudson laughed
as he squeezed my hand. “I can’t wait to show you L.A.”

I forced a smile, but on the inside I was
beginning to have a nervous breakdown. I felt like I was going to die.

“Brynn,” he said as he nuzzled up to my
ear and whispered my name. He placed his full lips against the side of my neck,
kissing it softly, and then turned my face towards his. His lips landed on mine
and my anxiety began to melt away a little bit at a time. I needed that. I
needed that reminder of why I was doing this. Hudson was amazing and so tuned
into me. “You’re in good hands.”

“I know,” I replied between kisses.

He pulled away and reached into his pants
pocket, pulling out a brown prescription bottle.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Xanax,” he said. “Take one.”

“Oh, it’s okay,” I said. “I don’t like to
take medicine. I barely ever take Tylenol.”

Hudson rolled his eyes. “Brynn, it’s
harmless. It’ll calm you down. I take it for flying.”

I watched as he popped a tiny pill into
his mouth and dry-swallowed it.

“I guess if you’re taking one, then I
will too,” I said. I needed something to calm me down.

He handed me a tiny pill, which I
thoroughly examined before placing it on the back of my tongue and dry
swallowed.

“It should kick in for you soon,” he said
as he squeezed my hand. “And you can have another before we board the plane if
you need.”

“I can’t believe we’re really doing
this,” I said as I watched the miles and miles of cornfields pass us by. We
were at least a couple hours from the Des Moines International Airport.

“You’re going to love it,” he said. “I
promise you, Brynn. You won’t regret this.”

Within a short half hour, the Xanax had
kicked in and I hadn’t a care in the world. I felt mellow and happy, and any
thoughts about life back in Rock River floated away the instant they appeared.
My body felt like Jell-O as I cuddled up to Hudson in the back of the Town Car.

I closed my eyes, and by the time I
awoke, the driver was dropping us off at the airport.

Wiping the drool off the corner of my
mouth and praying to God that I wasn’t snoring, I exited the car. The driver
pulled out bags out of the trunk and Hudson gave him a very generous tip.

“Ready?” he asked. His adventurous spirit
was nothing short of contagious, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I
was making some sort of mistake. I was excited, of course, but it didn’t feel
real.

We headed inside to check in, and within
minutes, the check in area seemed to grow louder and louder as the locals
figured out
who
was waiting in line right next to them
like some ordinary chump.

“How can you ignore all of this?” I
whispered into his ear. I glanced around and it felt like all eyes were on him.

He smiled. “I’m used to it.”

“Excuse me,” a girl, not much older than
eighteen, approached us. “Are – are you Hudson Smith?”

Her eyes were sparkling as she smiled
from ear to ear.

“I am,” he said with a friendly smile.

“C-can I get your autograph?” she asked
coyly.

“Sure,” he said as he pulled a pen from
his pocket.

The girl fished around awkwardly for something
to write on, but all she had was the envelope from her boarding pass.

“Here you go,” she said with a nervous
giggle. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Within minutes, a line had formed, but it
wasn’t for checking in. People were lining up to meet Hudson. It all happened
so fast, and soon I realized we were out of our little Rock River bubble. This
was what it was going to be like from now on.

As Hudson politely signed autographs and
hugged fans, I began to
second guess
everything. I was
a simple girl. I lived a simple life. I wasn’t sure I was cut out for all of
the stuff Hudson had to deal with on a daily basis. I felt my throat swell as I
struggled to breathe. I needed another one of those magic pills he gave me
earlier.

“I’m going to run to the restroom,” I
said as I pulled his arm. I thought about running off.

“Brynn, wait,” he said as he spun around
and reached for my arm. “We’re next in line. We need to get checked in.”

There was definitely no getting out of
this now.

“Okay,” I said as I replanted my feet
firmly behind him.

“
Alright
,
everyone,” he said as we were motioned to move ahead. “I’ve got to get checked
in now.”

The mob let out a collective sigh as
people walked away, camera phones still snapping a gazillion photos.

