Chapter Nine
He's a Keeper
Hey guys! Sorry if I get the personalities wrong with some of the characters that aren't in Island of Happiness. IoH is the only harvest moon game I have except for Tree of Tranquility. Remember, keep review, (I BEG OF YOU! :)) and I don't own anything! Thanks for the reviews! Love you all!
Vaughn's POV
"I'm taking a vacation until Wednesday. Do you think you can manage the store? I leave tomorrow." Mr. Burns says as he locks up the cash register.
"Sure I can." I walk outside with him and wait for Mr. Burns to lock the door. He finishes and hands me the key. I walk home to my apartment for the night. But as I lie in my bed, I can't sleep at all. I look over to my night stand, where the picture of Chelsea and I sit. I keep that picture with me at all times. I can't sleep, so I might as well think. Chelsea's birthday is in a little less then a week. Its past midnight so that means its Saturday. I have less then a week to decide if I should ask her to marry me. I remember she told me that only idiots marry young. I cant imagine loving someone more then I love Chelsea. She's so wonderful, in every way possible. The thought of her and I not being together kills me. The thought of her being with someone else kills me even more. I've been debating to ask her on her birthday, but if she says no, I don't want to ruin her birthday. Summer six is also our one year anniversary. I don't wanna ruin that either.
I wake up five minutes before my alarm, and get up. I get dressed, and walk down to the shop. I unlock the doors, and I'm greeted by the animals in the cages. Its a small shop, with a small barn on the side thats hold two cows and two sheep. The store itself holds a few dogs, and some cats in cages. We sell all kinds of feed, and we make a decent profit 'cause we're the only shop in mineral town that sells animal needs. About two hours go by, and there's no work to do and not a soul in sight. I'm tempted to just lock up and go for a walk, when I hear the bell chime. I watch a young couple walk through the door. The girl has a long red haired braid. They walk over to the counter. I can't help but stare at the dude. I feel like I know him. As he comes to the counter, I look in his eyes. I know those eyes. I know him.
"Cliff?" I say. He looks a little creeped out.
"Do I know you?" He asks. The girl he's with, who I assume is Ann, notices his discomfort and moves closer to him. I pull out the picture of Chelsea and I.
Cliff gasps and takes the picture slowly and gently. His face asks a million questions. He looks at me in shock.
"W-who are you? Where is my sister? Tell the truth!" He looks angry. Overreacting must run in the family. I flashback to the one day I met Chelsea's mother.
"My name is Vaughn. Chelsea is on an Island, where she runs a ranch. I go there every week for a couple of days." I try to keep my voice calm so Cliff doesn't freak out. He looks like he's really trying not to freak.
"H-how do you know who I am?" I notice Ann just looks at the picture.
"Cheli and have been, uh, seeing each other for a while. She talks about you all the time." As my words come out, his expression goes stares me down, judging to see if I'm good enough for his sister. I stand tall. I know Chelsea loves me, but I also know that if Cliff didn't approve, Chelsea would make sure her family came first. Except her mother.
"Never thought my sister would fall for a cowboy," He smiled. I smiled back. He looks like the male version of Chelsea. "How is she?" He asks.
"She's doing fine. She basically restored an entire island single-handedly. She and I have been dating for almost a year now." I say. I have never spoken this much to a person I just met.
"Our birthday is coming up. I would like it visit her. To surprise her. I'm sure she wants to see me too. She does, doesn't she?" His eyes go bright. Chelsea and Cliff have been best friends they're entire lives. Chelsea once told me that she thought she and Cliff were gonna stay in touch forever. She said that they had made plans to be neighbors and they would raise their kids together. They were only six when they made this promise, and Cliff said he was never gonna get married or have kids. Chelsea knew he would fall in love someday, and change his mind. She was sure smart for a little six year old.
"Of course! She misses you so much. And your father." I say. He bows his head at the thought of his dad. Ann has gone over to the dog cages.
"I haven't, uh, been able to track him down. I assume you know about the relationship we have with our mother?" I nod my head yes.
"Our birthday is on Wednesday. How 'bout the three of us travel together?" He says, facing Ann. She has a serious look on her face.
"I can't. Remember?" She says. Cliff gets a big smile on his face.
"Of course I remember." Ann comes back over, and they hug.
Cliff looks back at me. "We're having a baby," he says.
"Congratulations," I say with a smile. But then it hits me. Cliff is the same age as Chelsea. Cliff and Ann have been married for over a year now, and they're having a baby. I don't even have the nerve to ask Chelsea to marry me.
It's not the time to ask her.
