rated *
What Is Going On?
by Amber
Manor House
Diana had just gotten a drink from the snack table. She turned around to head back to Mart when she saw Alexia walk right in front of her. Di didn’t know why, but she just didn’t like this girl. Alexia had been bothering Trixie just a few minutes ago.
“Excuse me,” Di said, trying to walk around Alexia.
“You think you can get your way because you’re rich and think you’re pretty?” Alexia demanded.
Di looked at Alexia in confusion. What did I do to her? she wondered.
Di said calmly, “If that’s what it takes for you to feel good about yourself, keep giving everyone a bad impression.”
Alexia saw red. “You won’t be very pretty when I get a hold of you,” she hissed at Di, pulling her fist back.
Alexia never had a chance. As soon as Di saw her intention, Di let her own fist fly into Alexia’s right eye. Alexia stumbled back, tripped, and fell. Di leaned over her. “If you want to hit someone, don’t let them know. Then they can’t get you first,” Di told her in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
Everyone who witnessed the entire altercation laughed.
Alexia got up as fast as she could and ran to the door yelling for Jim to take her home to the city right then. Jim shrugged. He only knew he had seen Di hit Alexia, but having gone to the bathroom, he had missed the reason why. “If she wants to go, she wants to go,” he said, following her out the door.
Di walked calmly back toward Mart. She didn’t appear to notice anything out of the ordinary, but she did. She instantly felt bad for losing her temper when she saw Honey’s face red with embarrassment.
Di saw Brian lead Honey outside and decided to wait before offering her apologies. She continued her way to Mart.
“Di, I can’t believe you hit her. She’s going to have a major black eye in the morning.”
Di shrugged. “She had it coming. I noticed her bothering Trixie, and not five minutes later, she provoked me.”
Mart shook his head. “Remind me never to make you mad. You’ve got a mean punch.”
Di laughed.
In Jim’s Car
“What happened between you and Di?”
Alexia sniffled. “I don’t know. I was just standing there and she told me you shouldn’t have brought me to the party. Then she called me some bad names. I’m sorry for losing my temper with her. I know you’re friends with her.”
“I don’t understand; Di is usually nice. I guess the trouble they’ve had recently has her on edge.”
Alexia brought a few tears to her eyes to make Jim believe her. “I don’t know. I’ve never met them before, except your sister. She was too busy with your friend Brian to say hello to me.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t have much fun. I was trying to get your mind off your problems, but I guess I made them worse.”
Alexia turned teary eyes to Jim. “I’m okay, I’m just glad you were there.”
“I wouldn’t leave a friend when she was in trouble.”
Manor House driveway
Regan and Lindsay were walking back to his apartment.
“Bill, that girl is trouble. She is going to end up driving a wedge between that group and Jim. What is her hold on him?”
“I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t want to think about it.”
Lindsey nodded. “I see your point.”
They climbed the stairs to the apartment. Regan opened the door for Lindsay. Once they went inside, there was no more talk of the Bob-Whites.
Path to Crabapple Farm
Because the party was breaking up, Dan decided to walk Trixie home.
“I don’t know what that girl’s problem was,” Trixie was fuming.
Dan was surprised that Trixie was letting Alexia bother her so much. “Why are you letting her get to you? Is it because Jim is like a puppet and she’s the one with the strings?”
Trixie looked surprised. “No. It was her crack about being able to take you.” Trixie was genuinely puzzled about why Dan didn’t seem to understand that.
“Trixie, no one can make me do anything I don’t want to do. You should know that by now.”
Trixie nodded. “I know, but why would she even say that?”
“I think she’s very insecure. She thinks that going after people she thinks are weaker than she is will build her up.”
“I just don’t understand people like that. I can’t help but wonder what her hold over Jim is.”
“I don’t know, but she’s done a good job blinding him to what she actually is.”
“Lindsay warned me about her. She said Alexia only wanted to cause trouble, and that she would.”
“Lindsay sounds like someone worth listening to.”
Trixie smiled. “She is. You want to know what else she told me?”
“What?”
“She told me I should do something to get what I want,” Trixie said in a voice Dan had never heard before.
“Oh, yeah? So what are you going to do?” he asked, a smile in his voice.
Trixie threw her arms around Dan and kissed him. She was very happy he gave as well as he got.
Jim’s Car
Alexia was happy for quite a few reasons. Jim didn’t know she had eavesdropped on him when he was talking to Honey in his parents’ apartment. He didn’t know she had verbally attacked Trixie. She hoped he wouldn’t find out. It was unlikely that he would because of the present circumstances. Secondly, he seemed to believe her about Diana. Alexia could not believe he would dare to take her somewhere that there was a girl even prettier than she was. She had to take a few breaths to calm herself down. She couldn’t get mad at Jim. She couldn’t let anything happen again to the guy she loved.
