LJ Idol Week 3 -- "I woke up strange."
“We on our way home?” Rosalie asked, rubbing her eyes. She had fallen asleep somewhere in Virginia; the bottles had lulled her with their soft glassy notes.
“Nope,” said her daddy, sitting up front. Through the windshield, dark winding roads snaked through the heart of Tennessee, trees stretching up toward the full moon above. “Thought we might could stop at the Jessups’, you haven’t seen Ella Mae since you been back from school, and they offered to put the coffee on for us.”
She smiled in the backseat. “Sure,” she said. “Coffee sounds nice. How much longer till we get there?”
“Oh, ‘nother five minutes, I reckon.”
She gestured to the bottles in the back of the pickup. “Good haul? Sorry I was dead out.”
Her daddy nodded, a gold tooth catching the light from the dashboard. “We got some blackberry brandy and some charred-barrel bourbon. Reckon that’ll hold us over till next month.” He reached blindly back for her, and she grabbed his hand, and he squeezed. “Don’t be sorry for sleeping, darlin’, you been studying so hard it’d make anybody wore out.”
They pulled up to the Jessups’ driveway, taking care to make sure the black tarp was covering the pickup bed, and headed toward the golden light of the house. Rosalie and Ella Mae had been friends since they were teething, and the Jessups had run some pretty whiskey bottles on the side when they had been young, but they had gotten out of the business in the past two years. Ella Mae and Rosalie hadn’t done much speaking since then. As they crunched across the gravel, Rosalie wondered what in the world she and Ella Mae would have to talk about. She was studying piano composition at Sewannee, and Ella Mae was getting her nursing degree at Belmont. Or so Facebook had told her.
Mrs. Jessup met them at the door. “Oh come in, you dirty stay-outs!” she beckoned. She hugged Rosalie tight. “I haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays, lady!” she said. “You’ll have to come over for fellowship and tell us all about life at Sewannee!” She pushed mugs, filled to the brim with strong, sweet coffee, their way. Rosalie took a sip, grateful to have something to do with her hands. “Ella Mae!” she called. “Rosalie and her daddy are here!”
Ella Mae appeared at the top of the stairs, green eyes gleaming. She quickly descended and gave both of them a hug. She smelled different than Rosalie remembered, muskier, woodsy, like the hot summer night had made a new home in her skin. “Long time,” she said softly into Rosalie’s ear, and Rosalie suppressed a shiver. “We’ll have to catch up,” Rosalie managed to reply. When she pulled away, Rosalie couldn’t help but notice that Ella Mae’s mouth was fuller and redder than she remembered, with one side quirked up like she was keeping all manner of secrets. Rosalie suddenly longed to know what those might be. Taking a step back, she ran a hand through her hair, trying to avoid Ella Mae’s eyes. She could feel her knees shaking, and her mind raced. She could still smell the other girl’s scent on her skin. When their eyes met over the coffee table, she felt an aching heat spreading through her veins. What in the world…? Did they teach bewitchment at Belmont these days?
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Now go read my awesome partner's entry!: http://bookishgeek.livejournal.com/149743.html
“Nope,” said her daddy, sitting up front. Through the windshield, dark winding roads snaked through the heart of Tennessee, trees stretching up toward the full moon above. “Thought we might could stop at the Jessups’, you haven’t seen Ella Mae since you been back from school, and they offered to put the coffee on for us.”
She smiled in the backseat. “Sure,” she said. “Coffee sounds nice. How much longer till we get there?”
“Oh, ‘nother five minutes, I reckon.”
She gestured to the bottles in the back of the pickup. “Good haul? Sorry I was dead out.”
Her daddy nodded, a gold tooth catching the light from the dashboard. “We got some blackberry brandy and some charred-barrel bourbon. Reckon that’ll hold us over till next month.” He reached blindly back for her, and she grabbed his hand, and he squeezed. “Don’t be sorry for sleeping, darlin’, you been studying so hard it’d make anybody wore out.”
They pulled up to the Jessups’ driveway, taking care to make sure the black tarp was covering the pickup bed, and headed toward the golden light of the house. Rosalie and Ella Mae had been friends since they were teething, and the Jessups had run some pretty whiskey bottles on the side when they had been young, but they had gotten out of the business in the past two years. Ella Mae and Rosalie hadn’t done much speaking since then. As they crunched across the gravel, Rosalie wondered what in the world she and Ella Mae would have to talk about. She was studying piano composition at Sewannee, and Ella Mae was getting her nursing degree at Belmont. Or so Facebook had told her.
Mrs. Jessup met them at the door. “Oh come in, you dirty stay-outs!” she beckoned. She hugged Rosalie tight. “I haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays, lady!” she said. “You’ll have to come over for fellowship and tell us all about life at Sewannee!” She pushed mugs, filled to the brim with strong, sweet coffee, their way. Rosalie took a sip, grateful to have something to do with her hands. “Ella Mae!” she called. “Rosalie and her daddy are here!”
Ella Mae appeared at the top of the stairs, green eyes gleaming. She quickly descended and gave both of them a hug. She smelled different than Rosalie remembered, muskier, woodsy, like the hot summer night had made a new home in her skin. “Long time,” she said softly into Rosalie’s ear, and Rosalie suppressed a shiver. “We’ll have to catch up,” Rosalie managed to reply. When she pulled away, Rosalie couldn’t help but notice that Ella Mae’s mouth was fuller and redder than she remembered, with one side quirked up like she was keeping all manner of secrets. Rosalie suddenly longed to know what those might be. Taking a step back, she ran a hand through her hair, trying to avoid Ella Mae’s eyes. She could feel her knees shaking, and her mind raced. She could still smell the other girl’s scent on her skin. When their eyes met over the coffee table, she felt an aching heat spreading through her veins. What in the world…? Did they teach bewitchment at Belmont these days?
----
Now go read my awesome partner's entry!: http://bookishgeek.livejournal.com/149743.html