Chapter Nine

A Little Party Don't Kill Nobody

A/N I hope ya'll like it. Sorry for the delay. Guys, I just turned 20 yesterday. :( Im so old. ugh.

To say the least, the day started off to an unpleasant morning. An order gone wrong by Jack's mistake, resulting to a very silent and irritated Forrest. But, that was his older brother in general, the youngest Bondurant snorted. His older brother forgot what it meant to relax and to simply enjoy time with his loved ones.

No, Forrest was never this way. He just turned this way the day his mother died. It had gotten worse when Howard left for the war. Since there was no one else to take care of his little brother, Forrest took it upon himself to raise the little whelp. The girls that went running to his arms ran the other way since Forrest no longer took interest in them.

He had a store to take care of, and an eager younger brother.

It wasn't easy when Howard came back. He wasn't the same. The war scarred his mind and body. Sometimes Forrest remembered when he could hear Howard yelling and crying with fear from his nightmares. His oldest brother turned to alcohol to help ease the shadows trying to crawl back into his mind. And he let him.

Jack shook his head from his heavy thinking and slammed the truck's door closed. The cool breeze snuck onto his skin, making him dig his hands further into the pockets of his breeches. He spat out the toothpick from his mouth and sighed.

The aroma of frying eggs danced freely throughout the air and into his nose. His stomach grumbled angrily, preparing to rip him up in retaliation. Without a doubt, Jack knew that Howard was already drunk into a daze and heard his thunderous laughter coming from the distilleries. Leaning against the car, he savored the peace that nature offered him. Jack closed his eyes relishing the cool air with gusto. It was a nice change of temperature from that of the hot and dry weather the Summer placed them with. He almost flinched away when he heard a bee buzzing pass his red ear.

As he opened his eyes, his hand rested on his forehead trying to block out the blinding sun. He thought of the changing weather and how soon enough it would till Winter. Although the Winters were harsh on the small and poor town, Jack, along with Cricket enjoyed the snow thoroughly. He always talked to Bertha about the Winter and how it was his favorite time of year when the snow blanketed the town. For him it always meant that the snow was simply just in the process of being born again. A caterpillar crawling out of its way from the cocoon and flying away into a new life, he thought. The snow would, in time give birth to the blossoming flowers of the Spring.

Forrest stood out on the porch, looking around for Jack and found him reclining on the green truck. The cigar in his mouth would be his third one this morning. He looked both ways before walking down the small set of wooden stairs and straight to his little brother. The sun exposed Jack's light freckles that made him a few years younger. Forrest always thought of Jack as his kid brother, hell he always will.

But, he couldn't help, but notice that Jack was a man now. Although he acted like a boy time from time, but that's what happens when you have grown up the youngest in the family. He raised Jack as best as he could, there was no babying around. He forced Jack to learn how to pick a fight and fight it. He taught his youngest brother to shoot first and ask questions later if the moment was opportune.

No one in his family will be defenseless if he got a say in it. If you make a mistake, learn from it quickly or it'll eat you up like a leech. And in most occasions, even kill you.

Taking the thick cigar out of his mouth, Forrest grunted, "I thought Rence would be coming no more, Jack." He paused and blew out another ring of smoke. "It's dangerous enough for him to be with ya'll wanderin' around doin' God knows what." He nodded at the scene ahead of them. "We don't have much luck with the people that surrounds us."

The younger boy cleared his throat, looking down at the dirt floor. He knew that Forrest was talking about Maggie leaving and almost losing Cricket. "Forres', I don't think you understand—"

His older brother looked sharply at him. Smoke came out of his mouth like a dragon ready to burst. Forrest growled, "I don't think you understand. It is enough that we have ourselves to protect. We don't need another death to guilt up our conscience."

"I don't see why you are being so ornery about this, Forres'. When we protect someone, we do it without anything to holler about. I would think you out of all them people in this Godforsaken world would understand," Jack growled back. "Rence is the best of all of them. If you want to push him out of here, I'm not sure you know what you're askin' for. Loyalty and a good fighter isn't something we find everyday."

