Chapter 3

'The sooner, the better'

Daisy sped out of the dusty driveway, startling the chickens who squawked offensively. She didn't know where she was going. Who would be up at five thirty in the morning? On a Saturday?

'I could talk to R.J!' She thought. 'No, he's probably still sleeping.' She didn't want to wake him. He got home as late as she did, and he gets grouchy when he doesn't sleep.

'Who else?' She pondered. Wendy was in Alabama visiting her Dad, her cousin Jorjanna was out of town; her best-friend Chelsea Ann was...

"Chelsea!" She said aloud. "She's home!"

Daisy took a short cut through the Hazzard back roads. Sheriff Rosco wouldn't be out here this early, so she put the pedal to the medal.

"Yee haw!" She hollered, imitating her cousin Bo. Driving always made her feel better. The wind blowing through her sun kissed, light brown hair, the dust stirring behind her, the sun peering over the mountains. Her problems couldn't catch up with her, not when she was driving.

But her fun came to an abrupt stop when she turned on the main road.

The town was quiet, everyone at their homes sleeping. The only person up and walking about was Enos Strate, an honest-hearted deputy. He saw Daisy in her white jeep and flashed a smile.

"Hey there Enos!" She shouted, smiling.

"Hey Mrs. Jackson!" He hollered back. "Congratulations to yall!"

"Thank you sugar!" She yelled as she drove on by. At least Enos was taking it well. Everyone knew he had the hots for her. And the feelings were mutual at one point. Until R.J came into the picture that is.

Chelsea Ann's house was a fancy one. Probably the fanciest in Hazzard, next to Boss Hoggs of course.Chelsea's parents had a lot of money, but never flaunted it like the Hoggs.

Daisy pulled into the paved driveway. She grabbed her denim blue purse and hopped out of the jeep.

'Please let Chelsea be up.' She prayed after knocking on their door. She didn't want to wake up her parents if they were sleeping.

Daisy's prayer was answered when the tall and slender twenty-year-old opened the door. "Daisy?" She asked sleepily. "Whatdya doin' here so early?"

"I needed to talk to someone." Daisy replied as Chelsea Ann let her inside. "And who better than my best friend?"

"Is everything okay?" Chelsea asked concerned.

'No.' She thought angrily to herself.' Bo and Luke don't want me to be happy.'

"You want some hot chocolate or somethin?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." Daisy replied gratefully.

She followed Chelsea into the giant kitchen. She sat down at the table while Chelsea quietly placed the kettle of water on the stove. "So what's goin' on?" She asked.

Daisy chose her words carefully. She may have been angry with her cousins, but she didn't want to make them seem cruel. "Ya know how, Bo and Luke dislike R.J?" She said.

Chelsea nodded as she sat down beside her.

"Well," She continued. "We got in a little tiff this mornin..."

"Oh my word." Chelsea said under her breath.

"What?" Daisy asked impatiently. She hated being interrupted from expressing her point of view.

Chelsea was starring at the little peridot ring on her best friends left hand. "Where in the heavens did ya git that?" She asked bewildered. Chelsea knew the Dukes didn't have enough money to go off and by fancy jewelry like that. 'Someone must have gotten it for her.' She pondered. 'And it's on her left hand...'

"I'm engaged." Daisy said. "I figured you already knew?"

Chelsea shook her head as tears filled her eyes.

"You didn't?" Daisy said loudly. "Oh my goodness! Nobody told my best friend I'm engaged!" She said even louder. She wasn't mad, just excited.

"How'd he do it?" Chelsea asked as she grabbed her Daisy's hand. "Tell me everything!"

"All right," Daisy said excitedly, tears filling in her own eyes. "It was so romantic Chelsea! I wish you were there! We were dancing at the Boars Nest and..."

"The Boars Nest?" Chelsea asked. "He proposed to you at a bar?"

Daisy ignored her and continued. "He got down on one knee, pulled out the ring and asked me. Everyone watched, it was so cute! And the ring is perfect! It's peridot, my birthstone. Oh and he came by and asked Uncle Jesse for his blessing!"

Chelsea hugged her and squealed. "I'm so happy for you!"

Daisy wiped a tear from her eye. "I know, it was wonderful."

"So then," Chelsea asked confused. "Why were you all upset? I don't understand?"

Daisy's grin vanished as she sat back down. "Oh." She replied. "Oh yeah."

Chelsea took the boiling kettle off the stove, and poured the hot water into two mugs filled with powdered chocolate and marshmallows.

"My family didn't take it as well as you did." Daisy said gloomily. "I mean, Uncle Jesse did...he's happy for us. But Bo and Luke are so stubborn! They don't like R.J because of his past rebellious schemes. They think he's trouble."

"Well," Chelsea said handing Daisy her mug. "He is trouble Daisy."

"He is not!" She said defensively. "He use to be trouble, but he's changing. Uncle Jesse can even sense that!"

Chelsea simply shrugged and sipped her chocolate.

"I mean, I use to look down on the Jackson boys, even R.J! I thought they were all immature red necked boys who had nothin' better to do but to stir up trouble." Daisy said. "And then I met Ryan. He was so funny! Remember his pick up line?"

"Yeah." Chelsea replied. "If you were a booger, I'd pick you first!" She said imitating him.

They both laughed at the memory. "I don't see how that reeled you in." Chelsea said giggling.

"His humor is what got me." Daisy said dreamily. "He makes me laugh when all I wanna do is cry. He makes me, happy." She said. "And Bo and Luke don't see that."

Chelsea didn't know what to say. Bo and Luke didn't like R.J, and R.J didn't like Bo and Luke. That was a fact. So Chelsea brought up the wedding. "You set a date yet?" She asked. "I mean, when yall plan on tying the knot?"

R.J and Daisy had discussed this last night. They both agreed, 'the sooner, the better.' They both really wanted to start a life together, what's the point in waiting?

"Real soon." She replied.

"How soon?"

"Before summer."

"But Daisy, summer's only a month away!"

"Like I said, real soon."

Hope ya like it! I'm real busy with my horses right now so I don't know how quickly I can get chapter 4 up. Probably in a week or so. Thanks for reading! -Jordyn