"Til death do us
part, in sickness and in
health-" Haylie froze and
hit her head on the desk.
Her best friend, Camie,
did the same.
"Haylie, if you don't get this right, Mr. Tarrance will totally flip out on you!" Camie warned. "He even told you that if you didn't have it memorized that you would spend the rest of the year in SUMMER SCHOOL! Get it? S-u-m-m-e-r s-c-h-o-ol."
Haylie moaned. "I know, I know, just give me some time to think. I can't even think about summer school with David leaving for college." But Camie shook her head.
"But Hay-"
"Cam, I swear, if you don't go, I'll go ballistic." And with that, Camie stormed out of the room. Haylie sighed and thought of sleeping through Mr. Francises' summer course. I can't fail drama, I can't fail drama, she kept saying in her head. But the more she thought, the more she began to doubt she would make it out of high school. Camie came back into the room.
"I have to get going." She said, her big red curls bouncing. "I got a call from Teresa and she says that her car broke down. Look, Haylie, you have two and a half hours to practice. Get going. See ya."
Haylie waved lazily as Camie picked up her books and left. Suddenly, a loud THUMP sounded. Haylie's head slowly rose from the desk as she found a thick book lying on the ground by the door.
"Cam, you forgot one of your books!" She called, walking over to the book and picking it up. But no reply came from Camie so Haylie walked back to the desk and looked at the cover of the book.
"'Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'? Doofy name, could've sworn I've heard of it before." Haylie mumbled to herself. She opened the book to the first page, finding it filled up all the way with little tiny letters that were in a very different dialogue than usual. She began to read it until her eyes began to sting and blur. Slowly she drifted to sleep.
Suddenly, Haylie felt someone poke her in the ribs. "Aww come on! Just let me sleep for a few more minutes." She moaned, rolling over. But she got poked again, and some voices followed.
"Should we let her sleep?" a Scottish voice asked. Haylie's eyes opened slowly to find three men looking down on her. She screamed but put her hand over her mouth.
"Oh, God. Am I dreaming?" Haylie asked herself. "Who are you guys? This isn't drama class, right? Because if it was, I would know. Someone would've woken me up and I would have left, right?" The one guy on the left with ginger hair shrugged and looked to his friends.
"D'ya think she might've been hit in the head and caught amonia?" He asked. Another one rolled his eyes.
"It's amnesia, Pippin. Stupid dolt." The one called Pippin hung his head, hurt by the other one's words. Haylie sat up, still oblivious to this place. She surveyed her surroundings, a lovely green meadow and a pale blue sky, the sun shining merrily.
She trembled. "Please, please tell me. Where am I and who are you?" Another man looked at her through kind brown eyes. "This is the Shire, miss, and I'm Sam. That's Merry," He said, pointing to the one beside him who insulted the Scottish one. Merry pointed to the last man.
"And that's Pippin." He said. "Now, if you don't mind us askin', who are you?" Haylie scooted back, not sure if she was hallucinating.
"Did you say the Shire? I remember this...that book!" She cried. "That book that Camie dropped! I read something about a Shire place and hobbits and-" The one named Sam nodded.
"That's what we are--hobbits." He replied. "Now if you tell us who you are and where you're from, we might be able to help you." Haylie took in a deep breath, trying to think of a logical solution.
"I'm Haylie Hamilton and I'm from Ohio." She stammered out. The hobbits all had strange and confused looks on their faces. Haylie's mouth dropped open. "I'm hallucinating. Either that or I'm dreaming. This cannot be happening." She said, putting her hand to her head. "I remember falling asleep while reading that book and then...I wake up here? Oh, this can't be real." Haylie began to cry, worried that she was going crazy. Sam walked crawled over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Miss Haylie, it'll be fine. Maybe we can help you get back to Oreo."
Haylie stifled a giggle through her tears. "Ohio."
"Ohio, right." Sam replied. "Just...just let us take you to my house. I'm sure we can get you back to where you came from." Haylie nodded and got up, deciding maybe this was a dream and that these people were okay. The hobbits stared at Haylie's attire.
Her maroon shirt that showed her trim stomach, her hip hugger jeans, and her big high heeled chunky shoes made them stare at her nonchalantly. She rolled her eyes.
"Haven't you guys ever seen the new Tommy Hilfiger fashion line?" She asked quietly. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh yeah, you guys are all into the pure, earthly, dressy yet casual thing."
Merry tried to take his eyes off Haylie's chest. "Um, I doubt they're going to let you into town looking like that." He said, his eyes slowly making their way up to meet Haylie's eyes. "Maybe one of Sam's sisters can lend you a dress or something."
"Yeah," Pippin said. "I bet her and Marigold are around the same size." Sam nodded and looked at Haylie. "You might want to wear this," He told her, draping a cloak around her shoulders. "It won't draw too much attention but it'll look really strange for me to be with a girl no one knows about."
