I'm Hanna Friedle and I'm fed up. Fed up with being five feet tall with shoes on, buying my clothes and shoes in the kids section, being eye level with all the boys armpits, and not being able to go on any amusement park rides. I want a pair of shoes that didn't have some shade of pink that my mom buys, I want to get a pair of heels to at least be even with the next shortest girl in my class but I had to settle for mary janes that made me look like a kindergarten production of Alice in Wonderland. I'm 15 for crying out loud, how was I going to reach the pedals to drive? It was my nightly hope to wake up some morning and check myself against the measurements on the door and even just be 5'1". I even dream that I wake one morning and I'm... 5'6" like my mom. It might seem sad to be an average sized giantess teenager but for me it would be everything.
I came downstairs to mom preparing breakfast for my first day of summer. It was a cheery plate of pancakes and bacon but I was too down to appreciate it.
"I don't suppose this is to tell me I'm going to camp with Jenny and Carmen?"
"No honey, but your father and I had an idea." Hanna thought maybe there was another summer camp she hadn't heard of. Her mom se down her dish towel and smiled. "Your grandparents are taking their RV out for a month and we all thought it would be a good idea for you to house sit for them for two weeks." The obvious sign of me about to whine were all over my face as mom cut me off. "If you do this honey, your grandparents said they'll give a car when you get your license. Nothing fancy but it will be yours!"
"Ugh, mom... it wouldn't be much because all I'll be able to drive it a pedal car like Fred Flinstone!" She tried her best to console me though.
"Honey, you're a late bloomer. I didn't get my growth spurt until I was in high school!"
"Yeah mom, you went from 5'3" to 5'6". You've told me this story." Mom looked away a bit sad but I reached out as far as I could to take her hand. "But I appreciate it." Mom smiled as I sat up and asked when we were leaving.
"Oh no honey, this is all you. You've been so good watching your brother we figured you could use some time away from him."
"Wow! This is a reward!"
"But no parties or anything! They live out in the boonies, who knows what cooties the boys out there have!"
"Cooties, mom? I'm not six anymore."
"Alright, Hanna, what do you say?"
I looked at my mom's big eyes as she smiled at me, I couldn't say no to that look. I agreed and bright and early that Saturday we drove the two hours out to my grandparent's house in Steppington Springs.
"When was the last time we were out here?" I asked as mom drove through the farms and pastures. She thought it had been a few years as their grandparents usually came to see them for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the RV.
"What did dad do here in a place like this?" I looked around as the scenery hadn't seemed to have changed in miles.
Mom smirked "Tipping cows, peeing on electric fences I imagine." I laughed as I saw some boys about my age working in a pasture with no shirts on.
"Hanna, stay away from these country boys. Who knows how gross they are out here."
"Ah, mom... you married on of them?" She sighed and found a road I remembered.
"We're almost there."
After a few minutes we pulled in the driveway. My grandparents were already gone but left instructions in the unlocked door along with the key. I walked in and the house was vaguely as I remembered. A quaint farmhouse that looked like it was just like when my dad was still my age. Mom looked around and muttered it all still looked the same too and looked over their instructions.
"Alright honey, pretty straight forward. Put some food out in the morning and at night for the cats in the barn, watch the upstairs toilet when you flush and... don't drink the tap water. Huh, seems weird but ok..." She set the paper down, hugged me and reminded me she and dad were just a call away. I got embarrassed when she said she was proud of me and would be out to visit next weekend. I waved bye to her and went back in the house. Putting away my clothes in my dad's old bedroom was a trip with the posters of swimsuit models and rock bands I struggled to see what mom saw in him. After that I went to the bathroom and saw a big pair of house slippers and chuckled to myself "Grandpa what big feet you have!".
The drawbacks were my grandparents didn't believe in cable or wifi. My phone was slow at everything, I gave up and slumped deeper down on the sofa until my feet touched the floor. "I did not think this plan through" I mumbled when I heard something outside.
Looking out the door I saw the two boys from before in trying to start a tractor in the shed. They spotted me in the doorway and came up to the house. I was a little scared at first but then I saw they were pretty cute with their early summer tans, hair light from being in the sun all day. One of them slipped on his t-shirt then smiled at me as they stopped at the bottom step of the porch.
"Are you Hanna?" He said with a little country lilt in his voice. I stood behind the screen door on my tip toes as these lanky boys looked this they were at least a foot taller than me. I told him I was trying my hardest not to blush.
"I'm Darren and this is Jake" the other boy nodded "we keep some equipment in the sheds here so if you see us around..." I could feel myself getting wet and my nipples getting hard in my training bra as I stuttered out a "thank you" and brushed my hair behind my ears.
"You...boys do anything for fun around here?" I tried to not sound so awkward. Darren smiled at me making me a little weak in the knees.
"There's a pretty nice spot behind the barn there to have a bonfire." I raised an eyebrow, interested. "Don't worry, we'll get everyone out here and bring the beers!" I thought it was so cool! Having a bonfire party my first night here!
I ran back inside and tried to find my cutest outfit trying on all sorts of clothes until I settled on a black skirt, a purple top that I had to tuck in and black sandals that at least made me a tiny but taller. I fussed over my hair more than when I would go to dances. By the time I was done it was getting dark. I gasped and ran downstairs as the boys were back in a half rusted pickup. They looked even better cleaned up as they waved and grabbed the beer.
They built the fire as more people trickled in and the fire got bigger. I'd never really drank before, except for sneaking sips off my mom's wine, so I tried to nurse my beer as long as I could while everybody wanted to talk to me. The girl from the big city was a hit! All the girls wanted to talk clothes and city boys and every boy wanted to talk to me! I got so excited I started sipping more and more on my beer until I had another, then another. One my way up for number 4 I stumbled over a girl's sneakers as she sat with her legs stretched out by the fire. I apologized to her and she told me not to worry about it, that it happened all the time. I still felt bad but grabbed another beer with Darren.
"So how long are you out here?" he asked cracking a can for each of us. I told him for a month and he smiled. He put his number in my phone as I wobbled falling into his muscular chest.
"Maybe we need to get you inside?" I nodded feeling the beer hitting me like a ton of bricks. Everything was spinning and being lifted just off my feet by a farm boy wasn't doing me any favors. He helped me into a chair at the table and I braced myself feeling like I was about puke all over. I heard Darren behind me at the sink getting a glass of water. I tried to warn him but all I could get out was ¨Nooo waaater¨.
¨C´mon girl, you need a little something in ya. That beer hit you like a bull against the gate!¨ He was practically pouring it in my mouth I tried not drinking it but nothing seemed wrong with it so I kept drinking. He got me another; we sat as I sipped letting things stop spinning. Finally I felt good enough to head up to bed. Darren tucked me under his strong arms so I wouldn´t fall.
¨Sorry I´m not a good host¨ I warbled out still slurring a little. My feet weren´t cooperating either as Darren looked down and laughed. I asked him what was so funny?
¨Your feet! I think my baby sister´s are bigger¨ I wanted to be mad at him but I might have fallen if not for him so I just let it go for now. The next morning I woke up and...
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