Forrest stepped face to face with Jack. Their noses were practically touching each other. "The boy risked his life way too many times, Jack. Didn't we all agree when he was lyin' on his bed, dyin' that he would be better without us in his life?"

Jack pushed him away. "You know damn well he don' need protectin' Forres'. You know damn well that we wouldn't have any trouble protectin' what and who we care about!" He poked his older brother by the chest. "Why you so adamant on Rence not being with us? His father no longer has him on by the chains. He is allowed to be with us."

Forrest glared at his unrelenting brother. He didn't want to divulge that there was something different about Rence. Something more worth protecting.

"It's gonna be your head and your conscience, Jack," Forrest muttered, looking away. "The boy…there's somethin' about him that makes him seem sheltered. He's an easy target—"

Jack scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Rence is anything, but an easy target, Forres'! You know this! You've seen him in action. He is as deadly as they come… He's a Whyte," He added the last bit quietly.

Forrest wanted to sigh with exasperation. He couldn't get Jack to see the bigger picture. As he was about to open his mouth to say something else. Howard came from the trees that shed its discolored leaves towards the ground. Howard's smile was about to split his face in halves as he jogged to his bothers with his greasy overalls. "Mizz' Benny Joon is having a little festivity in one of the old abandoned barns of the other side of town." He wagged his eyebrows. "Says that we could sell our shine there."

Forrest nodded at Howard's direction and grunted, "When do they want us to do the run?"

"The party is gon' be tonight," The oldest replied. He looked so damn pleased at himself. "Says we're invited."

Forrest nodded again. But a nod that makes it look like he's thinking of something else. He didn't want to be part of the party, but if it was Miss Joon then he had to go. Lord knows that woman has the anger of fifty women. No one scares him. Except for that woman when she's offended. It was a rare feeling, really. The feeling of fright comes in odd ways. And oddly enough she doesn't pry into his life too much. She was there when his parents were alive. She even helped Forrest time to time.

He owed much to her. His grandparents passed a little after his parents did. Miss Joon was the closest thing he had to a grandmother right now. Forrest never showed his feelings towards her, but Benny knew how much she meant to that boy.

Forrest observed his humble and yet dangerous business. By day it was respectable and by night it was unforgivable. The pale paint was peeling off and he noticed a few cracks on the dusty windows that needed cleaning. Some light brown stains were splattered on some parts of the porch, hell even on the wooden floors inside. Blood wasn't an easy thing to wash off.

He went inside to get back to work. It was the only thing he knew best.

She was outside working. It was the only thing she knew best.

Her hands were deep in soapy water, churning her skin into raisins. Florence leaned her messy head towards the corner of her shoulder to disburden the flaccid hair stuck on the side of her face. A huff of tired air puffed out of her freckled rosy cheeks. Clement's begrimed loincloth was currently in her hands being washed of its unhygienic ways.

It's not like she wanted to. She had to argue with her father and brothers not to wash the worse of all brother's clothes. Which happened to be Clement's. Her bemoaning could be heard from the inside of the farm and inside of her home. Her older brothers tried not to let out a snort of any kind. It amused them to no end.

Favorably, in spite of everything, Clement's filthy loins was the last piece of clothing she had to wash before hanging them up to dry. The goosebumps that hid underneath her cool skin shuddered when they felt the algid air. Florence didn't even bother to look at the trees for the past few days, not being able to notice that the leaves were changing color slowly. Her eyes caught the attention of a lonely rake being ready for use when the leaves fall. She couldn't wait to jump into the piles of mismatched leaves.

The bubbles escaped the giant wooden bucket and landed on the grass. Her white blouse was sodden to the very bone. A yawn escaped from her pouty mouth, and her eyes watered a bit from it. Grabbing the wet clothes from the basket, she draped them on the wire line. White pins pinched the clothes down from their corners. Finally, after fifteen minutes, Florence threw out the water from the bucket and grabbed the empty basket to head home.

