A Night to Remember
by Amy K.
February 9
Seventeen-year-old Trixie Belden walked out of Sleepyside Junior/Senior High School, arms laden with numerous school books and endless amounts of paper. At the bottom of the stairs stood Trixie’s best friend, Honey Wheeler, who turned around, with a grin, and walked up to Trixie.
"Ever hear of a book bag, Trix?" Honey asked, taking some of the books from Trixie. She stuffed them into her own bag.
"Don’t let me forget to get those from you," Trixie said, shifting her books into one arm, wiping the curls out of her face with the other. "One of those is my math book and I have homework that needs to get done,"
"Yeah, I’m sure you’re going to remind me to give it to you too. You would do anything to rid yourself of that evil monstrosity," Honey laughed.
Trixie stuck her tongue out at her friend and nodded towards the bus.
"We’d better hurry or we will be walking home," she said and with that, both girls ran onto the bus, walking to their normal seats in the back, where their friend, Diana Lynch, was already seated.
"Hi, Di," they said in unison, dropping into the seat across from her.
"Oh, I am so excited about the dance this weekend," Di squealed with delight, a smile filling her face. "Mother is taking me into the city to get my dress tomorrow."
"I got mine over the weekend. Mother took me into White Plains to get mine," Honey said, placing her book bag under the seat. "What about you, Trixie?"
"Moms took me into the White Plains before we went back to school after Christmas vacation. I actually found one that I liked, so I figured that I would get it then before I changed my mind," Trixie said, slouching down in the seat. "Now that I have it, I have no choice but to go to the dance." Raising her knees up and pressing them up against the seat in front of her, Trixie turned to stare out the window.
"What’s wrong, Trix?" Di asked, looking over at her.
"Nothing really."
"Yeah right. We know you better than that, Trixie Belden," Honey stated, looking at her best friend, wondering why she looked so depressed. "Out with it."
"I don’t know if I really want to go to the dance this year."
"What do you mean you don’t know if you want to go? The BWG’s go every year. Why should this be any different? Even though it is because it will be the last one we will attend seeing that we are seniors now," Honey exclaimed, stopping to take a breath.
"Breathe, girl, breathe," Di said, laughing at the flushed Honey. "Trix, what’s wrong?"
"Honey’s right when she says that it’s going to be different this year. You’ll be going with Mart. Honey will be going with Brian and Dan is even going with Angela Kramer. You know, that girl in our history class. I...I...I don’t know. It’s just different," Trixie sighed, turning to look out the window.
The BWG’s, or Bob-Whites of the Glen, was a semi-secret club that Honey, Trixie, and Di were members of. The other members were Trixie’s older brothers: 20 year old Brian and 18 year old Mart, who was exactly 11 months older than Trixie; Honey’s adopted brother, 19 year old Jim Frayne and their friend, 18 year old Dan Mangan. Honey and Brian started dating the past summer. Di and Mart had been dating for almost two years.
"Is it different because Jim’s not here to go with us?" Honey asked, concerned about her friend.
Trixie blushed, as she always did when the handsome redhead’s name was mentioned or she was in his presence. Taking a deep breath, she looked at both of her friends. Trixie sighed as she said, "Not really. I mean, you guys are all going as couples now. I’m feeling like the third leg, or in our case, the seventh."
"Why can’t you ask Jim to go? You know that he would drop anything and everything for you, Trix," Honey said, slapping her hand to her forehead, grinning. "Oh, did I forget to tell you that he is coming back home tonight until next Monday? I did, didn’t I? I am soooo sorry, Trix,"
"Why?" Trixie asked. "Doesn’t he have classes?"
"Not exactly sure, really," Honey replied. "He called Saturday night and told Mother and Daddy that he would be home tonight for the week and then would head back out to the school Sunday night," she replied.
"Don’t try getting around it, Trixie. Are you going to asked him or not?" Di asked.
"What if he can’t or won’t go? What if he has a girlfriend at college? What if…" Trixie said before she was interrupted.
"What if, what if, what if. You’re trying to come up with excuses," Di said, shaking her head.
Trixie just turned and stared out the window.
"Do you want to talk about it, Trix?" Honey whispered.
"Not now, Honey. Maybe later, OK? I promise."
The remainder of the bus ride was silent between the girls. As the bus pulled up at the foot of Crabapple Farm, the Belden homestead, Trixie and Honey bid Di farewell and walked off the bus. Trixie kicked a stone in her path as she walked towards her house.
"Come on, Trix. Talk to me, would you? I hate seeing you look so miserable," Honey said, taking hold of Trixie’s arm.
"I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Honey. Honest. I just..I just don’t understand why I’m feeling the way I feel." Trixie walked up the back porch steps and dropped into the swing. How was she supposed to tell her best friend that she can’t stop thinking about her brother? Sure, they all knew about the special feelings the Jim and Trixie had for each other, but the problem was, no one knew how they really felt deep down. Trixie took a deep breath and looked at Honey, who sat down next to her.
"This has to do with Jim, doesn’t it?" Honey asked.
"Yes…no…I don’t know," Trixie replied, running her hands through her shoulder length blonde hair. "I mean…I keep thinking about him, and when I do, I get all…well, warm and cozy inside and want to actually tell him how I feel. But then there’s a part of me that can’t do it. What if he doesn’t feel the same way and I end up embarrassing myself? What if I do and we start to date and it doesn’t work out? Am I willing to ruin the friendship that we have together? He’s one of my best friends and I would die if I lost that, same thing with you, Honey." Tears filling her eyes.
Honey placed her hand on Trixie’s. "You love him, don’t you?"
"I can’t say that I love him, Honey. I don’t even know what love is. I do know that, like I told you, I can’t stop thinking about him. Oh, Honey. What am I supposed to do?"
"Have you ever tried to just talk to him about how you feel? You might be surprised by the answer."
"Yeah, right. Like he is going to be interested in some tomboy when he’s surrounded by glamorous and beautiful college girls. No, I think I’m better off not saying anything." Trixie got to her feet. "Well, I have to get in and help Moms get dinner ready. I’ll talk to you later, Honey." Trixie grabbed her books and walked into the house. Honey followed her. "Why don’t you eat at Manor House, tonight? Mother and Daddy are in the city for the week on business. Please? Or are you going to make me eat alone?"
Trixie rolled her eyes, and nodded.
"Let me ask Moms first, though."
"Ask Moms what?" Mrs. Belden asked, turning away from the sink, where she was washing vegetables. "Hello, Honey."
"Hello, Mrs. Belden. I was wondering if it was OK for Trixie to eat at my house tonight because my parents are out of town for the week?" Honey asked.
"Well, I guess it would be OK. Just remember that it is a school night so I don’t want you coming home too late, understand?"
"I won’t, Moms," Trixie said, throwing her arms around her mother’s neck. "I promise." She ran up to her room, dropped her books onto her desk and changed into a pair of jeans and sweater. After saying goodbye, they headed out the door and up the well-worn path to Manor House.
As they walked through the door, they were met by Ms.Trask and Celia, the Wheeler’s maid. Celia was married to the Wheeler chauffeur, Tom Delanoy. Ms.Trask was a teacher at the last boarding school Honey attended and when they moved to Sleepyside, they hired her as Honey’s governess. Now that Honey was older, she took the role of running the estate while the Wheeler’s took frequent trips.
