Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Kay kay? I'm glad we have it all worked out, ehies?
Author's Note: I'm never gonna stop beating myself up for this... I can't believe I uploaded the wrong document into this chapter. Hence, me having to write it up all over again (augh!). I'm going to try to do my very best to make it as close to the original as possible (if I can still remember it). Gawd, I'm so STUPID! Well, enough of my trifles, coz I could go on beating myself up about it forever and ever. On to the story!
Letters, Love and Lies
Different Contenders
After her chat with Elli, Popuri broke away and stumbled into her greenhouse to tell her mother she wasn't feeling well. She wasn't in the greatest of moods, she had to admit to herself.
Why? she wondered to herself. Is it because of Elli? Am I jealous of her? No, I can't be! I wouldn't! Would I? Irritated and bewildered by her thoughts, she decided to do something that always calmed her down; crawl into bed with a good movie and a carton of sugar-bursting ice-cream.
"Oh Popuri!" Lillia flashed her automatic smile at her daughter when she saw her walk in. "I left the cat-mint flowers and the strawberries dry just for you to water!" She kept her face jubilant, expecting Popuri to be ecstatic.
"Actually, I'm not in the mood to water plants," Popuri told her mother hastily. "I'm not feeling too well... I think I'll just go to bed and lie down."
Lillia's eyes clouded over, her smile wiped clear off her visage. Popuri never in her lifetime missed the opportunity to help out in the greenhouse ever since she was strong enough to hold a watering can. "Is... is there anything wrong?"
"No!" she snapped. "I'm just-" Popuri stopped herself in mid sentence, guilty for talking so harshly to her own mother. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "My head hurts, and I feel fatigued... I just need some rest." Before she awaited Lillia's consent, Popuri dashed out of the greenhouse, into the flower shop before immobilizing into her room. The only time she went off track was to snatch a tub of Ben and Jerry's from the family freezer, concealed under the checkout counter in the store.
At a quick pace, Popuri unearthed her favourite movie, Legally Blonde (she adored Luke Wilson... and it didn't hurt that the colour of choice in the film was pink!) from her drawer. She ran over to her television set, popped it into the DVD Player, and bounced onto her bed with her ice cream in hand.
"Well, maybe some sugar and Luke Wilson will sooth my soul," Popuri said out loud, already feeling inspired after unfastening the lid off the carton of ice cream. "Here's to Ann, Karen or Maria, may you find eternal happiness with Jack." Toasting the empty room, she threw her head back and indulged.
After Elli had hung the wet laundry out of the clothesline to dry (which was what she initially came out of the bakery to do), she decided to go over to Popuri's home and see if anything was wrong. Leaving the bakery so hurriedly wasn't in Popuri's nature... it usually took a long talk to persuade her best friend to leave, since the bakery was a never-ending supply of cakes, cookies and treats that Popuri always found irresistible.
"So what's different about today?" Elli speculated. "Maybe she's mad at me. Maybe she just wants to be alone."
But Elli's heart would never rest easy until she knew what caused her friend such an upset. After finishing her chores, she crossed the road that separated the bakery from the flower shop.
"Popuri? Are you in here?" Elli called after rapping Popuri's bedroom door.
"Yeah," came her muffled response.
"Can I come in?"
"...Yeah."
Slowly opening the door, Elli popped her head in and took in her surroundings. The television was on an almost unbearable high volume, screaming a dialogue she was all too familiar with. She couldn't see Popuri's face, it being masked behind a container of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Immediately, Elli knew something was amiss.
"Oh Popuri!" Elli wailed. "What's wrong?"
Popuri pulled her ice cream out of her mouth for a second, a coffee brown moustache already evident on her upper lip. "Wh-what do you mean? Nothing's wrong..."
"Ice cream? And Luke Wilson? Whenever those two combine, I KNOW there is something wrong!"
"What do you mean? There's nothing wrong," Popuri insisted.
Elli puffed up her cheeked impatiently. "I've known you long enough to know when something is wrong."
"Well, nothing is wrong." Popuri forced her lips to curl up into a smile. "Everyone loves ice cream. And I've always loved Luke and pink."
"Yeah, and you've fantasized about a pink Luke I know," Elli rolled her eyes. "But you can't fool me. What's wrong Popuri? You can tell me!"
"Well..." Popuri hesitated, staring into her tub of Ben and Jerry's. "I... I really can't tell you."
"Of course you can!" Elli said, sounding hurt. "I'm your best bud, you can tell me anything!"