Jim noticed that Alexia looked depressed; he figured she was thinking about what happened before. He wasn’t surprised when she turned on the radio, because he knew she did that often, to try to drown out her thoughts. He put his hand over hers and squeezed. She turned a teary smile on him.
Manor House
Mart and Di were sitting on the couch in the room where the party had been held. Mart had pulled back from Di. They were both breathing harder than normal.
“Di?” Mart asked softly. “I want you.”
Diana smiled.
Manor House Porch
Honey woke up, tried to stretch, but found she couldn’t. She opened her eyes and gasped. She was still on the porch swing with Brian. She shook him to wake him up.
“Huh? Wha?” Brian had no idea where he was.
“Brian, you have to wake up and go home.” Honey checked her watch. “It’s one in the morning!”
Brian woke up instantly. “Honey? Okay, I’ll see you after the sun comes up.” He kissed her good-bye.
“Brian? What did you think of the party?”
Brian looked at her. “We met Regan’s new girlfriend, saw Jim’s new friend get punched by Di, and I found out Trixie is dating Dan. Great party, Honey.”
Honey laughed. “I guess it was, at that.”
Brian kissed Honey again, then turned around and jogged down to Crabapple Farm.
Honey smiled after him and went inside. She heard giggles and listened closer. She realized the giggles she heard were coming from Mart and Di. She smiled, glad they had permission to stay overnight at Manor House and continued on her way to bed.
Path to Crabapple Farm
Brian was almost home when he saw something that made him slide to a stop. There, in the middle of the path, was his sister and Dan. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. They’re just making out, he reminded himself sternly. He cleared his throat. Trixie and Dan sprung apart.
“Oh! It’s just you Brian. You scared me to death,” Trixie said, moving close to Dan and resting her head on his shoulder. Dan put an arm around her waist.
“What’s up, Brian?” he asked.
“I just saw you making out with my sister, and you have to ask me?” Brian raised one eyebrow as he looked at Dan.
Dan glanced at Trixie with a how-do-I-answer-that expression. Trixie giggled. She was happy her brother had loosened up when it came to her.
Brian laughed at the look on Dan’s face. “Come on, you two. Let’s go home.”
“Um, Brian? I need to go this way,” Dan reminded him, pointing towards the path that would take him to Mr. Maypenny’s cabin.
“Not tonight,” Brian said. “You can have Mart’s bed. Just don’t try to sneak out of the room.” Brian looked sternly at Dan, showing no signs of teasing.
Dan nodded. “Wouldn’t want to do that anyway. Your sister might have something not very nice to say to me.”
“You bet I would,” declared Trixie.
All three of them laughed.
Manor House
Diana yawned. “I need to go to bed,” she announced.
“Yes!” Mart exclaimed.
Di laughed. “I meant I’m going to sleep.”
“Oh,” Mart yawned, too. “I guess I agree.”
Mart led Diana upstairs to Honey’s door. “Sleep well,” he said kissing her good night before he went to the guest room he had been given earlier when it was thought Jim would be staying.
Jim and Brian’s Apartment
Jim and Alexia had arrived at the off-campus apartment he and Brian shared. He had invited Alexia to sleep on either the couch, or Brian’s bed after he put clean sheets on it. He didn’t want her to be alone after she had seemed to be assaulted by bad memories. She said the couch was fine, as long as he sat with her until she fell asleep. He agreed easily since he didn’t trust her with herself alone.
“I wish your friends had given me a chance. Who was that blond girl anyway? I went to say hi to her, and she just kept giving me weird looks. Then that dark-haired guy told me to leave her alone. What was that all about?” she upset.
“That girl was Trixie. The guy was Dan. I don’t think I know them very well anymore,” Jim said quietly. “Trixie was one of my best friends. Dan was a good friend as well.”
Alexia processed that information. Jim had said was. Was meant a possibility in the future. She would have to stay on her guard. Honey, she knew, had wanted Jim to be with Trixie. Honey could be a problem, as was Diana. Diana was just too pretty. Trixie might not be a problem right now, but Alexia had heard Jim tell Honey that he was waiting for Trixie to grow up. That made Trixie the biggest problem of all. That also included Dan, who looked as if he would kill to keep Trixie safe.
Jim had fallen asleep while Alexia had been thinking. She smiled at him. He was hers; she just hoped he understood that. It was always easier when guys understood where and to whom they belonged. With that thought, Alexia snuggled up to him and went to sleep.