"Hello, girls. Trixie, will you be staying for dinner?" Ms. Trask asked.
"Yes, Ms. Trask. If that is OK, I mean," Honey replied, taking off her coat and boots.
"Not a problem. Celia, let Cook know that Trixie will be joining Honey for dinner." And with that, they walked into the dining room.
Honey and Trixie ran up the stairs to Honey’s room. Trixie fell onto Honey’s bed, while she went to change into jeans and a sweater. When she came out of the bathroom, Trixie was laying on her stomach, staring at the picture on the night stand. The picture was the last one taken of all the BWG’s together, before Brian and Jim left for college. Honey rolled her eyes and walked over to the bed.
Trixie looked up as Honey walked over and fell onto the bed. "Don’t say a word, Honey. I don’t want to hear it."
"I wasn’t going to say a thing. Honest."
"Yeah, right."
The discussion was closed when they heard Ms.Trask call them down for dinner. As the girls entered the dining room, Cook placed their meals on the table. The meal consisted of hamburgers, with all the fixings, and French fries.
"I figured you could eat a little less formal while your parents were away," Ms.Trask said, with a grin. "Now, I am off. I am going to be at Mr.Lytell’s until later. If you need anything, let Celia know." And out the door she went.
Trixie and Honey stared after her and then seated themselves across from each other at the table. Celia walked in, making sure that they were fine before retiring to her trailer.
"We’re fine, Celia. You can tell Cook we won’t be needing her anymore. Trixie and I can clean up when we are through." Celia nodded and left the room.
After taking a bite of her burger, Trixie looked over at Honey, who was staring at her with questioning eyes. "What?"
"Are you going to do it?" she asked, grinning.
"Honey…"
"Come on, Trixie. You know darn well he will say yes regardless. Is that what you are worried about?"
"Yes and…and also about the other part of our conversation."
"Well, if you are that worried about it, then me and my favorite brother are going to have to have a talk later. It’s been ages since we’ve done that. You know, catch up on the happenings in each others lives," Honey grinned.
"Honey, please don’t," Trixie pleaded. "I will just die of embarrassment."
"No you won’t because I will ask like I want to know, not you. OK?"
Trixie thought about it. Regardless of what she said, Honey was going to do it anyways, so she agreed. Trixie turned the discussion over to the dance and they talked about the decorations for the gym, the music selection, when they were going to leave, and who would be driving with whom. After finishing the meal, they took their plates and walked into the kitchen, placing them into the sink. On the counter were two large pans of Jello, layered with different colors. A note next to one of the pans was to Trixie.
‘Take this home for Bobby.
I know how much he enjoys it.
Cook’Shrugging, Trixie rinsed off their plates and was beginning to wash them when the front door closed. Trixie froze.
"Anybody here? Hello?" came a deep, familiar voice. Honey and Trixie’s eyes met. Trixie paled.
Honey grinned and was making her way to the door that separated them from Jim, when Trixie threw a wet wash cloth at Honey. She stopped and turned, wondering what had gotten into her friend.
"Don’t you dare, Honey Wheeler. Not now. Please," Trixie begged. Honey grinned and began backing her way to the door. "Oh, no you are not, Honey." Trixie shook her head. "I swear, I will never speak to you again if you embarrass me."
Pulling the water squirter from out of its holder, Trixie turned on both faucets full force and aimed it at Honey, who squealed with laughter when Trixie hosed her down.
"Now, I am definitely going to go talk to him, RIGHT NOW!" Honey turned and started to walk towards the door.
Trixie, starting to panic, grabbed a pan of Jello and threw it over Honey’s head. Honey stopped, turning to stare at Trixie, who just shrugged her shoulders. Honey grabbed the other pan and advanced towards a retreating Trixie. She had made it to the entrance to the pantry when she felt the cold, slimey mixture land on her head and work it’s way down her back. Before she turned around, Trixie spied two freshly baked pies on the shelf. Half turning to see where Honey was, Trixie grabbed a pie and turned quickly around.
Honey saw this, and backed away, looking around for some sort of ammunition. Honey ran behind the counter and turned as Trixie came at her. Looking around quickly, Honey opened the refrigerator and grabbed the left over chocolate mousse off the shelf. Just as she closed the door, the pie came flying across the room, landing directly in Honey’s face.
Trixie burst out laughing. Wiping the remnants of the blueberry pie from her eyes, Honey looked at Trixie, holding her sides from laughing too hard, and started taking handfuls of mousse and throwing them in Trixie’s direction. Honey started laughing hysterically, still throwing them at her.
Trixie turned and was about to run for cover when her feet slipped on the Jello and water and she fell to the floor with a thud. This brought on more hysteria from both girls. Just then, the kitchen door swung open and Jim stood there, his jaw dropped open at the sight of the kitchen, his sister and friend. Trixie and Honey became suddenly quiet, looked at each other and fell into another fit of laughter.
"You two won’t be laughing if Cook happens to come down and see this mess," Jim stated. "She’ll quit. Do you know how hard it is to find a decent cook around here?" He walked into the room and stood between the girls.
Honey looked over at Trixie and winked. The next thing Jim knew, he was being covered in a mixture of chocolate mousse, Jello, and blueberry pie. As he turned to run, he too, slipped on the wet floor and ended up on his back. This brought on another fit of laughter. Jim reached out both of his arms, grabbed the girls by their legs and brought them down with him.
After the shock wore off, all three looked at the other and broke into laughter again. They continued to laugh as they cleaned up the mess they had made. When they finished, they leaned up against the counter, glancing over the room to make sure all the evidence was cleaned up.
Jim looked over at Trixie and smiled. "Forget what I said about the snowflakes, Trix. Mousse definitely looks better on your eyelashes," he laughed. "Well, girls. I’m heading up to take a much needed shower. Thanks for the ‘Welcome Home’ dinner. Maybe next time, we can use plates." With that, he walked out the door.
Trixie went into the guest bathroom and turned the water on in the sink. Looking into the mirror, she let out a groan. Her hair was covered in a mixture of chocolate and blueberry. Her lashes were coated with chocolate and blueberry was splattered all over the sweater. Moms is going to kill me when she see this, she thought. She washed up as good as she could and exited the bathroom. Honey had gone up to take a quick shower. Trixie walked up to her room, pulling on her coat just as Honey walked out of her bathroom.
"I better get going. Moms is going to be really mad if this stains," Trixie stated, pulling the sweater forward a bit to stare down at it’s entirety. Groaning, she let it drop and walked down the stairs, Honey following her. Trixie pulled on her shoes, gave Honey a cheerful goodbye, and walked out the door. Pulling her jacket closed, Trixie ran down the hill to her home.
After closing and locking the door, Honey turned to go back upstairs, and looking into the living room, she noticed Jim, staring out the window. As he let the curtain fall back into place, he looked over and saw her staring at him, a grin filling her face.
"And what pray tell are you smiling about, little sister?" Jim asked, plopping down onto the sofa.
"Oh, nothing. Just wondering what you were staring at out the window," she said, walking over and falling into the chair that sat across from Jim. "Well? What were you looking at?"
