When Laura arrived at home, it was almost dark outside. Slowly she opened the door, ready to accept a scolding for being late, but all she could see was her mother sitting in the rocking chair.

"Oh Laura," Caroline got up and headed towards her daughter, a wave of relief washing over her.

"Oh Ma," Laura ran right into her mother's arms and started sobbing.

"I'm so glad that you're home," Caroline kissed her daughter's forehead. "Your Pa is still looking for you, but I suppose he'll be back soon."

"I'm sorry," Laura whimpered.

"It's all right," Caroline said softly, holding Laura close in her arms.

Laura wanted to say something, but the words didn't come. She wanted to explain her mother, but she was unable to speak.

"Your brother and your sisters are already sleeping," Caroline said silently. "Maybe we can go outside for a little walk," she suggested.

Laura nodded and grabbed the handkerchief her mother was reaching over to her. She tried to wipe the tears away, but it seemed hopeless. She couldn't stop crying.

Caroline put her arm around Laura's shoulders and together they went outside slowly. "It's not very warm for this time of the year," Caroline inhaled the fresh night air.

Laura still couldn't speak. The pain she felt was almost unbearable. She walked next to her mother in silence until they reached the creek and both sat down for a while.

When Caroline looked at Laura, her heart felt heavy. Even in the darkness she could notice her swollen eyes and her tear-streaked face. Her daughter had been heartbroken many times before, but it had never been that bad. It seemed that Laura's world just caved in and for the first time in years Caroline was afraid to say something wrong and hurt her daughter even more. She glanced over the creek, not sure what to do. Carefully, she started stroking Laura's long hair. "Have you seen Almanzo?" Caroline suddenly broke the silence.

"Yes," Laura nodded. She tried to fight the tears, but hearing his name felt as if somebody stabbed a knife right into her heart.

"Have you said goodbye to each other?" Caroline wanted to know.

"Yes," Laura wept bitterly. "He'll leave tomorrow and I wanna die. I really wanna die," she buried her face in her hands.

"I know Laura, but...," Caroline's voice broke. How could she comfort her daughter? What could she tell her? Desperately, she was searching for the right words.

"I love Manly. I love him so much," Laura continued crying. Her feelings for him were so strong that the thought of losing him was unbearable.

"I know," Caroline pulled Laura into her arms.

"Oh Ma, I'm so afraid I won't see him again," Laura sobbed.

"Well," Caroline started, "if you two are really meant to be together, you will." She rocked her daughter gently in her arms like she had always done so many years ago when Laura still had been a baby.

"But how?" Laura asked desperately.

"I don't know, Laura. All I know is, if you two are really meant to be together, you will see each other again. Someday... Somewhere...," Caroline tried to comfort her daughter.

"But Manly doesn't know where to go. Maybe he'll find a new home far away from Walnut Grove. Maybe he'll meet a woman there and get married before I'm old enough to be with him," Laura admitted her biggest fear. "Maybe he..."

"Maybe he will be back in Walnut Grove one day," Caroline interrupted Laura and wiped her daughter's tears away.

"But Ma...," Laura protested.

"Laura, you must have faith," Caroline caressed her daughter's cheek.

"Faith?" Laura asked puzzled.

"Yes, faith," Caroline said softly. "God has a plan for you, Laura. He has a plan for all of us. Sometimes we don't understand, but you should trust him. He will show you the way."

"But it hurts so much," Laura said with a tearful voice.

"I know, but one day the pain will be over and you will be married happily to a wonderful man who will love you as much as you will love him," Caroline smiled.

"I hope it will be Almanzo," Laura dried her tears with a handkerchief.

"I hope so too," Caroline was relieved that her daughter had stopped crying. Slowly she got up and grabbed Laura's hand. "It's getting late. I think we better go inside."

Laura got up and followed Caroline into the house. Even though she had no idea how to go on with life, she was grateful for her mother's words. "Ma?" Laura asked.

"Yes, dear?" Caroline replied.

"I love you so much," Laura hugged her mother.

"I love you too," Caroline smiled and kissed her daughter goodnight.

Laura climbed up into the loft, pulled over her nightgown and went to bed. Downstairs the door was creaking. Laura heard her mother talking to her father, but she couldn't understand a word. She still felt like crying, but she was so weak that she fell asleep immediately.