"How about Cliff and I leave Wednesday?" I ask. Ann nods her head yes. "Works for me!" she says. "Just be back by the end of summer."
"You sure?" Cliff says.
"Sure I'm sure!"
"Great, then it's settled," I say. "We'll leave at 4:00 am on Wednesday to catch the 4:30 ferry." We all smile.
Chelsea's POV
I walk slowly to my bed. Its about a half hour past midnight, and It's been a long week. It started off with rain every day, and I didn't get a chance to plant the summer seeds until today. And with my animals not being outside, they're all in bad moods and not giving as high quality products, which means less money for me. Plus my barn roof started leaking again, and it got Milk, my best cow, sick. And that cost me money for medicine. Sigh... Things will get better. They always get better. The rain finally let up today, and I had to do a week's worth of work today to make sure the crops came in before Fall starts. Summer crops can't grow in Fall. I suddenly remember that my birthday is tomorrow. Vaughn will be here tomorrow. That puts a smile on my face. Maybe he can help me get the animals into better moods. That's all I want for my birthday.
I wake up to a knocking on my door. That's weird. Natalie usually doesn't come on Wednesdays, and Vaughn doesn't come until around noon. I look over the clock, and it's...5:30 AM! Who in their goddess given mind would even dare try to come to my house at 5:30 am? Since it's someone on the island, I assume they're a friend of mine.
"GO AWAY!" I shout. They knock again. I throw the covers off and storm to the door. As I open the door, my mouth drops.
"Cliff!" I hug him. "What are you doing here?"
"Happy birthday!" he says. I'm at a loss for words. I see Vaughn off to the side. "Surprise!" Vaughn says. Oh I love that silly cowboy.
"How'd you find him?" I exclaim.
"He was in Mineral Town, and we just ran into each other."
Cliff looks at me. "Guess what?" he says.
"What?" I say. I'm kind of nervous about what he has to say.
"Ann's pregnant!" My mouth drops.
"Con... Congratulations?" I saw, slowly and unsurely. It hits me. Cliff's my age. He's going to be a father? I look over at Vaughn. Maybe he and I should get mar...? Wait, no. No way. At least not for another half a year. Wait, what am I saying? A year. A whole year. I hope that he feels the same way.
I invite Cliff and Vaughn into my house. I have a lot of work to get done, but I'll do it later. Right now I need to catch up with my brother.
The whole morning goes by while Cliff and I catch up on each others lives. At one point Vaughn goes out to feed the animals. As soon as he's gone, Cliff looks at me. "What are you thinking?" he asks.
"What?" I say. I have no clue what he's talking about.
"Being with a guy like him." I look at Cliff strangely.
"What are you talking about? He's a good guy." I say
"Uh, no. Guys like him want one thing, and one thing only." My mouth drops.
"I can't believe you would say that about him! Do you even know him? At all?" He sighs.
"I'm sorry, I just... don't like his intentions. And I also think that you deserve better. Just think about it. He's gone for most of the week. It would be easy for him to have another life that you don't know about." I look at my clone in disgust.
"Cliff, please, give him a chance. I love him. Someday, not today, not tomorrow, but in a year or two maybe, I think I'm going to marry him." I watch my brother sigh.
"I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you hurt again. Don't you remember the last time you fell for a guy like Vaughn?" I frown at the memory. Besides Vaughn, I've have three boyfriends in my life. Drake was the first. The second one was in my sophomore year, and it only lasted for about a month. I don't even remember the guy's name. But in my freshmen year, I fell for a guy kind of like Vaughn. He didn't talk that much, but he did have a lot of friends. We were partners in science, and eventually we became friends. He and I started talking, going out, and until one day when a rumor circulated that he had gotten a girl pregnant. The rumor turned out to be true, and after that they both fell off the face of the earth. And we were freshmen. Crazy, I know. The worst part about it all? My mother said 'I told you so.'
"But that's not going to happen between me and Vaughn!" I tell Cliff.
"I know, I know. I'm just worried about you."
"So when's the baby due?" I ask, changing the subject. He has one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen. "End of Fall."
"Have you guys thought of any names?"
"Chelsea if it's a girl, and James after dad if it's a boy." I smile. Good names.
"I have a feeling, if it's a girl, she's going to be just like me in every way," I say with big grin on my face.
"Goddess forbid." I punch him in the arm. I look at the clock. Vaughn's been gone a really long time. It usually one takes me a couple minutes to take care of the animals. "I'd better go check on Vaughn," I say.
"I'll come with you," Cliff says. "I've always wanted to pet a cow."
