Drops of Jupiter

Green grass rolled by us in a blur, brilliant and vibrant yellows and browns mixing in with it. The air smelled fresh, clean almost, and it wasn't something I was used to. I rolled the car window up as dirt blew by us, courtesy of the dirt roads leading into town.

I hadn't seen another car besides our own for ten miles, and I was starting to wonder if we were ever going to end up in Franklin. I craned my neck to see out the front windshield, and groaned when I saw that there was nothing but dirt road and trees ahead.

How did people live like this? How could they not be surrounded by people?

With a sigh, I put my ear buds in, and found that battery was almost dead. 'Great,' I thought with a growl,' Damn Pod battery.'

I wrapped the white plugs around the metal device before shoving it in my bag, and looking at Valerie and my father. He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, occasionally taking glances at Valerie or myself.

The silence was almost deafening, and I couldn't stand not having music the rest of the way. Especially since no one was making any movies to start meaningless conversation.

"Dad, can you turn the radio up?"

"And she speaks!" He joked, turning to give Val a smile. "Val were you aware she could speak?"

Valerie let out a laugh before twisting in her seat to face me. "I didn't, Dad. She's just upset about having to come here."

I glared at her before she finally offered a warm smile. "Lighten up, Cass! We've been to Franklin before. It was fun, don't you remember?"

"I was two. I'd like to think that any child at that age thinks anything is fun."

She rolled her eyes before turning to face the front, kicking her feet up on the dash. "Okay, fine. If you want to be that way, go ahead. But you aren't going to ruin this for me."

"Whatever."

"Cass, if I turn the radio on will you stop being so negative?"

"Dad, she's almost always negative."

"I am not! I just didn't want to come to this stupid one-stop-light town. I'd much rather be at home, in California."

"That's exactly the problem."

"Shut up."

"How old are you, Cass? Seven?"

"No."

"Then stop acting like it! Just give this place a chance. Besides, you never know who'll you meet."

"Fine."

"Thank you," She muttered, turning the volume up.

It seemed like Dad had pre-set his radio so that only Country, Gospel, and Rock would play. I was never really religious, but I guess now it didn't seem like I had a choice but to be seeing as that he was the pastor down here.

Val turned the station to Country, and Taylor Swift poured through the speakers. I rolled my eyes at this, and was grateful that he pulled into a driveway and shut the car off. I didn't mind her, but she wasn't something that I could listen to for hours. Besides that, when she wasn't whining about how every boy broke her heart, she was pretending to be this goody-goody.

I unbuckled and got out, looking at the two-story house in awe. It was nice, but it had a comforting-homey feel to it. Across the way, there was a pasture and a barn. Behind that seemed to be stables, but I couldn't be sure.

"Is this where we're staying?" I asked, looking at my Dad.

He laughed before shaking his head. "No, this is Eric and Reese's home. They're friends of mine, and they were both excited to meet you two. Actually, they have jobs here and were hoping that you two could help them out."

"A job?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"It isn't much of a choice, girls. You get paid, too, and it isn't that bad. They've two daughters your age, and I'm sure they'd be more than happy to show you the ropes."

"What's their names?"

"Taylor and Caroline. Caroline's about your age, Cass, and Taylor's your age, Val."

"Oh, cool. This should be fun," I muttered, walking up the front porch steps after Val and my Dad.

First, he wants us to live with him. Then, we get to come to the small town of Franklin, Tennessee. Now, we're expected to be-friend some southern belles? Perfect.