Haylie's heart beat up against her chest. She was so scared of this place, afraid that she could never go back to her father, her sister and brothers, Camie, David--Haylie froze.
"David..." She whispered under her breath. Sam turned around and looked at Haylie along with Merry and Pippin. "Pardon?" Merry asked. Haylie shook her head and smiled a fake smile. "Oh, I'm fine." But she wasn't fine. She was worried to death.
Once they reached Sam's house, Merry and Pippin had left to go find Frodo, Haylie and Sam walked to his younger sister Marigold's room. She was sitting on her bed, reading a book, when her eyes darted up and looked at them.
"Sam, who is this?" She asked, worriedly. Sam introduced Haylie to Marigold. "This is Haylie, she's..." Sam paused to think. "...she's here from Rivendell and she can't get back. Do you think you can lend her a dress and maybe make her look more....hobbity?"
Marigold still couldn't believe her eyes. "She is an elf? A real elf? Samwise, how would you come by such a discovery?" Sam shrugged.
"Found her in the field."
Marigold nodded and looked over Haylie with her hand cupped around her chin. She made some humming noises before nodding quickly. "Yes, it wouldn't be that hard to do but I can manage it...for a small fee." She added with a smirk. Sam rolled his eyes and pulled out a small sack of money, tossing it to his little sister. And in a flash, Sam was whipped out of the room as Marigold did her stuff.
After about a half an hour, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were sitting outside of Marigold's room when Marigold came out with a brush in one hand and scissors in the other. She sighed and wiped imaginary sweat off her brow.
"Well, it wasn't easy but she's finished." She told them. "But she wants you all to go in there. She's a little embarrassed." All the hobbits jammed themselves through the door and into the room.
Over in the corner, looking in the mirror, was a girl with lots of curly brown ringlets in her hair and a dress that slimmed her middle and poofed out around her hips. She turned around and sighed at them, wiping away a tear with her palm. The hobbits' mouths dropped at the sight of her. But she turned around again and sniffled.
"I want to go home." Haylie told them. "I'm worried that I might not be able to get back home...and I need to get back there." Sam walked over to her, staring at her with sympathy.
"I don't think we can get you home by ourselves but we'll try. I promise you'll get back." He said. Haylie turned around and threw her arms around Sam, who was shocked. She sniffled again and looked over at the other hobbits, who were also staring at her. Suddenly, she came to a halt and wiped off her tears.
Sam introduced Haylie to Frodo. Haylie began to scream. "Oh my God! You're Elijah-" She paused and calmed herself down. "Sorry, you just remind me of someone." Frodo laughed and shook her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Haylie." Merry looked out the window and saw someone knocking on the door. He smiled when he recognized who it was.
"Oh Samwise, dear!" Merry said in a high pitched voice. "It's Rose Cotton, waiting for your sister!" Sam straightened up and ran over to the door. He took a deep breath and opened the door to the beautiful Rose Cotton.
She smiled. "Hello, Master Samwise." Sam grinned back. "Hullo, Miss Cotton. I suppose you're wanting Daisy." Rose nodded as Haylie walked out of the room and into the hall.
"Yes," Rose said, concentrating on Haylie. "Yes, I do wish to see your sister--who is that girl over there?" Haylie looked up as all Sam tried to think of an excuse, and with all the confidence in the world, Haylie walked up to her.
"You must be Rose. We haven't met but I'm Haylie Boffin, a close, close friend of Sam's. What a lovely blouse you're wearing, if it's not to bold to say." Haylie said in a British accent. Rose smiled, as did the others.
"Why, thank you. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Miss Boffin, but Daisy and I have a party to attend with Liam Bracegirdle, so if you excuse us." Rose finished as Daisy ran down the hall and out the door. The door was slammed in Sam's face before he even said goodbye.
He sighed softly as Haylie smirked. "Is that who you like? Well, she's certainly a good choice, Sam, good for you." Pippin shook his head.
"Why's she hanging around with that Liam Bracegirdle? Everyone knows he's up to something in that handsomely charming mind of his." Sam shrugged, a little heartbroken.
At that moment, a loud noise began to come from Marigold's room. The hobbits froze and stayed glued to the wall. It took Haylie a moment before realizing it was her cell phone.
She ran to retrieve it and she brought it back for the hobbits to see. Their eyes widened. "What is that--that thing?" Frodo asked. Haylie smiled.
"My phone. I can receive a message from someone miles away with this. But apparently, it doesn't work in Middle Earth. I can't reply back." She flipped the lid open to reveal a picture of two people sitting at a table, locking lips. Haylie's smile faded as she read what it said underneath the picture.
"'Haylie, found this while shopping at Macy's. I'm so sorry, hun. ~Camie'." The picture was of David and another girl. The cell phone screen became covered in wet puddles as Haylie began to cry.
Sam looked at her. "Do you know those people?" He asked curiously. Haylie nodded. "I know the man. He's my boyfriend."