Popuri examined her friend carefully. Could she tell Elli? Over the years, she'd shown her loyalty and companionship flawlessly. Popuri had told Elli everything, but this situation was a little bit different. However, Elli wasn't really concerned, so it wouldn't hurt to tell her.
"Okay," Popuri said finally, after a long pause. "But don't be mad."
"I won't," Elli promised, taking a seat at the foot of Popuri's bed.
"It's just that... I don't know. When I heard about you and Jeff... it just made me feel a little bit sad."
"What are you saying?" Elli gasped. "That... you like Jeff?"
"What! No!" Popuri shook her head vigorously, almost laughing at what Elli was implying. She was glad that her friend had brought some levity, by mistake or not. "Not that. I think what it is..." she hesitated again. "Is that... it just made me realize that I'm alone."
Elli squinted at Popuri for a second, baffled. Then she nodded. "Oh... you mean, you wish... yeah, I get it."
"And there's nothing I can really do about it either," Popuri sighed resentfully. "I mean, we're all stuck on this island. I sound a little selfish, don't I?"
"Not at all! We're all girls, we want someone to treat us like a Princess, to pamper us and make us feel good about ourselves."
"Yeah," Popuri sat up, grateful her best friend shared her line of thinking. "So where's my Prince?"
"Well... you have Gray," Elli pointed out hopefully.
"Yeah, right," Popuri scoffed. "That boy doesn't like me. I've been trying for years to make him notice me or anything, but that guy is stone cold. I can't remember the last time he said two words in a row to me."
"Oh, uh..." Elli tapped her chin with a finger in thought. "What about... Jack?"
"Oh, no!" Popuri shook her head immediately. "All the other girls are all over him, I don't stand a chance."
"Don't think like that Popuri! You..." Elli paused, trying to think of something to say that complimented her, but didn't sound awkward. "Any guy should count their lucky stars to... to have you."
Popuri winced. "Yeah, okay Elli." She grinned good-humouredly at her friend's discomfort.
"No, seriously! I think you should get to know Jack better!"
With a sigh, Popuri glanced down at her ice cream, or what was left of it. "No... I don't think so..."
"Oh come ON!" Elli slammed her palm on Popuri's bedspread. "Don't even try to pretend, coz I can see right though you. I know you like Jack, so just admit it! Maybe you even like-like him! And maybe you even think he's hotter than a certain guy named... Luke Wilson." She smirked as the actor appeared on the television screen.
"No one is ever hotter than Luke!" Popuri screamed defending her celebrity idol. "Not Owen, not...uh... his other brother, not anyone! Hey, when you think about it, Luke and Jack are kind of the same! They both have chestnut brown hair and at great body..." she sighed contently.
"Uh... right!" Elli nodded in agreement. "See? Don't you think it's a good idea?"
"Yeah, but c'mon. No offense to Jack, but he's nothing compared to Luke."
Elli groaned. "Well... Luke's about ten years older than you."
"I know..."
"And you're never gonna meet him ever in your entire life."
"I know!"
"And-"
"I KNOW! What are you trying to do? Make me feel worse?"
"Okay okay, I'm sorry," whispered Elli timidly. "But I just want to see you happy. And Jack... yeah, he's a great guy. He could make you happy."
Popuri stroked her chin. "You really think so?"
"Yeah, definitely! And you know what? I'm going to help you."
"You..." Popuri blushed. "No Elli, don't do that."
"No, no... I'll be discreet, I'll be so subtle that even you won't be able to tell. I'll be like... uh... Cameron Diaz from Charlie's Angels or something. Except I won't kick anyone's ass-"
"And I get Luke Wilson-I mean, uh, Jack!" Then Popuri broke a smile. "Well, if you put it that way..." she giggled, suddenly back to the bubbly and perky self she was. "Thanks Elli, you're a real friend!" She leaped across her bed to give Elli a great big bear hug. "And you never know... instead of double dating, we could have a double wedding! Think about it, we could have matching pink wedding gowns and pink flowers and the guys could wear pink tuxes too..."
Elli cringed at the thought of not only her wearing a pink wedding dress, but two guys wearing a pink suit. You'd think it'd be Jeff and Jack marrying each other instead (A/N: If ya know what I mean! LOL, of course you do! Wink). Well, whatever makes Popuri happy... Elli reminded herself, her thoughts disguised with a smile.