Jim’s face matched his hair as he lowered his head. Honey knew that Jim felt more than friendship toward their best friend, but both of them were too stubborn to say anything. It was time to take matters into her own hands.
"You know we have the annual Valentine’s Dance on Saturday. We’re all going. Would you like to come?" she asked.
"Who’s all going?" Jim asked, looking up.
"Well, I’m going with Brian, Di with Mart, and Dan with…."
Dan and Trixie are going together? he thought. Great. Well what did you expect, Frayne? You leave and don’t bother telling her how you feel and you expect her to realize this on her own.
"…Angela Kramer. She’s this girl that is in mine and Trixie’s history class," Honey finished, waiting for Jim’s reaction.
"Trixie’s not going?"
"Well, she doesn’t want to because she thinks everything is different this time around. She doesn’t want to feel like the seventh leg because everyone is paired off and she’s not with anyone."
Had to throw that in there! Honey thought, a grinning filling her face. Trixie would kill me if she knew I said that to him, Honey thought, letting a grin fill her face.
"So, Trixie’s not going out with anyone?" Jim asked slowly.
"Nope," Honey replied, leaning forward, her elbows propped on her knees. She raised an eyebrow, "Does that interest you in any way, dear brother?"
Jim stood, walking over to the window, hoping his sister didn’t see his face turning red. How was he supposed to talk to his sister about his feelings for Trixie. He couldn’t even talk to his best friend because he was her brother. Groaning, Jim threw himself back onto the sofa and pulled a pillow over his face.
"Well?" Honey asked. "Jim, nothing is going to get settled unless you tell her how you feel."
Jim pulled the pillow away and stared at Honey, his face filled with shock. Honey rolled her eyes and leaned her head against the back of the chair.
"Please, don’t look at me like that. Everyone knows how you two feel about each other BUT you two!! When are you going to get off your high horse and do something about it, before it’s too late?"
"What are you talking about, Honey?" Jim asked. "We’re friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Friends."
"And that’s all, huh? You have no other feelings for her at all?" Jim thought about the question before answering. Not waiting for his reply, Honey put on a serious look and leaned toward Jim again. "You know, Jim. She’s afraid to ask you to the dance because she thinks that you will say no."
Oh, God. Trixie is going to KILL ME!!
"Now why would she think that? I’ve never said no before and a lot of the times we went, I asked her."
"She thinks that you’re more interested in college girls because they’re more your age, pretty, glamorous…" Honey stated, ticking each one off on her fingers.
Jim was deep in thought when the phone rang. Honey went to answer it, leaving Jim to ponder the thoughts running through his head. Honey came back in, pulling her coat on.
"We will finish this talk when I get back. Trixie left her math book in my book bag and I’m going to run it down to her. You know how much she loves math," Honey laughed.
Jim chuckled, thinking back to all the times he tutored her on that very subject.
A thought occurred to him at that moment. "Hey, Honey. Let me take them down to her, unless you wanted to go yourself, that is."
Honey grinned and handed over the books. "Actually. That would be great. I have a few things that need to get done that can’t wait," she replied.
Jim jumped up, ran into the hallway and pulled on his coat and boots.
"You going to talk to her or chicken out like you always do?"
"I don’t know, Honey. What if.." Jim started, before having a hand placed over his mouth.
"I have heard enough ‘what ifs’ today. JUST DO IT," Honey stated, shoving her brother out the door and slamming it behind him.
He stood staring at the door, wondering where his sister got all her boldness from. One Trixie Belden I presume. he thought. She rubs off on you after a while. Jim turned and made his way down the hill.
Crabapple Farm
After she got home, Trixie showered and changed into an over sized sweatshirt and flannel pajama bottoms and now sat at the desk in her room, trying to concentrate on her homework, but not doing a very good job of it. . Her thoughts kept returning to the smiling red-head. Groaning, Trixie got up from her chair and threw herself face first onto her bed. Rolling over, she stared at the ceiling, wondering what he was doing.
What should I do? She thought. I can’t just tell him I like him. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? I would just die, I tell you. DIE!!! Trixie pulled the pillow over her head and screamed. Why did life have to be so difficult? Why couldn’t things just be easier, especially for me? Why can’t I be beautiful and attractive? Maybe then he would notice me.
Trixie was pulled from her thoughts by her mother, calling her name from the bottom of the stairs. She pulled the pillow off her face. "Just send her up, Moms."
After what seemed like forever, a soft knock was heard on the door.
"Come on in, Honey. Sorry to have you…" she stopped when she saw Jim standing in the door.
"Um, hi Trix. Sorry. Honey had a few things that she needed to get done so I sorta offered to bring these down to you," Jim said, still standing in the doorway. Trixie continued to stare at him as if he didn’t speak.
"Trix? Trixie? TRIXIE!" he said, his voice raising a little, but enough to jolt her out of her thoughts.
Trixie blushed and then cleared her throat. "Sorry, Jim. Come in, just leave the door open."
Jim walked into her room, looking around at the knick-knacks on her shelves and dresser. As he made his way over to the desk, he noticed the pictures on her desk. One was all the Bob-Whites, the other was Trixie and Jim taken at his senior prom. He set the books on the desk and turned to look at Trixie, who was once again lost in thought.
"Well, I guess I’d better get going," Jim said, turning back toward the door.
"Um, Jim, would you mind helping me with my math homework?" Trixie asked, chewing her lower lip. "You don’t have to if you have other plans,"
"Sure, Trix. I’ll help you. I don’t have anything else to do but sit at home and be pestered by Honey, not that that is a bad thing or anything but…." I’d rather be here with you, Jim thought, smiling over at Trixie.
She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. "Great. Let’s go down into the family room and work on it."
As they walked down the stairs, she saw both her parents were sitting in the living room reading the paper and Bobby was sprawled out on the floor working on a puzzle.
"Jim’s going to help me with my math homework, OK? We’re going to be in the family room." Without waiting for a response, they entered the room and closed the door behind them.
Mr. Belden looked over at his wife, raising an eyebrow. Mrs. Belden smiled and shook her head.
For an hour they worked on her math problems with great difficulty. Trixie was finding it very hard to concentrate with Jim so close to her. God he smells good, she thought. Stop it, Trixie. You need to get this homework done.
As Jim continued to explain each problem, he noticed that she was trying hard to hide the glances she made towards him. He smirked, but continued as if nothing was going on.
"Well, I better get going," Jim said, standing up and stretching. "It’s getting late and you have school in the morning."
Trixie watched him and then turned her head away to hide the blush that rose to her cheeks. As he opened the door and walked through the living room, he pulled on his coat and said goodbye to the elder Belden’s. Bobby had been sent to bed a little while earliar. Trixie followed Jim to the kitchen door. He turned and they stared at each other before he turned to open the door. Do it before you loose your nerve.
"Um, Jim?"
"Yes, Trixie?"
"Um…well, I was, um…wondering if you would be interested in going to the Valentine’s Dance with me this weekend?" she stammered, holding her breath waiting for him to answer.
Jim’s face lit up and he grinned at her.
"I’d love to, Trixie. No one else I would rather go with," he said, before turning his head, hoping that she didn’t notice his face, but caught her letting out a breath as she smiled at him. She has such a beautiful smile!! Does she realize what that does to me? Jim thought. No, because you won’t tell her, you idiot.