"Who says I would let you pet the cow?" I say jokingly.
"I do," he smiles. I punch him in the arm again. He rubs the spot.
"You don't change much, do you?" We laugh as we walk to the barn. No feed has been put in the bins. As I wonder what happened to Vaughn, I milk and pet the cows as Cliff puts feed in the bin. We walk over to the coop, and Vaughn is still no where to be seen. I sigh and we get to work. As we finish, I start to worry. Vaughn isn't one to go against his word. Especially to me.
Cliff and I walk to Mirabelle's shop in hopes of finding him. As we walk past Taro's house, Natalie flags us down.
"Hey! Is this the famous Cliff?" She says as she runs up to us.
"Yep! Cool to meet you. Friend of Cheli's?" Cliff says as he holds out his hand. Natalie smiles politely.
"So where's Vaughn? Its hard to pry you away from Vaughn for even a second when he's here." She jokes.
"We're looking for him right now. Do you know whe-" I'm interrupted by a screaming Pierre.
"Natalie! Natalie! Come quick! Its Mark!" He calls out. The three of us come running towards him.
"What's wrong? Did you run out of swiss cheese again?" She asks.
"Its Mark! He has a bloody nose and two black eyes. He can't walk right, so I brought him back to my place! Thats when he passed out! I didn't know what to do, so I came to get some help!" Pierre says quickly. Natalie runs into the house to grab her mom, and I try to calm the short blond.
"Wait, who's Mark?" Cliff interrupts me.
"Mark's a friend." I say. Felicia and Natalie come out the door, and we rush over to Pierre's house. As we rush through the door, I gasp. Mark looks terrible. He's on the couch. I can tell he's sweating and suffering from the heat.
"Oh my! I'll get some pain reliever." Felicia says as she runs out the door. Natalie goes with her.
"Cliff, Pierre, go get a wet cloth. Cold" I order. I go over to the couch.
"Chelsea..." I listen to him say. Slowly and weakly.
"What happened?" I ask. I take off his blue cap. I smile. He has really bushy hair.
"...Vaughn..." His eyes close.
Aw, crap.
Vaughn's POV
Watching Chelsea and her brother is great. I love seeing her so happy. Around noon, I realize that Chelsea's poor animals are probably starving by now. I go to the animal barn but as I pass an open window I overhear Cliff's voice.
"What are you thinking?" I hear. I stop dead in my tracks.
"What?" A clueless Chelsea says.
"Being with a guy like him." My fists clench.
"What are you talking about? He's a good guy." I let out a quiet sigh.
"Uh, no. Guys like him want one thing, and one thing only." My mouth drops in disgust. I can't believe he would think that about me. Do I really seem like that kind of dude?
"I can't believe you would say that about him! Do you even know him? At all?" I listen to Chelsea's sweet voice.
"I'm sorry, I just... don't like his intentions. And I also think that you deserve better. Just think about it. He's gone for most of the week. It would be easy for him to have another life that you don't know about." I can't take it anymore. I walk away. I walk before I hear what Chelsea has to say. I don't wanna talk to anyone. I go to the beach. I go over to the boat-less dock. I take a rock, and throw it as hard as I can out of anger. It makes a loud splash. I sit on the dock. I can't believe Cliff thinks of me like that. I hear footsteps. Please don't be Cliff. Please don't be Cliff.
"Looks like trouble in paradise, huh cowboy?" I roll my eyes. Pretty boy.
"Not in the mood." I get up and start to walk away, avoiding his eyes. He stands in front of my path. "Move." I say, coldly. He scoffs.
"What if I don't?" The pretty boy smirks. He thinks he's so bad for talking back. I roll my eyes. He notices, and mocks me. I walk straight foreword, our shoulders hitting each other hard. It stings, but I can't give him the satisfaction of me showing weakness. I walk away. I get near the mountain, thats on the one side of the beach. Its narrow, like a wall. I can hear him following me.
"I'm gonna have her someday. With you gone, I know I will," A tear quickly fills my left eye. I turn around and grab him by the shirt, and throw him against the rock wall. I still cling on to his shirt. I'm three inches away from his face.
"Take. It. Back." I say, slowly and coldly. His eyes grow narrow.
"Make me." He whispers. "I love her. She and I get closer and closer friends everyday, while your off doing who knows what. She doesn't trust you. She needs me." His words creep into my ears. Without thinking, my right fist hits his eye. I let go of his shirt and he jumps me. He and I tumble around in the dirt. I hear Denny from the other side of the beach yelling at us. I'm positive he's running over.
