Elisabeth.
It's been a year since he left. I missed him like crazy. I trusted him (and his family) with my life. Still, him not being here... just wasn't the same. Until his father came to me with a plane ticket.
"You should break the news," he said.
I looked at the ticket. "It's only one-way," I frowned. "How will I get back?"
"Who said you were coming back?" He replied. I looked up at him. "Elisabeth, everyone can tell you miss him like no one else on this ranch. I talked to... my wife. She said she'd be happy to have you."
"Thank you!" I hugged him tightly before running into the house and packing all my clothes.
The days from my packing to my leaving were a blur. I'd never flown before, that I could remember, so I still remember the wonder I felt being so high in the sky, like an eagle.
His mother was there when I arrived, and she wrapped her arms around me eagerly.
"Hi sweetheart!" She gushed. "Come! I have your room all set up!" Together, we began walking to the car.
"Does he know?" I asked. "About me being here?"
"Nope!" She smiled. "I want it to be a surprise." We easily threw the luggage in the trunk and I got into the shotgun.
I smiled at the music. "My favorite."
"Our favorite," she replied. "We're just going to drop off all your luggage, and then I'll take you to his school to see him."
"Won't people notice I don't go there?" I asked.
"I called the school. They're having a Western, country-like dance tonight, and when I told them you were coming, they eagerly let you join the school after the weekend, and come today. I'll pick you up after lunch." She said.
After dropping off the luggage, I was dropped off in front of the school. Walking in, I saw the secretary, working on her computer. "Hello," I said, instantly noting my country accent and reddening.
The woman looked up. "Why you must be Elisabeth!" She said, her accent definitely northern. Noting my red cheeks, she added, "Don't worry about your accent. Lucas is in room 10. He has history with Mr. Matthews."
"Thank you, ma'am," I tipped an imaginary hat before walking down the hall. I found room 10 easily, and heard a man talking about the aftermath of the first World War. "Germany was told to give up their army, and pay funds to France and other European countries. Does anyone know why?"
I knocked on the door, "Excuse me, sir?" The man turned around, and the entire class turned to look at me.
Lucas looked stunned into silence. Mr. Matthews looked expectantly at me. "Yes?"
"I'm Elisabeth. I'm going to be joining your class next week," I smiled. "And Germany had to pay funds to France and other countries to repair their ruined lands due to the treaty of Versailles."
"Very well done. Are you here for the day?" Mr. Matthews asked.
"Just for the morning, and the dance tonight," I replied. "I know Lucas." I noticed the girls sitting in front of him stiffened, and the guy to his right kept glancing at the two girls.
Just then, the bell rang, and everyone filtered out, except for those four and Mr. Matthews. Lucas was out of his seat and twirling me around like he used to before I could blink. "Lisa! I can't believe you're here!"
"I missed you too much!" I squealed, burying my face in his shoulder. "I just got here this morning."
"You're here now, and you're going to school with me, and we'll never be apart again!" He added, setting me down.
"I know," I let out an elated, breathless laugh, and turned to the other three. "Lucas, introduce me to your friends."
"Right," Lucas smiled as he gestured to the three. "Lisa, this is Maya," a blond girl with an edgy look, "Farkle," a brown-haired mini-Einstein, "and Riley," a very pretty brunette with a hurt expression.
I looked up at Lucas. "Riley, huh," I mouthed. Lucas turned red, and I burst out laughing. "You're so predictable," I giggled as I turned to the three. "Sorry about that. Nice to meet you." I shook everyone's hands. "What class do you have next?"
"Lunch," Lucas said.
"Oh, really? I should go after Lunch then," I said. "Lucas, a word?"
Once Lucas and I were out of earshot, I turned to him. "En francais, s'il te plaît?"
"En français," Lucas nodded.
"Riley est ton petite amie, non?" I asked. Riley is your girlfriend, no?
Lucas flushed. "Non! Elle est mon mieux amie." He emphasized amie, making me laugh. No! She is my good friend!
I raised an eyebrow. "Vraiment?" Really?
"Vraiment," he replied. Really.
"Pourquoi pas? Vous êtes très mignons ensemble!" Why not? You are very cute together!
"Parce que son pére est notre prof d'histoire, Monsieur Matthews," Lucas replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Because her father is our history teacher, Mr. Matthews.
I laughed. "Oh, mon ami. Il est tres heureux," I said sarcastically. Oh, my friend. You are very lucky.
