Status: This is probably a totally different story than what you're used to, but it's probably the most real to life one too, It's been my favorite to write, even better than my fanfic!
Rekindled
The Plan
Patricia
“Hey daddy, is Craig out on site today?” I asked when my dad answered the phone. Our contractor business is a family affair so to speak. Daddy owns it, Craig is the lead foreman, Chad (Craig’s brother-in-law) is a foreman under Craig, and Lisa (Craig’s sister) is the on-site representative/admin assistant.
“Yeah he should be” Daddy laughed
“Daddy were you busy?” I asked trying to hear the voices in the back ground
“Just having lunch with Preston and your sister” he replied “Hold on, I’ll put you on speaker phone”
“Hey Tricia” Presley smiled. I could always tell when my sister was smiling on the phone, her voice would change.
“Hey Aunt P” Preston yelled
“Hey my loves” I chuckled “Pres, I was just about to text you”
“What’s up sissy?”
“Would you mind picking up Princess from cheerleading practice today? We have a staff meeting so I’ll be running late.”I explained
“Oh no, don’t worry about it, I’ll pick her up. I’m surprised that she still has practice this close to the end of the school year” she replied
“They’re preparing for the annual black and gold game”
“Oh yeah, that’s right, I forgot all about that game. Sounds like fun, I might have to take Preston to that. When is it?” she asked
“Friday night” I replied “You sure Pres, you don’t have to go if you’re not up to it”
“No, it’ll be fine. I need to get out and live life. That’s what Spencer would want. Plus, it’s a family tradition anyway” she laughed
“Ok cool. Thanks for picking her up for me”
“Oh it’s no problem. Did you need me to get CJ too?” she asked
“No, the bus already drops him off at mama and daddy’s so he should be there before you leave to pick her up. I’ll be by to pick them up as soon as the meeting is over”
“Tricia, did you need me to call Craig for anything?” daddy said
“Oh no daddy, I was trying to see where he was so that I’d know what time he got off of work, but since Pres said she’d do I don’t need him anymore”
“Oh ok then”
“I’ll talk to ya’ll later” I said before hanging up.
I could have asked Kyle to take Princess to mama’s house on his way home from practice, but I wasn’t sure how Presley would take seeing him after all these years. If she picked up Princess, she wouldn’t even have to get out the car, just pull up to the back field and Princess would just have to run and get in the truck. I just need to figure out what we’re going to do about Friday night’s game. Kyle will definitely be there, and I know she hasn’t really seen or spoken to him since their fight before she left for school, so I know there are some unresolved feelings there. This was guaranteed to be an interesting summer. I texted Princess real quick before I went back to class, my students get restless fast.
New Message: Princess
Hey baby, Aunt P is going 2 pick u up from practice 2day, so be ready
Princess/Pricilla
“Hey P!” Brittany said as she took a seat next to me on lawn for lunch
“Sup B?” I smiled handing her the extra brownie that I got when I bought my lunch. Brittany Hunter was my best friend even though she was 2 years younger than me. It was a family thing. Her grandmother and mine were best friends, and our parents knew each other from way back in the day. That’s the hazards of growing up in a small town I guess, everybody knows everybody. “Did you go see your mom yesterday?” that’s what her and Coach do every Sunday just about. Sometimes they come over to Nanny’s for Sunday dinner, but mostly they go have lunch in the cemetery with her mom. Ms.Kelly died when I was 4 and Brittany was 2, so I don’t really remember her much.
“Yeah. Do you think it’s weird that we do that?” she questioned
“No, not really…I mean you’re asking me, the same girl whose family goes to that same cemetery every year on Uncle Jr’s birthday to celebrate” I chuckled
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. That’s just how our families are huh?” she laughed leaning over on my shoulder
“So are you excited about the game Friday night? It’s your first time cheering, aren’t you excited?”