As she drew near her home, the young brunette heard the soft melodic voice of one of her best friends, Bertha. Florence's dark eyebrows quirked, surprised to hear that Bertha came. It was Sunday and the blonde usually stayed with her family on this day after their time of worship at the church. Entering from the back door, she saw her father chatting up nicely with her friend. She looked around for her brothers only to see them relaxing on the chairs with a sheet of sweat glazing their skins.

A tiny smile snuck on Bertha's light pink lips when she saw Florence opening the wooden back door into the home. Ernest nodded a small farewell as did the brothers except for Alcide, who decided to stay put on his chair. Bertha and Florence met in the middle of the living room. The first thing the girl noticed was her friend's excited face ready to explode into fireworks.

"There's a party happening tonight at Gerdy's old barn," Bertha blurted out. She calmed down a bit to when she saw Florence's confused face. The blonde grabbed her friend by the shoulders and added, "It's across town. And you're coming with me."

Just as Florence was about to decline, Bertha interrupted her, "Florence, didn't you say that you wanted to prove that girls could hold their own?" She gave a look to the brunette. "Besides if that's not the point, then you could slowly show yourself to the world. First at a party, maybe at the market, then who knows? Maybe with Forre—" her mischievous voice was muffled under the the hands of Rencia.

"Mizz' Joon's party?" Asked Alcide, walking behind his younger sister and her friend.

"That'd be the one," Bertha replied with a slight bow.

"We're invited too. Pa ain't goin' though." He looked down at his short sister and frowned at her. "You thinkin' of going to the party, Rencia?"

Just a she was about to shake her head no, Bertha interrupted for her and exclaimed, "Yes! Yes, she's coming!" The girl groaned and glared at Bertha who returned a sheepish face.

"Well, it's final then," Alcide concluded with a clap of his hands. "We're coming too, then." He smirked when he heard his little sister's moan of why.

"It's settled, then," Bertha said rather energetically. Both Alcide and Florence's eyes widened when they thought Bertha a girl that was quiet and shy. Boy, were they wrong. It got the young brunette thinking. Out of all the times that Jack's gotten in trouble…was it Bertha who pushed him to his demise? She shook head, Jack had his hands full with this one.

All of sudden, a pair of small pale hands grabbed her tanned ones, leading Florence upstairs to her room. Bertha kept pushing her friend up the stairs, to show her where the dresses were at. "Come on, Rencia! Bring your best dress tonight! We're getting dolled at my home!"

Florence turned out with scared eyes. "What about your parents? What would they say about us going to a party with moonshiners no less?!" she rambled, picking the healed scar on her arm she earned when she was fighting with the Bondurant's a while back.

"First off, they know I'm courtin' Jack. Secondly, they're visiting my pregnant aunt who lives a few counties over. C'mon, hurry! Margaret can help you get ready." A pained look struck Florence's face. Ah, yes. Margaret. How could she ever forget about her. She was Bertha's oldest sister who stopped going to church a few years back. She was those attractive women you'd see on the streets of Chicago.

The reason why Margaret never left this county was because of Bertha. She loved her little sister too much to let her go unprotected. Bertha's older sister was a strawberry blonde bombshell that many men pine for. Even Florence's older brothers. The first time Margaret met Florence was when she went to the bakery with Bertha.

To say the least it took hours to get Margaret out of her property. Marge refused to leave Florence without any ounce of makeup on her face. When the young girl rejected Marge's fierce offer to do any work on her face, well she took it wrong. The next thing Florence knew, Marge tackled her body to the floor with tweezers in her hands trying to pull out any unwanted hair on Rencia's brows.

Marge declared that it would be her vow and duty to help Florence even if she didn't want it.

No, she didn't want it at all, she shivered.

"C'mon, Rencia. It's not going to be that bad!"