Pippin looked confused. "But that girl in the picture isn't you." Suddenly a silence came over the room as the hobbits figured out what was happening with Haylie's boyfriend.
"He's been cheating on me the whole time." She said in a distant voice which gradually became louder and angrier. "The whole freakin' time...that stupid jerk! When I get back I'm going to rip out his heart and puree it in a blender! That son of a bitch!"
Haylie curled up in a ball and began to cry again. Frodo looked at Sam. "Maybe you should let her sleep a while, Sam. A good rest might do her some good." Sam nodded and helped Haylie into his room. She fell asleep on his bed and woke up later in the night.
She noticed a note on the door from Sam, which read, "Haylie, do not use the door. My parents are home and they will be suspcious if there is a girl sleeping in my bed. Climb out the window and go to Frodo's house. From, Sam."
Haylie did as told and ran to Frodo's house, where they were waiting. Sam smiled when he saw her. "Are you feeling better?" She nodded, but she wasn't fully over David. She choked back the tears and walked inside the house. It was much like Sam's only smaller. Frodo sat her down at a table and poured her some tea. She looked down at it and frowned.
"Do you have any Vanilla Coke?" She asked. Frodo looked at through his blue eyes with confusion. Haylie smiled weakly. "Nevermind." She took a sip of tea and sighed, her breath uneven. Suddenly, she began to cough and sputter. The hobbits ran to her, wondering what was wrong, but Haylie just put her hand up to signal she was fine.
"I'm....fine. I need...my inhaler." She wheezed. "But I can last." Merry looked out the window and said, "The party's starting in an hour and none of us have dates!" Frodo stayed quiet. "None of us have dates, right?"
Haylie turned around to look at him. He blushed. "Well, I don't have one but I did get a lot of requests. So I'm in the same boat as you guys." Haylie nodded.
"Yeah, I guess that means you guys are going to all have to go alone." She told him. But they all looked at her and she knew what they were thinking. She hit her head on the table.
"Now WHY couldn't this have happened at the prom?" She asked herself. Pippin shrugged. "Please? One of us needs at least a date." Merry nodded.
"Yeah, how about you pick a number and we have to guess it?"
Haylie sighed and nodded. "Okay, shoot." She said dully. Sam picked five, Pippin picked two hundred, making Haylie laugh, Frodo picked sixty four, and Merry picked one.
"The number was three." Haylie told them. They all groaned. "Redo!" They all shouted. Haylie groaned and picked another number. And this time, she also added, "Pick a number one through one hundred."
Merry picked twenty one, Pippin picked three, Frodo picked forty five, and Sam picked ninety nine. Haylie smiled and said, "The number was forty nine. Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Frodo Baggins, come on down!"
Frodo smiled as the others sort of frowned. Haylie noticed their faces and spoke up. "But I promise I'll at least dance with all of you tonight." Their smiles grew a little but not as much as Haylie would've liked. She went into the bathroom to freshen up and came out, still looking stunning. The others left to go get ready and Haylie left with Sam.
As they walked to his house, they talked a while. "Do you still love him?" Sam asked Haylie, putting his hands in his pockets. "David, I mean." Haylie wasn't entirely prepared for this but she looked down at her feet.
"Yes and no. I still love him for all he's done for me but now...now I hate his guts. I hurt so much right now." She told him. "I don't think I'll ever be ready for someone else." Sam nodded understandingly.
"I know, Haylie. And I feel it is my responsibility to protect you, on account of I found you." Haylie smiled and grabbed onto Sam's arm.
"That's so sweet of you. You're treat me like a sister or something. Why?" She asked him as they went inside the house. Sam shrugged, taking Haylie into his room with him.
"Because you are like a little sister to me. You act just like Marigold...only smarter." He replied, making Haylie giggle. As Sam looked through his closet for something to wear, Haylie looked at a paper on Sam's desk. She walked over to it to read it but Sam grabbed it back out of her hands.
"Don't read that." He said seriously. "It's...it's something I wrote for Rosie." Sam blushed as Haylie grabbed his hand that ws holding the letter.
"Please? I love reading poetry." She said softly. Sam hesitantly handed it over and Haylie's eyes lit up with excitement.
"The night upon we met I thought I was hallucinating. But I wasn't, you were an angel. I thought you had to be a dream. But you weren't , you were an angel. They thought you were only a pretty face. But you weren't, you were an angel. I thought it was only a crush. But it wasn't, I was in love.' Oh my God, Sam. That's beautiful." She said smiling.
He blushed again and replied shyly, "We better get going. The party's already begun." They ran out of the house and met Frodo, Merry, and Pippin down at the party. Haylie looked around and couldn't believe all the people there. Especially a handsome young hobbit with light blond hair and greenish hazel eyes. He was linked arm and arm with Rose Cotton, who was looking like the proudest girl in all the world. It had to be Liam Bracegirdle. Boy, no wonder Rose was so excited.
