Chapter Text
The sun shines down over the small town, heat taking over everything it can touch. Kids play in the cold river that runs through the town, escaping the burning summer day, men and women going on walks, riding their horses, doing shopping this afternoon. It's a small town, where everyone knows everyone and secrets get around faster than butter melts in a pan over fire.
Josie rides through the streets on Daisy, her paint horse who she's had for years now. It's a nice day. She wears her red button up, her hair cut short but long enough to tie back into a small ponytail to keep out of her face - a few strands escaping - and her jeans over her boots.
"Still wearing your brother's trousers are ya, Josie?" Says the voice of an older lady as Josie hops off her horse, tying the reins to a fence and walking up to the lady.
"Yes I am, miss Green." She replies with a smile. "Nice to see you out." Josie walks up to her and the two begin to walk. Josie has always been taller than most people, lot's of the boys making fun and the girls never being too nice but she don't mind, makes it easier to deal with cattle and work. She's not even that tall.
"It's not lady like, Josie."
"I know that, miss Green. You say that all the time."
Miss Elizabeth Green is an older lady who everyone has much respect for. She grew up in the city - a few miles away on horseback - and only moved to this town when she was twenty-one after her Ma and Pa passed away, long time ago now. She herself has never married. She's the lady that teaches the young kids to read and write and sing and count. Josie never learnt. She can read a few words and spell her and her Ma's name. To her, she doesn't need to know much else. Her mother tries to teach her to bake and sew and other lady things, but Josie can never focus. She's always running back outside to sit with the cattle and ride Daisy till the sun hides behind the hills and the stars shine, making a safety no one but her understands.
"Getting things for Mrs. Jambalaya? Heard she's making something sweet." Asks miss Green. Josie opens the door to a small shop and let's miss Green enter first, following in behind.
"Yes, ma'am, I am." She walks to the counter as a man in his mid-thirties comes in from the back room. "Hey mister Jensen." She greets. "Mama needs a dozen eggs." She digs her hand into her pocket a pulls out two dollars, placing it on the counter. The man takes it and grabs some fresh eggs, packaging them nice for Josie.
Christopher Jensen is a nice man, his shop small but cozy, fresh eggs sitting on the counters and sweet treats in jars, five cents for each. Josie wants one but knows she doesn't have extra money at the moment. At least she thinks. She's not great at counting money either.
"Here you are, miss Josie." He hands her a small container of the eggs and she takes it with a smile. "Have a good day, and tell your Ma I wanna have you and your family over for dinner sometime with my family in return for the dinner she held last month."
Josie nods and says a goodbye to him and miss Green - who's decided to stay in the shop to talk to him and keep him company. She holds the eggs tight under her arm and heads to Daisy, seeing two little girls, both ten, petting her and feeding her something out of their pockets. "Daisy, are you getting treats?" Josie asks.
The girls startle and run away quick, giggling to themselves, probably about Josie's outfit. Most people laugh and whisper when she's out and about but she doesn't care. She's comfortable. Josie puts the eggs in a bag, with other things she's bought for her mother, that's attached to the saddle, making sure it's secure before hoping onto Daisy and begins to walk down the dirt road.
As they walk, Josie's eyes are suddenly caught onto something she's never seen. A young lady, looking around her age, walks out of a shop Josie has never been in. She has long blonde hair, tucked behind her ears and reaching her shoulders, glasses over her eyes, her dress yellow and flowery, sleeves reaching to her elbows. She holds a book in one hand with a red flower that Josie doesn't know the name of.
"Whoa, Daisy." She says, and Daisy comes to a halt. Josie continues to stare without realizing it. Before she can stop, the lady notices her. Josie's face goes red and she quickly looks away, pretending like she wasn't just admiring the women who currently walks toward her.
Walks toward her?
And now, she panics. Josie tries to act calm, pretending like she wasn't obviously staring.
"Excuse me," Says a sweet voice, like honey fresh from a bee hive, like water during a drought. Josie looks down to see her, smiling up at her. "Hi there, sir- or ma'am." She squints, unsure. "Sorry," She says, looking embarrassed now.
Josie hops off Daisy and smiles down at her in return, the height difference extremely noticeable. "It's alright, ma'am. I-I'm Josie."
"I'm Annabelle. Annabelle Parker." She extends her free hand and Josie takes a second before taking it with her own, shaking it gently. Josie's callused palms, scratched up hands and torn up, dirt covered nails look nothing like Annabelle's soft, smooth and taken care of hands. "My, I've never seen a lady wearing trousers in my life." She says with a smile as she let's go of Josie's hand.
Butterflies flutter in Josie's stomach. Both from the touch and from her words. "My- my mama says I should dress more ladylike or I ain't gonna get no husband but I- it's comfortable wearin' pants and such." She smiles down at Annabelle who smiles back. "I ain't never seen you before."
"I just moved here." She replies. "My daddy got enough of city livin' and said we're moving out to a small town in the country side to raise chicks and cattle."
"You're from the city? Wow, I- I ain't ever been to the city." Josie puts her hands into her pockets.
Annabelle giggles softly, causing a light pink to dust over Josie's face. "You're not too good at talking, are ya?"
She raises a hand to scratch the back of her neck. She's embarrassed now. "Sorry, I-It's just how I talk. I know it ain't perfect."
