A few days had passed, and still, no news on the O’Brien’s stance. It was making the guilt build up and worsen by the day. I was barely sleeping, which was something I was not used to. Sleep was something I always needed, but when I was stressed, I did get a lot less of it which usually didn’t make the problem any better. But I couldn’t help it! I was stressed! The last thing I wanted was to be the reason we lost our home or why life had to get harder. To try and distract myself, I hyper-focused on my studies. So much so that I lost track of the days and forgot it was the day my best friend from childhood, Ciara would be back from Germany. Usually, I was so hyped to see her that I would be waiting at her place for her arrival, but I guess the stress got the better of me.
“Not waiting for me at my doorstep?”
I heard a voice I hadn’t heard in months. Taken aback, I quickly looked up to see Ciara standing in my doorway. Her long strawberry blond hair was pulled back into a very neat bun, and she dressed very well, but also very modest. Freckles covered her pale skin, and her brown eyes shone from the sunlight shining right onto her face. Unlike me, she had a tall, strong build with some curves. I looked like a stubby board compared to her. Just seeing her beautiful face made my cheeks warm up a bit.
She gave me a smirk and made a sassy hand gesture. “Psychology trumps your best friend? I’m insulted!”
“Ack! No! I just- You know- I-”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” She laughed. Clearly, she found my stuttering hilarious. “Studies come first! It’s important you do well and get that dream job of yours!”
“Oh man, I really thought I upset you,” I said with a laugh. “I guess I should’ve known better.”
“Don’t worry about it. How are things?”
“Could be better… but that’s beside the point. How was Germany?? You have to tell me all about it!”
With a big smile, she told me everything she could remember. Ever since her family started traveling, it became mandatory she told me everything about the trip. Her family was well off, so they could afford to do all these things, while my family couldn’t. I had never even left Ireland before, let alone Dublin. Unfortunately, I didn’t think I ever would either. Ciara’s family had offered to take me on a few trips before, but as much as I would’ve loved to go, I couldn’t fathom the idea of leaving my family behind for more than a few days. They always insisted it would be okay and that I should go out and enjoy myself, but I worried too much about them to do that. Instead, I would live vicariously through Ciara while she described everything. That way, I could live the best of both worlds.
“Wow. This all sounds really amazing.” I smiled. Just hearing her talk and describe her trip made me feel so much better than when I was burying my nose in my studies. There was something just so soothing about her voice.
“That reminds me! I got you something!” She reached into her small bag and pulled out a leather journal with a little metal snap to it to keep it shut. “Here! I got this! I figured you would like it for writing notes in or something!”
“Oh, thank you!” I took hold of it and noticed the engraving on the front. It was a cheesy “Keep going” written on it in very messy cursive. Ciara was a bit of a sucker for things like that, which always made me laugh.
“I think I’ve rambled a while now.” Ciara giggled. “What’s been going on with you?”
I let out a heavy sigh before explaining what happened with Hazel and how her family was going to ruin our lives if they didn’t back down. Sharing the same dislike for Hazel as I did, Ciara looked pretty upset.
“What a snob.” She muttered. “As if having a good life isn’t enough for her; she’s got to ruin everyone else’s. She’s doing this on purpose just to stress you out.”
“I know she is.”
“Have you tried talking directly to her parents?”
I shook my head.
“How about we try that? There’s another little fair in town by the looks of it. I bet they’re there!”
I shrugged. “I could try. I just don’t want to cause any more issues than I already have.”
“Bailey! You’re not the one causing issues! Hazel is! You’ve done nothing wrong! I know you’ve got a thick skull, but I didn’t think you were that thick! Geez!”
“I know, I know.” I laughed a bit. The way Ciara handled things was admirable. No matter what, she smiled through almost everything. In situations like these, she smiled through them and made jokes to keep everything lighthearted. If only I could’ve been like that.
Later, we both headed out into town to see if by some chance we could find Hazel’s parents. The town was overcrowded with people looking to buy all sorts of things. It was the busiest I had seen it in a while. Surely the O’Brien’s would be out there somewhere if it meant making money, right?
“I don’t see a sign of them.” Ciara frowned. “And it’s not helping that the place is so busy.”
“Maybe it’s best we wait until the weekend,” I replied. “They’re always out here when I sell stuff with Mam and Gran. I can catch them then?”
“Good idea.”
“In the meantime, I should pick up some fruit for Mam to make another pie with. Rian has been bugging her nonstop about it.”
“Little guy needs his pie.” Ciara giggled. “How is wee Ri-Ri doing anyway?”
“About the same. Enjoying his time annoying Mam and Gran, helping in the fields, you know, the usual.”
“Good to hear. That reminds me, actually.” She pulled a shiny, little coin out of her bag. “Give this to him, will you? It’s for his collection.”
