A Hidden Truth

Kenny Arrives

[3rd person]

    Kendra and Morgan got off the plane. They were a strange pair and drew a few sideways glances. Kendra had long vibrant pink hair, pale blue eyes, and ivory skin. She wore a permanent smirk that made it seem like she was judging people. And she usually was. Her body was slim and lithe with long legs and well-toned muscles. She was 5’7”, but wore three inch heels. Morgan liked how it made them the same height.

    He liked being able to look into her eyes when they talked. Morgan had long dark brown hair that went a few inches past his shoulders. There was a natural curl to it which like to mat up within moments of him putting the comb down. His face was broad and he hated pulling his hair back, so curling tendrils brushed his cheeks and hung over his deep blue eyes. Morgan was overweight and lumbered behind his friend wherever she went. She often called him her chubby shadow.

    It was the first time either of them had been to Texas. Kendra dragged Morgan with her as they went to retrieve their luggage. Seeing Jaxon again would be awesome. She wondered about the girl he’d met. The description he gave wasn’t exactly thorough and she had no idea what the girl looked like. Eighteen was pretty young.

    “Kenny, you’re thinking about her again, aren’t you?” Morgan said, tugging at her hair.  

    “What kind of eighteen-year-old could attract Jaxon? She has no life experience, no sense of the world. He says she’s smart, but intelligence isn’t a reason to marry someone. If he was introduced to a bunch of idiots before her, then she could be completely average and he wouldn’t see it until they were in a place where smarter people existed. By then, it could be too late. We have to make sure he’s not all cow-eyed over some bimbo who wears glasses and calls herself a nerd.” She stated forcefully.

    “You are really stuck on that idea, aren’t you? The entire way to our first layover, you were going on about her being a fake nerd like one of those fake gamer girls. You know he isn’t all about looks. She’d actually have to be smart if he says she is. Just wait to judge her until you meet her.” He implored.

    They went to the rental station and picked up the car they’d rented online while riding from Mountain Home. Once they’d loaded their bags and gotten in the car, Kendra turned to Morgan.

    “Let’s just drive down and get a motel room there. I’m too wired to sleep. It’s only three hours.” She said.

    “Fine. I’m sleeping, though. So don’t try to keep me up with your mystery girl theories.” Morgan groaned.

She didn’t listen. Through the entire ride, Kenny hypothesized and Morgan shot her theories down. He told her over and over that she needed to stop overthinking it. He was pretty sure it was the longest three hours of his life.

    When they took the exit into Kotter’s Folly, they saw the signs for the Shade Tree Motel and decided it would be a good place to stay the night. The night clerk was a young man who looked amused at the two new patrons. He was the same height as Morgan with short blond hair, brown eyes, and ruddy skin. His nametag identified him as Kirk. Kendra guessed he wasn’t even old enough to drink.

    “How can I help ya?” He asked.

    “We’d like a room with two beds, please.” Morgan said.

    “You’re no fun.” Kendra snorted.

    Kirk pulled out his ledger. “How many nights?”

    “Two for now, we’ll let you know if we need more tomorrow.” She replied.

    He wrote something down. “Need IDs and a form of p*****t. It’s sixty-five a night.”

    Kendra handed him her ID and credit card. Kirk took down the information and ran the card for the total. Morgan leaned tiredly against the wall. When they were done, Kirk handed them the key to the room. Morgan grabbed it from Kendra and lumbered off to find his bed.

    “Do you happen to know Jaxon Boone?” She asked.

    It was worth a shot to see if she could find anything out. Kendra was from Buhl and knew how smaller towns could be.

    “Why?”

    “We’re his friends from Idaho. We came for a visit. He’s having us meet him at his sister Bobbi’s house. I was just curious what I should be prepared for here.” She smiled.

    Kirk laughed. “If you’re single, then you’re not gonna be for long. Bobbi’s a seasoned matchmaker. She’s the nicest of the sisters. Real friendly and sweet.”

    “I heard she hooked Jaxon up with his girlfriend, Juni, right?”

    “I don’t know. No one really knows how those two got together. Though, we’d all like to know. Juni’s been the goal for a lotta guys over the years. She turns everyone down. I even tried last year, before I graduated from high school. Turned me down flat.” He chuckled.

    “So she’s really hot then?” Kendra asked. This was what she was looking for. Jaxon got himself hooked on some high school hottie and lost his damned mind.

    “Well, not as hot as her mom. Juni coulda been in pageants like her mama was probably woulda won… ‘cept, her talent’s makin’ people cry. I guess there are actually a lotta girls hotter than her, now I think of it. Mostly, I think, its ‘cause she’s always sayin’ no and her stepdad is one of the richest men in the county.” He shrugged.

    Jaxon wouldn’t have gone for her for the money. His parents had enough. He did tend to want what he couldn’t have, though. It would make sense that she told him she wasn’t interested and he decided he had to have her. But that would require him actually having tried in the first place.

    “What kind of girl is she?”

    He eyed her carefully. “You hot for him or somethin’? Askin’ a lot about Juni.”

    “I’m one of his best friends. I just want to know everything I can.” She smiled.

    Kirk looked skeptical, but it meant a cute girl talked to him.

    “Alright. Let me start at the beginnin’…”

    Over the next couple hours, he told her everything he knew about Juniper Fordyce. That included the most recent news from Coleton Market, where his mama’s best friend was having lunch. Kenny hung on his every word. This place was crazy. She’d never imagined Jaxon would be wrapped up in so much drama. Juniper seemed like a mix of a mean girl and an uber-geek. She had no idea what to think.

    “Where can I find her? Like, where will she be today?” Kendra asked.

    “School. She’ll be at the high school today. Then she goes to the library around five for her book club on Fridays. After that she goes home. If this year is anythin’ like the last few, she’ll be tutorin’ people for finals.”

    “I’ll head to my room now. Thanks for the chat.” She winked and left the office.

    The door opened behind her. “Wait! Your friend took the key. I’ll let you in.” Kirk told her.

    They walked to the room and he unlocked the door. For a moment, Kendra thought of taking him in with her. He was cute enough, but she was exhausted and didn’t think she’d be able to enjoy herself. She thanked him again and went into the room. Morgan was asleep in the first bed so she took the other, kicking off her shoes before she climbed in with all her clothes on.