"Oh, shut up," he muttered to himself.
"Did you say something, Jim?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. No. I was wondering though if it would be alright if I picked you….and Honey up from school tomorrow? Diana, too, of course."
"Yes, that would be great. I’ll let her know tomorrow and you can let Honey know when you get home. Thanks again, Jim, for helping me. You know how me and math are. We’re like water and vinegar," she giggled.
They said their goodbyes and Trixie closed the door behind him. She walked over to the window, pulled a small section of the curtain away and stared after him. She watched until he was no longer in sight before letting it fall back into place. As she turned, she saw her mother, standing in the doorway, smiling at her.
"Oh. Hi, Moms. You scared me."
"I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to," Mrs. Belden said, before walking over to her daughter. "So, I take it you will be wearing that dress on Saturday after all?" she asked, eyes twinkling.
Trixie blushed, nodding her head, as Mrs. Belden continued. "I don’t know what your so worried about, Trixie. You’ve gone to plenty of dances with Jim. Why should this one be so different?" Trixie chewed on her lip, as she thought about what her mother said.
"Moms, can I ask you something?" Trixie said, turning her back toward the window, leaning against the counter. "How did you know that Daddy was the one?"
Mrs. Belden motioned for Trixie to sit down and she sat across from her. "I knew he was the one because he was the only one who made me feel all goofy inside. Just thinking about him, I would get all warm and fuzzy on the inside. It could be 15 degrees below zero, but if I thought of your father, I felt like I could warm a whole house," she smiled, taking Trixie’s hands in her own. "When we were together, I always seemed to have a hard time speaking, let alone breathing. I felt like I was on top of the world because that is how he made me feel. Trixie, trust me, honey. You will know when you are in love and if he is the right person. OK?" she asked, looking into her daughters’ dreamy eyes.
"I do, Moms. I really do. Thanks. I guess I had better go to bed. ‘Night, Moms." Trixie stood, gave her mother a hug and kiss, walked to the living room and did the same for her father and raced up the stairs. After shutting off the lights, she laid in bed thinking about the conversation and smiled. Before drifting off to sleep, the last thought going through her mind was: I love Jim Frayne.
The week passed by quickly and soon it was Friday. Brian, Mart, and Dan would be coming home that evening for the whole weekend. After school let out, Trixie spent the majority of the afternoon cleaning the house. The phone rang shortly after five pm and it was her mother. She had taken Bobby into White Plains for a dentist appointment that morning.
"Trixie. It’s me," her mother stated. "I was just going over the shopping list and a thought occurred to me. Why don’t you see if the Bob-Whites in town would like to come to the farm for dinner tonight, you know, like a welcome home dinner? I spoke with Mart this afternoon before I left and he had asked if Dan could eat over and I told him yes. Then I figured, ‘Why not have them all over?’ Does that sound like a good idea?"
"Oh, Moms. That sounds perfectly perfect. I’ll call Honey right now and ask her and she can ask Di and Jim. Thanks, Moms. You are the best."
They said their goodbyes and she called Honey to tell her the news. Honey squealed with delight and told her that they would all be there that night. They talked for a few more minutes and then hung up. Trixie walked into the living room, turned the stereo on and set to work vacuuming all the rugs, dusting everything until it shone, washing the dishes and putting them away, and cleaning the kitchen until it sparkled.
Her mother and Bobby arrived home a short time later, and shortly after six, Trixie bounded up the stairs to get ready for the evening. She showered and thumbed through her closet for something to wear. Choosing a midnight blue turtleneck sweater and black jeans, she ran a comb through her hair and headed down the stairs.
Voices could be heard in the living room. When it came into view, she saw Brian, Mart, Dan, Di, Honey….and Jim. Her eyes locked on him and tried to catch her breath. Mrs. Belden walked into the living at that point, saw the look on her daughter’s face and in who’s direction it was aimed, and smiled.
"Trixie, would you help me in the kitchen, please?" she asked, glancing over at Jim in time to see is head whip over in Trixie’s direction, face coming to life, eyes sparkling. She smiled and walked back into the kitchen.
"Hi, guys," she said to the room, her eyes never leaving Jim. He looked at her at the same time. She dropped her head, blushing, and rushed into the kitchen. Honey and Di looked at each other and smiled. Brian and Mart looked at each other, then stared over at Jim, who was watching their sister walk into the kitchen.
Clearing his throat, Brian looked at Jim with one eyebrow in a questioning raise. Jim looked over at his best friend, shrugged and followed Trixie into the kitchen. The small group left in the living room started laughing uncontrollably.
"A tortoise moves faster than those two," Mart said, causing another fit of laughter.
Mrs. Belden called them to the table and everyone grabbed a seat. Trixie took her usual seat at the table, with Jim seated on one side of her and Dan on the other, both trying to keep a steady flow of conversation going with her. The evening was spent reminiscing and talking about the upcoming dance. The evening wore on and at 9:30, Dan headed home. Mart and Di got into their coats and he walked her home. Trixie walked into the kitchen and started running water so that she could get the dishes done. Jim walked in behind her.
"Hey, Trix. Want some help?" he asked, grabbing the dish towel.
"Sure, Jim. That would be great."
They stood in silence, both wondering what the other was thinking. They caught each other glancing at the other. When their eyes finally met, they stared for the longest time before a noise was heard behind them. Honey stood there, coat in hand, smiling.
"I hate to break it up but we need to get going, Jim. Trixie, I will see you tomorrow. We’re still going riding in the morning, right?"
"Of course. Regan will have our heads if we don’t exercise those horses. What time do you want to head out?"
"Around 9 sound good?"
"Sounds perfect."
Brian walked into the kitchen and kissed Honey goodbye and then they were gone. Trixie closed and locked the door after them, turning to see Brian looking at her. "What?"
"Nothing. Just wondering what the deal is with Jim, is all," he said, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about, Brian Belden!"
"Get off it, Trixie. We all see how you two act around each other. And I hear you asked him to the dance tomorrow night," he stated.
"Yeah, so? We’ve gone to plenty of dances together. What’s so different about this one?"
"I don’t know…you tell me? It’s a Valentine’s Dance. Does that mean anything to you?"
"Please. Valentine’s Day means nothing to me. You should know that. It’s a bogus holiday, with everything dealing with love, love, love. Just like Sweetest Day. Means absolutely nothing. As far as I’m concerned, this is just another dance." Trixie moved so she was standing in front of him. "Listen, big brother. I’m old enough to take care of myself and deal with things by myself. I don’t have to explain things to you that you have no business worrying about. Besides, Jim and I are just friends."
"Yeah, right," he said, rolling his eyes before turning around and heading upstairs to bed.
I wish is could be more, she thought, heading up to her own room for the night. As she lay in bed that night, she couldn’t help but replay the evening, her thoughts returning to Jim and how he made her feel. She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face, looking forward to the dance.
February 14
Trixie rolled over and stared at her clock. 7:20 a.m. Pulling the blankets over her head, she groaned loudly. The only benefit to this awful day was the fact that it was Saturday and she would be spending the evening with Jim. She laid there for another half hour before rising, taking a shower and dressing in her traditional color for the holiday: black. She chose a pair of black jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt.