"Merci, Mademoiselle," Lucas tipped an imaginary hat, like we used to. Thank you, ma'am.
"Shove off," I said finally, shoving him backwards. Laughing, we turned the corner to see Maya, Riley and Farkle attempting to look casual. "Hi guys," I said, acting like nothing happened. "We should probably get to lunch," I said.
"Yeah, we need to hear all about the hoedowns and square dances you guys have in cowboy land," Maya said, putting on a fake country accent.
"I can't tell you much. I spend my time on the farm and at the library. Sorry," I tipped an imaginary hat, "ma'am."
Maya turned away, shuddering. "Oooh, she does it just like him!" She growled.
Farkle looked at me. "What's i?" He asked suddenly.
"In English, a personal pronoun. In math, an imaginary number. The square root of negative one is i. Why?" These people were testing me. For what reason, I don't know.
"Hi, I'm Riley," Riley said shyly.
"Nice to meet you, Riley," I said politely, even though I already knew her name. "So, I heard your dad's the history teacher."
"Yeah," she said. "How'd you know?"
"The resemblance," I lied. An awkward silence settled, and I felt like I was being scrutinized. "So... are your guys' lunch good? I haven't eaten in ages!" I changed the subject, and we went to lunch.
In the end, I wasn't allowed to have lunch, but Lucas managed to get a little extra so I wouldn't starve. It was fairly awkward, as every time I reached to grab a spoonful of his mashed potatoes, Maya would glare at me.
"Lunch wasn't bad," I commented as the four walked me to the door.
"I'll bet it wasn't," Maya muttered.
"Um..." I bit my lip. "I'd better go ahead home. You guys have class."
"Lisa, wait," Lucas grabbed my wrist.
I tried to pull away. "Lucas, s'il te plaît. Je dois le temps. Seulment." Lucas, please. I need the time. Alone.
Lucas's face was tight with concealed irritation and blatant concern, but he still released me. "Fine. I'll see you tonight?"
"At the dance," I said.
"Oh the country dance? I bet you were leaping off the hay bales when you heard about it," Maya snubbed.
My mouth set, and Lucas gave me a sorrowful look. "Lucas, ton amie est très mechant. Est-ce que tu le sais?" Lucas, your friend is mean. Do you know that?
"Je sais," Lucas said slyly. "Son mieux amie est mon 'petite amie'." he put it in quotation marks. I know. Her good friend is my "girlfriend."
"Mais oui," I exhaled slowly. "Goodbye. It was nice to meet you." I turned towards Maya. "I'm sorry to be a nuisance. I'll try to be better behaved next time." I tipped my imaginary hat, "ma'am." But of course.
And with that, I turned on my heel and walked out.
I met Mrs. Friar in the parking lot. "How was your morning?" She asked.
"Okay," I said, not willing to be rude towards others, even if they wouldn't hear. "I can't wait for the dance tonight."
"How did he react when he saw you?" Mrs. Friar asked.
"Great! He waited until the bell rang and twirled me around like he normally does," I grinned.
"You ready for the dance tonight?" Mrs. Friar asked.
"Yup," I replied. "I have everything."
"Good," Mrs. Friar nodded. "Until then, shall we go set up your room?"
"Definitely."
The house was nice. I don't remember much about city living, but this was a nice house. "You have your own room, but you'll have to share if we have guests. I hope you don't mind," Mrs. Friar said as we walked inside.
I shook my head. "Not at all."
Opening the door, I saw a light blue room with a white stained bed, drawers, desk, and bookcase as well as a small window seat. "I set up all your clothes already," Mrs. Friar said. "Which of the dresses are you wearing to the dance?"
"This one," I said, picking up a light green dress; it was a sheer, sparkly dress over a more opaque under dress cinched at the waist with a belt. It was fairly dainty, and I was planning on wearing boots with it.
"Oh sweetheart, that's beautiful," Mrs. Friar cooed. "Well, I'll be downstairs if you need me." And with that, she left.
I looked at the bookshelf, full of books Mr. Friar had somehow sent here. "Harry Potter... Matched... Divergent... aha!" I pulled out one of my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables. It was pretty old-fashioned, but I love imagining myself into these kinds of worlds. Sitting on the window seat, I began to read.
I was at the part where Anne was laying in the boat and pretending to be the Lady of Shallot when there was a knock on my door. I looked up to see Lucas. "Hi," I said. "How was school?"