"Oh, this is bad," Marge said with a disapproving face. She took off Florence's cap and her wild hair fell loose. The older girl grabbed the dark brown locks and examined them closely. Making a slight grunt of dissatisfaction, both of her hands snatched Florence's soft jaw and brought it closer to her face. "Hmph, well, you're not a total loss. Luckily I can make a Baby Vamp outta you yet." She pointed at the light green dress that lay on Marge's bed. "At least you have a dress I can work with." Marge poked one of Florence's boobs and snorted, "Hun, you could kill someone with these." The girl sitting scowled in return.

Marge saw her little sister admiring the beautiful V-neck dress. Bertha barely worn dresses that didn't look like a preacher's. But, her friend was worse. Hell, it took her a moment to find out that she wasn't a boy. As the oldest girl of the room left to retrieve some cosmetic supplies, Florence took a good look around Marge's room.

Just like any plain room in Franklin county, her quilt was white as were her pillows. Perhaps it was Bertha's mother or grandmother who made the doily quilt by hand. The designs were intricate. The light brown drawers sat underneath the window sill. A vase that had a crack on the corner of its opening was on the nightside of her bed. Wilting pink roses were withering away in it.

Marge had a simple vanity desk, and chair next to her closet. Florence was currently occupying the small chair. A door slammed open and Marge's face frightened Florence to no end. She wasn't sure if she was going to make this room out alive.

A loud gulp could be heard.

9 : 3 0 P . M. ' N

The fiddle and banjo could be heard from miles out of the barn. The pianist played his giddy tune as the people danced and danced till their feet bled. Folk of all ages lined in front of the Bondurants who took their money and gave them their shine to drink to their heart's content. Throughout the evening from the first customer, their shine had been selling successfully.

Forrest gave a side glance to his younger brother who seemed to laughing with Cricket. But, he could tell that Jack's smile would be bigger if Bertha came. Almost an hour passed before all the shine was sold to its drunken takers. Howard's loud and off tune singing stung his own ears, but no one else noticed. Forrest never drank too much in any occasion, only some.

Women of all color and sizes came to him for a dance which he declined with a polite grumble. He thought the wooden floors would give in, taking everyone else into it's abyss. Everyones feet stomped, some would think that their legs would plow through the wood. Roaring laughter and drunken giggles came from the crowd who danced lustfully with their partners. Some people were outside talking, but most were inside.

Or inside of the horse stables giving into their adulterer nature.

Forrest's cigar sat between his plump rosy lips. He took off his hat and smoothed down his brown hair that defined his face more. Miss Benny came and thanked him for the moonshine. She smiled lovingly to him and raised her hands to touch his sharp cheekbones, saying how much he has grown pass these few years. He nodded silently and she left him to his lonely thoughts.

Forrest's dark green eyes look in another direction for a distraction. His gaze fell at the entrance where he saw Bertha and Margaret come in. His little brother's laugh fell when his eyes saw Bertha in a beautiful simple white dress and her hair in a braid. It's like Jack fell in love again. Margaret winked at Alcide who blushed furiously in return.

The Whytes came in ten minutes ago. Still, Forrest was looking for Rence's dirty cap, in hopes to see catching him. His eyes jump from person to person. Inside he was satisfied that the boy didn't come. Because trouble seems to find the youngest Whyte.

When his gaze found the entrance he had to look twice at who was there.

From afar, Jack saw Forrest taking a double take to see who was at the door. Bertha giggled along with Margaret who was behind them. All Jack's could hear coming from Bertha was, "It's workin'." His arms tightened around his little Minnix Minx. She was more trouble than she's worth. Jack kissed her forehead. But, that's the reason why he loved her so. Both Cricket and himself were curious on how this occurrence was gonna play out.

A drop of sweat fell from Forrest's forehead and down to his neck. His Adam's apple bobbed slowly, watching the girl in the light green dress walk in, avoiding any people. Her eyes stared at the floor when she shyly walked through the crowds of people who stared at this newcomer. Her dark copper hair was curled like one of those women he saw in the movies. The dress hugged her bodacious hips that complimented her body well.