Sunday morning
Manor HouseHoney woke up and noticed that Diana had finally gone to bed. Honey thought about everything that had happened the night before. She knew Diana had felt bad last night. It wasn’t for hitting Alexia; it was for embarrassing Honey. She heard hurried footsteps in the hall and wondered who was there. She looked at her watch and realized breakfast would be ready.
She got up and woke Di. Di borrowed some clothes from Honey, then they went downstairs for breakfast. Honey noticed that Di blushed as she smiled at Mart, who was already eating. She shot Di a questioning glance, which Di pretended not to notice. After eating, Honey went to call Brian.
Crabapple Farm
Trixie answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Hey, Trix. I was wondering if Brian was up yet,” Honey told her.
Trixie rolled her eyes. “I heard him. He’s up, but he won’t come downstairs until Dan gets out of the shower. He acts as if he’s afraid I might try to sneak into the bathroom or something—“
“Wait a minute,” Honey interrupted. “Dan’s in the shower? What’s Dan doing there?”
“Oh,” Trixie explained. “Brian saw Dan and me making out last night and told us to come home. He invited Dan to use Mart’s bed since Mart was spending the night in one of your guest rooms.”
“Oh, okay. Can you tell him to call me back? I was hoping I could see him before he left.”
“Sure thing, Honey. Bye.”
“Bye, Trix.”
Brian and Dan came downstairs about fifteen minutes later.
“Brian, Honey called and wants you to call her back. Oh, yeah, Moms has breakfast on the table.”
Dan gave Trixie a hug. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” she said smiling at him. “Hungry?”
Dan nodded, so they all went in to eat.
Brian and Jim’s Apartment
Jim awoke disoriented. He looked around and realized he was still on the couch with Alexia. Except for the black eye Di gave her, she looked so peaceful while she was asleep, much better than she looked when he first met her.
He had been heading across campus to class when he heard someone crying. He followed the sound and saw a pretty girl. He went over to her to see if he could help with whatever was bothering her. He calmed her down and took her out for coffee to try to get her to talk to him. It was then that he found out that she had been on a date with her boyfriend when the tire on her boyfriend’s car blew out. Something then went wrong with the brakes, sending the car sideways into a tree, bursting the gas tank. Alexia was able to get out, but the car exploded into flames before her boyfriend could. It took awhile for anyone to come to help on the deserted road.
Jim couldn’t imagine watching something like that happen to someone he loved. The terror would probably make him go insane. Alexia may be clinically depressed because of it, but she was trying to deal with it the best she could.
Alexia woke up. She smiled. “Jim, you stayed with me.”
“Of course I did. You needed a friend.”
Alexia nodded. “Thanks.”
Jim didn’t realize it yet, but soon, she’d make him love her.
Crabapple Farm
Mart, Di, and Honey walked down to Crabapple Farm. When they got there, they found Brain, Trixie and Dan cleaning the kitchen after breakfast.
Mart was confused. “Dan? What are you doing here this early?”
Dan looked at him. “I spent the night. Brian thought it was too late for me to walk all the way home.”
Mart shrugged. “Okay.”
Looking concerned, Dan asked, “Do you mind?”
Mart laughed. “I might if I was here last night.”
That answer caused everyone to laugh.
Brian hugged Honey. “Want to go for a walk?” he whispered.
Honey smiled and nodded.
“See you all when we get back,” Brian told everyone. Honey just waved as they went out the door.
When the door shut behind them, Di and Trixie looked at Mart and Dan. “We need to talk,” they said simultaneously.
The four teens went into the living room, glad that Bobby had spent the night at the Lynches' and Mr. and Mrs. Belden had gone into town.
Trixie started the conversation. “What did you guys think about Alexia?”
Di answered, “I think everyone knows how I feel about her.”
They all laughed.
“No, seriously,” Trixie insisted. “I want to know what she said to everyone.”
“You start, Trix,” Mart suggested.
Trixie told them what Alexia said to her about not being able to keep Jim. “Then when I said I didn’t want Jim, that I was happy with Dan, she said she could take him if she wanted him.”
Dan took up the story. “I told her she wouldn’t be able to take me, that I wouldn’t want her.”
“What did she say to set you off, Di?” Dan asked.
“She said I thought I could always get my way because I’m rich and think I’m pretty. All I said to her before that was ‘excuse me’ when I was trying to get around her. Then she said I wouldn’t be too pretty when she got through with me. That’s when she pulled back her fist to hit me. I just hit her first.” Di shrugged.
“Hmm.”
“What was that ‘hmm’ about, Trix?” Mart asked.
“I was just thinking,” Trixie explained. “Lindsay warned me about her. She said Alexia just wanted to cause trouble and that she would.”
“Looks like Lindsay was right,” commented Dan.
“Not yet. I have the feeling there was more,” Trixie said. “Is there any way we can get in touch with her?” Trixie was looking at Dan.