Bouncing down the stairs, she heard voices coming from the kitchen. Upon entering, she saw Brian, sitting with his arm around Honey. Mart sat, devouring his breakfast, before leaving the house, saying that he was going to meet Dan. Her younger brother, 10 year old Bobby was also there, although all you could see was his back side sticking out of the fridge. Mrs. Belden turned as she entered the room and smiled.
"I see we are wearing our usual festive colors, Trixie" she said, with a grin.
"I refuse to wear the traditional colors of red and white on this day, the most bogus holiday of the year," Trixie stated, placing herself in her seat at the table. As she took some pancakes from the plate in the center of the table, she glanced over at her brother and best friend, talking amongst themselves, looking so much in love.
I wish I could have that, Trixie thought, before Jim invaded her thoughts again. But he only sees me as a friend. She looked down at her wrist and started fingering the ID bracelet that she was given on the way home from Iowa a few years ago.
Honey noticed the look on her face and cleared her throat. Trixie looked over at her friend and smiled.
"Moms, I’m going to head over to the stables to go riding with Jim," Brian said. "Anything you want me to do before we leave?"
"No, you go on ahead. I’ll let you all play hookie from your chores today, but tomorrow I will expect them to get done."
With that, Brian leaned down, gave Honey a kiss on the cheek and ran out the door, heading up the hill to Manor House.
Bobby leaned over and picked his Etch-A-Sketch up off the floor and started drawing hearts all over it. Trixie rolled her eyes and looked at Honey.
"Come on up to my room. I will show you my dress," Trixie said, taking Honey by the hand and pulling her to her feet.
I Love You, I Love You, I Love You. The sound stopped as soon as they stopped. Trixie looked around for the source of the noise then noticed Honey’s feet. She wore a deep red pair of socks, covered in white hearts. Honey laughed when she realized them.
"Sorry. I forgot they talk," she said, lifting one foot off the floor to show Trixie the bottom. They had heart treads on them. The heel itself was a bigger heart, puffed out.
"When I step on this part, it’s says ‘I Love You’. Neat, huh?" Honey said, pressing the heel.
"Oh, adorable," Trixie said sarcastically, with a grin. They continued to Trixie’s room. Honey closed the door behind her and sat gingerly on one of the single beds set up in Trixie’s room.
"Well, let’s see it already," Honey asked, bouncing on the bed.
Walking to her closet, Trixie opened it and pushed endless clothes away from the garment bag that held her dress. She unzipped the bag and carefully pulled it out. As she turned, Honey gasped.
"It’s gorgeous, Trixie. Try it on so I can see what it looks like. PLEASE??" Honey begged.
Rolling her eyes, she walked out of the room to the bathroom and returned five minutes later. The dress fell just below her knee. The strapless dress consisted of a deep red velvet that hugged her curves and showed off just the right amount of cleavage.
"You look fabulous, Trixie," Honey said smiling at her best friend. "You are going to cause my brother to have a heart attack wearing that," Honey stated, smiling at her best friend.
"Get real, Honey. He won’t even know I am there. We’re only friends anyways," Trixie said, leaving the room and returning in her jeans and sweatshirt. She carefully hung the dress back in the closet and closed the door.
"That’s not true, Trixie. Jim cares about you a lot. I would even go far as to say that he REALLY likes you. You never see the way he looks at you when you enter a room."
"Well, he has a funny way of showing it. We’ve never gone on a date, at least alone. He never even tried to kiss me. Sure I get the glances and hand holding, but nothing more. The most attention I have gotten from him is during one of his lecturing-sprees, telling me that I shouldn’t do this, that, or the other thing. Yeah, he really likes me. Why would he though? He gets to be around all these glamorous girls at college who are beautiful and graceful. Why would he want to waste his time on a tomboy like me who does nothing but get myself into one scrap after another?" Trixie asked, staring at herself in the full length mirror on the back of her door. "Besides, if he likes me so much, why hasn’t he said anything yet? Do you want to know why? Because all we are is friends and that’s all he sees me as."
"Trixie, I think you are one of the prettiest girls I know," Honey said, holding up her hand to fend off Trixie’s complaints. "Don’t even try it. You are, Trixie. You don’t give yourself enough credit."
Trixie blushed at the un-necessary compliments and changed the subject. "Let’s get out of here for a little while," Trixie said, changing the subject. She grabbed her sneaker and shoved her feet into them. Honey let out a sigh and let the subject drop. They walked down the stairs and grabbed their jackets.
"Well, there are two horses that need to get exercised. Ready for our ride?," Honey asked, as they exited the house.
"Sure."
It was unusually cold for this time of the year, 10 degrees. The ground had about an inch of freshly fallen snow covering it. From around the house, Bobby and Reddy came running.
"Trixie, Honey. Wanna see what Moms and me did?" Bobby asked, grabbing Honey’s hand and taking her to the front of the house. Sitting on the porch, there were three big pumpkins, lightly covered in snow.
"Aren’t they pretty, Trixie? Moms and I got them yesterday on the way from White Plains," Bobby stated, staring at them with a smile.
The pumpkins consisted of heart shaped eyes and instead of mouths, each one had a word ‘I’, ‘Love’, and ‘You’. Stuck into the two end ones were little plastic cupids.
"Oh, they are so adorable, Bobby. Did you and Moms do those?" Honey asked, giving the younger Belden a hug.
"Yep," he replied, holding his head high. With that, Bobby and Reddy took off running to the back yard.
Trixie and Honey giggled and continued their way back up the well worn path to Manor House. They came to the stables just as Regan was coming out.
"Well, nice to see that you didn’t forget how to get here. There are horses in here that need to get exercised," Regan said sternly, but with a twinkle in his eyes. Regan was Dan’s uncle, the Wheeler’s groom, and one of the Bob-Whites good friends.
"That was exactly what we planned on doing," Honey said, walking past him to saddle Lady. Trixie walked over to her favorite, Susie and patted her on the neck. They saddled up and walked them out of the stable before mounting them. From around the corner of the stable came Regan’s cat, Tripod, named for the fact that he only had three legs. The cat looked up at the girls and took a few tentative steps forward. A sudden movement from the horses caused Tripod to arch his back, all hair standing on end and he let out a loud growl and hiss before disappearing behind the stables again. They all laughed at the scene.
Trixie and Honey made their way towards the preserve. As they were entering, the boys were exiting. Seeing the girls, Brian and Jim’s faces lit up with smiles.
"Hey, Honey, Trixie," Jim said, staring at Trixie.
"Hi, Jim, Brian." they replied in unison.
They stopped next to each other. "How are the path’s today, Jim?" Honey asked, glancing over at Brian.
"They’re not too bad. The paths are a little muddy and really wet from the snow. Regan would get really mad if something were to happen to the horses," Jim told Honey, pointing back to the path leading into the preserve.
"We’ll be careful. We always are," Trixie said, pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear.
"So, what are the plans for this evening?" Brian asked. "What time are we leaving and who is going with whom?"
"Well, we should get there around 7 p.m." Honey replied. "Not sure about the riding arrangements are as of yet."
"Well, Mart and Dan can take Mart’s car and pick up Di and Angela," Jim explained. "Honey and I can pick you Belden’s up in my Jeep. How does that sound?"
