The Country Boy and The City Girl

"Cassie," I hissed as she made her way inside an open window of a police station basement. "I was kidding about the cops! We're not sneaking into the precinct."

"Could you be anymore of a buzz kill? Live a little," she winked. Now I was being a fraidy cat. Wasn't it illegal to break into a police station? And stupid? I followed close behind with an unsettling feeling in my stomach as we jumped inside the dark room. I gathered from the labeled shelves that it was evidence storage.

"You scared yet?" she asked me as we ducked behind a shelf that may or may not have had human bones in a plastic bag. I gulped.

"No," I lied. My heart hasn't beat this fast in awhile...

Cassie flashed a proud grin, jumped up, and yanked me up on my feet too.

"Is it weird to be in a dark room with me yet?" she teased as she backed me up against another shelf.

"Listen, it isn't like that-"

She grabbed my cheeks and squeezed them so I couldn't finish. "I'm just messing with you. Calm down, country boy." Her smile faltered and unveiled the hurt hidden behind her green eyes as she released my face . "I don't do relationships anymore anyway..."

I don't know why, but I felt sorry for her. From the way she looked, I could guess some jerk really hurt her bad, broke her heart and bolted or something. Before I could think, I kissed her.

I didn't like her like I did with Daniella, but something just told me to do it. She had already been so nice to me since I got to...whatever town we were in...and it just felt like the thing to do in the moment. It was nice.

"Thanks?" she chuckled when we pulled away. "What did I do to deserve such a great pity kiss?"

"For saving my butt last night before I got myself alcohol poisoning," I chuckled back.

"I think that might call for two then," she bit her lip before leaning into me again. To my surprise, I pulled her closer and kissed her harder this time. She ran her fingers along my hip bones and moved with me as I turned her so that her back was against the shelf now. Daniella used to kiss me like this...This wasn't right. I was acting out of the need to feel something. But I knew who I needed in order to do that...and it wasn't Cassie.

"I can't," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"Right... Well I'm gonna do some more exploring then." She skipped off around another shelf.

"No! Cassie! Get back-"

The room's door burst open and a not so friendly looking policeman stormed in. "What is going on?!?"

"...here," I finished nervously. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat but failed miserably. We were in deep trouble.

"You two shouldn't be down here! Cassie! How did you even get in without the front door?!" the policeman roared. Was it just me or was it super hot in here?

"Daddy," Cassie groaned. "I was just having a little fun messing with him. He thought we actually broke in here," she giggled. I felt my face get red. She wanted to see if I would chicken out and bolt! I felt like a huge moron now...

"You know what I've told you about playing around in the precinct! You're twenty years old! Start acting like it...." He turned to face me. "I'm sorry about my insane daughter, um...what did you say your name was?"

"Jason," I squeaked. "Jason Barkley." Cassie giggled at my tense expression and quickly bit her lip to hide it.

"Hmm. I don't recognize your name. You from around here?" he asked. I felt my cheeks get even hotter now.

"Where exactly is here?" I chuckled. He looked at me with a trivial expression.

"Nashville. Where else?"

My tongue swelled up in my throat. Nashville? I had gotten as far as Nashville, Tennessee?! I must have been really messed up in the head to have gotten this far! I looked at the policeman's badge and sure enough it said "Nashville Police". My head started to reel and the adrenaline was beginning to wear off.

"I'm from Asher County, Kentucky, sir," I breathed. "I'm definitely not from around here."

Daniella's POV

"Daniella?" Mr. Nathanael asked from his podium. "Would you like to read your poem next?"

I held the thin, fragile paper between my fingers as I slowly walked up to the front of the class. The past week had been torturous for me. When my mother insisted on pressing charges on Owen, Amber went in for the kill. Rumors about me being a slut that slept around with both Owen and Jason spread like a wildfire around school. My locker had been broken into, Mac and I never talked anymore, Jason still wasn't answering his phone, and I had completely let myself go. It was like I was the wild mustang and Amber had to break me...and she finally did.

I stood in front of my English class with all of the people that hated me now staring back at me. I finally cleared my throat and parted my lips to speak. I read it slowly and kept my words in rhythm the best I could.

"He was mud and cowboy boots,
I was pink and Jimmy Choo.
He loved everything,
And I sure loved him too.

Used to fight like a married couple
and probably still do.
But our kind of love's still love,
No doubt that it was true.

Some say young love never lasts,
But why not give it a whirl?
Only we know it as
The Country Boy and The City Girl." I was starting to tear up at the image of Jason in my head. My heart ached.

No one said a word or even blinked. Only the sound of Mr. Nathanael's claps filled the quiet room. A guy in the back finally piped up.

"Which of the countless guys you've slept with were you talking about?"

"I haven't slept with anyone, thank you," I hissed at him. He laughed and slunk further down in his seat as Mr. Nathanael glared in his direction. I tried to pretend I didn't care. I knew the truth and that's all that mattered but a pang of betrayal hit me when Mac didn't even say a word. She just sat there, no sign of emotion upon her face.

"May I be excused please?" I asked Mr. Nathanael as tears gathered in my eyes. He nodded sadly and watched as I left the room as quickly as a fast walk could take me.

I slid down the side of the bathroom door and felt my shoulders shudder as the sobs came. Everything was falling apart. I just wanted to have never have met Jason, never have moved to this town, and never have left San Diego. The saying about small towns being the worst for drama and secrets turned out to be more accurate than I thought...