3 weeks later

"So your tests are looking good. Have you been feeling alright?" she asks. I nod in response. "Yeah, I finished the antibiotics and everything," I reply, standing up from the chair.

"Just take it easy, alright? You're home and safe here, you know that." I walk over to her and give her a hug.

"Love you," I murmur.

"Love you too, hun," she replies softly.

After a while, I head out and make my way to the farm. I catch a ride from Ghost, who happens to be at the auto shop just as I'm walking past. Ghost, aka Gary, is also known as the president of the Sons.

"Thanks again, Ghost," I say, handing back his helmet.

"No problem, sunshine. You gotta stop by the club sometime so we can get you on that bike Sin worked so hard on," he says with a grin.

"Maybe," I mutter, rolling my eyes. He smirks and starts his engine, riding off.

I head over to the horse barn to check on all the horses.

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Johnson. Feeling better?" I ask as she leads one of the baby horses out of their stall.

"Hello, dear. Just taking the new addition for a walk," she replies with a warm smile.

"She's beautiful," I say, reaching out to pet the all-white horse with striking blue eyes.

"Now that the doc gave me the okay to train the horses, Mr. Johnson and I were talking about letting you go down to the old barn your grandfather worked at," she continues. I nod.

"That sounds good. But I hope I can still come here to help out or take Selena for a ride," I reply.

"Of course, dear. You know you're always welcome to go wherever you like." I give her a hug before I start walking down.

I could have taken the golf cart, but I decide to walk on this hot day. When I open the large doors and turn on the light, I see something covered with a sheet in the center of the barn.

Curiosity gets the best of me, and I rip the sheet off.

Frozen in place, I'm speechless as I stare at myself through the dusty window.

My dad's truck.

I never thought about what happened to it after I drove it to the club that night.

I slowly walk around it, noticing everything is exactly as I left it. I hop into the driver's seat and see the keys are already in the ignition. But when I try to start it, nothing happens.

I pop the hood and get to work.

—————————

"Avery!?" My grandfather's voice calls out. I roll myself from under the truck and look up.

"Oh hey, pap," I say, standing up and dusting myself off.

"I see you found your old man's truck," he observes. I smile brightly and nod.

"Yeah, I almost have her running. Just need to change the oil and check the transmission." I glance at the darkness outside.

"What time is it?" I ask, tossing the wrench onto the table.

"9:30. You ready to head home?" he replies.

I nod, turning off the light and closing the barn doors.

"Yeah, I really need a shower," I say, looking at the grease all over me.

So we head back to the house, and that's exactly what I do—shower and then go straight to bed.

The next morning, Friday, I get up early with my nan, and we head to the supermarket in town.

It was already 100 degrees out, and it wasn't the best day for it. After walking through each and every stand twice, my nan finally gave in, and we went home.

It was nice to spend time with her, but the heat made it unbearable. I lived in New York for eight years, so this kind of weather was a shock.

I catch my pap just as he's about to leave for the farm, so I go with him. We arrive at the farm at 11, and now it's 3:00 as I finish washing my truck.

After fixing it, I finish up the wash and slide into the driver's seat, hoping it starts.

I turn the key and press on the brake.

"Whoo-whoo!" I shout, grinning from ear to ear as I ride it to the horse barn.

"You finally got her running!" Mr. Johnson calls out as he walks over.

"Yeah, finally!" I reply, walking over to him.

"Did you even get a chance to clean the barn?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

I smile and nod. "Of course."

I look over his shoulder and see Mrs. Johnson coughing, concern immediately showing on my face.

"Is Mrs. Johnson sick again?" I ask, my voice laced with worry.

"It seems taking care of the horses has really taken a toll on her," he explains.

I nod in understanding.

"Well, I can work for free if you need the money—I don't mind," I offer.

He shakes his head. "I went to the bank this morning." He hands me an envelope, and I open it to find $600. My eyes go wide. "O-oh Mr. Johnson, I don't need this much. I don't need it at all—you need it," I say, trying to hand it back.

"I'm gonna go for a ride, if that's okay?" I ask.

He smiles. "You know you're always welcome."

"Thank you," I reply, giving him a nod.