“I swear, you fuel that collection of his.” I chuckled, pocketing the coin. Rian had a knack for shiny things, especially coins. Ciara normally came back from each of her trips with at least one coin for him. Of course, the coins were usually not worth anything. The rest of his collection was shiny things he found while working in the field. He could find some interesting things among those potatoes and carrots.
We did a bit of shopping around for ourselves before we both had enough of the crowds. Neither of us particularly loved being around them for too long. I took her home, spent a bit of time at her place before we parted ways, and I headed home. On my way home, I went through town to check one last time if the O’Brien’s were there. So far no luck… until I saw Hazel. Like a predator looking for prey, she sniffed me out within seconds. Her glare turned to me and an evil smile appeared on her face. Just seeing her be so bloody smug about everything, KNOWING what she had done, made my blood boil. It wasn’t often I felt that much anger, but this really pissed me off. She was taking the piss out of this, and she knew it.
“Looking for a place to move you and your sorry family?” She smirked, coming up to me. If it were up to me, I would’ve run right then and there. But something about her piercing glare held me in place. Hearing her say that made me grimace and clench my fists.
“Aw, did I strike a nerve?” She continued. This girl was really testing my patience. And I had a lot of patience. “You better start packing up your stuff! Won’t be long before I tell my dad about how rude you were with your apology!”
“I wasn’t rude,” I said, trying to keep a somewhat neutral expression. Normally I forced a smile with her, but I could no longer do that. Hurting me was one thing. Trying to hurt my whole family was another.
“I would think that someone who wants to study psychology would know what’s rude or not. Tch. Failing your studies too, are we?”
“No, but I do know how to tell if someone’s an entitled brat who uses their mommy and daddy to get what they want.”
As it normally did when I made a comeback, her cheeks puffed up and her face went cherry red. “At least I’m not some farm kid who has to sell junk they grow to make money!”
“Someone’s gotta do it.” I raised a brow, trying to keep calm. “Where do you think your vegetables come from, Hazel? The cupboards?”
“Shut up!!”
I listened. With a nod, I backed away a bit, showing I was going to leave the conversation. Probably a good thing since I was only mere seconds from punching her perfectly punchable face.
Oh, she didn’t like that.
“What is wrong with you?!” Hazel yelled. “You AND your family! Especially that younger brother of yours! You’re all a bunch of freaks! Especially with that stupid and unnatural blond streak in your hair!”
I stood there and took it. This would all tear at my self-esteem later, but I would get over it. If I dared say what I wanted, I would only make the problem worse.
“Well?!” She hated my silence. It was pissing her off more than if I had given a reaction. “C’mon! Say something!”
I didn’t.
“You’re nothing but a board!! Females should have a proper figure, and look at you!! You look like a child!”
She was only picking at my insecurities now. A sign she was losing this argument.
“ANSWER ME!” she shrieked, stomping the ground.
I didn’t even look at her. She told me to shut up, so I did. I was only listening to her. Without looking, I went to turn around and walk away, when suddenly, she made a swing. Since I hadn’t been looking her way, I didn’t notice it and she punched me right in the face with such power that I smashed into the ground. Being as small as I was, it didn’t take much to do that. With tears welling up in my eyes, I continued to bite my tongue.
“WELL?! DO YOU HAVE-”
“HAZEL O’BRIEN!!”
We looked over and to my shock, her parents were there. When I say they looked upset, I mean it. Never had I seen them look so disappointed in their “angel” of a daughter before. Before Hazel could even manage to say a few words, they were right next to her, scolding her for how she treated me and how it was unacceptable to punch someone else in the face. Her mother helped me off the ground almost immediately while her dad kept telling her off.
“Are you okay, dear?” She asked with a look of worry.
“I’m okay.” I nodded. “Just shaken up.”
“Okay. I’m so, so sorry.”
“No, no, I’m sorry.” I took this opportunity to apologise to them before they could run off. I was more worried about the farm than my face. “I’m sorry for insulting Hazel a few days back. Please, don’t take our land. I’ll do anything to make up for it-”
“Don’t worry about it.” She cut me off, giving her daughter a glare. “We saw everything. I think it’s fair to say that someone has been over-exaggerating the other side of things. We won’t be taking any action.”
“Oh, thank you!!”
“I’m sorry if we scared you or your family. Why don’t you head home and let them know? Again, I’m terribly sorry. If I had known this is how Hazel has been treating you, this wouldn’t have happened. We’ll make sure she’s properly reprimanded.”
I nodded and headed home. My face may have been badly bruised for a few days after that, but it was all worth it. Knowing Hazel’s parents, they were going to follow through on making sure she learned her lesson. So, not only did I save the farm, but Hazel got what was well deserved.
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