The V-neck showed the deep valley of her generous breasts. The girl had an innocent glow to her and yet her chocolate eyes tell a different story. Touch me and you die, they say. Forrest admired a strong woman who could take care of themselves. Her cheeks were a light peach color, as her lips were a juicy coral. Her small feet that had short white heels walked close to his direction.

If one thing hypnotized him, it would be her large doe like eyes. Her dark long eyelashes fluttered, glaring in different directions. He knew right away Margaret had to do something with her cat-eyed liner that had sharp ends. The combination of both doe and cat was a dangerous one. Something so innocent could target its next victim if provoked.

And yet, there was something so, so similar about her. It's as if he'd seen her everyday for the past few months. The cogs in his brain tried to power up a conclusion—

He couldn't breathe when he saw Rence in her.

Forrest turned around quickly when he heard choking noises coming from the Whyte Family. They all had incredulous looks on their faces. Shine drizzled down on their chins when the saw the brunette who caught the attention of everyone. The middle Bondurant gave a deathly glare at the men who stared at her ample bottom. When they caught his glare they all scattered like headless chickens.

Florence couldn't breathe when she caught Forrest's eyes. He looked so handsome with his hair sleeked back. His cold stare couldn't scare her away. The whole time she was walking she knew that his eyes were set on her. She cowered when she saw the furious faces of her older brothers. Luckily their threatening stances deterred the men away. If she was with a Whyte, they wouldn't dare come close to her.

She snuck behind Margaret and Bertha. Both Jack and Cricket whistled at her new self.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the girl of the hour!" Jack hollered, smiling at one of his best friends. He looked at Margaret and added, "What a mighty job ya' did, Marge."

The strawberry blonde shrugged nonchalantly and looked at her red nails. "It's what happens when you bless more people than the pope, Jackie." Bertha nodded and murmured something like, it's true.

Florence saw Marge look at someone and then leaned in to whisper into the younger girl's ear, "He hasn't stopped staring. He's practically staring holes into Jack's head."

The Latina woman turned slowly, trying not to make it obvious she was looking for Forrest's glare. No, he wasn't staring at Jack.

He was staring at her.

She wasn't here for fifteen minutes and already Florence felt like she was being squished. The room was stuffy to begin with and the smell of cigar smoke was all her head could think about. It was worse when her brothers make her want to shrink back into a closet and never come out. Just a few feet away were the barn doors to the back.

Both Jack and Bertha left to dance, Margaret left to talk to Alcide. Florence was gonna ask if Cricket wanted to go outside with her, but he was busy talking to one of his childhood friends. She sighed and decided to go by herself. Once she made it through the large wave of people, Florence found herself outside.

She could hear pleasurable moans coming from the horse stables and from the tall grass in the fields. Air snuck underneath her dress, making her hug herself tighter. Florence stayed on the porch, watching a falling star fled through the night sky. The millions of diamond like stars glimmered the lake and the reflection of her eyes.

The floor behind her creaked and the similar cigar aroma was around her once more. She turned around to see Forrest leaning on the wall next to her. His gaze never left hers. Florence's heart wanted to rip out of her chest.

She ignored him, in hopes of him going away.

Just as she was about to leave, he asked, "I ain't never seen you 'round here before." She stood there quietly. Florence was about to open her mouth until he interrupted her. "You see—" She rolled her eyes. Everyone seemed to be doing that to her. "The Whytes seem to know you. It took me a few minutes, ya' know. Why would they look at you as you were their own?"

She gulped, but didn't say anything.

Forrest walked closer to her and she took a step back. "Then Jack and Cricket were real happy to see ya'. Along with Bertha—" She didn't understand why he was talking so much. He never did. All she ever knew of Forrest was his grunting or grumbling of some sort. His large hand swiftly captured her arm and brought her body extremely close to his.

She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he gave her a look that said, don't even try. His other arm hugged her waist and brought her hand his was holding to his sight. Forrest let out a humorless scoff. "I know that scar anywhere."

Florence's body froze against him.

"Goddamn it, Rence," he growled angrily, tightening his hold on her arm. "Or should I even call you that?"

A/N HA Guys did you expect that?