The Twists in My Trail (In Progress)
written by ☆kiola-the-iola☆
Harriet Abbey has lived in Colorado for six months. Before that, she lived in Chicago, and right now, she's still getting used to life in Colorado. It finally feels like she has a trail to follow when everything suddenly twists: a car crash kills her parents and both her sisters. Her parents don’t have a will, and so it’s up to her to decide where to live. Though given offers of a home from many in Chicago and Colorado, she decides to live with her Aunt, Uncle, and cousins in Texas. What will happen? How will she cope? And will she ever find her trail again?
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
5
Reads
687
The Jacket and the Cute Boy
Chapter 2
We step out of the airport, breathing in the Texas air. My family is greeted by our aunt, Leona Easton Rhett. She's my dad's adopted sister. She's married to Walter Rhett and has two daughters, Clay (age 15) and Norah (age 7). Most people don't make the connection between my dad and my aunt, because my dad took my mom's last name; Abbey. Dad's relationship with his father was toxic.
Grandfather Easton died three years ago, and I'm sorry to say I wasn't that sad. He didn't like my mom, Monica, and he hated that his "beloved" (air quotes because he was abusive) Jake loved her. I'm certainly glad that my parents got married anyway, because if they hadn't, Luka, Kandace, and I wouldn't exist. I love my sisters to the death. They mean the world to me.
Clay waves, and I bound over. Even though she's two years older, we've always been close. Luka and Kandace immediately start talking to Norah, chattering a mile a minute. I climb into the seat of the van next to Clay, who immediately pulls out her phone and snaps a selfie of the two of us.
“Cuz, we are going to have so much fun this week!” she says. I laugh and say,
“What’s the latest with you?” Clay immediately launches into an explanation of the shopping trip that she and her friend Londyn went on the day before. I listen with a smile on my face.
“Harriet, we are going to go shopping and finally help you find that style!” I agree with a laugh. Shopping trips with Clay are always fun. We drive down the road, catching each other up on our lives. Hayden was right. Family visits are awesome.
…..
I lay on the bed in the guest bedroom, the new red jacket that Clay gave me around my shoulders. My phone buzzes, lighting up with Hayden’s phone number. I put my phone up to my ear, savoring my boyfriend’s voice as he says,
“Hey, Babe.” I smile and reply,
“Hey.” Hayden clicks the video chat button, and so I watch as his face appears on the screen.
“I like the jacket, Nerd.” I laugh,
“My cousin bought it for me.”
“What’s her name?”
“Clay,” I tell him. I laugh when he makes a weirded out face. “It’s a name, idiot!” Hayden just shakes his head. I grin, and he grins right back. Before either of us says anything else, Clay herself pushes open the door. She flops onto the bed beside me.
“Who’s this?”
“My boyfriend, Hayden.” Clay gapes at me,
“Why didn’t you tell me you have a boyfriend?” I shrug, saying,
“I didn’t get the chance.” Clay rolls her eyes and, snatching the phone from my hands, says,
“Hello, Hayden. If you hurt my cousin, I will murder you through the phone.” I wince and take my phone back.
“No murder needed, Clay.” She laughs,
“Wait and see, Harriet. You’re going to get hurt in some way, shape, or form soon if you aren’t careful. I’m not saying it will be Mr. BF here, but it will be something.”
“Thanks for the warning, Cuz, but I think you’re wrong.” I don’t know it yet, but Clay is in fact right. Sadness is headed my way.
…..
Grandmother drives us down to Clay's family's house. They are out in the far country. Their house is huge, with dozens of bedrooms. Dad whispers to me that it's very close to the size of his childhood home. The minute we walk in, Aunt Leona envelopes me in a hug.
"Harriet, dear, how you've grown! You are so beautiful." She then hugs Dad and smiles at Mom.
"Leona," my dad says, "how's the family doing?"
"Good, Jake, good." Then my aunt leads us into the dining room. Luka and Kandace have already run off with Norah to who knows where. Clay immediately grabs me and brings me into her bedroom. I take a step inside and gasp. Her room is huge. They just moved here last year, so I haven’t ever been to her house before. But now, I can see just how rich her family is. Not as rich as Grandfather Easton was, but they were pretty wealthy.