Haylie looked over at Frodo, who was looking back at her. She smiled and grasped his hand. "Well, what do we do now?" Frodo shrugged.
"Find a table and introduce you to my uncle." Frodo said. "He's one hundred and eleven years old today and-"
"Holy shit, he's really freakin old!" Haylie interrupted loudly. When everyone looked at her, she laughed nervously and looked at the ground. "Sorry, but that's really outta this world. Normally, the big five-o is old but one hundred and eleven? Man, that really must suck."
Frodo laughed. "I'm sure it doesn't--suck--or anything like that. Bilbo, he lives life to the fullest, you know?" He told her. But he spotted his uncle and dragged Haylie over to him. Bilbo gave a warm smile and greeted them.
"Frodo, my lad, it's wonderful that you came!" He said in a friendly tone of voice. Frodo hugged Bilbo and smiled back.
"I wouldn't miss this for the world, Bilbo. Oh, and this is my friend, Haylie." Haylie smiled at Bilbo and curtsied. Bilbo's eyes twinkled as he looked over his nephew's new friend.
He told her, "What a lovely young woman this is, Frodo! Are you sure she's not an elf in disguise?" And with that, Haylie blushed pure pink. Not knowing what to say, she just flashed him an even brighter smile.
"I'm the farthest thing from an elf, Mister Bilbo." She said in a British accent. "But thank you for the compliment."
"Aw, well, go and have some fun, young ones! The night is young and so are you two. Eat, drink, and dance!" As he walked away, he whispered in Frodo's ear, "Go easy on her, lad." Frodo rolled his eyes as Haylie asked him if they could have a dance.
He accepted as a slow dance song came on. Frodo looked at Haylie, his blue eyes glued to her face. She blushed and looked down.
"Do I have something on my face?" She asked him. He shook his head. "No, I just never noticed how beautiful you are up close. You have amazingly beautiful eyes, did you know that?" He ran his finger along her cheek. "And your skin is so soft. But your smile, it's gorgeous." Haylie and Frodo stared at each other for a moment or to and then they stopped dancing as Sam walked over to them.
"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Frodo, but may I have this dance with her?" He asked politely. Frodo nodded and winked at Sam. Haylie danced with Sam slowly.
"Frodo's really nice." She told him. He nodded. "I know. He's great." Haylie giggled and looked over at him. "He was hitting on me." Sam stopped dancing and held Haylie's shoulders.
"He was hitting you? Haylie, that's a really serious matter! I can't believe him, hitting you and all. Are you hurt?" He asked concerningly. Haylie started dancing with him again.
"No, where I come from, the term 'hitting on' means flirting with. Don't worry." Sam laughed embarrassedly as Haylie saw Rosie looking at her jealously. She pointed over at Rose.
"Why don't you go ask that girl for a dance?" Haylie asked Sam. "She seems to be jealous of me for dancing with the famous and charmingly polite Samwise Gamgee."
Sam's eyes opened up wide. "She's looking o'er at me?" Haylie nodded and pushed him over towards Rose.
"Yes, now go and ask her to dance."
"But-" "Now!" She said forcefully, giving him a shove. Haylie laughed as Sam slowly asked Rose to dance. As she watched them, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to face Pippin, who was turning a shade of red.
"Um, er, Haylie?" He stammered, putting his hands in his pockets. "Eh, uh, do you....do you think, um, that...just maybe I could...I mean, do you want to...I mean, you don't have to but...but would you like to...dance?"
Haylie crossed her arms and made a cross look spread over her face in attempt to fool Pippin. "I don't know. Dancing with an annoying little twit like you? I need some time to think about it." Pippin's head dropped down as Haylie turned around. Then she whipped back to face him and nodded. "Time's up! I'd love to dance with you." Pippin smiled as Haylie dragged him out on the dance floor.
They danced awhile and after the song was over, Haylie gave Pippin a kiss on the cheek. "You're an excellent dancer, Master Peregrin." Pippin blushed again and Haylie giggled as Sam walked over to them.
Pippin looked at the expression on Sam's face and smirked. "So how was your little dance with Rosie, Sam?" Sam sighed dreamily and turned his head towards Rosie.
"She's amazingly, wonderfully, extremely, unexplainably...fantastic." He told them. Haylie smiled and yawned. Sam noticed her as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. He took her hand.
"Do you want to go back to my house? You could have my bed and then I could just sleep on the floor and-" Haylie put a hand over Sam's mouth. Her brown eyes had a glint in them.
She chuckled softly. "Sam, take a breather. I don't have to stay at your house. I mean, I could find a place to stay until I can get back home. I know it could cause a problem, being at your house and all." But Sam shook his head.
"No, Haylie, you have to stay. You have to stay at my house. All your things are there and...well, please don't leave. I want you to stay at my house." He told her pleadingly. Haylie nodded.
"Alright," She said. "But if I cause any trouble, I'm out of there in a flash." Sam smiled as he and Haylie said goodbye to Pippin and the others.
part, in sickness and in
health-" Haylie froze and
hit her head on the desk.