After the weekend, Laura had to go back to school. The school year was almost over, only two more weeks were left. Unfortunately Harriet Oleson had decided to teach the class until the town would find a new teacher. Of course, Laura was still sad and heartbroken, but she was also angry. Very angry. She hated Bartholomew Slater for what he had done to Miss Wilder, and she hated Harriet Oleson for defending this horrible boy, but there was no help. She had to accept Mrs. Oleson as her new teacher and Bartholomew as her classmate.

The whole morning Mrs. Oleson taught the students in history and math. Laura tried her best to pay attention to the lessons, but she couldn't concentrate. Too many things were on her mind, and so she was glad when recess began. She sat down on a trunk far away from the other kids, because she wanted to be alone. Wistfully, she glanced over to the Feed & Seed. Why couldn't Almanzo be there? She closed her eyes and tried to picture him. His sparkling blue eyes, his blond hair and his mischievous smile. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the boy who suddenly sat down next to her.

"Hey Laura," Bartholomew jolted Laura out of her daydreams.

Laura couldn't believe her eyes. "What do you want?" she looked at him angrily. Bartholomew was the last person on earth she wanted to spend time with.

"I thought you might like some company," he grinned at her.

"No," her voice was sharp. "Go away and let me alone." Anger was rising inside of her.

"Come on, you can have one of my sandwiches," Bartholomew opened his lunch pail.

"I said, let me alone," Laura got up and yelled at him. "I don't wanna spend time with you. I don't wanna eat your sandwiches. I hate you and I don't wanna see you ever again."

"You don't have to," Bartholomew said angrily. "Just two more weeks at school and then I'll start working at my father's farm."

"What?" Laura couldn't believe his words. "You won't continue school?"

"No, I won't," Bartholomew told her. "My mother allows me to work with my father."

"But...," Laura was speechless. "Miss Wilder left Walnut Grove just because of your misbehavior at school," her voice was shaking.

"Who cares?" he laughed sardonically. "Not my problem."

For a moment Laura was too shocked to say or to do something, but then she got furious. Very furious. Without thinking, she pushed her clenched fist right into Bartholomew's face and punched him as hard as she could.

Bartholomew fell over and groaned with pain. "Are you crazy?" he yelled at her.

Laura looked at him, her heart full of pain, anger and hate. She could hear the school bell ringing, but instead of returning to the classroom, she started running away.

In the evening Laura was lying in bed and waiting for her father. Charles was forced to attend a school board meeting, because Harriet Oleson had made clear that Laura wouldn't get away with her behavior. Of course, the teacher was standing behind Bartholomew Slater, and she demanded a hard punishment for the Ingalls girl. Laura knew that she shouldn't have punched Bartholomew, but she didn't regret. That boy made her so mad. She couldn't help it.

"Half-Pint?" Charles was climbing up into the loft.

"Yes," Laura answered silently.

"The meeting is over," he looked at his daughter with a serious expression on his face and sat down on the bed next to her.

Laura looked to the ground. She was ashamed that she had disappointed her father.

"The school board has decided that you are suspended from school for the rest of the school year," Charles said. "You are allowed to come back to school the last day to get your school certificate, but you have to apologize to Bartholomew in front of the whole class first." Even though he knew that Laura had done wrong, he somehow felt sorry for his daughter.

"No, Pa," Laura pleaded. "I can't apologize to him. I can't." She was ready to do almost everything, but the thought of apologizing to that bully boy in front of the whole class felt like a horrible nightmare.

"You can and you will," Charles' eyes were stern.

"But Pa," Laura said desperately.

"I'm not gonna discuss this with you, Half-Pint. You did a mistake and you will apologize," Charles yelled at Laura. It was hard for him to be so strict to his daughter. Laura wasn't the only person in this family who had a temper. Charles was the same, and he could remember very well how many times he had been in trouble because he had acted in haste. But there was no choice. Harriet Oleson had impended to suspend Laura from school forever. She definitely wouldn't change her mind. Besides that Charles felt that Laura had to learn a lesson. It was the right decision that she had to apologize.

"Yes, Sir," Laura answered silently, being aware that she had to accept the punishment.

"And you will study at home and help your Ma with the chores," Charles said strictly before he went downstairs again.

Laura tried to swallow down the lump in her throat, but the tears were running again. She wished so much she could tell Miss Wilder that Bartholomew would leave school, but it was too late. Just a few days ago she had left Walnut Grove together with Almanzo and they wouldn't come back.

Laura remembered her mother's words. She had told her that it was important to have faith, but at the moment Laura had no idea how to have faith. She had no hope and the pain in her heart was killing her. Slowly she buried her tear-streaked face in the white pillow and for the first time in her life she truly wished she would fell asleep and never wake up again...