1927
Vera always thought that something exciting would happen on her thirteenth birthday. But so far, the most exciting thing that had happened all day was that Evelyn got a huge case of acne and spent the next three hours in the bathroom and refused to come out until it was time for cake. Other than that, things were pretty quiet.
Until it was time for presents.
"Oh my gosh, thank you, Nancy!" gushed Vera. "I've always wanted Little Women!"
Nancy beamed with pride and joy.
Warren came up to Vera and said, "I didn't have enough money to buy you a present, nor did I have enough stuff to make one. I did, however, have enough courage to give you this present." He then leaned in and surprised Vera with a kiss, which lasted for about five seconds, but left a stunned impression on Vera.
"Vera, I've liked you for the longest time, and I know you feel the same way, so will you go steady with me?" asked Warren.
Vera was shocked. She had recently begun to develop a crush on Warren, but thought his crush on her was a thing of the past…until now. "I…oh, Warren, yes!" burst out Vera, wrapping her arms around Warren.
Mrs. Claythorne was grinning from ear to ear, as though this was what she expected. Mr. Claythorne looked as though he was thinking, What happened to the baby girl I once held in my arms?
The next time Vera and Warren met up, Warren came over to Vera's house. The two went into the backyard and sat down by the pond, gazing into it and holding hands.
"I know this isn't very exciting, but I couldn't think of a good place for us to go," apologized Vera.
"It's all right," shrugged Warren. "I actually sort of like this pond. We don't have anything like it in our backyard."
"You know," said Vera slowly, "we could do something more exciting than just stare into the pond."
"Like what?" asked Warren.
Vera turned herself so she'd be at an angle where she could slide into the pond and did so. When Warren didn't follow, she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him in.
Vera (who was tall enough for the water to go up to her chest) plunged herself underwater and saw a confused-looking Warren. Vera put her hand in his and burst through the surface. Warren coughed and spluttered, "Are you crazy?!"
"No, but it seems like it," laughed Vera, who gave Warren a kiss.
"I never realized how beautiful the stars really are at night," commented Warren as he and Vera lay down on the grass in Warren's backyard after having supper.
"That's because you were too busy noticing how tasty ladybugs are," teased Vera.
"For your information, ladybugs are a fine source of protein," insisted Warren.
"Oh Warren!" exclaimed Vera. "I swear, some parts of you never change!"
"Look, see?" said Warren, pointing up in the sky. "There's a ladybug."
"Really?" said Vera. "I thought it was the little dipper."
"No, I'm pretty sure it's a ladybug."
"Then again, I think it's Orion's belt."
"No, it's a ladybug."
"All right, yes, it's a ladybug."
Vera was taking a walk through the neighbourhood when she came across Nancy. "Oh, hello, Nancy," said Vera innocently.
"Hello, Vera," said Nancy in an icy tone before walking away.
Vera couldn't say she was surprised by the way Nancy was treating her. She had been treating Vera like that ever since Vera and Warren got together almost a month ago. And who could blame her—she had fancied Warren for quite some time now.
Still, this didn't stop Vera from trying to make peace with Nancy: "Nancy, I love your dress! Where did you get it?"
Nancy spun around and snapped, "Read my lips Vera: You can have your pathetic ladybug-eater! It just goes to show how desperate you are!"
Those words stung like the bee that had stung Vera on the nose nine years ago. How could Nancy say such cruel things? Weren't they still friends? Apparently, not, according to Nancy. Why should Nancy's crush on Warren affect their friendship? Shouldn't Nancy be happy for her and find another boy?
Out of the corner of her eye, Vera noticed a group of boys coming her and Nancy's way. Vera suddenly remembered a secret Nancy had confided in her only a few months ago and decided to use it to her advantage. Vera said loudly enough for the boys to hear, "Oh, Nancy, what do you use to stuff your bra—tissues, or toilet paper?"
The boys stopped to listen to a potentially entertaining catfight.
Nancy blushed and said in an equally loud tone, "Nothing, Vera! It all just comes naturally to me!"
Vera knew that what she was about to do was cruel, but her anger and hurt towards Nancy overruled her conscience: Just as Nancy started to walk away, Vera stepped on Nancy's dress (which was made out of a delicate material) and Nancy's dress ripped off and fell to the ground, leaving Nancy in her underwear. Nancy shrieked and tried to run away, but then Vera tripped her and Nancy fell into a puddle that resulted from a rainstorm that had passed over fifteen minutes ago. When Nancy stood up, she was horrified to learn that her bra was now completely see-through, revealing the disintegrating toilet paper.
The boys stood there and howled and laughed while Vera smirked at Nancy and went on her merry way.
One week later, Vera and Warren met up in Vera's backyard. The two sat there awkwardly before Warren said, "So…I don't know how to say this, but…"
"Then let me go first," said Vera quickly, but the words couldn't come smoothly on her tongue: "Um…well…"
Then they both said it: "Let's separate."
"You think so, too?" asked Warren, surprised.
"Yes," nodded Vera. "I don't think there's a spark there anymore. The magic's gone."
"I guess you're right," shrugged Warren.
There was an awkward silence before Vera decided not to let the relationship end on a sour note and said, "What do you say we go get some toffee from the general store?"
Warren, glad to know he and Vera could still be friends, replied, "I would love to."
A/N: Well, that was as exciting as watching paint dry (only much more quickly), lol! I didn't want TOO much to happen between Warren and Vera; they're only thirteen after all (and they're not the type of thirteen-year-olds who fool around), and besides, Vera doesn't care deeply enough about Warren to do something totally evil, like killing a child 8P. Things do get more exciting (and more cheeky) in the next chapter, I can guarantee that!