“Harriet! If you ever want to sleep over, there’s a bedroom right next to mine that would be perfect. Or if you ever need to stay here, it’s right there and ready.” Clay’s enthusiasm wakes me from the envious trance I had entered, and I say,
“Okay! Thanks, Clay. You da best!” We flop onto her bed and she turns on some music. Several brushes lay on her vanity, and so she grabs one for me and one for her and we dance around, singing. At one point, I accidentally kick her bed and probably break my toe, but I just brush it off, and we keep dancing. I breathe in, thinking, This is the life.
…..
I’m driving back to Grandmother’s house with my family. Aunt Leona already dropped her off, so we’re borrowing Grandmother’s car. The windows are all down, the humid air rushing in and out as our hair gets blown around. Luka, Kandace, and I are all squished in the back seat, but we deal with it.
We drive down dirt roads and highways, passing cow trailers and sports cars. I stick my arm out the window, letting out a whoop of happiness. All at once, as we pass by a baseball field, my red jacket from Clay flies out the window!
“Pull over!” I cry. My dad swerves to a stop and I hop out. My jacket flies over the fence and floats down to where a baseball team is practicing. Jogging over, I call,
“That jacket is mine!” My family stays in the car, obviously trusting me to be safe. I’m glad; my parents can be a little overprotective sometimes. One of the baseball players grabs my jacket and walks through an opening in the fence to me.
“This is your jacket, right?”
“Yeah,” I say with a laugh. “I guess it likes baseball.” The boy chuckles,
“What about you? Are you a softball player?”
“Heck, no. Basketball’s my jam. I’m Harriet, by the way.”
“I’m Caleb.” We shake hands and then laugh at the formality of it all.
“So, do you live here in Texas, Harriet?” I shake my head,
“I live in Colorado. I’m here to visit my dad’s family. They all decided to up and move to Texas one day; all except my parents. My dad isn’t super close with them, but he is with his adopted sister, my aunt. My cousin, Clay, is one of my best friends.”
“What’s Clay’s last name?” I squint at him in confusion but say,
“Rhett.” His eyes brighten and he says,
“I go to school with her. I’m a freshman and she’s a sophomore. What about you? Are you a freshman?”
“Ha, no. I’m in eighth grade.” I roll my eyes and look back at the car, where Luka is leaning out the window. She yells at me,
“Come on, Slowpoke! We need to go!” I laugh and say,
“Fine, Luka! I’m coming!” I say bye to Caleb.
I start to walk towards the car, but right before I get to it, I am yanked backwards. Caleb is propped up on top of me. There's a scared look on his face. I look up in time to see a huge, out-of-control truck barreling close- an inch from my family's car!
Grandfather Easton died three years ago, and I'm sorry to say I wasn't that sad. He didn't like my mom, Monica, and he hated that his "beloved" (air quotes because he was abusive) Jake loved her. I'm certainly glad that my parents got married anyway, because if they hadn't, Luka, Kandace, and I wouldn't exist. I love my sisters to the death. They mean the world to me.
Clay waves, and I bound over. Even though she's two years older, we've always been close. Luka and Kandace immediately start talking to Norah, chattering a mile a minute. I climb into the seat of the van next to Clay, who immediately pulls out her phone and snaps a selfie of the two of us.
“Cuz, we are going to have so much fun this week!” she says. I laugh and say,
“What’s the latest with you?” Clay immediately launches into an explanation of the shopping trip that she and her friend Londyn went on the day before. I listen with a smile on my face.
“Harriet, we are going to go shopping and finally help you find that style!” I agree with a laugh. Shopping trips with Clay are always fun. We drive down the road, catching each other up on our lives. Hayden was right. Family visits are awesome.
…..
I lay on the bed in the guest bedroom, the new red jacket that Clay gave me around my shoulders. My phone buzzes, lighting up with Hayden’s phone number. I put my phone up to my ear, savoring my boyfriend’s voice as he says,
“Hey, Babe.” I smile and reply,
“Hey.” Hayden clicks the video chat button, and so I watch as his face appears on the screen.
“I like the jacket, Nerd.” I laugh,
“My cousin bought it for me.”
“What’s her name?”
“Clay,” I tell him. I laugh when he makes a weirded out face. “It’s a name, idiot!” Hayden just shakes his head. I grin, and he grins right back. Before either of us says anything else, Clay herself pushes open the door. She flops onto the bed beside me.