"No, no, I'm not trying to be mean. I think it's cute. It doesn't have to be perfect." Annabelle gives her a sweet smile. "I better get going. My daddy will be wanting me at the house soon. It was wonderful getting to meet you, Josie." She begins to walk away.
"You too. Get there safe." She sighs in wonder as Annabelle walks away. "Cute?" She whispers to herself. She snaps back to reality as Daisy neighs. Josie jumps onto the horse and begins to ride home, thinking about the new girl she's met. The breeze feels nice during this hot day, more of her hair falling out of the rubber band that she's using as a makeshift hair tie.
She gets home, hoping off Daisy and quickly tying the reins to the railing of the porch. She grabs the bag of things her mother needed and enters the house, finding her way to the kitchen and seeing her mum standing at the counter. "Hey, mama." She says with a smile, setting the ingredients on the counter.
"Hello, dear." Her mom's voice is strained, and Josie hears her sniffle, seeing her wipe her nose.
"Mama, what's wrong?" Josie walks up to her but she looks in the opposite direction. "Mama, you look at me, please." Her voice is gentle. She gently grabs her mother's jaw, turning her face toward her. And there it is, a bruise on her eye and another on her cheek.
Immediately Josie's face turns stoic and serious. "That bastard." She says under her breath. Her mother grabs her wrist and takes her hand off her chin.
"You calm yourself this instant, Josie." Her mother tries to sound brave. "It ain't nothin' you need to worry yourself for. Go clean yourself up before your papa gets back."
"I got every right to worry!" She rubs a hand over her face, taking a step back to give her mother space. "Papa ain't got any reason to be hurting you. I told you if he ever lay a mean hand on you again, you go get one of the horses out the barn and ride to town!"
"I'm supposed to be taking care of you, Josie! Not the other way around!" Her mother snaps at her, making Josie shut her mouth and look down at her hurting mama. "As long as he's not hurting you no more, I am okay, I promise. Now, go upstairs and wash up. You got mud all over you." She turns back to the counter, grabbing the things Josie brought from town.
Josie stands there, looking at her for a moment before shaking her head and turning away, leaving the kitchen and walking through the living room, up the stairs and across the hall to her room. She goes inside and holds back from slamming the door shut. The curtains are open, setting sun shinning through the window.
"He ain't my papa." Josie whispers to herself. She kicks off her boots and walks over to the window, closing the curtains. It's not very dark but dark enough. She undoes her belt and throws it onto the edge of her bed, slipping her pants off and throwing them on the floor. She wears a pair of her older brothers old shorts. Then she unbuttons her shirt and throws it in the same pile, left wearing shorts and a white shirt - also her brothers.
She lies down in her bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin and closing her eyes. It's early to go ti sleep, especially for her. But she doesn't want to deal with life anymore today. She doesn't want to have to talk to her father. And she falls asleep, fading from the world into somewhere calm.
The peace of sleep doesn't last as long as she wanted it to.
Josie wakes up suddenly at around three in the morning to the sound of glasses breaking, screaming, and doors being open and closed so hard they might as well have been torn off the hinges.
She gets out of bed quickly, grabbing her jeans and pulling them up her legs. As soon as she's covered, she grabs her knife off her dresser and runs out of her room, following the shouting downstairs.
It's a mess. Broken glass scattered on the floor, the front door open with the window broken. She tries to avoid stepping on the glass as she goes out the door, seeing that Daisy is no longer there. Her mother sits in the dirt, crying into her hands as her father screams at her, yelling nonsense.
"You're a birch, Martha! All your sons are pussy's! Your daughter's fucking out of her mind, dressing like a boy! I should just leave ya'll with nothing! You're fucking lucky I'm still here, no other man would take you."
Her mother sobs harder. Josie grips her knife in one hand. "You get the fuck outta here, Michael!" She yells. Her hair is a mess, the rubber band probably somewhere on her bed, her dark hair free, face glowing in the moonlight.
He looks at her, hands in fists, anger clear and his intentions obvious. "You don't fucking call me by my name, Josie! Get your ass back in that house and be a lady! You're lucky I don't beat the shit outta you right now!"
Her mother sits on the dirt, still crying. "You don't hurt my mama." She walks off the porch, past her mother to stand a few feet in front man she used to adore, staring deep into his eyes with anger, with fear he can see. She grips the knife as tears begin to fill her eyes.
She's terrified. And he can see that.
He takes a threatening step closer to her, hand reaching up to grab her shirt in a fist. She may be tall, but he's taller by just enough. "You used to wanna be a princess." He says, pulling her close, the smell of alcohol on his breath burning her nose. His hand moves to cup her jaw. She flinches. "You were so pretty. Dresses and jewelry. Now look at you. Dressing like a fucking boy." The knife slips from her hand as tears fall from her eyes, and she avoids looking directly at him. "Grow out your fucking hair. You're more of a bitch than your mother." He kisses her forehead before letting go of her and walking past her to the house, kicking dirt pathetically at Josie's mother. "I let your horse loose." He says before disappearing inside house.
It takes a while before Josie gets her mother inside and in bed. She then goes to her own room, crying in bed. Feeling alone. She just wants to disappear.