Page 100 of For Fillies and Monsters

Besides Dale, I’ve never been good at talking to girls. People in this town are rarely genuinely nice. But something about thisone only shoots up green flags in my mind, and I can’t help but like the idea of another friendly face. The girl’s eyes flick down to her hand on the empty chair and back to my face nervously, drawing her thin lip in between her teeth. Not wanting to scare her off, I nod. She shoots me a small smile before sliding her thin frame into the plastic chair; she’s all dainty and poised, like a dancer, and I silently wonder what she’s doing in a dusty town like this.

“I’m Faith,” the girl squeaks.What a typical Southern name.

I stick out my hand, and the girl quickly places her delicate one in mine. “Uhm, Stetson. And this is Gus.” I don’t even turn to point to the man behind me—I can feel him leaning around me, his chuckle a brush of air across my shoulders.

“Yes, I know!” My stomach flops. Of course, this was just another girl from town who knowseverythingabout me. I release Faith’s hand, and she scoots a fraction closer to me with a growing smile. “You’re rebuilding your parent’s ranch, right? I’ve been gone a long time, but my little sister, she’s an Agriculture student here, she says that Dale talks so fondly of you and how hard-working and inspirational you are.” Faith waves her hands animatedly, her enthusiasm seeming real, and I honestly don’t know what to make of it.

“I admire the hell out of you!” she whisper-shouts, her golden eyes glittering. “I will soon inherit a place around here, and I haven’t decided if I’m brave enough to move back. Everyone in town can be so awful, especially if you move away and try to better yourself or see the world. I don’t know if I will be brave enough to do what you’re doing.”

I’m staring at her, several heartbeats passing between us. “Yeah, it’s been pretty hard,” I say, hating how brittle my voice sounds.

“Hard? Girl, don’t lie! I used to live here, too. It’s near impossible, and you’re a fucking rockstar!” Faith’s small handsshoot up in double thumbs up, and I can’t hold back the bark of laughter that tears from my lips. Hearing the girl cuss is like watching a kitten hissing; I’d be lying if I didn’t say her enthusiasm was contagious. The girl’s smile widens, obviously pleased with my reaction.

“Room for one more?” That familiar smooth voice fills the space near Gus, and I can feel him stiffen.

I turn, taking in the pristine image that is Mateo—dark suit jacket, starched white shirt and dark jeans, shining black boots, slicked back black hair and miles of clean-shaven, tanned skin running along his jaw, down his neck, to his chest that is exposed by, not one, but two, too many undone buttons. He’s a walking sex symbol—wealth and power—and looks terribly out of place in the old sale barn of Moztecha, Texas.

I love Gus—still too much of a chicken to tell him, but I do, I promise—but Mateo does something weird to my tongue. Makes it stop working. And that never fails to piss Gus off, like right now. He huffs, shifting his arm, and extending it to Mateo to signal for him to sit.

Now I know why Dale got all wide-eyed and ran away from our table.

Finding my voice, albeit squeaky, I lean in. “Dale didn’t tell me you were coming. Got away from the empire for the night?” I watch Mateo’s chocolate eyes sparkle, the wheels turning in his brain almost as loud as my own. He finally shoots me a small smile, but not before looking at Gus first, and regrettably, down at my neck.

“Uh, yeah. I told her I wouldn’t miss it, but I don’t think she believed me. She has a habit of thinking people don’t need to show up for her the way she does for them.” He nods, contemplating his words as he says them, and then pulls out his phone to silence an incoming call. He’s extremely observant, and I think extremely enamored with Dale.

Does she know just how obsessed he is with her?I know obsession when I see it—I’ve had plenty of practice over the last couple months.

I have half a mind to ask him, emboldened by my newfound bravery when it comes to my own self-discovery, when another familiar voice fills our space—this one far less welcome.

“Faith?” My neck snaps around to find Nathan standing on the other side of the table. Gus’s hand grips my knee in a vicious clamp, and I bite my tongue to keep from yelping in surprise. Nathan doesn’t even seem to notice us, though, his eyes hungrily taking in the petite girl sitting next to me. A blinding smile overtakes his boyish face, the motion causing dimples to make their appearance on both sides of his lips.

I watch Faith with unmasked shock on my face, but instead of a returning pleased look, Faith looks around the room desperately—looking for an escape.Seconds tick by, and Faith just continues to nervously look around, the tension growing thicker and thicker around the table.

The smile crumples from Nathan’s face, replaced with a look of devastation. If I liked him, I would feel bad for how devastated he is by the rejection.

Keywords:if I liked him.

“Faith?” He whispers her name a second time, taking a hesitant step toward the table. His voice bleeds with longing, and the poor girl won’t even make eye contact with him. I cuss under my breath—I owe neither person anything, but feeling like there are far more painful things happening than what I’m currently witnessing, I’m unable to stop myself from speaking.

“Nathan, how are you?” I ask meekly, my hand gripping Gus’s to keep him from stopping me. To my surprise, he only pats my knee, encouraging me. Nathan’s fallen face turns toward mine, and every feature adjusts to take in the picturebefore him. He looks between Gus and me, and then a final time back at the petite girl next to me, shaking his head.

“Fine, Stetson.” Without another word, he turns on his heel and stalks away, but not before turning around to look over Faith’s face once more.

“Uh, girly? You alright?” I ask. She clearly isn’t, but what the fuck else can I say? Faith shakes her small head and then looks up, her eyes frantic.

“You can’t say anything.” Her small hands shoot out, gripping my wrists. “To them, please don’t say anything. I’m begging, please.”

“Faith, I won’t. Are you okay?” Her hands tremble around my wrists, her amber eyes wide and her breathing shallow. Just as quickly as she grabbed me, she releases my wrists like they are on fire, and her back snaps up, perfectly straight.

“Mother, Father!” She stands quickly, rushing over to hug a thin, pale woman and a tall, perfectly shaven man. They drip class and old money, in their glittering jewelry and perfectly pressed slacks and silks. A cloud of expensive perfume fills the space around them, and I have to keep from wrinkling my nose. There’s something different about the way they carry their wealth, compared to Mateo—one warm and thoughtful, the other cold and calculating.

The man and woman stiffly hug Faith, and then scowl at the table guests she had elected to sit with. Gus’s hand once more clamps on my knee, but I fight the overwhelming urge to protect this girl who I’ve only just met.

Without thinking about it, I stand up and lean across the table, my hand outstretched.

“Stetson, and my, um, this is Gus.”Fuck! I fucked that up. The woman looks down at my outstretched hand, and then up at the mark puckered on my neck with a sneer.

“Classy.” With a huff, the lady turnsaround and points toward the front of the room. “Up there, Francis. And Faith, you will join us. It’s inappropriate to sit here.”

---