Chapter 9: Shattered Heart
There was one cow that was not happy with what she heard from her hiding spot. Abby with her ears down, filled up with guilt as her heart was shattering. It seemed as if she finally found the truth to why Otis would never admitted that he liked her. He thinks that she doesn't love him at all thanks to her recent attitude from all those times she hurt him with Bessy's help. Now it was quite obvious he must be thinking of her as a monster. Upset and heartbroken, Abby ran back down the same path she took to find Otis, feeling her eyes sting with tears. She was too busy running to notice that she had run passed Pig, Pip, and Freddy coming back from their race and were now wondering what happened with Otis.
"Abby, where is she going?" Freddy stared at her in confusion.
"I don't know, but where's Otis been all this time," said Pig.
"Maybe he's up there," Pip pointed up the trail. "Let's go take a look."
Sure enough, the three had eventually found Otis sitting on top of the hill with Melinda, wondering why he was chatting and laughing with her at a time like this.
"Hey, how did Melinda find her way here?" Pig asked casually. "She's only been here for a day."
"Oh I know. I'll bet she hypnotized Otis into getting off track so that he'll never ever race again!" Freddy said mindlessly.
"You know you really need to cut down on the sweet stuff," Pip said. "How many have you had today just now?"
"I don't know about you guys, but I sure could go for a sweet myself…after we have a firm talk with Otis."
That was Pig alright; always thinking of food as usual. Yet they all agreed to just walk up and see what Otis had been up to all this time when he had missed out on the race.
As for Abby, she ran into the only place where no one would see her cry. And that place was in her stall. Nobody else had seen her rush into the barn as she locked the door and threw herself down on the hay bed with tears still dripping from her eyes. Well I finally found out how Otis really feels about me. Only now I can't believe he thinks I don't like him at all anymore. Is that why he was sitting right beside Melinda like…like that? She thought to herself, hoping it was all just a misunderstanding. Is that why Otis never mentioned anymore that he still liked me? What about all those personal feelings we said to each other inside the corn monster? She thought of how she and Otis acted like nothing happened after they survived and wondered if that was a smart move by both of them. Now it was too late. She waited too long to tell Otis herself how she still felt and didn't know what to do next.
What bothered Abby the most was what Otis mentioned about wondering why she would be friends with someone like Bessy who did nothing but insult and beat on him almost every day? Would she be the reason why Otis thinks Abby no longer has those personal feelings for him anymore? Had she really gone too far with those pranks she pulled with Bessy's help? At first Abby tried to deny the fact that she would ever hurt Otis physically, until her mind received a few flashbacks that seemed to answer her questions.
What about the time that Otis was trying to make up to everybody after refusing to believe anyone about that shrewd hedgehog being responsible for having all his opponents lose on purpose in that wrestling tournament. And once he asked if anyone of them wanted to try out his steel cage palace, an outraged Abby just picked him up and threw him hard against the cage, never knowing how long Otis laid still. There was one possibility. Or the time that Abby found Otis in her stall, trying to open her super-secret drawer and after Otis lied about inspecting for termites, she had just angrily tossed him right through the wall and was preparing to do another hard throw until he wanted her to admit that she wrote him a love letter. There was another possibility for Otis to think that she no longer liked him. He shouldn't have been in her stall, but it was only because he wanted to find out if she loved him. Now look what's happened. Or what about that one Christmas party where she had placed Everett in front of her when Otis wanted to kiss her under the mistletoe? And Otis was kissing for a long time, thinking it was Abby. So why couldn't Abby just kiss him instead of playing that silly joke?
Abby cried for what seemed to be hours, thinking of other possible reasons in different flashbacks that would make Otis say those words to Melinda. Melinda was still new and already she was being told things about her by the one bull she had made a love shrine to. What if the new girl was thinking of her as a monster as she sits in this stall in deep thought?
I know that I made mistakes with Otis before. Abby thought once more. But what about the times I had been rather nice to him? I thought he would still remember that. Just because I haven't said anything doesn't mean I don't love him anymore…does it?
Looking out from behind her stall, Abby wanted to make sure no one was inside or near the entrance where they would see what she is doing. She got up and walked over to her super-secret drawer to open it with the key she always kept hidden in her hair. The moment it popped open, all Abby could do was stare at it dumbfounded and confused. She stood there for no more than ten minutes, wondering why she made a shrine to him in the first place.
Then she heard footsteps coming and quickly closed the shrine and wiped her tearstained face with a cloth. But in case anyone noticed it and ask what was wrong with her eyes, she'd tell them that she was peeling onions in the kitchen. Hopefully they would buy it. But it was only one of the goats passing by without entering, to her relief. She was glad it wasn't Bessy or Otis, not wanting them to see her like this.
If you still like him, just tell him right away. A voice in her head spoke as Abby sat back down. I'm sure he would understand if you just told him. So what if he's talking to the new girl about you. Maybe he's only saying those things because he still likes you, but is having doubts. Or maybe he wasn't telling the whole truth about it. Whatever it is, it's likely he only wants to make Melinda feel welcome at the barnyard. Remember when he wanted you to feel welcome when you entered the Barnyard Olympics?
"Yeah I remember," Abby whispered. "Then I got carried away with being in first place and we almost used our weaknesses against each other."
That event had also been the first time that Abby believed she and Otis were really started to like each other…and had a rather crazy way of showing it, but still.
Then Abby thought about what the voice in her head just mentioned. It had given her an idea of what she could do to finally tell Otis how she felt. All she had to do was wait until Barn Night and take Otis outside where it was less noisy and get herself to admit the truth. It had to work. But Abby also hoped Melinda would understand in case she herself was starting to feel something toward Otis up on that hill. She'd talk with the new girl later and ask what she did with Bessy outside last night. For now, Otis was on her mind.
AN: A new chapter is up. I am really really really really sorry for the long update like this. I had just been caught up with two vacations that happened in the last two months and had a fun time at a county fair that I almost forgot about this story. Or maybe I was just distracted with my animation projects again. Not only that, but I was so happy to find that there were new BATB episodes that started in September. I just saw Plucky and Me/Pig of the Mole People today and they were hiliarious. Maybe something about those episodes will be mentioned in parts of this story, if not everything. I'd like to credit Yamimakai3 for ideas.
