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THE REST OF the week goes by uninterestingly and I spend my Friday night having an Avengers marathon at Finn's. His house is huge and usually quiet since he's an only child, which is one of the reason he likes having people over or visiting others. He has a really large flat screen TV in his room that makes watching movies phenomenal, just like in the theater, just that, you're the only ones watching.

Plus he has an unlimited amount of snacks and junk. Too much for his own good.

I crawled up my bed just before midnight and narrowing escaped my mother's lashing out, now my precious alarm was blaring and I wondered if it was faulty. I just laid down now! I opened my eyes, surprised as the sun rays seeping in through my white and blue polka dotted curtains. I could've sworn its still midnight. My phone said it was ten minutes past nine am and I groaned loudly. Why me? I can't sleep for extra one hour because its a Saturday and I have work to do. My mum would even kill me, everybody is required to
stay in bed latest until nine. No extra.

I rub my eyes and swing my legs over my bed and blindly finding my slippers. I yawn, scratch my cheeks and yawn some more as I walk into my bathroom. Prying my eyes open, I see dried drool on my face and very tired brown eyes. I wash my face, then proceed to brush my teeth. After turning on my water heater, I go down the stairs.

I hear a bark and a hairy rough Collie comes running to me. A wide smile graces my face and I bend down to run my fingers through her long white fur. "Hi, Zoe, how was your night?"

She responds my licking a side of my face. I smile and kiss her head. "Hungry?" She barks and I understand that as a yes. "Come on girl."

"Good morning, mum." I say when I walk into the kitchen and see her sitting on the dining table, her glasses on as she works on her laptop, some papers spread out in front of her. Other than being a school Principal, my mum also does an online trade business that I know nothing of so she's usually busy all the time.

She looks away from the screen and at me. "Morning Anna, how was your night?"

"Fine, I slept well." I answer, my cereal making noise as they pile into my bowl.

"Good. Ellie has a play date at the Lang's, do you mind dropping her off on your way to work?" She asks her eyes back on the screen. I faintly heard pings and beeps coming out from it.

"I don't mind." I pour Zoe's food into her bowl, noticing how she was looking at me impatiently.

"Good. I bought cookies for her to go with so, don't forget that."

I look around and I see a pack of already made cookies resting on the counter. "Okay." I answer with a mouth full. I could've tried to make those myself.

I finish up my breakfast in a rush, wash my bowl and before going back upstairs, I tell Zoe to hurry up because we're going out together. My water is ready by the time I'm back in my bathroom and after a very satisfying warm bath that rid my bones of laziness and craving for sleep, I start getting ready for today.

I throw on denim washed jeans, red top and red flannel shirt. I pull on my brown boots and throw my hair into a pony tail. I don't bother with makeup because it won't be appreciated where I'm going or needed even and I just apply ChapStick to my lips. By the time I'm done, Ellie's ready and bouncing impatiently in the living room, waiting for me with a scowl.

"Anna, Nicole and Bea don't appreciate tardiness and I'm not exactly a fan of it either!" She shouts as soon as her eyes land on me, placing both fist on her waist.

"I'm ready, don't fret." I clap my hands together. "Zoe! Come on girl."

"We're not taking your car?"

"No. I and Zoe would love a walk." I tell her just as Zoe comes running in with her leash. Wise girl.

Ellie flails her arms up to the sky and collapses on the sofa. "Just great."

I pounce on her and start tickling. "Stop with the attitude and get on your feet, milady."

"Leave me alone." She shouts, laughing and trashing around me. Zoe starts to bark excitedly. I finally drop her and now she has a smile on.

After saying goodbye to mum, we finally leave the house and its not until we're about eighty steps away from the house that I finally remember Ellie's cookies on the counter.

Long story short Ellie banged the Lang's door at my face.

**

Over the summer I got a job at Farmer Fordman's Farm. It was the only place hiring after I broke six cups on my first day working as a waitress at SK's and got a concussion working at the car wash. Farmer Tilly is a kind man and very patient, he and his son took their precious time to teach me all I needed to know and the Farm practically grew on me. I kept the job after summer and I've been working here ever since. I loved it here, the pay was really good and I needed the money. My work was now only on Saturdays which is good enough for me.

