When I wake up the morning after the party, the cheerful chirping of birds outside my window makes me grumble. The harsh morning sunlight filters in, reflecting off my beige walls, and I pull the blanket over my head to halt the pounding headache that ensues.

Any other time, I would love to have woken up so early on such a beautiful day. But I didn't get home until one a.m. last night, and the liquor had my stomach reeling as a wave of nausea and regret washes over me.

I whine as I lift myself from the bed, rising to shut the blinds.

Every other Tuesday and sometimes weekends, Pawpaw expects me to come out to the farm and help out. As much as I love that, the thought of being around sheep and chickens after last night makes me groan. My head hurts, and the constant clucking and bawling will only make it worse.

At least I won't be alone. Lottie asked to hang out tonight and still wants to hang out, even after I told her I have to go to Pawpaw's farm. We have to work on our class project, anyway, so I can kill two birds with one stone. Thankfully, Pawpaw is willing to let her tag along.

"Emori," Mom calls. "Are you awake? You gotta leave in a few minutes!"

"Yeah, Momma. I gotta shower first and then I'll be down!" Once I'm done showering, I put on random clothes, almost falling in the process. My eyes are already somewhat adjusted to the light, but my legs are still wobbly.

When I enter the kitchen, Lottie has arrived and already made herself at home by the kitchen counter.

Her eyes connect with mine then drift to my hair, which I haven't bothered to brush yet. "I think you know what I'm gonna say."

I chuckle and go to the bathroom to run my brush through my hair a few times before returning. "Better?" I twirl around like a model, sticking my tongue out when I stop.

She nods, her lips spreading into a smile. "Much." She leans forward as I take a seat across from her. "So, what are we gonna do at your pawpaw's farm tonight?"

"Not much, I guess." Pawpaw always puts me to work, so unless we talk while we're working, we won't get to hang out much in the first couple of hours. "We may end up carrying feed bags or chasing chickens. Who knows?"

I'm sure that Pawpaw enjoys my company most of the time. Mom is always too busy with work to spend more than a few hours with him, and I am the only granddaughter he has. Aunt Phoebe went AWOL after she went off to college in California ten years ago. So, besides my mom, I'm the only family Pawpaw has.

"Well, either way, I'm glad I get to go with you. This will be super fun!" She smiles and nods at my mom. "Thank you for making sure I'm allowed to go, Mrs. Hagen."

Mom frowns at the formal name and sets a plate of bacon on the table. "Please, I hate formalities. Call me Julie."

"Okay, Miss Julie." She gestures to the plate of fatty grease strips. The smell wafts up to my nose, and I fight the urge to grab even a small piece. "Do you mind if I have some of these?"

"No, not at all." Mom stares at me as I give the bacon a wary look. "Emori doesn't like to eat a lot of bacon, so there's plenty there."

Lottie looks up at me as she grabs a piece of bacon. "You don't like bacon?"

It isn't that I don't like bacon. In fact, I loved bacon. The problem is, I need to watch what I eat if I want to keep this body. I've worked too hard to let myself go now. "Too much grease."

Lottie nods as if my reasoning makes sense. "I love bacon. That'll probably be my cause of death."

I chuckle as I put my backpack on the linoleum beside me. I look down at my watch, and my eyes grow large. "We're gonna be late to school if we don't leave now."

---

I spent the whole day avoiding everyone from the party last night. Asa found me in the library during lunch, but I pretended I had to meet with a teacher and left before he could get a word in.

Lottie and I are in the kitchen eating apple slices after school when a truck makes itself known in the driveway. The horn blows in the same rhythm it does every time Pawpaw arrives. A shave and a haircut. That never gets old.

"Alright, girls." Mom dries her hands on a towel. "That's him. Em, come give me a hug."

I nod and oblige before grabbing my bag and following Lottie out the door. Pawpaw's old Ford sits outside, rumbling idly as he limps his way over to me.

"My, it's good to see you." He pulls me into a hug, and my head hits his hard chest.

I laugh. "I saw you every weekend all summer, Pawpaw."

He shrugs and hobbles toward his truck. "Eh. Am I not allowed to miss you?" I frown as I watch him, his tall figure hunched over the short cane that supports his knee.

I shake my head with a smile and hold my hand out to grab Lottie's bag and put it in the back. "I'll take the backseat if you'd rather sit up front."

She shakes her head. "No, he's your pawpaw. I'll sit in the back."

"Are you sure?" If there's one thing Pawpaw taught me that isn't related to farming, it's that guests should be treated better than you would treat yourself. I'm not going to let her sit in the back if she'd rather be up front.

She smiles. "You worry too much. I wish my brother was like that." She squeezes herself into the back before I can protest more.

I shake my head as I hop into the passenger side of the truck. Tay isn't exactly worried about anything but himself right now. Last night is more than enough evidence of that. "Tay's just... He's a guy. They all worry about the same things," I say. "Not to mention, there's probably a few more things on his mind, now."

Pawpaw looks at Lottie through the rear-view mirror. "You're a Perez, right? Do you and Tay have different mommas?"

Lottie shakes her head. "I'm adopted."

"Well, that's mighty nice of your folks." He nods to himself. "Did they adopt you as a young'un or a teenager?"

"Teenager," she replies, beaming.

Pawpaw nods. "Not very often you get folks that'll adopt teenagers. Your parents must be mighty kind people."

Lottie shrugs. "I guess you could say that. I think they just fell for my charm." She gives a cheeky smile as she shuts her phone off. The leather of the seat squeaks as she shifts sideways. "So how far from the city do you live, Mr..." She looks to me for help in remembering his name.

"Just call me Rodney." Pawpaw smiles, glancing at Lottie in the rear-view mirror. "It makes me feel younger. Any friend of my Emori is good enough to know me on a first-name basis."

When Lottie's eyes catch mine, her lip curves up a little.

I shrug. Pawpaw is a pretty outgoing guy, especially when it comes to any friends I make.

"But to answer your question," Pawpaw says, "we're five minutes away. I live about fifteen away from Em's house."

Lottie nods and sits back in her seat. I figured she would glance at her phone, but she doesn't. Instead, she stares out the window. By now, the small backyard vegetable gardens are replaced by rolling fields of hay and wheat. Farmers drive around on their tractors, getting empty fields ready for seeds. One waves his hat at us as we pass his truck, and Pawpaw hollers something unintelligible out the window at him before laughing.

I sigh in contentment and roll the window down so it can blow my hair around. The smell of hay fills the air heavily, reminding me of all the endless days of hay-stacking last summer. Pawpaw has a few fields he tends to, and I helped him so many times, long after my arms felt like they could turn into jelly.

The truck slows down as we get closer to the farm, and Pawpaw honks the horn. Feathers fly everywhere, and startled clucking fills the air. "Damn chickens are always in the road."

We're at the farm already? The ride seems to get shorter every time.

I glance at Lottie as she looks at the myriad of animals on the farm. "You have so many different animals here. How many?" She scoots closer to the window.

Pawpaw hums thoughtfully. "Well, I've got alpacas, llamas, goats, chickens, guineas, rabbits, geese, cows, pigs, and sheep."

"Wow" is all she says.

"Hey, Lottie." I turn around to face her. "How about I show you around once we get settled?"

Lottie begins to respond, but Pawpaw interrupts. "You can't fool me, Emori. I know you're gonna show her your old hiding spot. Still can't tell me, can ya?"

Lottie and I giggle as I shake my head. "You're gonna have to wonder a little longer, Pawpaw."

He pouts as he puts the truck in park. "Fine. I've still got a few good years in me. I have all the time in the world."