"Oh, and Elli? Do you mind making a wedding cake purely covered with pale pink icing with darker pink icing on the edges?"
"Now hold it right there!" Elli commanded, holding up her hand in a gesture of silence. Wearing pink was bad enough. Making something pink with her own two hands would be an insult to her and her standing as a skilled baker. "I'm not making a-er, I mean, let's just concentrate on getting Jack okay?"
"Right," Popuri grinned. "Hey, the wedding invitations should be pink too..." Elli continued to hide behind her smile as her best friend continued to indirectly ruin her life.
"Oh, this is the best thing that could ever happen to me," Popuri gushed. "And it's all because of you, Elli! You're really the greatest friend I could ever hope for. I owe you big!"
"I'll keep that in mind," Elli whispered back.
Maria brushed away a branch to get a better view of Karen and Jack, who were sitting not too far away on the edge of the river, dangling their fishing rods over the river. She could see Jack, the Carpenter's house blocking her view, but at least she could keep an eye on Karen for a while. And the lack of vegetation on the mountain wasn't helping their sleuthing very much.
"Can you see anything?" Ann asked softly from behind a bush. She had told Maria about Karen and Jack's 'date' the day before; right after Ann had found out, actually (since the library was conveniently placed near the incident when Ann and Karen exchanged their agreement). It wasn't Maria's nature to stalk her friends, but she found it impossible to resist when she knew what was going on.
"Just Karen," Maria answered just as quietly back.
Ann grimaced. Their espionage was getting nowhere. "All right, I'm going to take a closer look. Let's go."
Maria shook her head fiercely, her eyes round. "No way."
"Fine. You stay here, I'm going." And before Maria could say a word of protest, Ann slithered out of the wild shrubs and tiptoed over to the Carpenter's house for a better listen.
"Does fishing always take this long?" Karen whined, kicking her heels on the river edge.
"It just takes patience Karen, that all," Jack insisted. "It's probably because we're doing this so late in the day."
"It's not that late!" Karen pointed out, frowning in confusion. "It's two o'clock!"
"Well, fish are most likely caught early in the morning. Around seven o'clock is the best time."
Karen anxiously pulled up her rod, only to be disappointed to find the bait taken, but no fish on the hook. "And you actually like doing this?"
"Well, it's a great way to relax. It sells for a fair price, and it's not bad tasting either."
"Well, then Greg must be the happiest man alive," Karen said sarcastically. "Come on Jack, we're not having much luck with this. We might as well make the best of this day and take a walk in the woods or something."
"Yeah, okay that sounds nice." The two of the packed up their fishing gear, and started for the bridge. A surge of envy engulfed Ann when she saw Karen take Jack's hand. And she grew even more jealous when she watched in dismay as Jack reached down, plucked a flower from the grass and hand it to his overjoyed companion.
Ann watched the two descend into a more open area. "What should we do now?"
"Go home," Maria suggested immediately, feeling uncomfortable at the position she had just put herself in.
"Are you mad? And miss the chance to stop this... this... well, I don't know what to call it, but it's wrong for Karen and Jack to be together, right Maria?"
"Yeah," she agreed, her mouth reacting faster before her brain could. "I mean no! I mean..." she trailed off, her chest feeling tight. "I just want to go back to the library and enjoy the peace. I'm not cut out for spy work."
"Then you go back to your precious books then," Ann sneered. "I'm going to ruin Karen's date."
"How?" Maria asked, intrigued.
"I know how," was all that Ann would tell her before dashing off to catch up to the pair. Anxious to find out what kind of idea her friend had cooked up this time, she followed her.
The two girls continued to keep their sight on Jack and Karen, hopping from bush to shrub to avoid being seen themselves. The unsuspecting couple stopped in front of the pond, just a few meters from Ann. Maria watched with interest as Ann carefully climbed up a nearby tree above.
"What's up with that rock?" Jack wondered out loud, referring to the large boulder that rested on the edge of the water. "Is there's anything behind it or something?"
"I dunno," Karen replied with little interest. "It's been there for awhile. No one's ever really paid any specific attention to it. It's just a rock on a mountain."
"Yeah, but look how it sits, almost like it's floating or something." Jack picked up a handful of stones and started hurling them at the rock.
"What are you doing?" asked Karen with half-hearted fascination.
"Trying to knock it down."
"Jack, stop," she put her hand on his arm in the middle of a swing. "I have to tell you something."
"About the rock?"