I walk into the barn, take Selena out, and get her ready for a ride. I head down to the lake, and the weather is perfect for a swim.

I tie Selena to the old oak tree, strip down to my undergarments, and cannonball into the lake.

——————————

Everest's POV:

I pull up to my grandparents' farm on my bike and park it. As I take off my helmet, I notice Rider's truck is out of the barn.

I shake it off and head inside. "Pap!?" I yell through the house, hearing him yell back, "Here," from down the hall.

When I walk in, a frown crosses my face at the sight of my nana in bed with my pap holding her hand.

"It got worse, didn't it?" I ask, though I already know the answer.

"Come on," my pap says, pushing me out of the room and closing the door behind us.

"The doctor called us last night with the results." He sighs and places a hand on my shoulder. "She has maybe a year."

I stay quiet for a moment, but then I slam my fist on the table in frustration.

I don't say anything else but walk out of the house, lighting a cigarette.

I make my way into the barn and see that Selena's stall is empty. I sigh and grab Sam, the chocolate brown horse, saddling him up. I search for Selena and spot her from the top of the hill.

I head down and notice clothes scattered by the old oak tree, making my gaze shift toward the lake.

I see her head pop up, and a smirk forms on my face.

I don't want to admit it, but my heart skips a beat as I watch Avery emerge from the water.

It's like time slows down as she stands there, water dripping from her tan, freckled skin, the sun making her long white hair shine.

I can't help myself—my eyes wander over her body.

Every girl I've ever been with pales in comparison to her.

I loved Avery with every bone in my body, and I always will.

But she left.

She left her home.

She left her family.

She left me.

I cross my arms and light another cigarette.

She walks toward me, wringing out her hair, but freezes when she sees me.

Her bright gray-blue eyes widen, and her small mouth drops open in surprise.

"Wow, Ava, your tits actually did grow—and that ass, Jesus," I smirk, taking a puff.

She growls, rushing to grab her clothes.

"Need these?" I tease, holding them out to her.

"Ugh! EVE—!" she growls, but I cut her off.

"Who?" I ask with a smirk.

She stomps her foot and rolls her eyes. "Sin, give me my clothes!" She tries to snatch them, but I pull them away, grabbing her arm and pulling her close to me.

————————————

Avery's POV:

I gasp as Sin pulls me into his chest.

"Sin, I'm wet!" I protest, pounding on his chest.

"I have that effect on women," he says, grinning.

I roll my eyes and try to jump up to grab my clothes again. But in the struggle, we end up falling, and I land on top of him. I freeze as I feel his warm breath against my lips.

For a moment, we're locked in a gaze, and I can feel the tension building between us.

That is until Selena huffs, almost kicking us.

I scramble to grab my clothes, getting off him quickly. I pull my hair into a bun as I get dressed.

We head back to the barn, and I don't hesitate to get into my truck.

I open the door, but it slams shut as Sin shoves me against it.

"Ah!" I cry out.

"Get off me, Sin!" I yell, kicking at him, but he's got me pinned.

His lips brush my ear, and he whispers, "Don't forget what you owe me, Avery." Then, he lets me go.

I stand there, frozen, watching him ride away on his bike. I shake my head, slamming the door shut and heading home.

On my way, sirens blare behind me. "You've got to be kidding me," I mutter, pulling over. I roll down my window.

I glance in my rearview mirror and see Sheriff Lee walking toward me.

"Well, well, well. I thought I'd see some punk in a stolen vehicle," he says with a smile.

I grin. "Nice to see you again, Sheriff Lee."

"I see you're home, Ms. King, and got your daddy's truck up and running," he says, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," I nod.

"Well, since I pulled you over, I've got to see your license and registration," he says.

I nod and open the center console, grabbing my license out of my bag. He doesn't give me a ticket but reminds me to get my license plate updated.

After he leaves, I sit there for a moment and watch him drive off. As I put the registration back in the console, I spot the envelope Mr. Johnson tried to give me earlier.

I open it, and my eyes widen as I see the wad of cash. A smirk spreads across my face, and a light bulb goes off in my head.

But first, I need to visit someone... or someone's.



Some Change

And you're so used

To being mistreated

That anything opposite

Of what you're used to

Scares you

Even if it's what you deserve