Her best friend, Camie,
did the same.
"Haylie, if you don't get this right, Mr. Tarrance will totally flip out on you!" Camie warned. "He even told you that if you didn't have it memorized that you would spend the rest of the year in SUMMER SCHOOL! Get it? S-u-m-m-e-r s-c-h-o-ol."
Haylie moaned. "I know, I know, just give me some time to think. I can't even think about summer school with David leaving for college." But Camie shook her head.
"But Hay-"
"Cam, I swear, if you don't go, I'll go ballistic." And with that, Camie stormed out of the room. Haylie sighed and thought of sleeping through Mr. Francises' summer course. I can't fail drama, I can't fail drama, she kept saying in her head. But the more she thought, the more she began to doubt she would make it out of high school. Camie came back into the room.
"I have to get going." She said, her big red curls bouncing. "I got a call from Teresa and she says that her car broke down. Look, Haylie, you have two and a half hours to practice. Get going. See ya."
Haylie waved lazily as Camie picked up her books and left. Suddenly, a loud THUMP sounded. Haylie's head slowly rose from the desk as she found a thick book lying on the ground by the door.
"Cam, you forgot one of your books!" She called, walking over to the book and picking it up. But no reply came from Camie so Haylie walked back to the desk and looked at the cover of the book.
"'Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'? Doofy name, could've sworn I've heard of it before." Haylie mumbled to herself. She opened the book to the first page, finding it filled up all the way with little tiny letters that were in a very different dialogue than usual. She began to read it until her eyes began to sting and blur. Slowly she drifted to sleep.
Suddenly, Haylie felt someone poke her in the ribs. "Aww come on! Just let me sleep for a few more minutes." She moaned, rolling over. But she got poked again, and some voices followed.
"Should we let her sleep?" a Scottish voice asked. Haylie's eyes opened slowly to find three men looking down on her. She screamed but put her hand over her mouth.
"Oh, God. Am I dreaming?" Haylie asked herself. "Who are you guys? This isn't drama class, right? Because if it was, I would know. Someone would've woken me up and I would have left, right?" The one guy on the left with ginger hair shrugged and looked to his friends.
"D'ya think she might've been hit in the head and caught amonia?" He asked. Another one rolled his eyes.
"It's amnesia, Pippin. Stupid dolt." The one called Pippin hung his head, hurt by the other one's words. Haylie sat up, still oblivious to this place. She surveyed her surroundings, a lovely green meadow and a pale blue sky, the sun shining merrily.
She trembled. "Please, please tell me. Where am I and who are you?" Another man looked at her through kind brown eyes. "This is the Shire, miss, and I'm Sam. That's Merry," He said, pointing to the one beside him who insulted the Scottish one. Merry pointed to the last man.
"And that's Pippin." He said. "Now, if you don't mind us askin', who are you?" Haylie scooted back, not sure if she was hallucinating.
"Did you say the Shire? I remember this...that book!" She cried. "That book that Camie dropped! I read something about a Shire place and hobbits and-" The one named Sam nodded.
"That's what we are--hobbits." He replied. "Now if you tell us who you are and where you're from, we might be able to help you." Haylie took in a deep breath, trying to think of a logical solution.
"I'm Haylie Hamilton and I'm from Ohio." She stammered out. The hobbits all had strange and confused looks on their faces. Haylie's mouth dropped open. "I'm hallucinating. Either that or I'm dreaming. This cannot be happening." She said, putting her hand to her head. "I remember falling asleep while reading that book and then...I wake up here? Oh, this can't be real." Haylie began to cry, worried that she was going crazy. Sam walked crawled over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Miss Haylie, it'll be fine. Maybe we can help you get back to Oreo."
Haylie stifled a giggle through her tears. "Ohio."
"Ohio, right." Sam replied. "Just...just let us take you to my house. I'm sure we can get you back to where you came from." Haylie nodded and got up, deciding maybe this was a dream and that these people were okay. The hobbits stared at Haylie's attire.
Her maroon shirt that showed her trim stomach, her hip hugger jeans, and her big high heeled chunky shoes made them stare at her nonchalantly. She rolled her eyes.
"Haven't you guys ever seen the new Tommy Hilfiger fashion line?" She asked quietly. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh yeah, you guys are all into the pure, earthly, dressy yet casual thing."
Merry tried to take his eyes off Haylie's chest. "Um, I doubt they're going to let you into town looking like that." He said, his eyes slowly making their way up to meet Haylie's eyes. "Maybe one of Sam's sisters can lend you a dress or something."
"Yeah," Pippin said. "I bet her and Marigold are around the same size." Sam nodded and looked at Haylie. "You might want to wear this," He told her, draping a cloak around her shoulders. "It won't draw too much attention but it'll look really strange for me to be with a girl no one knows about."