We got ourselves checked in and headed to
security. Because of Hudson’s celebrity status, we were given a VIP pass to cut
in line and get through security quicker. It was probably more for their
benefit than ours, since he was making a stir everywhere he went.

“Didn’t think I’d need any kind of
special security in Iowa,” he laughed as we were escorted through a special
security lane and rushed through.

“
It’s
not every
day people like you come around,” I reminded him.

We made it through security and headed
towards our gate. It wasn’t hard to find since there were only three terminals
in the entire airport.

He reached over and grabbed my hand.

“Are you nervous?” he asked with a laugh.
“Your hand is sweating.”

“Oh, sorry,” I said as I yanked it away
and wiped it on my jeans. “I’ve only ever flown once before.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “I fly all the
time. Nothing bad has ever happened. It’s actually kind of fun.”

We found our gate and took a seat as he
positioned himself away from the view of the general public and slipped on a pair
of dark sunglasses.

“Does the sunglass thing actually work?”
I asked.

“I like to think it does,” he said as he
leaned back and rested his face in his hand.

I crossed my legs and stared out the
window, watching the plane as it pulled up. My left foot began to jiggle
nervously as the thought of flying out of Iowa really hit me.

“Now boarding for flight 742, Delta
Airlines, Des Moines to Los Angeles,” a flight attendant stated over the
speaker system. “We’ll begin with our first class passengers.”

“That’s us,” he said as he tapped my knee
and stood up.

My heart was pounding hard in my chest
and my face felt flush. There was absolutely no turning back now. I needed a
sign that I was doing the right thing, but the space around me was spinning and
all I could focus on was the back of Hudson’s gray shirt.

We walked down the jet bridge towards the
plane and were greeted immediately by two flight attendants who seemed more
than happy to help us find our seats.

“You want the window or the aisle?” he
asked.

I shrugged. Everything was a blur, and I
couldn’t quite think right then.

“You can have the window,” he said.
“Since you don’t get to fly much.”

I climbed in and took my seat, buckling
myself in. As soon as he sat down next to me, other flyers began filing on and
the plane was filling up fast. I could hear the chatter of men, women, and
children and the shuffling of bags and carry ons. I felt trapped between the
window and Hudson, and even if I wanted to flee, there was no way I’d be able
to get through the swarms of people and back towards the jet bridge.

“You need another pill?” Hudson whispered
to me. “You’re breathing really hard.”

I nodded, closed my eyes, and waited.

“Here you are,” a flight attended showed
up with a couple of bottles of Evian. “Let me know if you need anything else.
We’ll have an inflight meal ready for you shortly after takeoff.”

Hudson handed me a pill and then a bottle
of water. The ice cold liquid rushing down my throat instantly cooled me and
brought me back down to earth as the pill settled in my belly. I was going to
be okay.

The cabin grew louder as the flight
attendants began shutting overhead storage bins and securing the plane. The
engines fired up and my ears began to pop. The dry air made my throat a little
scratchy, so I tossed back a few sips of cold water. Hudson reached over to
squeeze my hand and flashed me the most beautiful, comforting smile.

He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

“I can’t wait to get you home with me,”
he whispered.

I felt a little better knowing he was so
excited to take me with him, but it still didn’t quash all of my fears.
Everything had happened so fast and in the heat of the moment. I was afraid of
what I’d gotten myself into. I closed my eyes and prayed for a sign.

As if on cue, my phone went off in my
purse.

“Oh,” I said as I pulled it out. I had a
text and it was from Luke.

SORRY I’VE BEEN SUCH AN ASS. I LOVE YOU,
BRYNN.

My heart raced at the sight of those
words.

“Is that from Luke?” Hudson asked. He had
read the text over my shoulder.

“Yeah,” I said, clutching the phone close
to my chest and embarrassed he’d read my message. “I called him to tell him I
was leaving town.”

“Why would he say he loves you?” he
asked. The plane’s engines were growing louder, almost angrily, as Hudson’s
face contorted. “What did you talk about?”

“I wanted him to hear it from me,” I
said. “That was I was leaving.”

“Or you wanted to give him a chance to
tell you to stay.” For someone who hardly knew me, he knew me well.