"Perfectly perfect, as usual," Honey said. They chatted a few minutes more, before the boys headed back to the stables.
"Come on, Brian. Let’s get these horses back before they catch cold," Jim said, moving up next to Trixie. She was speechless. She looked over and saw Jim’s green eyes sparkling as he smiled at her. He reached over and tugged at the curl that forever fell in her eyes. "See you tonight, Shamus."
With that, the boys headed back to the stable and the girls proceeded with their ride, with talk of the night ahead.
After returning, they brushed down the horses and cleaned the tack. When they were through, the hung it up and exited the stable.
"So, what should we do now?" asked Honey, as they made their way toward her house.
"Well, I should help Moms get lunch ready. Do you want to eat over, Honey?"
"Sure, why not. I can keep Bobby busy while you help your mom."
With that, the girls made their way down the hill to Crabapple Farm. Entering the kitchen, they noticed Mrs. Belden reading out of a cookbook intently.
"What are you making, Moms?" Trixie asked, peering over her mother’s shoulder.
"Oh, nothing, dear. Hello Honey," Mrs. Belden said, closing up the book and placing it back on the shelf. "I was just trying to see what I was missing to make homemade cinnamon buns, but I don’t have enough yeast. Maybe tomorrow."
"Can I help you with lunch?" Trixie asked.
"That would be wonderful. The boys are going to be home soon and I have to get Bobby cleaned up."
"I’ll get Bobby cleaned up, Mrs. Belden. I don’t mind at all," Honey said and proceeded up the stairs to get Bobby.
From the top of the stairs, Honey started laughing. Trixie looked at her mother with a question in her eyes before running up the stairs, almost colliding into Honey. Trixie’s mouth dropped open at the sight. The war-zone that was Bobby’s room some how managed to make its way out into the hallway. Trucks and action figures were all over the hallway closest to his room. They walked to the doorway of his room and gasped. Every toy he owned was layered over the whole floor. Bobby was bouncing on his bed, with Reddy running from one side to the other, tripping over the toys in his path.
"Robert Belden," Trixie said, entering the room and taking her brother off the bed. "You had better clean up this room before Moms sees it. She will have a fit," Trixie said, entering the room and taking her brother off the bed.
The girls proceeded back into the hallway while Bobby started cleaning his room.
"You go ahead, Trix. I’ll help him clean this up."
"You shouldn’t have to. It’s not your responsibility."
"I don’t mind. Really. Go on," Honey said, nudging Trixie toward the stairs.
With a shrug, Trixie went back to the kitchen and helped her mother with lunch, consisting of sandwiches and tomato soup. A few minutes later, the boys came home and they all settled at the table and ate. The conversation consisted of the party that night and what time they were leaving. After the meal, Trixie and Honey cleaned up the kitchen.
"How about I bring my dress down here and we can get ready together?" Honey asked.
"That would be great," Trixie said, running her hand through her shoulder length blonde curls. "I’m going to need help with this mop,"
"Trixie, no matter how you wear your hair, you are going to be beautiful," Honey boasted, giving her a big hug. Trixie returned the hug and then they separated so that Honey could head home, telling her that she would be back around 4:30.
Trixie climbed the stairs to her room. After closing the door to her room, she walked over to her bookcase and decided that she would read a little before having to get ready for the party. Glancing over the selection, Trixie chose one of her Lucy Radcliffe books. Snuggling up on her bed, she opened the book and began to read. The next thing she knew, her mother was calling up the stairs to her.
"Yeah, Moms?"
"Honey’s here."
"Send her up, please." Trixie sat up and replaced the book back on the shelf.
Honey knocked softly on the door before entering. Honey walked in and laid her garment bag onto the bed and then proceeded to lay out her make up on Trixie’s vanity table. Trixie excused herself and got into the shower. When she returned, Honey was dressed and applying her makeup. Honey’s dress, a bright red color with gold flecks, had spaghetti straps and fell just above her knees, hugging her body nicely.
"Well, I see Brian is up to a challenge tonight," Trixie said, letting out a whistle.
Blushing, Honey stuck her tongue out at Trixie. "Well that will be a double challenge for Jim, now won’t it?," Honey replied, raising an eyebrow in Trixie’s direction.
With a blush rising, Trixie turned and got her dress out and went back into the bathroom to change. Returning, Honey sat her down and proceeded to brush Trixie’s hair, pulling a few strands out on the front for bangs. She then French braided it, including baby’s breath throughout the braid. Taking the heated curling iron, Honey curled the bangs and then pulled them down slightly before applying hairspray to her whole head, to keep everything in place. Trixie applied some light makeup to her face before turning to face the mirror on the back of her door. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It was herself, just better.
"You look great, Trixie," Honey said to her friend, standing next to her. They stood staring at themselves when they suddenly heard voices from the living room. Trixie turned to Honey and took in a deep breath.
"It’s time," Trixie said, letting out the breath. She turned and slipped on a pair of black pumps.
Opening the door, Honey headed down the stairs. Brian stood, staring at the beauty in front of him. He stepped forward, holding out his hand to her. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her into an embrace, followed by a kiss. Honey turned and Brian wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Trixie? You coming?" Honey asked, staring up the stairs.
At the top, Trixie stood, trying to calm her nerves. It’s only Jim. He’s seen you many times in a dress. Just don’t trip, Belden. Taking a last deep breath, she threw on a smile and descended the stairs.
At the bottom, Jim turned and watched her walk towards him. He swallowed over the lump in his throat and smiled. God, she was beautiful, he thought. Clearing his throat, he also held out his hand to Trixie as she stepped off the last stair. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. A blush rose to Trixie’s face as she turned her head slightly away. Jim noticed, grinning, the ever present ID bracelet was on her wrist. Reaching a hand to the table, Jim brought forth a cellophane container.
"I believe it was four years ago that I gave you your first flower," Jim said, opening the container and pulling out a white orchid wrist corsage. He slipped it onto her wrist and then took her hand in his. Trixie stared at the flower, a smile filling her face. Brian had pinned Honey’s corsage of roses to her dress.
Mr. and Mrs. Belden proceeded to take pictures, even as their children and dates gathered their coats and headed out the door. They were taking Jim’s Jeep Cherokee. As Brian walked to the rear door and held it open for Honey, Jim opened the front passenger door for Trixie. Jim was the last to enter the car, taking a few deep breaths before ducking his head in. Honey and Brian sat in the back seat, his arm around her, as they talked about the party. Trixie and Jim sat in complete silence.
Why are you so nervous, Belden? she thought. You’ve done this before. It’s only Jim.
Trixie glanced over at Jim as he backed out of the driveway. He looked at her for a second and smiled. She smiled back. As he put the jeep into drive and headed to the school, he reached over and took her hand in his.
When they arrived at the school, Jim let Brian and Honey off at the front doors before pulling into the parking lot. Locking up the car, they walked hand in hand into the building. Brian and Honey were waiting by the doors for them. They walked down the hallway and into the gym. It was beautiful. It was done in red, white, and gold. The colored streamers fell from the ceiling, with different sized hearts on their ends. Silhouette lights of cupids and hearts were placed randomly around on the walls. There were icicle lights of red and white hanging from the whole ceiling. Scattered on the floor, were various sized red and white balloons, as well as ones shaped like hearts. Brian and Jim helped the girls with their coats and placed them at one of the many tables that had been set up. The room was filling fast as the student body of the school continued to flow through the door.