Haylie's heart beat up against her chest. She was so scared of this place, afraid that she could never go back to her father, her sister and brothers, Camie, David--Haylie froze.
"David..." She whispered under her breath. Sam turned around and looked at Haylie along with Merry and Pippin. "Pardon?" Merry asked. Haylie shook her head and smiled a fake smile. "Oh, I'm fine." But she wasn't fine. She was worried to death.
Once they reached Sam's house, Merry and Pippin had left to go find Frodo, Haylie and Sam walked to his younger sister Marigold's room. She was sitting on her bed, reading a book, when her eyes darted up and looked at them.
"Sam, who is this?" She asked, worriedly. Sam introduced Haylie to Marigold. "This is Haylie, she's..." Sam paused to think. "...she's here from Rivendell and she can't get back. Do you think you can lend her a dress and maybe make her look more....hobbity?"
Marigold still couldn't believe her eyes. "She is an elf? A real elf? Samwise, how would you come by such a discovery?" Sam shrugged.
"Found her in the field."
Marigold nodded and looked over Haylie with her hand cupped around her chin. She made some humming noises before nodding quickly. "Yes, it wouldn't be that hard to do but I can manage it...for a small fee." She added with a smirk. Sam rolled his eyes and pulled out a small sack of money, tossing it to his little sister. And in a flash, Sam was whipped out of the room as Marigold did her stuff.
After about a half an hour, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were sitting outside of Marigold's room when Marigold came out with a brush in one hand and scissors in the other. She sighed and wiped imaginary sweat off her brow.
"Well, it wasn't easy but she's finished." She told them. "But she wants you all to go in there. She's a little embarrassed." All the hobbits jammed themselves through the door and into the room.
Over in the corner, looking in the mirror, was a girl with lots of curly brown ringlets in her hair and a dress that slimmed her middle and poofed out around her hips. She turned around and sighed at them, wiping away a tear with her palm. The hobbits' mouths dropped at the sight of her. But she turned around again and sniffled.
"I want to go home." Haylie told them. "I'm worried that I might not be able to get back home...and I need to get back there." Sam walked over to her, staring at her with sympathy.
"I don't think we can get you home by ourselves but we'll try. I promise you'll get back." He said. Haylie turned around and threw her arms around Sam, who was shocked. She sniffled again and looked over at the other hobbits, who were also staring at her. Suddenly, she came to a halt and wiped off her tears.
Sam introduced Haylie to Frodo. Haylie began to scream. "Oh my God! You're Elijah-" She paused and calmed herself down. "Sorry, you just remind me of someone." Frodo laughed and shook her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Haylie." Merry looked out the window and saw someone knocking on the door. He smiled when he recognized who it was.
"Oh Samwise, dear!" Merry said in a high pitched voice. "It's Rose Cotton, waiting for your sister!" Sam straightened up and ran over to the door. He took a deep breath and opened the door to the beautiful Rose Cotton.
She smiled. "Hello, Master Samwise." Sam grinned back. "Hullo, Miss Cotton. I suppose you're wanting Daisy." Rose nodded as Haylie walked out of the room and into the hall.
"Yes," Rose said, concentrating on Haylie. "Yes, I do wish to see your sister--who is that girl over there?" Haylie looked up as all Sam tried to think of an excuse, and with all the confidence in the world, Haylie walked up to her.
"You must be Rose. We haven't met but I'm Haylie Boffin, a close, close friend of Sam's. What a lovely blouse you're wearing, if it's not to bold to say." Haylie said in a British accent. Rose smiled, as did the others.
"Why, thank you. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Miss Boffin, but Daisy and I have a party to attend with Liam Bracegirdle, so if you excuse us." Rose finished as Daisy ran down the hall and out the door. The door was slammed in Sam's face before he even said goodbye.
He sighed softly as Haylie smirked. "Is that who you like? Well, she's certainly a good choice, Sam, good for you." Pippin shook his head.
"Why's she hanging around with that Liam Bracegirdle? Everyone knows he's up to something in that handsomely charming mind of his." Sam shrugged, a little heartbroken.
At that moment, a loud noise began to come from Marigold's room. The hobbits froze and stayed glued to the wall. It took Haylie a moment before realizing it was her cell phone.
She ran to retrieve it and she brought it back for the hobbits to see. Their eyes widened. "What is that--that thing?" Frodo asked. Haylie smiled.
"My phone. I can receive a message from someone miles away with this. But apparently, it doesn't work in Middle Earth. I can't reply back." She flipped the lid open to reveal a picture of two people sitting at a table, locking lips. Haylie's smile faded as she read what it said underneath the picture.
"'Haylie, found this while shopping at Macy's. I'm so sorry, hun. ~Camie'." The picture was of David and another girl. The cell phone screen became covered in wet puddles as Haylie began to cry.
Sam looked at her. "Do you know those people?" He asked curiously. Haylie nodded. "I know the man. He's my boyfriend."
