Heir of Earth (Forgotten Gods) Read Free

unusual that my announcement was met with crickets-chirping-silence. The horses I spent most afternoons with were more interested in my boring little life than my parents were.
    I was unlocking my hand-me-down Camry when a shiny white limo glinting in the remaining rain puddles and sunshine caught my eye. My hand flew up to block the glare as I squinted to see what celebrity was driving down my street. Instinctively, my feet began to move and I was standing at the end of my driveway before I knew it.
    The blinker turned on and the limo pulled in eight houses down and across the street from mine. It was the same driveway I had drawn chalk hopscotch boards on as a kid. It was Amber’s house.
    I watched in awe as her front door opened and a rainbow of colored chiffon dresses and penguin suit tuxedos billowed onto the porch. They were gorgeous. A group of girl’s my age, tanned to perfection, made-up like high-fashion models, all wearing formal gowns that begged to be twirled around a dance floor.
    Amber was the one who really caught my eye, standing amongst the friends that had taken my place, her long black hair tied in loose waves, wearing a blue gown that was almost the exact same shade as her eyes. The group fussed and posed as proud parents snapped photos in the eerily surreal light that always follows a spring rainstorm. Amber smiled at one of the girls and laughed when her boyfriend snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her close to steal a kiss. I found myself smiling too despite the empty feeling tugging at my stomach. Part of me was glad Amber had moved on with her life, even if I wasn’t a part of it anymore. The other part of me would’ve given anything to be standing beside her in one of those gorgeous gowns.
    An unfamiliar ache squeezed my chest as I watched them from my hiding place in a row of overgrown azaleas. It took me awhile to realize it was regret that gripped my heart like a vice that afternoon. The contrast between them—looking like Hollywood starlets— and me—dressed as a grubby barn hand—was painfully obvious. It was impossible to pretend my life was nothing if not regrettable at that moment.
    I startled slightly, lost in my own depressing thoughts, when the limo horn honked twice and the parents waved at the group pulling out of the driveway. Excited squeals carried clear as day from inside the limo as it rolled away. The sunroof opened and one by one, the girls’ heads emerged from the top of the white car where they waved again like beauty pageant contestants.
    I jumped into the middle of the azalea bushes as they passed, not wanting to be seen. Spitting out a leaf, I peeked through the branches in time to see Amber staring at my house as they passed with an empty look in her eyes. She always stared at my house like that, like she still didn’t understand why I’d abandoned her. But neither of us had ever tried to make things right. Up until that point I hadn’t admitted to myself how much I cared.
    But crouching there, hiding in the bushes of my own front yard like the loser I was, I realized how stupid my decisions had been. I realized how much I’d missed by giving up my teenage years and suddenly, I wanted the chance to do it all again. But graduation was weeks away, and unless there was a fairy godmother hanging around I had never met before, my life wasn’t getting any better anytime soon.
    I untangled myself from the bush where I’d taken refuge and slung my bag over my shoulder with a great sigh. Walking back to the car door, I stopped and sighed again—those gasps of air were the only thing keeping tears from cascading down my cheeks. Suddenly, even riding didn’t seem like fun. It was only a reminder of how many hours I had spent at the barn chasing a stupid equestrian scholarship while everyone else was living a normal teenage life without me. I kicked at the tire with the well-worn tip of my riding boot and turned back to the house, sighing again because it was the