Contradictions (Woodfalls Girls 3)

“Wow. First you insist that we are too different to be together. Then you admit you like me, and now you already know how the relationship—which hasn’t really started yet—is going to end. Talk about a spoiler alert,” he said, trying to make me laugh.

“It’s not funny. I’m just trying to give you a chance to get away,” I said, hitting him in the arm.

“Tressa, remember the speech you gave me about emotions? Well, I get that, but please listen this time, and trust me. Forget about your emotions, just for once, and focus on two facts: I like you and you like me. Plain and simple.”

Here I’d made up my mind that he was a nerd-brained nitwit who knew nothing beyond what was on a computer screen, and what he just said about us made more sense than any of my preconceived notions. So what if we liked each other? If someone didn’t like it, they could take a flying leap into mind-your-own-damn-business. Great, I had been taught a lesson in love from a robot. We were like an effing Lifetime movie—The Party Girl and the Geek. Tune in to see if the party girl can teach the geek to let loose.

“Like? You make it sound like we’re ten years old,” I joked. “This isn’t grade school. We’re not going to slip each other notes and chase each other around the slide and kiss under the monkey bars.”

“You were kissing under the monkey bars when you were ten? Damn, I went to the wrong elementary school.” His eyes sparkled with mirth.

“That’s not the only thing I was doing under the monkey bars,” I said, smashing my lips aggressively against his. I could tell he was shocked by my boldness when his hands slackened around my waist. Deciding to go big or go home, I slid my fingers through his hair, pulling him tightly against me. Just because I’d admitted I liked him didn’t mean I wasn’t still me. I had my ways of keeping the control in my favor.

I pulled back as abruptly as I had thrown myself at him. “Let’s do this.”

“Uh, do what?” His grip around me tightened.

I smirked. “Festival.”

“Oh, right. I knew that’s what you meant.”

I reached up to pat his cheek. “Get your mind out of the gutter, big boy.”

He dropped his hands from my waist abruptly, like I was electrified and had shocked him. He was pretty cute when he looked like a kid who had gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Come on,” I said, lacing my fingers through his. “It’s time I show you how to corrupt a small town.”

“Can you corrupt something more than once?” he taunted, opening my car door for me. Score another point for him. I’d always loved that move from a guy.

“I have so much to teach you about the Tressa handbook.”

During the drive to Woodfalls, Trent asked about my group project that had been turned in today. I was feeling more confident about our chances for a decent grade ever since Trent offered his input. Once I got the other lunkheads in the group to see reason, we were able to work through our differences. If we scored well enough on the project, I could bring my grade in the class up to a low B. I was close to getting all my grades back to a respectable level. The professor in my Microsoft applications class had reopened all my missing assignments, and with all my free time lately, I had raised my grade to an A, which was a first for me. My statistics grade was still in the toilet, but once I made up the section-two exam, it should at least be a C. I owed it all to Trent, and made sure to tell him so. He took the praise modestly, giving me credit for my hard work.

The conversation moved from my classes to his thesis project. Now that I had a better understanding of what he was doing, I felt I could hold my own in the conversation and even sound halfway intelligent.

The forty-five-minute ride to Woodfalls flew by and before I knew it, we were driving past the familiar Welcome to Woodfalls sign. Usually the drive home seemed endless. Being an antsy kind of person made riding in cars one of my least favorite pastimes. I always ended up dwelling on everything I could be doing if I wasn’t cooped up in a vehicle. Driving with Trent kept the ants in my pants at bay.

Despite my previous love affair with partying and living on campus, Woodfalls was still my home. My heart always felt pangs of warmth anytime I was away for too long. Once I graduated, my plan was to come home to work with Dad at his law firm.

His receptionist/business manager, Lola, wanted to retire soon, and in the grand scheme of things, it was assumed I’d take over for her. I had no interest in law, but I’d always enjoyed working in his office during the summer. In eight months, I would take over for her completely. Brittni was afraid I was giving up my life for my family, but she’d never understood the closeness I shared with them. She and her mom had only just recently forged a close relationship. What she couldn’t understand was that I didn’t find working for my dad a hardship. Going away to MSC was my opportunity to be wild. Woodfalls would always be my home.

I gazed out my window as Trent drove slowly through downtown Woodfalls. Main Street was decorated as it was every year. The bakery had its cupcake display in the shape of a giant jack-o’-lantern, and Trent’s grandfather’s hardware store had its usual fake Freddy Krueger standing in the window. Years ago, he had replaced the finger

knives for long nails from his store. Dad’s office had its typical haystacks and scarecrows in front of the main atrium.

Fran’s general store was always my favorite with its display of carved pumpkins. Fran carved a different pumpkin for each of the thirteen days leading up to Halloween. They were all very intricate. I could study them for hours.

Trent pulled into the dirt lot behind the general store. “I figured this is the most central location for the festival.”

I nodded, climbing from the vehicle. A breeze blew through the large trees that grew in abundance throughout Woodfalls. I sniffed appreciatively, buttoning my jacket to ward off the cold temperatures. Woodfalls in the fall had a distinct smell. It was a combination of sawdust from the mill, woodsmoke from Penny’s restaurant, hay from the big pumpkin patch at the Baptist church, and pumpkin from the endless array of carved jack-o’-lanterns around the town square.

“Tressa, where you been hiding?” Fran chastised me, stepping out of her store. She reached a hand back inside and flipped off the lights before closing the door behind her. “You too good for us country folk?” She drawled her words for emphasis.

“You got me. Now that I’ve been to the city, I’m too sophisticated for you simple folk.” I laughed when she swiped at my arm.

“Don’t be sassy, little miss. I’ll put you to work scraping siding like I did when you were younger and you got busted putting firecrackers in my pumpkins.”

Trent turned to look at me. “You did that?”