Pippin looked confused. "But that girl in the picture isn't you." Suddenly a silence came over the room as the hobbits figured out what was happening with Haylie's boyfriend.
"He's been cheating on me the whole time." She said in a distant voice which gradually became louder and angrier. "The whole freakin' time...that stupid jerk! When I get back I'm going to rip out his heart and puree it in a blender! That son of a bitch!"
Haylie curled up in a ball and began to cry again. Frodo looked at Sam. "Maybe you should let her sleep a while, Sam. A good rest might do her some good." Sam nodded and helped Haylie into his room. She fell asleep on his bed and woke up later in the night.
She noticed a note on the door from Sam, which read, "Haylie, do not use the door. My parents are home and they will be suspcious if there is a girl sleeping in my bed. Climb out the window and go to Frodo's house. From, Sam."
Haylie did as told and ran to Frodo's house, where they were waiting. Sam smiled when he saw her. "Are you feeling better?" She nodded, but she wasn't fully over David. She choked back the tears and walked inside the house. It was much like Sam's only smaller. Frodo sat her down at a table and poured her some tea. She looked down at it and frowned.
"Do you have any Vanilla Coke?" She asked. Frodo looked at through his blue eyes with confusion. Haylie smiled weakly. "Nevermind." She took a sip of tea and sighed, her breath uneven. Suddenly, she began to cough and sputter. The hobbits ran to her, wondering what was wrong, but Haylie just put her hand up to signal she was fine.
"I'm....fine. I need...my inhaler." She wheezed. "But I can last." Merry looked out the window and said, "The party's starting in an hour and none of us have dates!" Frodo stayed quiet. "None of us have dates, right?"
Haylie turned around to look at him. He blushed. "Well, I don't have one but I did get a lot of requests. So I'm in the same boat as you guys." Haylie nodded.
"Yeah, I guess that means you guys are going to all have to go alone." She told him. But they all looked at her and she knew what they were thinking. She hit her head on the table.
"Now WHY couldn't this have happened at the prom?" She asked herself. Pippin shrugged. "Please? One of us needs at least a date." Merry nodded.
"Yeah, how about you pick a number and we have to guess it?"
Haylie sighed and nodded. "Okay, shoot." She said dully. Sam picked five, Pippin picked two hundred, making Haylie laugh, Frodo picked sixty four, and Merry picked one.
"The number was three." Haylie told them. They all groaned. "Redo!" They all shouted. Haylie groaned and picked another number. And this time, she also added, "Pick a number one through one hundred."
Merry picked twenty one, Pippin picked three, Frodo picked forty five, and Sam picked ninety nine. Haylie smiled and said, "The number was forty nine. Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Frodo Baggins, come on down!"
Frodo smiled as the others sort of frowned. Haylie noticed their faces and spoke up. "But I promise I'll at least dance with all of you tonight." Their smiles grew a little but not as much as Haylie would've liked. She went into the bathroom to freshen up and came out, still looking stunning. The others left to go get ready and Haylie left with Sam.
As they walked to his house, they talked a while. "Do you still love him?" Sam asked Haylie, putting his hands in his pockets. "David, I mean." Haylie wasn't entirely prepared for this but she looked down at her feet.
"Yes and no. I still love him for all he's done for me but now...now I hate his guts. I hurt so much right now." She told him. "I don't think I'll ever be ready for someone else." Sam nodded understandingly.
"I know, Haylie. And I feel it is my responsibility to protect you, on account of I found you." Haylie smiled and grabbed onto Sam's arm.
"That's so sweet of you. You're treat me like a sister or something. Why?" She asked him as they went inside the house. Sam shrugged, taking Haylie into his room with him.
"Because you are like a little sister to me. You act just like Marigold...only smarter." He replied, making Haylie giggle. As Sam looked through his closet for something to wear, Haylie looked at a paper on Sam's desk. She walked over to it to read it but Sam grabbed it back out of her hands.
"Don't read that." He said seriously. "It's...it's something I wrote for Rosie." Sam blushed as Haylie grabbed his hand that ws holding the letter.
"Please? I love reading poetry." She said softly. Sam hesitantly handed it over and Haylie's eyes lit up with excitement.
"The night upon we met I thought I was hallucinating. But I wasn't, you were an angel. I thought you had to be a dream. But you weren't , you were an angel. They thought you were only a pretty face. But you weren't, you were an angel. I thought it was only a crush. But it wasn't, I was in love.' Oh my God, Sam. That's beautiful." She said smiling.
He blushed again and replied shyly, "We better get going. The party's already begun." They ran out of the house and met Frodo, Merry, and Pippin down at the party. Haylie looked around and couldn't believe all the people there. Especially a handsome young hobbit with light blond hair and greenish hazel eyes. He was linked arm and arm with Rose Cotton, who was looking like the proudest girl in all the world. It had to be Liam Bracegirdle. Boy, no wonder Rose was so excited.