“I’m a little nervous tbh” she took a bite of her pizza
“Don’t be, I’ll be standing right next to you, and Aunt Janey, Nanny, Sherriff D, and Gramps will all be there to support us. I’m gonna see if my Aunt P will come too”
“I guess so” she twisted up her nose.
“You know so, so stop tripping” I nudged her, making her laugh. A few of our friends came over and sat with us. We laughed, talked, and ate lunch. My phone buzzed in my purse. I pulled it out to see who it was. I had a new message
New Text Message: Mom
Hey baby, Aunt P is going 2 pick u up from practice 2day, so be ready
“Was that BJ?” Brit asked
“No, that was my mom, letting me know that my Aunt P is picking me up today, that’s all”
“As in your Aunt Presley? I was wondering if that’s who you were talking about earlier” Brittany asked
“Yeah, she’s visiting. My Uncle Spencer passed away a few months ago, so she’s here for a little while. I love having her around too. She’s so awesome. I can’t wait for you to meet her Brit, you’ll love her!” I smiled
“Well I can’t wait to meet her then”
“So did CJ call you last night?” I smirked. Brittany’s been talking to CJ Hughes for the past week now, and he’s all she can talk about lately. He’s a pretty cool guy though. He’s the starting guard on our basketball team and he’s really smart too.
“He texted me yesterday. I told my mom about him, and you know my dad was like he’s going to find out who this guy is that I’ve been texting like crazy. I told him it was just you that I’ve been texting, but you know that didn’t work; because he started talking about how Aunt Sadie and Grams hate for us to use our cellphones at the dinner table” she laughed
“Yeah, idk why they act like that…old people” I shook my head.
“So,” she popped a pepperoni from off our pizza in her mouth, “my dad is talking about dating again”
“Really, what do you think about that” Brittany is protective of her dad, so her feelings in this whole thing counts a lot, and Uncle Ky was just as protective of Brit as she was of him.
“I’m okay with it, as long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters to me. I mean, it’s not like him and my mom got a divorce or anything, I mean she died, so they won’t be getting back together anytime soon” she laughed
“Well, as long as you’re okay with it” I thought about it while I chewed up the piece of pizza that I had taken a bite of while she was talking. “Hey, what if we could hook him up with my Aunt P?” I beamed
“Yeah, but didn’t she just loose her husband?”
“Yeah, that’s the perfect reason why. I mean he can relate to what she’s going through right now, sooo…” I shrugged
“That just might be a good idea Princess” she smiled bright “Definitely see if you can get her to come to the game then. Can I meet her when she comes to pick you up? I mean since I won’t be doing anything until my dad finishes with practice”
“Yeah, definitely”
***************Later That Afternoon***************
“Ok girls, good job. We’ll go over stunts and choreographer tomorrow with the dance team. Good practice. Do 2 laps around the track and then you’re free to go” Coach Rhea said.
Brittany laid her cheer bag down next to mine before we took off on a steady jog around the track. It took us about 5 minutes to complete the 2 laps asked of us. I grabbed my water bottle out of my bag and took a gulp looking around for Aunt P’s truck, but I didn’t see her.
“So is she here yet?” Britt panted
“No, but she should be here in a minute” I sighed, trying to catch my breath, looking around to see if I spotted her truck again “there she is, c’mon” I grabbed my back pack and cheer bag.
“Daddy, I’m walking Princess to the car” Brittany yelled to Coach
“Bye Coach, see you tomorrow, I’ll be ready when you get there” I waved to Uncle Ky. He’s Coach when we’re at school and Uncle Ky outside of school.
“Ok, see you later Princess” he waved back
We ran to the truck so Brittany could meet my aunt.
“Princess!” Preston let down his back window and smiled
“Hey handsome” I leaned in the window and kissed his cheek “Hey shorty” I smile to my little brother as I opened the front passenger door. “Hey Aunt P. This is my best friend Brittany, Brit this is my super cool Aunt Presley, but I call her Aunt P, and this handsome little guy is her son Preston” I smiled introducing them
“Hi Brittany, it’s nice to meet you” Aunt P smiled
“It’s nice meeting you too. I’ve heard a lot about you”
“All good I hope” Aunt P chuckled
“All GREAT, is more like it” Brittany laughed
“Well, good. I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot of you while I’m here then” Aunt P smiled
“You definitely will” I giggled turning to a laughing Brittany “I’ll call you later Brit” I smiled
“Bye Brittany” Preston and CJ waved as we drove away.