Mart answered. “I saw her car at Manor House. She stayed with Regan last night.”
Trixie looked at Dan.
“I’m on my way. I’m dialing now,” he told her.
About ten minutes later, Lindsay, followed by Regan, came in. “What was it you wanted to know, Trixie?” Lindsay asked.
“I wondered what exactly you meant when you said Alexia just wanted to cause trouble, and that she would.”
“Well, she gave me a bad feeling when I saw her,” Lindsay replied. “I couldn’t put my finger on it until I realized she looked familiar, too. I finally realized earlier this morning why. I saw her picture in a newspaper when I was doing some research.”
“What was the story about?” Di asked.
“It seems that she and her boyfriend were going out on a date when he lost control of the car and slammed into a tree.”
“What happened?” Dan wanted to know.
“The car was going down a steep hill when the brakes went out. The car hit the tree so hard that the gas tank burst. In the paper, it said Alexia wasn’t hurt because she was wearing her seatbelt.”
“Wasn’t her boyfriend wearing his?” Trixie asked.
Lindsay nodded. “His side of the car was jammed against the tree. Alexia got out. He didn’t.”
“What happened?” Di whispered, horrified.
“It seems that when the gas tank burst, something ignited. There was only enough time for Alexia to get out before the car went up in flames.”
“She had to watch that?” Regan asked. “I would think that would make her crazy.”
Lindsay looked serious. “I don’t think it made her crazy. I think she was crazy before that happened.”
“What do you mean?” Trixie asked.
“I think she had something to do with it. I think she caused it.”
“Why?” Di whispered.
“Four reasons give me that idea. First, she had previously been treated for mental instability in an institution when she tried to kill a boyfriend who had cheated on her. She was suspected of killing the other girl, but no one could prove it. It looked like suicide.”
“What is the second reason?” Regan asked.
“Second, Alexia’s door was closed.”
Trixie nodded in understanding. “If she had just gotten out and was waiting for her boyfriend to get out using her door, it would have been open.”
“Third, the brake line had been jaggedly cut. Last, her boyfriend’s sister said Alexia had threatened her because the girl told her brother she didn’t like Alexia, and wanted the boyfriend to break up with her.”
“Was any proof ever found?” Trixie asked.
Lindsay shook her head. “The brake line could be the biggest clue, but it isn’t impossible for it to have been cut in the accident.”
Di wondered, “What else could she possibly be capable of?”
Trixie looked uneasy. “Jim is in grave danger if he doesn’t realize how insane she is. She has fixated on him. Not only that, four of the other B.W.G.’s could be on her hate list.”
Di’s eyes grew wide. “Huh? Who? Why?” she sputtered.
Trixie turned solemn eyes to Di. “Honey is Jim’s sister. Alexia could have heard Honey talking to Jim about me. I’ll bet she did, otherwise, she wouldn’t have known who I was last night.”
Dan’s eyes dawned with understanding. “Trixie, obviously, because of what Honey said about Jim and Trixie being together. Me, because I told her I wouldn’t have her when she told Trixie she could steal me away.”
Di’s face drained color. “Me,” she whispered. “She knows Jim and I are friends and she thinks I’m prettier than she is.”
Lindsay nodded. “I’m afraid you’re all right.”
“Why isn’t she in jail or put away or something?” Mart wanted to know.
“No proof.”
Trixie nodded. “Serious doubt. Would you be in a car if you rigged it to crash?”
The others nodded in understanding.
Brian and Honey came in to see that Di, Mart, Regan, and Lindsay looked scared. Trixie looked mad, and Dan had a perfectly blank expression. Dan’s expression scared Honey the most.
“What’s going on?” she asked, deliberately keeping her voice light.
Her face drained of all color as they told her what they had found out. As they were finished relaying the earlier conversation, Honey promptly fainted. Luckily, Brian caught her.
“I need to get going. Jim called me last night. He let Alexia sleep on our couch.”
Brian and Jim’s Apartment
Jim was coming from the kitchen when Alexia came back from taking a shower. “I made breakfast,” he smiled.
Alexia smiled back timidly. “Can we talk, Jim?”
Jim put their plates on the coffee table. “What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly.
“I don’t think I want to meet your friends again.” She let her eyes tear up. “They don’t like me, and I feel so uncomfortable around them.”
“I know. I promise you won’t have to see them. I’ll just let you know when I’m planning on visiting Sleepyside or when one of them wants to come here.”
Alexia nodded. “Thanks, Jim.”
The End
Author’s Notes: Not my characters. Thanks to Chelsea and El for editing. The next one will be difficult to write, so please don’t hunt me down if it’s difficult to read.