"I guess nobody could wait to get here," Trixie stated, noting that it was only 7 p.m.. Honey and Brian headed toward the other side of the room where they spied Mart, Di, Dan, and Angela. Trixie and Jim followed behind and soon Brian and Jim were being introduced to Dan’s date. Trixie turned to Di, who was wearing a red dress, decorated with white hearts, and fell below her knees.
"Hey, Honey, Di could have worn your socks with that dress," Trixie said, giving her friend a light elbow to her ribs. Honey turned with a grin and stuck her tongue out at her friend before taking Brian’s hand and heading toward the dance floor.
"Wanna dance, Trix?" Jim asked, holding his hand out to her. She looked down at his outstretched hand and then into his sparkling green eyes.
"With you, anytime," Trixie said, and they made their way out into the dance area. They danced to a few songs before making their way off the floor. They joined their friends at the table where they had placed their coats, flushed and slightly out of breath.
"Would you like something to drink?" Jim asked, as Trixie settled down into one of the chairs next to Honey and Di.
"Yes, thank you, Jim." The male Bob-Whites left with Jim. Honey and Di turned to Trixie.
"You look like you are enjoying yourself for someone who didn’t want to come in the first place," Di said, raising her eyebrows as she looked at Trixie.
Trixie stared off in Jim’s direction and all she could say was "Yeah."
Honey and Di looked at each other before being engulfed in a fit of giggles. Trixie turned to face her friends, with a questioning look.
"Oh, come on, Trixie. That’s all you can say? You two danced like you were the only ones on the floor. You didn’t notice a thing that was going on around you, did you?" Honey asked, laughing.
"There was nothing going on around us," Trixie sniffed, before turning her head toward the dance floor.
On the other side of the room, Brian, Mart and Jim stood watching the people around them.
"So, you and my younger sibling seemed to be getting pretty cozy with each other?" Mart said, taking a bite of the doughnut that he held. "When do you plan on finally asking her out?"
"Let it go, Mart," Brian said, grinning.
Jim ran a nervous hand through his hair and looked over in Trixie’s direction. At that moment, Trixie looked in his direction. She smiled brightly at him before going back to the conversation with Honey and Di. Jim smiled and turned to Brian and Mart.
He stated, "When the time is right." With that, he picked up their drinks and made his way back over to Trixie. Brian and Mart shrugged and followed. They came about 10 feet from the girls when Di gasped, putting her hand to her mouth.
"You RODE Dan?? Were you crazy?," she exclaimed.
Jim stopped in his tracks and gasped himself. Brian and Mart clenched their fists at their sides, as their eyes roamed the room. The girls, hearing Jim’s gasp, turned around to see them. Jim, face pale, walked out of the room, head hanging low. Brian and Mart were working their way across the room toward Dan.
"Oh, No! You don’t think they heard me, do you?" Di asked, looking from Trixie to Honey.
All three realized that they had. Honey and Di bolted toward their boyfriends. Trixie watched Jim disappear out into the hallway and work his way out the front doors. Taking a deep breath, she ran after him. As she walked out, she saw the doors closing behind him. She ran as fast as the dress and shoes would allow, pushing open the doors. Looking around, she saw him heading for the parking lot.
"Jim" she called after him, but he continued to walk. "JIM!"
Now what is his problem? she thought, pulling off her shoes, sucking in her breath when her feet hit the cold, wet concrete. She ran through the parking lot and stopped just behind him as he was pulling out his keys to unlock the Jeep.
"Jim? What’s wrong? Why are you leaving?" Trixie asked, placing her hand on his arm. He stiffened under her touch, but turned to look at her. There was such sadness in the usually bright green eyes.
"What’s wrong?" she asked, confused by his reaction.
"Trix…" Jim started, before dropping his head again and looking out in the distance again.
"What is it, Jim? You know you can talk to me," she urged.
Jim took a deep breath and held it while turning to face her again. He stared at the beautiful girl, not a girl…woman. She had grown so much more beautiful over the past four years since first meeting her.
"I’m sorry, Trixie," he said, turning back and unlocking the door. "I just can’t talk about it right now. I’m sorry,"
"Jim, you are not going to leave here until you tell me what is bothering you," Trixie said, shoving the door closed, just missing his fingers.
"Hey!" He turned on her and saw the concern in her eyes. "I heard what Di said about you and….D-D-Dan. I guess I just wasn’t expecting it, is all. I just wanted to take a few minutes to clear my head before heading back in. I swear that’s all." Jim opened the door again, but this time Trixie did not close it.
"Did you hear the whole conversation or just that end part?" she asked, taking her hand from his arm and crossing both of them across her chest.
"Just the end part. Does it really matter?"
"Well it must to get a reaction out of you like this, don’t you think?" she asked, moving herself between him and the now open door. "Would you talk to me, Jim?"
"Do you like Dan? Because if you do, then I will just…" he said, looking at her.
Trixie started laughing uncontrollably. She grabbed her sides, trying to get herself under control. "Is that what you think? No, Jim, I don’t like Dan, except as a friend, just like us," she said, noticing the look of despair that filled his eyes. She stopped suddenly and took his face in her heads. "Jim, does that bother you? That I might like Dan?"
"Yes," he whispered, trying to hide the emotion from his voice.
"But why?" she asked, wondering if the feelings she had for him were the same thing he felt for her. She urged him to answer. "Well?"
Jim noticed that she was shivering and realized they both had run out without taking their coats. He also noticed that she had no shoes on her feet. Looking from her feet to her face, he shook his head.
"Hey, I can only do so much. I sure can’t run in this dress and those shoes on, now can I?," she asked, leaning over and picking up the shoes she had dropped by her feet. Jim unlocked the other door and they both got in. He started it up and stared straight ahead.
"Trixie…Trix, I care about you so much," Jim began. "More than I actually thought I did, really. Every time I get around you, you just drive me crazy, but in a good way. Well, maybe not in a good way but it’s not a bad way." He looked at her. "I want to be more than just friends with you, Trixie. I want you to be my girlfriend, if you will have me," he rushed and then held his breath waiting for her to answer.
She’s going to laugh in your face, Frayne, he thought.
Trixie’s face lite up with a smile and she threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, Jim. Yes. Yes, I will be your girlfriend. You don’t know what this means to me," she said, tears filling her eyes.
A smile filled his face, eyes twinkling like the stars in the night sky. He reached over and brushed the stray tears off her cheeks.
"You have just made me the happiest man in the whole world, you know that?"
"I do now. But, can I ask you something? Why didn’t you ever ask me before?"
Jim was thankful for the darkness so she was not able to see the blush fill his face. "I wasn’t sure how you felt," he said. "And then, when I get up the nerve to say something to you, I hear something that totally blows my mind."
Trixie laughed at that statement. She took one of his large freckled hands into both of hers and cleared her throat. "Do you want to know what I was talking about?" she asked.
"Trix, really, I don’t wanna…" he started, before she placed her fingers to his lips.