Haylie looked over at Frodo, who was looking back at her. She smiled and grasped his hand. "Well, what do we do now?" Frodo shrugged.
"Find a table and introduce you to my uncle." Frodo said. "He's one hundred and eleven years old today and-"
"Holy shit, he's really freakin old!" Haylie interrupted loudly. When everyone looked at her, she laughed nervously and looked at the ground. "Sorry, but that's really outta this world. Normally, the big five-o is old but one hundred and eleven? Man, that really must suck."
Frodo laughed. "I'm sure it doesn't--suck--or anything like that. Bilbo, he lives life to the fullest, you know?" He told her. But he spotted his uncle and dragged Haylie over to him. Bilbo gave a warm smile and greeted them.
"Frodo, my lad, it's wonderful that you came!" He said in a friendly tone of voice. Frodo hugged Bilbo and smiled back.
"I wouldn't miss this for the world, Bilbo. Oh, and this is my friend, Haylie." Haylie smiled at Bilbo and curtsied. Bilbo's eyes twinkled as he looked over his nephew's new friend.
He told her, "What a lovely young woman this is, Frodo! Are you sure she's not an elf in disguise?" And with that, Haylie blushed pure pink. Not knowing what to say, she just flashed him an even brighter smile.
"I'm the farthest thing from an elf, Mister Bilbo." She said in a British accent. "But thank you for the compliment."
"Aw, well, go and have some fun, young ones! The night is young and so are you two. Eat, drink, and dance!" As he walked away, he whispered in Frodo's ear, "Go easy on her, lad." Frodo rolled his eyes as Haylie asked him if they could have a dance.
He accepted as a slow dance song came on. Frodo looked at Haylie, his blue eyes glued to her face. She blushed and looked down.
"Do I have something on my face?" She asked him. He shook his head. "No, I just never noticed how beautiful you are up close. You have amazingly beautiful eyes, did you know that?" He ran his finger along her cheek. "And your skin is so soft. But your smile, it's gorgeous." Haylie and Frodo stared at each other for a moment or to and then they stopped dancing as Sam walked over to them.
"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Frodo, but may I have this dance with her?" He asked politely. Frodo nodded and winked at Sam. Haylie danced with Sam slowly.
"Frodo's really nice." She told him. He nodded. "I know. He's great." Haylie giggled and looked over at him. "He was hitting on me." Sam stopped dancing and held Haylie's shoulders.
"He was hitting you? Haylie, that's a really serious matter! I can't believe him, hitting you and all. Are you hurt?" He asked concerningly. Haylie started dancing with him again.
"No, where I come from, the term 'hitting on' means flirting with. Don't worry." Sam laughed embarrassedly as Haylie saw Rosie looking at her jealously. She pointed over at Rose.
"Why don't you go ask that girl for a dance?" Haylie asked Sam. "She seems to be jealous of me for dancing with the famous and charmingly polite Samwise Gamgee."
Sam's eyes opened up wide. "She's looking o'er at me?" Haylie nodded and pushed him over towards Rose.
"Yes, now go and ask her to dance."
"But-" "Now!" She said forcefully, giving him a shove. Haylie laughed as Sam slowly asked Rose to dance. As she watched them, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to face Pippin, who was turning a shade of red.
"Um, er, Haylie?" He stammered, putting his hands in his pockets. "Eh, uh, do you....do you think, um, that...just maybe I could...I mean, do you want to...I mean, you don't have to but...but would you like to...dance?"
Haylie crossed her arms and made a cross look spread over her face in attempt to fool Pippin. "I don't know. Dancing with an annoying little twit like you? I need some time to think about it." Pippin's head dropped down as Haylie turned around. Then she whipped back to face him and nodded. "Time's up! I'd love to dance with you." Pippin smiled as Haylie dragged him out on the dance floor.
They danced awhile and after the song was over, Haylie gave Pippin a kiss on the cheek. "You're an excellent dancer, Master Peregrin." Pippin blushed again and Haylie giggled as Sam walked over to them.
Pippin looked at the expression on Sam's face and smirked. "So how was your little dance with Rosie, Sam?" Sam sighed dreamily and turned his head towards Rosie.
"She's amazingly, wonderfully, extremely, unexplainably...fantastic." He told them. Haylie smiled and yawned. Sam noticed her as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. He took her hand.
"Do you want to go back to my house? You could have my bed and then I could just sleep on the floor and-" Haylie put a hand over Sam's mouth. Her brown eyes had a glint in them.
She chuckled softly. "Sam, take a breather. I don't have to stay at your house. I mean, I could find a place to stay until I can get back home. I know it could cause a problem, being at your house and all." But Sam shook his head.
"No, Haylie, you have to stay. You have to stay at my house. All your things are there and...well, please don't leave. I want you to stay at my house." He told her pleadingly. Haylie nodded.
"Alright," She said. "But if I cause any trouble, I'm out of there in a flash." Sam smiled as he and Haylie said goodbye to Pippin and the others.