Something I Need (xoxo Nashville Book 1) (28 page)

T
anner kicked
his dirty boots on the linoleum floor. He hated Mondays. Mondays were show and tell day and he never had anything cool to show or tell. It sucked.

Grumpy, old Mrs. Pratt was busy rattling off names as she took the roll. Tanner didn’t understand why she bothered doing that. Surely she could look around the room and tell who was here and who was not. It was such a silly task. But it did waste ten minutes, and that meant ten minutes of not doing work.

The beat up green classroom door swung open and creaked. Mr. Butler walked through the door. Two kids, a boy with dark, scruffy hair and a girl with two long braids dangling limply over her shoulders, followed him into the room. The boy was right behind Mr. Butler and almost dragged the girl behind him.

Huh. That was weird. And why were they even holding hands? Were they boyfriend and girlfriend or something? It was strange how the boys liked to chase the girls around the yard and try to kiss them.

Tanner never wanted a girlfriend.

Girls were gross.

He was so busy thinking about the new arrivals, girls in general and cooties, he’d missed whatever Mr. Butler was saying. Now he’d probably never know about the mystery boy and girl, who were walking past him to take the only spare seats at the back of the room. Mrs. Pratt returned to calling out names, and Tanner went back to kicking the floor.

The day continued on as they always did, and at lunchtime Tanner found himself face down in the dirt. Parker Meggs was a smug twit and loved pushing Tanner around, especially when he had an audience. Tanner was eager to pummel Parker but knew his momma would hate getting a call from the school. Besides, Parker’s mom practically lived at the school and was on the PTA, pretty much making Parker untouchable.

“You should be used to the dirt.” Parker kick dirt all up in Tanner’s face. “Tanner’s mom’s so poor, they ain’t got no floor.” He chuckled in the nasty way only entitled kids could.

Tanner pushed himself up from the ground and blew dirt out of his mouth.

Sticks and stones. Sticks and stones.
He repeated the mantra over and over in his head, knowing Parker’s words couldn’t really hurt him. Although, the words always seemed to sting.

He dusted off his shorts, ready for the show to be done with so he could go play somewhere else.

“Where do ya think you’re going?” Parker called after him. Ignoring Parker, he took two steps towards the playground.

“Leave him be,” an unfamiliar voice said.

Tanner turned around to see the new boy all up in Parker’s face.

“Or what?” Parker’s words were coated in malice, the two words an and-what-are-you-gonna-do-about-it threat to the uninitiated boy to mind his own business.

Parker pushed the new boy, and he stumbled backwards. But the boy didn’t fall. He simply righted his footing and moved back toward Parker.

“You gotta problem newbie?”

“Yeah,” the new boy yelled, with strength and determination Tanner had never seen before. The boy shoved against Parker’s chest. “What’d he ever do to you?”

“Maybe you need to eat dirt and learn your place.” Parker moved to push the boy again. Except before his palms connected with the boy’s chest, the boy had kicked his leg out and swept it under Parker’s, causing Parker to fall backwards. The new boy wasted no time in pouncing on Parker and pinning him down.

“If anyone’s gonna eat dirt, it’s you. Now why don’t you just leave everyone be?”

Parker wiggled, hopelessly trying to free himself. “Get him off me,” he squealed like a stuck pig, his face redder than his hair, his buddies too stunned to move.

“What’s your name?” The new boy looked up at Tanner.

“Tanner.”

“You gonna leave Tanner alone?”

Parker grunted and thrashed about, refusing to give in to the boy’s demand. Tanner watched in disbelief as the boy scooped up a fistful of dirt and held it next to Parker’s mouth.

“Was that a yes?”

Parker glared and the boy lifted his hand up higher and higher before letting the dirt free fall. Parker shook his head from side to side, as if doing so would stop the inevitable outcome. He coughed and spluttered, spitting the dirt out.

“Next time, I make you eat it.” The boy’s words were a promise and Tanner was sure he’d keep it too.

“I’m Cash,” the boy said and held out his grubby hand.

Tanner shook it and forced out a polite smile of thanks. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Does he do that to you a lot?”

Tanner worn his embarrassment at the truth the new boy had hit on and nodded his head. He didn’t have much, but he wasn’t a liar.

“It stops today, you got me?” Cash told Parker who was still on the floor spitting and rubbing at his eyes. He started to walk away and called back to Tanner. “Hey, come meet my sister.”

Sister?

Confused, Tanner followed.

Sitting under the big, old maple tree in the center of the playground was the girl with the piggy tails Cash had pulled into class earlier.

“Tanner, this is my twin sister, Dolly.” Cash sat down next to her.

Tanner tried not to stare at the boy and girl but he’d never met twins before and was intrigued. What did it mean to be a twin? Was it different to just being brother and sister? Tanner didn’t even have a brother or a sister. Or a dad for that matter. It was just him and his momma living with his Gran. Finally he found his voice and mumbled, “Hi.”

Dolly looked up through her long, thick lashes and smiled at Tanner. “Hi,” she replied.

Tanner felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in his belly. He didn’t recognize it and tried to push it away, to stop it from spreading all over.

He thought Dolly’s name suited her perfectly. She was like a little china doll, with her long almost black hair, stunning emerald eyes and creamy porcelain skin. She kind of looked like one of the display dolls his Gran kept in her special cabinet. So much prettier than those blonde haired Barbie dolls girls played with and wanted to imitate.

In that moment Tanner took back everything he’d thought earlier today. This girl wasn’t gross, she was damn near the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life.