KYLE
“Hey Mikey” Brit smiled as he pecked her forehead coming into the house.
“Hey Brit Bear”
“Sup Mikey” I nodded in the kitchen as I pulled drinks out of the fridge for dinner. Since practice had run a little longer than I had planned, I just picked up a couple of pizzas for dinner. Mikey has been staying with us while he’s remodeling his house. He works with Mr.Monroe, as one his head contractors, and in his spare time, he works on his house. I swear the Monroes and Hunters are so close, it’s like we’re one family.
“Late practice cuz?”
“Yep”
“So what they looking like for the fall?” he inquired taking some plates out of the cabinet
“Not too bad, we might actually have a shot this year” I said putting pizza on the plates “Brit, come get your plate” I called “Dude, I swear I saw Presley today!”
“Really? Where?”
“Well, I had to run to the bank during lunch today, and I swear I saw her coming out of Luke’s”
“You sure it wasn’t just your imagination dude?” he shook his head. Mikey has always known how I felt about Presley, and he doesn’t mind reminding me how I let her get away. “You know you had your chance and you blew it”
“Shut up man, I know this already”
“Well, Mr.M nor Craig said anything about her being in town, so” he shrugged his shoulders
“It could just be my imagination, I mean she has been on my mind a lot lately, ever since mama told me about Spencer” I took a bite of my pizza “I just wish I could be there for her, you know?”
“Well, have you tried calling her…you know just to check on her, see if she’s okay, see how she’s taking things?”
I took a gulp of my beer “I would, but what do I say to her. You remember how things were when she came back for PJs funeral? It was real awkward between us”
“Well, you won’t know until you try” he patted my back before walking out.
“Hey daddy, is Craig out on site today?” I asked when my dad answered the phone. Our contractor business is a family affair so to speak. Daddy owns it, Craig is the lead foreman, Chad (Craig’s brother-in-law) is a foreman under Craig, and Lisa (Craig’s sister) is the on-site representative/admin assistant.
“Yeah he should be” Daddy laughed
“Daddy were you busy?” I asked trying to hear the voices in the back ground
“Just having lunch with Preston and your sister” he replied “Hold on, I’ll put you on speaker phone”
“Hey Tricia” Presley smiled. I could always tell when my sister was smiling on the phone, her voice would change.
“Hey Aunt P” Preston yelled
“Hey my loves” I chuckled “Pres, I was just about to text you”
“What’s up sissy?”
“Would you mind picking up Princess from cheerleading practice today? We have a staff meeting so I’ll be running late.”I explained
“Oh no, don’t worry about it, I’ll pick her up. I’m surprised that she still has practice this close to the end of the school year” she replied
“They’re preparing for the annual black and gold game”
“Oh yeah, that’s right, I forgot all about that game. Sounds like fun, I might have to take Preston to that. When is it?” she asked
“Friday night” I replied “You sure Pres, you don’t have to go if you’re not up to it”
“No, it’ll be fine. I need to get out and live life. That’s what Spencer would want. Plus, it’s a family tradition anyway” she laughed
“Ok cool. Thanks for picking her up for me”
“Oh it’s no problem. Did you need me to get CJ too?” she asked
“No, the bus already drops him off at mama and daddy’s so he should be there before you leave to pick her up. I’ll be by to pick them up as soon as the meeting is over”
“Tricia, did you need me to call Craig for anything?” daddy said
“Oh no daddy, I was trying to see where he was so that I’d know what time he got off of work, but since Pres said she’d do I don’t need him anymore”
“Oh ok then”
“I’ll talk to ya’ll later” I said before hanging up.