“Who’s this?”
“My boyfriend, Hayden.” Clay gapes at me,
“Why didn’t you tell me you have a boyfriend?” I shrug, saying,
“I didn’t get the chance.” Clay rolls her eyes and, snatching the phone from my hands, says,
“Hello, Hayden. If you hurt my cousin, I will murder you through the phone.” I wince and take my phone back.
“No murder needed, Clay.” She laughs,
“Wait and see, Harriet. You’re going to get hurt in some way, shape, or form soon if you aren’t careful. I’m not saying it will be Mr. BF here, but it will be something.”
“Thanks for the warning, Cuz, but I think you’re wrong.” I don’t know it yet, but Clay is in fact right. Sadness is headed my way.
…..
Grandmother drives us down to Clay's family's house. They are out in the far country. Their house is huge, with dozens of bedrooms. Dad whispers to me that it's very close to the size of his childhood home. The minute we walk in, Aunt Leona envelopes me in a hug.
"Harriet, dear, how you've grown! You are so beautiful." She then hugs Dad and smiles at Mom.
"Leona," my dad says, "how's the family doing?"
"Good, Jake, good." Then my aunt leads us into the dining room. Luka and Kandace have already run off with Norah to who knows where. Clay immediately grabs me and brings me into her bedroom. I take a step inside and gasp. Her room is huge. They just moved here last year, so I haven’t ever been to her house before. But now, I can see just how rich her family is. Not as rich as Grandfather Easton was, but they were pretty wealthy.
“Harriet! If you ever want to sleep over, there’s a bedroom right next to mine that would be perfect. Or if you ever need to stay here, it’s right there and ready.” Clay’s enthusiasm wakes me from the envious trance I had entered, and I say,
“Okay! Thanks, Clay. You da best!” We flop onto her bed and she turns on some music. Several brushes lay on her vanity, and so she grabs one for me and one for her and we dance around, singing. At one point, I accidentally kick her bed and probably break my toe, but I just brush it off, and we keep dancing. I breathe in, thinking, This is the life.
…..
I’m driving back to Grandmother’s house with my family. Aunt Leona already dropped her off, so we’re borrowing Grandmother’s car. The windows are all down, the humid air rushing in and out as our hair gets blown around. Luka, Kandace, and I are all squished in the back seat, but we deal with it.
We drive down dirt roads and highways, passing cow trailers and sports cars. I stick my arm out the window, letting out a whoop of happiness. All at once, as we pass by a baseball field, my red jacket from Clay flies out the window!
“Pull over!” I cry. My dad swerves to a stop and I hop out. My jacket flies over the fence and floats down to where a baseball team is practicing. Jogging over, I call,
“That jacket is mine!” My family stays in the car, obviously trusting me to be safe. I’m glad; my parents can be a little overprotective sometimes. One of the baseball players grabs my jacket and walks through an opening in the fence to me.
“This is your jacket, right?”
“Yeah,” I say with a laugh. “I guess it likes baseball.” The boy chuckles,
“What about you? Are you a softball player?”
“Heck, no. Basketball’s my jam. I’m Harriet, by the way.”
“I’m Caleb.” We shake hands and then laugh at the formality of it all.
“So, do you live here in Texas, Harriet?” I shake my head,
“I live in Colorado. I’m here to visit my dad’s family. They all decided to up and move to Texas one day; all except my parents. My dad isn’t super close with them, but he is with his adopted sister, my aunt. My cousin, Clay, is one of my best friends.”
“What’s Clay’s last name?” I squint at him in confusion but say,
“Rhett.” His eyes brighten and he says,
“I go to school with her. I’m a freshman and she’s a sophomore. What about you? Are you a freshman?”
“Ha, no. I’m in eighth grade.” I roll my eyes and look back at the car, where Luka is leaning out the window. She yells at me,
“Come on, Slowpoke! We need to go!” I laugh and say,
“Fine, Luka! I’m coming!” I say bye to Caleb.
I start to walk towards the car, but right before I get to it, I am yanked backwards. Caleb is propped up on top of me. There's a scared look on his face. I look up in time to see a huge, out-of-control truck barreling close- an inch from my family's car!