"No!" she exclaimed impatiently. Then she quickly lowered her voice. "Jack, ever since you moved here... I can't stop thinking about you."
"Really?" Jack said, his eyes large.
"Yes. What I'm trying to say is, Jack, I think I'm falling-"
"AHHHHH!" Ann screamed while dropping from her spot on the tree, cutting off Karen's attempt to grab Jack first. The two of them turned around in horror (different horrors to the respected people) when Ann crashed onto the mountain floor with a loud crash.
"Oh my God!" Jack leaped over to Ann's side. "Are you okay?"
"No... I think I twisted my ankle..." Ann managed to say through forced tears.
"What the hell are you doing here!" Karen demanded, narrowing her eyes at her.
"Karen, it's not the time for that!" Jack snapped. "Can you move at all?"
Ann shifted her back, and twitched in pain. "I can't... it really hurts..."
"I'll carry you home then," Jack volunteered, effortlessly lifting Ann up from the ground.
"Oh wow Jack, thank you," Ann beamed. Her objective was only to spoil Karen's day with Jack, but her plan turned for the better. "You're pretty strong!"
"And you're pretty light!" Jack complimented back, as the two descended off the mountain.
Karen, who seemed to be standing in the backdrop though the whole episode, threw the flower she had been holding boastfully to the ground in anger. "God, I hate that girl, I hate her!" She kicked the mountain floor in fury, sending a thick cloud of dry dust into the air. Someone from behind a bush coughed.
"Maria? Is that you?" Karen walked over to Maria, who was kneeling under a tree. "What are you doing here?"
"U-um... p-playing h-hide and seek with S-stu..."
"Were you spying on me!"
"Uh... yeah."
"Maria! How could you? This isn't like you at all!"
"I know!" she cried, happy and oddly relieved that Karen still knew that. "I don't do these things! I never do!"
"Then why were you spying on me!"
"Well... it's because of Jack."
"Jack?" Karen repeated, annoyed. "What about Jack? Oh... oh my God you like him too! But you don't like anyone!"
"Well, you know..." Maria blushed.
"I can't believe this!" Karen fumed. "Everyone's going after the guy I've been pinning for since spring! What's gonna happen next, Popuri and Elli are going to ambush me while I'm with Jack?"
"Didn't you hear?" Maria spoke up. "Elli and Jeff are going out."
"Elli... and Jeff?" Karen repeated, her mouth agape but more happy for herself than for Elli. "When did this happen?"
"Yesterday."
"But... Jeff's like six years older than Elli!"
"So? My parents are eight years apart. And you're parents have an even bigger age gap than that. Besides, it was a custom in the old age for twelve year old girls to marry forty year old men."
"Ew!" grimaced Karen. "Where the hell did you hear that?"
"In a book," Maria replied.
Karen rolled her eyes. "Well, if it's in a book, then it's gotta be true," she mocked, not even trying to hide the cynicism in her voice.
"It's true!" Maria claimed.
"Okay okay whatever," Karen said, quick to change the subject which, quite frankly, was boring her. "Is Popuri dating that prude Gray by any chance?"
"Um... I don't think so," Maria answered, trying not to let Karen's name calling character bother her. "But I haven't seen her since yesterday."
"Hmm..." stroking her chin, Karen smiled. "This is great."
"What is?"
"With Elli dating Jeff, that makes her out of the race."
"Oh... yeah..." Maria blushed.
"It's great in fact! Now Elli's neutral! So I can do whatever I want now! Coz she'll be there to stop me if I ever end up going too far!"
"Uh... how far?" Maria asked, a little afraid of the answer.
Karen ignored her question. "This is excellent! When we're all at each other's throats, she'll be there to take our knives away! It's working out better than I thought!"
"Well, if you say so..." Maria pursed her lips. "Let's go check up on Ann."
"No way," Karen stated quickly. She couldn't bear to hear her name, let alone look at her. "I'm too mad at her right now."
"Okay, well, I'll see you later." With a quick wave, she left the mountain.
Karen picked up the flower from the ground while gathering her thoughts. Ann thinks she's won already huh? Well, she's totally underestimated me. I'll get back at her, and I don't care what it takes. With Jack's flower in hand, she began the short walk back home to the vineyard. She thinks she can play dirty? She hasn't seen anything yet.
Gack! I can't believe I had to rewrite this chapter again. I remember the second half a lot better than the first half... but I think my first version was better. But it's gone... and I can't blame anyone but myself. Sob Well, I could blame but I won't, mu ha ha!