"I am so sorry about Maya," he said as he sat down beside me. "She's just protective of Riley. She's sensitive and can jump to conclusions."
"It's fine," I assured him. After a pause, I added, "You really like Riley, don't you?"
"That obvious?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"About as obvious as an inexperienced rider mounting his horse," I smirked.
Lucas laughed at the inside joke. "So, rereading again?" He asked.
I looked down. "Yeah, just killing time," I smiled weakly. There was a pause as I continued reading, and Lucas sat on my bed. When I looked up, I took note of Lucas' concerned expression. "What?"
"Don't let Maya get to you," Lucas said. I chuckled and looked back at the book. "Seriously."
I closed the book softly and put it beside me. "Lucas, don't worry, ok? She won't get to me." I looked around for a distraction. "Don't you have any homework?"
"I see what it is," Lucas teased as he stood up. "So subtle."
"Passive aggressive," I smirked as I returned to my book. "Now, that homework?"
"I'm going, I'm going," Lucas rolled his eyes as he walked out of my room.
Once I finished the book, I went downstairs, where Mrs. Friar was cooking. "Did it come in?" I asked eagerly.
"Honey, the mail hasn't come in yet," Mrs. Friar said. "I'm making something special for dinner tonight though, just for you."
"Like what?" I asked.
"How about your favorite?" Mrs. Friar said.
"Yay!" I jumped up and down. "Can I help?"
"Of course not, dear! Go do something else!" Mrs. Friar exclaimed, shooing me away.
Laughing, I turned to find Lucas. "Got kicked out of the kitchen, huh," he said.
"Yup," I sighed. "Now it's let's-bother-Lucas time."
"Oh no," Lucas shook his head. "No you aren't." With that, he picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder. Then he carried me, squealing, up to his room and threw me onto the bed.
"Lucas," I whined. "It's bother-Lucas-time, not bother-Lisa-time."
"I just wanted to talk to you," Lucas said, now seriously.
"About Maya? Lucas don't worry about it," I said. "She means no harm."
"She's just... hard to get to know," Lucas said.
"Again, don't worry about it," I said, standing up.
"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Friar called.
"Oh, I've missed this," I said before bolting down the stairs for dinner.
After the best dinner I've had in a year, I rushed back upstairs to shower and get dressed for the dance.
I was looking in the mirror when there was a knock. "Can I come in?" Lucas' voice came through the door.
"Sure," I said, smiling when he came in, decked out in country gear. "That'll set Maya off."
"We'll both set Maya off," Lucas said. "Have you got a hat somewhere?"
"Of course," I scoffed, acquiring a hat and putting it on my head. "Let's go."
Just before we got downstairs, Lucas froze. "Hold on, I forgot something," he said, rushing off.
"I'll be downstairs," I said as I walked downstairs to find Mrs. Friar holding an envelope. I froze myself. "Is it..." I couldn't finish.
"It is," Mrs. Friar nodded. "So..."
"I'll tell him later," I said, as Lucas came down. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah," Lucas nodded.
I took a deep breath when I saw the door to the gym. I didn't know why, but I knew something was going to happen in there. Something big.
"Shall we?" I looked over to Lucas, who was offering his arm. "Relax, okay? Nothing bad will happen."
"Okay," I said, breathing deeply as I took his arm. "I'm ready."
Lucas opened the door, and we walked in. Lots of people were staring at us, dressed in fairly ridiculous stereotypical country outfits. Surprisingly, it made me feel better. Country music was playing, and there were a lot of hay bales lying around.
"Not bad," I whispered to Lucas, who nodded.
"Look at you two," Maya's voice cut through the crowd. "You look like a match made in country heaven."
"Why thank you, Maya," I said sweetly. She hadn't conformed to the theme; not that I thought she would, considering her dislike of country, and me. "You look lovely. As do you, Riley," I said to the brunette who had just shown up.
"Thank you," Riley smiled shyly at me.
Suddenly, a familiar song came on. Lucas and I immediately looked at each other. "Yes," we said simultaneously, grabbed each others hands, and walked out on the dance floor. Lucas put a hand on my waist and grabbed my other hand. I rested my free hand on his shoulder, and we began to dance West Coast swing. It was something we always did together, and was a lot of fun. We did plenty of elaborate moves, like spins and dips and fancy footwork. We didn't realize how empty the floor was and how many people were looking at us until the song ended, and everyone stared clapping. Embarrassed, we moved off the dance floor as more people came on.