"Anna!" Farmer Tilly's son, Tyler called, just as I stepped into the stables, "You're here."

"Yeah, Morning Tyler." I greet with a smile and Zoe barks, aching to run to him. I bend down and unclipped her, she immediately runs to Tyler tackling him to the ground. Tyler burst out laughing and so do I.

We've known Tyler all our lives, he's just two years older than me and he used to date Rachelle before she left. He's like a big brother to me. Although once upon a time I had a crush on him but that so long ago, it doesn't come to mind.

"I missed you girl, what are they feeding you back home?" Tyler asks getting to his feet and running his fingers through her fur.

"Too much food I'll say." I say and Zoe growls at me. I ignore her and peek my head into one stable, my eyes landing on golden maned horse. "Hi Exodus, how are you?" He doesn't say anything and instead turns his back to me, showing me his butt. I gape, "What did I do?"

Tyler's laughter brings my eyes to him and I see him walking towards me, Zoe long gone. "Its not about you Anna, so relax. Exodus's been having an episode?"

"He's sick?" I ask my hand flying to cover my mouth.

"Was." Tyler enters into the cell, ignoring the horse's protest. "Vet have been paying him a visit in weeks and now he shuns at every human appearance. I think he's tired of peopling."

I laugh entering the cell too, Exodus doesn't protest as I gently rest my palm on his soft brown fur. "I get you Exo, happens to me all the time. They don't get it do they? When they gotta go, they gotta go." Exodus nods and Tyler and I burst out laughing.

"He gets you, I think."

"Of course he does. Every animal does." I say proudly patting his back gently. Exodus is the second oldest horse around here, Genesis's the oldest and the grumpiest.

"Really? So where's your amulet?" Tyler asks raising his brow.

"Tyler!" I laugh. "So that's your secret? Sofia the first?"

He blushes, "No way, I just... I was babysitting okay."

I laugh, "Okay, babysitting alright."

"Anyway, how have you been? I haven't seen you and Ellie in a while"

I nod, "I've been fine, Ellie's been yelling at me as always. School's fine too."

Tyler pats Exodus causing him to grunt, "That's great. I'll leave you to them now. I'll be stacking hays if you need me."

"Okay." I watch him go and finally leave Exodus's cell and go over to check other horses. There are a total of twelve horses all names after Bible Verses. My favourite horse is Psalm, she's the most beautiful with the longest mane. We bonded as soon as I saw her and I take her on ride every now and then.

I love horse riding, is a favourite past time and I'm actually good at it. Another peck of working here, I get to ride Psalm along the vast wide field of green grass that look unending. When I was a preteen, I went for horse riding competitions in and out of the country. It was really fun while it lasted and I have two medals from it. The joys and thrill of competing all died down when Rachelle got injured and quit. I mostly joined because of her and after she quit, it only made sense that I did too.

I pull on my brown leather gloves and get to work. After feeding the horses, shoveling poop, cleaning their stables and scattering hay all over their cells, I got over with that part of my work and went over to collect the Fowl eggs and clean up their home too. I pick out over forty eggs and manage not to get bitten or pecked by the hens. Mary Fordman, Tyler's mother sells the eggs at the supermarket and we as many other people around buy from her. She gives me a discount every time.

After dropping the eggs off in the house, I head over to the corn farm where Farmer Tilly and one other male helper are stacking corn into basket. I join them and also help in carrying the slightly heavy baskets inside. By the time Evening rolls around, we've harvested most of everything, I've cleared the weeds, ate Mary's delicious mashed potatoes and peeled off almost twenty basket of corn, with Tyler and Mary's help of course.

Finally I'm done and I just want to get home before the sun sets and sleep till Monday. Okay I have assignments to do so that's gonna be a little bump in my plans.

"Tyler," the extra farm worker called, Tyler and I turned to him. "The vet's here to give Exodus the last shot but he won't let close to him. He's freaking out."

"Shit." Tyler swears out folding his fist in front of him.

"What is it? Just go." I say to him, confused.

"I've got to deliver this bags to the supermarket before it closes down. Which is gonna happen," he glances at his watch, "any minute now."

