Southern Boy Charm | ✓

Chapter 1

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Georgia's heat is indescribable.

I've had my share of hot summer days in Ohio, but here the sun seemed to beat down ten times more fiercely. It heated the leather seats beneath me, causing a pool of sweat to form where my bare thigh met the seat. The humid air rushing in from the open window beside me offered little relief.

"How much longer?" I ask my mom, turning towards her. "It seems like we've been driving forever." A road trip from Ohio to Georgia in the dead heat of June is just as bad as it sounds.

"We're almost there, I promise." She glances over at me, sensing my uncomfortable expression. "You're going to have so much fun this summer, Leighton. A summer in the country will do us both some good."

I shoot her a look. "I highly doubt that."

She grips the steering wheel, her face and voice growing softer. "Look, I get that you'd rather hang out with your friends than do some farm chores for someone you probably don't remember. But Kelly and I have been friends since college, and summer is always the busiest for them. With Colin gone, they're really going to need the extra help. Please just try to have an open mind."

And as irritated as I am, I can't help but let some of my frustration go. My mom always has the ability to make me feel guilty.

"And besides, from the pictures Kelly's sent me of Nick, he's growing up to be a mighty handsome boy."

"Mom!" I groan, my cheeks blushing a bright red. I can tell from her face the satisfaction that she gets from being able to embarrass me.

I look out the passenger window, watching the rolling green fields rush by. The last time I saw Nick was six years ago, when he was missing three of his teeth and cried over anything and everything. Even though I was one year younger than him, I was always the more mature one.

Now he's eighteen, and I have no clue what he's like. And after everything that just happened with his dad, I shudder. I couldn't imagine any of my parents passing away, and the two of them were always so close. Although we haven't talked in years, I can't help but feel a pang of sympathy for him.

My eyes focus on my reflection in the car's side mirror. The heat has caused my face to grow warm as my long coils of muddy-brown hair whip wildly in the wind. A thin layer of sweat covers my face, and I can't help but be thankful that my acne phase of puberty is finally over, knowing the horrible breakout that the excess oil would have caused.

My mom takes a left onto an unpaved dirt road. The green fields on either side of the road are haphazardly fenced in with wooden stakes and wire, and cows can be seen dotted in the field. The smell of manure hits me at once. My mom's nose scrunches up.

""Don't even comment on it," she warns.

Slowly, a house rolls into view. It's a modest ranch, its walls made of white weathered planks. Tall trees frame the house, a tire swing hanging from its branches, and a swinging chair hangs from the porch. Behind the ranch, I can just make out the faded red barn and a wooden stable.

My mom parks the car in front, and I hop out, eager to stretch my legs. A figure stands from the porch, and by the way she runs and engulfs my mom in a bear hug, I can tell it's Kelly.

"Syrina!" she squeals, swinging my mom into a circle before finally letting her go. "It's been so long!"

"Too long," my mom interjects. "Ever since you packed up from Ohio and moved down here, you've become a ghost."

"I know. Colin always wanted to take over his family's farm, and..." she trails off. My mom's body language instantly changes. Her voice grows softer, the way it used to when I would lose my little league softball games.