Free A Small Town Dream by Rebecca Milton

no business judging Connie Baker. They were very much alike, in very many ways, so if Connie was that kind of girl , then on some level, Annie was, too. She was having a sort-of affair with Parker behind Connie’s back. Had she ever thought herself capable of such a thing? It was all too confusing.
     
    Annie wished the school year would just end. She wished Parker and Connie would just leave , just leave her alone in her happy town and just...
     
    “Just leave ,” Annie finished her thought aloud. Connie froze, then looked at her. Annie realized her inner voice had become part of the real world. Thinking quickly, without thinking, she smeared a dollop of pancake batter on Connie’s nose and laughed. “You have to leave , Connie, or you’ll get us both in trouble.” The ploy worked. Connie laughed.
     
    “You’re right,” she said, “because we must ‘let nothing cloud our purpose.’ We might get syrup-ed and feathered.” Annie forced a laugh, relieved she was able to cover so well. Connie smiled and moved away to start clearing tables.
     
    “I’ll catch up with you after, Annie. I want to know all about getting stoned and...” she looked around, “I’ll give you the gory details about the boy’s room.”
     
    “Great,” Annie called after her, then said to herself, “that’s all I need, details about you and Parker.”
     
    She poured a ladleful of batter on the griddle, watched for tiny bubbles, then flipped the pancake. She admired its perfect, golden color and smiled to herself. Here was comfort.
     
    Annie looked up from the grill onto the crowded gymnasium floor. A few nights ago it was filled with kids dancing, making out, and just being kids. Now it was filled with tables full of families, eating pancakes, laughing and enjoying life.
     
    Annie looked back down at the griddle and flipped another perfect pancake onto a plate. She smiled as she handed it to a little girl in a pretty pink dress.
     
    “Thank you,” the girl said, after a bit of prompting from her mother.
     
    “You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Annie said, then looked to the child’s mother. “She’s very sweet, very polite.” The woman thanked her and moved on.
     
    Annie watched them find a table, and then poured more batter on the griddle, and thought about her future. She would have children someday. She would make perfect pancakes for them on Sunday morning after church. She would have a husband, and a wonderful, wonderful life.
     
    She looked up again, surveyed the room, and sighed. Life was good and was only going to get better. The problems between Parker and Connie were nothing compared to what was waiting ahead. So Annie smiled and laughed, at herself, all by herself. She let herself be silly, let herself get caught up in this soap opera-style romantic nightmare. She had the rest of senior year to focus on, then college, and then...who knows? But it’s all going to be good. Very, very good.
     
    She looked across the room to see Connie, walking slowly beside Mrs. Caughtry, being lectured about one miniscule thing or the other. Connie caught Annie’s look. Annie waved with the spatula. Connie mimed cutting her throat, and Annie laughed.
     
    You know , Annie thought to herself, I wouldn’t mind being that kind of girl at all .
     
    That kind of girl is pretty terrific.
     
    She flipped her pancake, smiled at its perfection and resolved to step away from all the drama and just enjoy the last few months of her high school career.

 
10
     
    “Just tell me,” Parker insisted. He blocked her way.
     
    “Tell you what , Parker?” Annie snapped. It had been a week since the pancake breakfast, and she finally felt that she could put the silliness behind her and just live. After the New Year’s party, Parker and Connie appeared to be fine. She ran into Parker alone a few times, and it had been…okay. Recently, though, he found ways to stir things up, especially to try to corner her as he was doing