James lead Chavez over to a worn down old shed, with faded red paint. Chavez's stomach sank as James stopped and casually pointed towards a large bee hive, rested just above the door of the shed.

"You're going to make me help you get rid of that, aren't you," he said looking at James.

The dusty man chuckled and once again slapped him on the back.

"Yep."

"Shit."

"So what we're gonna do first," James explained "… is make sure that the water trough over there is all the way full."

Chavez looked towards the trough that he had seen him filling with water before.

"Then what we're gonna do, is fill up that barrel there and place it right underneath the hive. We both need to make sure that are faces and hands are covered. The only thing that shouldn't be covered, are your eyes, because of course you need to see. Once we've taken care of that you're gonna fill a few buckets full of water. Then I'll take that stick there and knock the hive down into the barrel so that the bees will drown, and if needed you're gonna splash any remaining bees with the water in the buckets."

Chavez raised an eyebrow and frankly said "That sounds kind of stupid."

James laughed and asks "You have a better idea, friend?"

Chavez thought for a minute and couldn't come up with anything, so he shrugged and accepted defeat.

James smiled at victory and said "Well then let's get to it."

Chavez did exactly as he said and covered his hands and as much as his face as he could. He then filled two buckets full of water as James placed the barrel underneath the hive. He felt his stomach doing flips as he got ready to grip the handles of the buckets, and James picked up his stick and got ready as well.

Chavez thought to himself "This can, and probably will, go badly."

James lifted the stick towards the hive and asked "Ready?"

Chavez braced himself.

"Yeah."

At that, James quickly went at the hive with the stick and detached it from the shed, but both of their stomachs sank as the thing bounced off the rim of the barrel and landed in the dry dirt.

"CHAVEEEEEEZ!"

Bees shot strait out of the hive and started swarming around the ranch hand. Chavez bolted to his friend's rescue, but instead of hitting the source of the hive he splashed James trying to stop the bees' attack. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and the dirty ranch hand ran for his life and threw himself into the water trough.

"So that's what the trough was for," Chavez thought to himself.

He was then stunned to feel a sharp sting in his shoulder as an angry bee stung him. Before he could swat the thing away, he felt another sting on his other shoulder. Then a few more on his back and one on his thigh. Chavez felt himself panic as he realized that he was being swarmed himself.

He thought to himself "How are these things stinging me through my clothes?!"

Chavez looked around for a source of water. James was already in the trough and there was no room for another. Then his eyes fell on the well.

"Oh shit," he thought as he realized that the well was his only escape.

After just a second of hesitation, he ran full speed towards the well and launched himself over the side and into the water. He instantly felt relief from the stinging as the bees that were on him drowned and the others lost interest and flew away. When Chavez couldn't hold his breath anymore and finally broke the surface gasping for air, he heard James calling him.

"I'm down here!"

After a moment, he saw James' head looking down at him.

"What the hell are you doing, Chavez?!"

"Well how else do you thing I was supposed to get away when you were already in the trough?"

James shrugged and said "Man. That did not go well, my friend."

Chavez groaned "You think?"

It took twenty minutes and the help of the grounds keeper to get Chavez out of the well. When he was finally out and he had taken his shirt off to get rid of the dead bees, James and the grounds keeper were shocked to see how many stingers he had stuck in him. They ended up taking him to Jean.

Chavez sat and pouted as Jean laughed at his story of what happened.

"Ha ha. So this was James' plan?"

"Yes."

"And you listened to him?"

"Yes."

Jean howled with laughter as Chavez rolled his eyes.

"One thing you should know about James is that he ain't one for ideas. And when he does have one, it's probably not a good one."

Chavez managed a weak smile and said "I noticed."

He then clenched his teeth as he felt a sudden sting on his back. Jean was applying some sort of cream that the red welts on him sting.

He hissed in pain and she said "Sorry. It takes a minute to kick in but it'll make you feel better."

Jean was almost finished treating him when she got to the stings on his face. Chavez winced as she applied the ointment, making his face sting and itch. He was distracted when he noticed her eyes. They were blue, with yellow around the center. She noticed that he was staring at her.

"What are you staring at," she questioned.

Chavez didn't answer. He was so transfixed on her eyes that he couldn't tear is own away.

Jean let out a half-hearted chuckle.

"It's the eyes, isn't it?"

She continued to laugh as she turned and got a rag. She talked as she wiped some dirt off his face.

"People around here and in the town have always said that my eyes make me look odd. Some of the old ladies from the Catholic Church up the road even think the devil tried to put hell fire into my eyes because I have Indian blood in me, and that that is why I have yellow in my eyes."

They both laughed at the concept.

Jean continued "While I am a Christian I do believe in genetics. And that is all that there is to the way my eyes look. It's just a plain old genetic mutation. Nothing more, and nothing less."

"So most people don't like it then," Chavez asked.

Jean laughed and continued to clean his face.

"Nope. Like I said, I've got the devil in my eyes," she laughed once again at the accusation.

Chavez half-heartedly chuckled.

Jean gave a questioning look and asked "What?"

"Nothing, just people and their resentment towards other people."

"I know, but you get used to it. Not that it's something you should have to get used to," she said with a half-smile.

Jean then continued to treat him, and they were both silent. Just as she turned to leave the room, Chavez grabbed her hand. She looked at him and saw a weak smile on his face.

"Thank you," he said softly.

While she wasn't exactly sure what he meant, Jean couldn't help but smile as her face turned a wild shade of red.

Chavez let go of her hand and to his surprise, she quickly kissed him on the forehead and left the room.

After she had left, Chavez let himself fall backwards onto his bed, and for the first time in years he fell asleep smiling.

...

Wow. That last part, was an epic fail. LOL! Oh, well. YOLO