After thinking for about a minute, my too good of a mouth spurts out, "I can do it for you."

"What?"

"I can deliver them for you and you go help Exodus."

"No, Anna you need to go home." Tyler says even though he knows that's his best bet.

"Keys?" I say ignoring his protest. "Come on Tyler, time is on the move."

"Fine," he says throwing his truck keys to me. "I'll call your mum and tell her you'll be late."

"I'll appreciate that." I smile at him and jog to the blue beat up truck stacked with things that need to be delivered immediately. Pulling out my gloves, I dump it on the passenger seat and drive out, thankfully the market isn't far from here.

**

Our town's been undergoing... growth. Expansion. Its going from a little unnoticed town to something bigger and an evidence of that is the side of the supermarket that has been broken down so as to allow expansion of the building. My eyes scan the progressing work and I wonder if they are going to do the same thing to our school too.

Some guys are unpacking the truck while I wait on it, letting my mind wander to various things. I immediately narrow my eyes when I see a tall guy that looks really familiar. His curly black hair is up in a tiny bun and he has a black bandanna over his forehead. He has on a black sleeveless and faded ripped jeans.

Ian?

"No, it can't be him." I say shaking my head as I pull myself off the trucks hood and move closer to the demolished area to have a better look. I say its not him because the person I'm currently eye raping has his entire right hand covered in tattoos. Ian doesn't have tattoos right? But I've never seen his full hand so I have no idea. I move closer, my boots stepping on broken gravel, there's no harm in confirming. "Ian?"

Lo and behold the stud turns around and it is Ian, in the flesh, looking more gorgeous than ever. Gorgeous doesn't even cut it right now, he looks hot.

Ian looks at me like he can't even belief his eyes and I smile. We so didn't expect to see each other right now. "Roxanna?"

Its him all right.

I shrug my shoulder, "in the flesh."

He throws the stack of woods on his shoulder down and starts walking closer. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I fire back unable to stop smiling.

"Um," he looks back at the woods and me, his hand going to the back of his neck.  "They needed extra hands and..." He sighs giving up on trying to cook up an excuse. "I'm working."

"I can see that."

He stops in front of me, a confused frown on his face. "You don't find it weird that a highschool student is working as a bricklayer slash builder?"

"Nope," my turn to frown. "Why would I find that weird?"

"Not just weird, absurd? Ridiculous? Strange? Any other adverb out there, English's not my best point." He says and I grin, he's so cute.

"No, Ian I don't. And I don't even know why you think I should."

"Because that's what you guys do. Judge."

"'you guys'?"

"The school. You rich kids." He says nudging his head at me.

"Ouch. You're judging now." I say placing a hand over my chest.

He smiles sheepishly, "Sorry?"

I sigh, "I won't judge because believe it or not, I'm also working right now." He raises a perfect brow and I pat the truck. "I'm delivering things from Tilly Fordman's farm. I've been working there all day and I'm surprised you haven't picked on the horse poop smell."

He looks surprised and his features slowly change to... approval. Not that I was waiting or counting on it but seeing him look at me like that, it feels so good. "About the horse poop, now that you mentioned it..."

"Oh shut up." I say smacking his shoulder, bare shoulder with my hand. I notice his body was cold and mine warm. I wonder how long he's been working.

He laughs and I'm mesmerized. We stay in silence and soon my mouth ruins it. "I didn't know you have tattoos." My hand reaches out to touch it. "I've never--" I'm cut off as Ian's hand clamp over mine tightly, stopping me from touching him.

"Don't." He says in such a low threatening voice that I shake, almost scared. Ian glares at me and I just stare at him in wonder. The pain in my hand makes me look away from him and he immediately releases me.

"Ouch." I say holding my arm that he gripped.

He looks apologetic but he doesn't say anything instead he turns his back to me. "Goodnight."

"Miss We're done." The guys unloading the truck say but I'm too busy staring at Ian walk away to care.

"Ian." I call out, surprised by how steady my voice is. He stops walking but doesn't turn around. "I'm hungry."

I'm not but that's what my mouth says and I don't argue it.

He slants his head to a side. "So?"

"I don't want to go alone."

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