"Every time you get on that boat, a little bit of her love vanishes and goes to me." I loose it. I throw punch after punch to his face. By the time Denny gets here, half Mark's face is covered in blood, just like my hands, and he and I are tumbling around in the sand, leaving small drops of blood. Denny tries to pull me off of Mark. I try to break free of his grip, but he has me to well.
"Come on. Let it go." He says, as I sigh. We leave Mark in the dirt, and go to Denny's house which is thankfully right on the beach. I go right over to the bathroom to check out the damage. A little scratch on my right cheek. I bet Mark got it worse then I did. When I return from the bathroom, Denny is sitting on the couch. I sit next to him.
"Chelsea?" He asks. I nod.
"How'd you guess?" I ask.
"Just a lucky shot." He smiles. "You two alright?" I sigh.
"I hope." His face asks me questions. "Her brother is in town, and I don't have his blessing. I ran off to the beach, and Mark caught me in a bad mood. There were words, next thing I know, you're pulling me away from him."
"And I'm glad I did. By the looks of it, it looked like you were trying to kill each other." We sit in silence.
"Do they talk a lot?" I ask my tan friend.
"Yeah. She talks about you mostly. I overhear them when they talk at the beach. I've never seen them completely alone though." He smiles at me comfortingly. I sigh.
"Thanks man." I saw, lightly hitting his arm. We smile and stare at the wall.
There's a knock at the door. I get up to look out the window, praying to goddess it isn't Chelsea.
Worse. Its Mirabelle.
Before I can say anything, Denny opens the door.
"Come with me!" The dirty blond said to me, pulling my ear. She has a hard time finding underneath my hair, but she finds it, and leads me off the beach. I struggle walking, but I keep up with her pace. I'm a good foot taller then her which makes it even more difficult. For me, anyway. As we walk to east town, I see Chelsea in a bandana running towards us. Mirabelle lets go of my ear, and makes a U-turn back down the road. Smart move. Chelsea comes up to me. We stop right in front of Pierre's house. Her expression is blank.
"Why?" She asks me. Her face shows no expression, and her voice is emotionless.
"He pushed me too far. I lost my temper." I answer. She sighs and looks down.
"So you break his nose? And give him black eyes, and bruise him badly?" I look away.
"I'm sorry. Its just th-"
"I'm not the one you should say sorry too!" I yells at me.
"I don't need to apologize to him! He made me mad, now he has to suffer for it! I won't give him the satisfaction of an apology!" I yell back. She narrows her eyes at me.
"You can't just attack someone! Please, just go aplo-" I cut her off again. We're both screaming by now.
"No! And you can't tell me what to do! I'm a man! And you're just an immature, stupid, idiotic girl! Goddess!" I storm away.
"You can't just walk away!" She runs up to me, while grabbing my shoulder and without thinking,
I slap her.
It sets in my brain what I just did.
"Cheli...I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" She looks at me in disgust. I get on my knees. "Please! I'm sorry! I don't know what's wrong with me!" Not true, but I can't tell her I know what Cliff said. She looks away.
Chelsea's POV
"You can't just walk away!" To me, thats the worst thing a person can do during a fight. I grab his shoulder, and he slaps me. My head turns, but there is no physical pain. I watch him. His eyes fill with guilt. He's begging for forgiveness. Why is he acting like-
Cliff.
"Oh, Vaughn!" I get on my knees and hug him. He's surprised, but hugs me back. "I'm the one who's sorry! Cliff didn't mean those things he said! He was just looking out for me. He didn't mean anything towards you!" I can feel him sigh of relief.
"I love you. I always have, and I always will." I hear him say. He locks me in his arms, and he holds me.
"I'll love you 'till the day I die." I say softly.
"I'll love you forever," He says. We stand up. I look around and realize that we were just fighting in the middle of the street. The thought sends a smile to my lips. I don't know why, but it does. I hear footsteps.
"You know what, Cheli?" I hear Cliff say.
"What?" I say. Vaughn straightens up. I watch him stand tall and proud. His smile vanishes.
"I think he's a keeper," My brother says, smiling. "Anybody who's willing to beat someone up out of jealousy for my sister, I know that he's perfect for her." Vaughn looks up at him with a tiny smile.
"Thank you. That means a lot to me." I listen to Vaughn. I smile. Cliff comes over and shakes his hand. They both smile at each other.
"Everything is forgiven?" Cliff asks.
"Yes." We all smile. The best part?
They're real smiles, not fake ones. And I like real smiles.
Best. Birthday. Ever.