"I was talking about a horse, Jim. A mighty, nasty horse, at that. He had a wilder streak in him than Jupiter does. What happened was Honey and I drove into New Jersey one day last month and we came across this riding stable. We saw all these beautiful horses and wanted to get a better look at them. We parked and walked into the stable. The owners were in there and they introduced us to each of their horses. Well, I fell in love with this jet black one, with white socks on all his feet. What I didn’t know was that he was a wild one. The owners were telling us about each of the horses. They offered to let us take two of them out for an hour, especially after Honey told them about her horses and such. Honey decided to ride a beautiful palomino named Ginger. Well, you know me. I always have to be the difficult one. They told me how hard it was to handle this black beauty….named Danger…or DAN for short, by the way. Well, I decided that he was the one that I wanted to ride that day. Well, the second I got on his back, he took off running, faster than Jupe that day he threw me. He took me for a two mile ride before he came to a sudden halt and I went sailing over his head and smacked down on the ground, rear end first. Honey and the owner came upon us about ten minutes later. I couldn’t move from my spot on the ground my body hurt so bad," she finished, looking up into his face.
Jim was trying so hard not to laugh, but once she stopped telling the tale, he burst at the seams. "I’m sorry, Trix. I don’t mean to laugh. And I’m not laughing at you, honest. I’m laughing because I am so relieved, is all," he said, pulling her into a big hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed with him. They sat for a bit longer, just holding each other, staring into each others eyes.
A knock on the window brought them back to reality. Looking over, Brian and Honey were standing there.
"Are you two going to spend the rest of the night out here or are you going to join the rest of us in the warmth of the school?"
Trixie shivered and withdrew from Jim’s arms. She reached over and pushed the button to roll the window down slightly. "Brian, it is actually quite warm in here, thank you. I think we are just fine. Jim? Do you agree?" Trixie asked, looking at him and winking. He smirked and played along.
"Yeah, actually we are doing just fine in here. Thanks for worrying about us though. You can go on ahead back in. We’ll be in shortly," Jim said, looking at Brian, who’s face was filled with anger at this point. Trixie, rolling her eyes, rolled the window back up and exited out of her door. Jim shut of the engine and exited as well.
"Relax, Brian. Before you have an aneurism or something," Trixie said, draping her arm through Jim’s and leading him back into the school.
As they entered the building, Mart , Di, and Dan were making their way down the hall. Seeing the couples walk through the doors, they sighed in relief. They re-entered the gym and made their way back to the table. The boys went over to a separate area and Brian and Jim seemed to be in a deep discussion. I can just imagine who the topic of that conversation is. Trixie thought.
Jim noticed her looking in their direction and he winked. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.
"Oh, Trixie. I am so happy for you!" Honey whispered, grabbing her hands. Di nodded in agreement.
"Um, what did my brothers say to Dan?" Trixie asked, a bit wearily.
The girls laughed, as they told how they had to basically wrestle the boys off to separate corners away from where Dan stood and explained to them what they had been talking about. The three burst into laughter. Trixie proceeded to tell them about her conversation with Jim. Before she could say another thing, the boys re-joined the group. Jim walked up to Trixie and extended his hand.
"Care to dance, Cinderella?" he grinned. Blushing, she placed her hand into his and rose. Brian, Honey, Mart, and Di followed suit.
Look into my eyes---you will see
What you mean to meAs Jim placed his hands around Trixie’s waist, she wrapped her’s around his neck, blue eyes met green.
Search your heart—search your soul
And when you find me there, you’ll search no more"Jim, why did it take you so long to finally ask me out?"
"I didn’t think you felt the same for me," he replied.
"I’ve felt this way since I found you the first time," she said, her eyes never leaving his handsome face. "I never thought you liked me."
Don’t tell me it’s not worth tryin’ for
"Why would you think that?" he asked, curiously.
You can’t tell me it’s not worth dyin’ for"I guess it was because of all the lecturing you give me and Honey after we get ourselves involved in one case or another. I thought…."
You know it’s true
Everything I do, I do it for"I thought," she continued, "that you only liked lecturing me and not just LIKING me," she finished.
"Trixie, I only lectured you and my sister because I worried about you both. You especially, because I know how you love to jump into a mystery without actually knowing all the facts or how dangerous it can be," Jim said, placing his hand onto the side of her face and gently caressing her cheek.
Look into my heart—you will find
There’s nothin’ there to hide"I know, Jim. But, I guess I figured if you actually felt anything toward me, you would have said something. When you left for college, I figured that you would find a gorgeous girl that was your age. I thought that was what you wanted. Not some tomboy like me," Trixie said, lowering her head so she was staring at her feet.
Jim put his hand under her chin and lifted her face so she was looking at him again. "Trixie, I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. You are spontaneous, thoughtful and giving. You do anything for your friends with out expecting anything in return. Those are only some of the qualities I love about you," he explained, placing his hand back on her waist.
Take me as I am—take my life
I would give it all—I would sacrificeTrixie lowered her hands around Jim’s waist, laying her head on his chest. She closed her eyes as she felt him lower his face into her hair.
Don’t tell me it’s not worth fightin’ for
I can’t help it—there’s nothing I want more
Ya know it’s true
Everything I do—I do it for you.They moved around the dance floor, aware of no one but themselves.
"I see you still wear that," Jim stated with a grin, looking at the ID bracelet that still adorned her left wrist. Trixie grinned, looking up at him.
"I feel safe when I wear it. I feel that as long as I wear it, I am invincible. And, when I’m alone, I feel like you are with me so I’m not as lonely," she finished, blushing. Jim smiled, pulling her closer to him.
There’s no love—like your love
And no other—could give more love
There’s no where—unless your there
All the time—all the wayOh, you can’t tell me it’s not worth tryin’ for
I can’t help it—there’s nothing I want moreJim stopped and held Trixie’s face in his hands, moving it up so she was looking right at him. Their eyes met and he could see the sparkle in those blue eyes he fell in love with four years earlier. Trixie smiled, seeing the love she felt for him reflected in his eyes toward her.
I would fight for you—I’d lie for you
Walk the wire for you—ya I’d die for youJim lowered his face toward hers. Trixie wrapped her arms around his neck again. She raised herself up to meet him halfway and closed her eyes when she felt the warmth of his lips meet hers in a kiss, the first kiss. He pulled back to see her reaction and all she could do was smile. She placed her hands on the back of his neck and brought his face down to her again and she pressed her lips up to his, this time a bit more passionately. She used her tongue to open his lips and wrapped it around his. They pulled apart after a short time, breathless and flushed. Jim placed his hand on the side of Trixie’s face and gently caressed it. Trixie, staring into his eyes, rubbed her cheek into his palm.
"Ya know it’s true. Everything I do—I do it for you," Jim sang to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him. Trixie let out a sigh, holding him tight to her, letting tears of happiness fall from her eyes.
"Happy Valentine’s Day, Trixie."
"Happy Valentine’s Day, Jim."
The End
***I want to thank Robin and LisaMarie for editing my first story. Thanks guys!!!! This is a CWP #7
Disclaimer: Trixie Belden and the BWG’s are property of Random House. No money is made through their use. The song, Every thing I Do by Bryan Adams, was also used with out permission and with nothing being made off of it.