I could have asked Kyle to take Princess to mama’s house on his way home from practice, but I wasn’t sure how Presley would take seeing him after all these years. If she picked up Princess, she wouldn’t even have to get out the car, just pull up to the back field and Princess would just have to run and get in the truck. I just need to figure out what we’re going to do about Friday night’s game. Kyle will definitely be there, and I know she hasn’t really seen or spoken to him since their fight before she left for school, so I know there are some unresolved feelings there. This was guaranteed to be an interesting summer. I texted Princess real quick before I went back to class, my students get restless fast.
New Message: Princess
Hey baby, Aunt P is going 2 pick u up from practice 2day, so be ready
Princess/Pricilla
“Hey P!” Brittany said as she took a seat next to me on lawn for lunch
“Sup B?” I smiled handing her the extra brownie that I got when I bought my lunch. Brittany Hunter was my best friend even though she was 2 years younger than me. It was a family thing. Her grandmother and mine were best friends, and our parents knew each other from way back in the day. That’s the hazards of growing up in a small town I guess, everybody knows everybody. “Did you go see your mom yesterday?” that’s what her and Coach do every Sunday just about. Sometimes they come over to Nanny’s for Sunday dinner, but mostly they go have lunch in the cemetery with her mom. Ms.Kelly died when I was 4 and Brittany was 2, so I don’t really remember her much.
“Yeah. Do you think it’s weird that we do that?” she questioned
“No, not really…I mean you’re asking me, the same girl whose family goes to that same cemetery every year on Uncle Jr’s birthday to celebrate” I chuckled
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. That’s just how our families are huh?” she laughed leaning over on my shoulder
“So are you excited about the game Friday night? It’s your first time cheering, aren’t you excited?”
“I’m a little nervous tbh” she took a bite of her pizza
“Don’t be, I’ll be standing right next to you, and Aunt Janey, Nanny, Sherriff D, and Gramps will all be there to support us. I’m gonna see if my Aunt P will come too”
“I guess so” she twisted up her nose.
“You know so, so stop tripping” I nudged her, making her laugh. A few of our friends came over and sat with us. We laughed, talked, and ate lunch. My phone buzzed in my purse. I pulled it out to see who it was. I had a new message
New Text Message: Mom
Hey baby, Aunt P is going 2 pick u up from practice 2day, so be ready
“Was that BJ?” Brit asked
“No, that was my mom, letting me know that my Aunt P is picking me up today, that’s all”
“As in your Aunt Presley? I was wondering if that’s who you were talking about earlier” Brittany asked
“Yeah, she’s visiting. My Uncle Spencer passed away a few months ago, so she’s here for a little while. I love having her around too. She’s so awesome. I can’t wait for you to meet her Brit, you’ll love her!” I smiled
“Well I can’t wait to meet her then”
“So did CJ call you last night?” I smirked. Brittany’s been talking to CJ Hughes for the past week now, and he’s all she can talk about lately. He’s a pretty cool guy though. He’s the starting guard on our basketball team and he’s really smart too.
“He texted me yesterday. I told my mom about him, and you know my dad was like he’s going to find out who this guy is that I’ve been texting like crazy. I told him it was just you that I’ve been texting, but you know that didn’t work; because he started talking about how Aunt Sadie and Grams hate for us to use our cellphones at the dinner table” she laughed
“Yeah, idk why they act like that…old people” I shook my head.
“So,” she popped a pepperoni from off our pizza in her mouth, “my dad is talking about dating again”
“Really, what do you think about that” Brittany is protective of her dad, so her feelings in this whole thing counts a lot, and Uncle Ky was just as protective of Brit as she was of him.
“I’m okay with it, as long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters to me. I mean, it’s not like him and my mom got a divorce or anything, I mean she died, so they won’t be getting back together anytime soon” she laughed
“Well, as long as you’re okay with it” I thought about it while I chewed up the piece of pizza that I had taken a bite of while she was talking. “Hey, what if we could hook him up with my Aunt P?” I beamed
“Yeah, but didn’t she just loose her husband?”