"Impressive, Mr. Friar and Ms. ... uh," Mr. Matthew paused.
"Elisabeth," I prompted.
"Ms. Elisabeth. Does this mean you've moved on from my daughter, Mr. Friar?" Mr. Matthews inquired hopefully.
I laughed as Lucas shook his head. "No sir. Elisabeth and I are very close friends, almost like siblings. I have no attraction to her."
Mr. Matthews looked so comically downhearted, I almost laughed. However, that would be rude, so I held it back. "Well, alright then. Enjoy your night, Mr. Friar, Ms. Elisabeth."
Once he left, Lucas turned to me. "I'm going to get us some drinks, okay?"
"Okay," I nodded, but as soon as he left, I turned to find Maya, looking very threatening.
"Pretty dance you and Hopalong did back there," Maya said. "I bet you wished he would sweep you off your feet and whisk you back to Texas on a white horse."
"W-What?" I gasped.
"Sorry to break it to you sweetheart, but Ranger Rick likes it here. He likes Riley. So you can ride the horse yourself back to the countryside where you belong, you country born redneck with no manners except when you're talking to your show horse before you do show racing or show horse tricks. I bet you were never in the city, so you never knew how to play the rules. Well I do, and I want you to back off of Lucas. He's going to be with Riley." A crowd formed around me and Maya, silent.
"Maya, what are you doing?" Riley exclaimed, rushing to Maya's side.
"Why would you say that to her?" Lucas showed up from behind me. "That's just cruel, Maya."
"No it's alright," I said, emotionless. "She's just stating her opinion."
Maya smirked. "But I'm not going to sit by the sidelines and let you verbally abuse me, ma'am." I said the last word sarcastically. "Especially with your lies."
"What lies?" Maya challenged.
"Firstly, lack of manners? Funny coming from you. My country manners make me more likeable. Just ask anyone I talked to all day. Secondly, I can't do what you call ' show racing ' or ' show tricks '. That's all Lucas. Thirdly, I wasn't born in the country. I was born in New York City. Spent seven years of my life there until my parents drove me down to the country and left me at the nearest orphanage." Everyone gasped at that. "And lastly, I would never steal Lucas from you, Riley," I directed my sentence towards her. "Because I just realized why you never liked me, Maya. I never introduced myself."
"Of course you did, you're Elisabeth, Lucas' old girlfriend," Maya snapped.
I simply held my hand out. "Hi, nice to meet you, Maya. I'm Elisabeth Friar." More dramatic gasps. "I'm Lucas' sister." Maya's mouth dropped open. "Which you would've known, if you'd just asked."
And with that, I pushed my way through the crowd towards the exit.
I burst out of the school, finding a secluded corner where I could sit on the wall separating the flowerbeds next to the school from the street. I held my hat in my hands, fighting to hold back my tears. Considering tears were dripping down my face and darkening the fabric, I was failing considerably.
"Elisabeth?"
"Go away, Lucas," I turned away from him. "I don't want to hear your 'I told you so,' so could you please leave?"
"Lisa," Lucas sat next to me. "I'm sorry I never clarified our relationship. I didn't think it would affect anything. And I was just so excited to see you, I never thought about what the others would think."
I shook my head. "It's fine. It's not your fault."
"You're right." I turned to see Maya standing nearby. "It's mine." When I gave no response, she continued. "I just assumed, because you were so close to Lucas, that you had been dating. It didn't help that you were pretty and looked nothing like Lucas. Riley looked really hurt by it too, and that just made me madder. I'm sorry."
"It's fine," I said. "I just... wish you'd have asked. It would have saved a lot of drama."
"Yeah, well, I'm protective," Maya said. "And I wanted to get rid of you as fast as I could."
"I figured," I smiled. "Well, I don't think I'll go back to the dance, so I'm going home." The minute Lucas opened his mouth, I slapped my hand over it. "No, Lucas, I know you want to stay. Just stay. I texted Ma to take me home." I felt Lucas smile as I referred to my new mother. Taking my hand off of his mouth, I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Get home safe, okay brother?" I pulled back to make sure he nodded before pulling away. Just then, a familiar car pulled up in front of the school. "Bye Lucas, bye Maya!" I waved briefly before heading for the car.
The End.