“Yeah, that’s the perfect reason why. I mean he can relate to what she’s going through right now, sooo…” I shrugged
“That just might be a good idea Princess” she smiled bright “Definitely see if you can get her to come to the game then. Can I meet her when she comes to pick you up? I mean since I won’t be doing anything until my dad finishes with practice”
“Yeah, definitely”
***************Later That Afternoon***************
“Ok girls, good job. We’ll go over stunts and choreographer tomorrow with the dance team. Good practice. Do 2 laps around the track and then you’re free to go” Coach Rhea said.
Brittany laid her cheer bag down next to mine before we took off on a steady jog around the track. It took us about 5 minutes to complete the 2 laps asked of us. I grabbed my water bottle out of my bag and took a gulp looking around for Aunt P’s truck, but I didn’t see her.
“So is she here yet?” Britt panted
“No, but she should be here in a minute” I sighed, trying to catch my breath, looking around to see if I spotted her truck again “there she is, c’mon” I grabbed my back pack and cheer bag.
“Daddy, I’m walking Princess to the car” Brittany yelled to Coach
“Bye Coach, see you tomorrow, I’ll be ready when you get there” I waved to Uncle Ky. He’s Coach when we’re at school and Uncle Ky outside of school.
“Ok, see you later Princess” he waved back
We ran to the truck so Brittany could meet my aunt.
“Princess!” Preston let down his back window and smiled
“Hey handsome” I leaned in the window and kissed his cheek “Hey shorty” I smile to my little brother as I opened the front passenger door. “Hey Aunt P. This is my best friend Brittany, Brit this is my super cool Aunt Presley, but I call her Aunt P, and this handsome little guy is her son Preston” I smiled introducing them
“Hi Brittany, it’s nice to meet you” Aunt P smiled
“It’s nice meeting you too. I’ve heard a lot about you”
“All good I hope” Aunt P chuckled
“All GREAT, is more like it” Brittany laughed
“Well, good. I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot of you while I’m here then” Aunt P smiled
“You definitely will” I giggled turning to a laughing Brittany “I’ll call you later Brit” I smiled
“Bye Brittany” Preston and CJ waved as we drove away.
KYLE
“Hey Mikey” Brit smiled as he pecked her forehead coming into the house.
“Hey Brit Bear”
“Sup Mikey” I nodded in the kitchen as I pulled drinks out of the fridge for dinner. Since practice had run a little longer than I had planned, I just picked up a couple of pizzas for dinner. Mikey has been staying with us while he’s remodeling his house. He works with Mr.Monroe, as one his head contractors, and in his spare time, he works on his house. I swear the Monroes and Hunters are so close, it’s like we’re one family.
“Late practice cuz?”
“Yep”
“So what they looking like for the fall?” he inquired taking some plates out of the cabinet
“Not too bad, we might actually have a shot this year” I said putting pizza on the plates “Brit, come get your plate” I called “Dude, I swear I saw Presley today!”
“Really? Where?”
“Well, I had to run to the bank during lunch today, and I swear I saw her coming out of Luke’s”
“You sure it wasn’t just your imagination dude?” he shook his head. Mikey has always known how I felt about Presley, and he doesn’t mind reminding me how I let her get away. “You know you had your chance and you blew it”
“Shut up man, I know this already”
“Well, Mr.M nor Craig said anything about her being in town, so” he shrugged his shoulders
“It could just be my imagination, I mean she has been on my mind a lot lately, ever since mama told me about Spencer” I took a bite of my pizza “I just wish I could be there for her, you know?”
“Well, have you tried calling her…you know just to check on her, see if she’s okay, see how she’s taking things?”
I took a gulp of my beer “I would, but what do I say to her. You remember how things were when she came back for PJs funeral? It was real awkward between us”
“Well, you won’t know until you try” he patted my back before walking out.