Unhealthy Attraction
Chapter 2: Rejection and Anger
A/N: Thanks for the warm reception, everyone. Good to see that some people have come back after Gamer to Farmer. For your information, Mage and I are living as close to "happily ever after" as we can. Thanks for remembering her; she says thank you as well. In fact, she is taking a much larger role with this fic, coming up with most of the plot herself. I must say that she is a deviously talented woman, knowing full well what will catch the reader's attention. Bless my luck. Hello to all the new people as well! This chapter ended up being a little longer than the first, but I'm sure that you all don't mind. Well, enough babbling. Time to send Popuri down another notch.
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"She's still out there." Rick muttered to his mother. Lillian merely smiled as she continued to prepare dinner. Rick was standing just outside the front door, his eyes glued to Popuri. The young pink haired girl was leaning over the fence that separated their farm from the neighboring farmer's land. Rick couldn't be sure, but it looked like Popuri was watching Jack as he worked. "Creepy." He muttered to himself as he allowed the door to swing shut.
"Don't worry so much about her. Popuri thinks that she's in love, but I know she'll get over it as soon as Kai comes back to town." Lillian commented, causing Rick to shudder at the mere mention of the name Kai. Lillian laughed slightly at her son's overprotective nature. "You can't protect her from everything in this world."
Rick shot his mother a glare. "I suppose that's a job for dad, isn't it?"
It was Lillian's turn to glare coldly at her son. "Don't remind me. I never want to hear about that man again." Lillian let out a depressed sigh, thinking about what had been, but no longer was. She paused momentarily before retuning to her cooking, where she was preparing dinner for herself and children. "Go out there and tell your sister that dinner is just about ready." Lillian instructed her son.
"I'd rather let her starve out there." Rick muttered as he got up from his seat. He would much rather leave her to fend for herself, but since it was an order from his mother, he didn't want to disobey her. Grudgingly, Rick went over to the front door, opened it slightly, and called out, "Supper's ready!"
Popuri was rudely awakened from her daydream like state. She uttered a low growl directed at her brother before returning to watching Jack. "Now!" Rick demanded. It took every ounce of Popuri's energy to tear herself away from Jack. She cast one last longing look over her shoulder at Jack before heading inside. As she past by Rick, her brother shook her head in disapproval of Popuri's actions. "You're just jealous." Popuri muttered, adding a playful elbow to her brother's stomach as she pushed herself inside. "What's for dinner, mom?" Popuri asked, taking a whiff of the delicious aroma drifting off of the food.
"I fixed up a couple of fish that Greg brought by earlier." Lillian explained, proudly displaying some of her excellent cooking. Lillian was famous in Mineral Town for her cooking, but because of her illness, she was unable to participate in the annual festival. That just meant for delicious food for Popuri and Rick. Lillian flashed a friendly smile at her children as they took their seats at the table, "So, has Jack asked you to tomorrow's Goddess Festival yet?"
The younger pink haired woman dejectedly shook her head negative. "I don't understand it! I've been waiting for him to come over here and ask me, but he hasn't made the first move!"
"Why don't you go over and ask him instead of watching him from sunrise to sunset?" Rick dared to ask. He ended up receiving a cold glare from Popuri that told him not to touch the subject. "It wouldn't be proper." Popuri stated, sticking her nose slightly up into the air.
"Maybe he found some other girl to go to the festival with?" Lillian suggested, much to the chagrin of Popuri. The thought of this occurrence had yet to have been thought of. Popuri shifted nervously in her chair, obviously worried that her mother had guessed the truth. "Go ahead and ask him." Lillian told her daughter. Popuri awkwardly got to her feet and stumbled out the door, turning towards the neighboring farm.
Rick waited until he was sure that his sister was well out of hearing range before bursting out in a fit of laughter. Lillian shook her head at Rick in disapproval, "Don't laugh! You were just as paranoid when you started courting Karen!"
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The sun was just on its way below the horizon, casting a rather heavenly glow around Popuri. She was attempting to maintain somewhat of a regal air about her as she hurried over to Jack's farm. Popuri lifted the bottom of her dress up to around her knees, trying not to trip over the lengthy article of clothing. Due to the extra attention that she was paying to her clothing, she didn't happen to notice the large muscle bound man before her until after she ran into his chest. The contact was so unexpected that Popuri ended up falling to the ground.
"Sorry about that, Miss Popuri. I guess that you didn't see me. Where were you headed in such a rush?" Popuri looked up into the eyes of the man who knocked her over. It was Zach, the shipper. He was heading in the direction of the dock, his arms loaded up with an assortment of produce and things gathered from up on Mother's Hill.
Popuri lifted herself up off the ground, brushing away the dirt from her blouse. "For your information, I was going to ask Jack if he wants to go to the Goddess Festival with me." Popuri stated rather rudely. Zach and Popuri weren't even remotely close as friends, mostly because she found Zach to be a little creepy. This was due to the fact that she figured that Zach was just a guy who tried to use his muscles to score with chicks.
Zach seemed to completely disregard the tone of Popuri's voice. The shipper motioned towards the direction from whence he came, "I just came from there. I'm afraid that he currently isn't at home. He usually is waiting for me to arrive and take his produce. This was the first day that he hasn't been there. He must be busy in town. Well, see you later." Zach pushed his way past Popuri and continued towards the dock.
"I'll still go check to see if Jack is home." Popuri told herself, cursing her poor timing. It only took her a few steps before she found herself on the grounds of Jack's farm. The place looked even more attractive this close. The field was very well taken care of, with nearly a dozen plots of crops growing. It was a stunning arrangement of colors and natural beauty.
Popuri stepped up to the door of the tiny shack that served as house and home for the attractive farmer. She lifted up her hand to the door, knocking lightly. Nearly immediately, a high pitched barking came from inside the house, signifying that at least Jack's dog was at home. The sound of scratching came from the bottom of the door as the dog wanted to greet the visitor.
"Jack! Are you home?" Popuri called out.
No response.
"He'll probably be back any minute. I'll just wait until he comes home and then I'll ask him out to the Festival." Popuri told herself, sitting down against the side of the house, giving her a grand view of the fields as the sun gave one final glimmer of light over the world.
Popuri must have fallen asleep at one point in time because the sound of approaching voices jolted her back to reality. The voices were coming from just around the corner, probably right in front of the very house she was leaning against. Jack had come back, just as she had predicted. Now all she had to do was ask him to tomorrow's Goddess Festival.
But, one of the voices, sounding extremely familiar to her, caused her to stop. "Try not to work so hard from now on, ok? I don't want you showing up at the Clinic every day because you overworked yourself again." The voice belonged to that disgusting twit, Elli. Popuri despised Elli. The girl was nearly the exact opposite of Popuri, being much more mature and relaxed, even more emotionally stable.
The next voice was completely unbeknownst to Popuri. The voice was quite gruff, but sounded very friendly, each word coming as if it was delivered by a heralding angel. Just the distant sound was more than enough to leave Popuri breathless. In all of her time watching Jack, he had never once spoken a single word. Now, the words he delivered came as an unexpected slap across the face. "What if I showed up at the Clinic to see you?" Jack flirted, trying to be sweet.
Popuri had crawled alongside the house and was now peeking around the corner, witnessing the entire scene. Elli was obviously taken aback by the sudden move that Jack had placed on her. Her face was turning a darker shade, visible even under the moonlight that illuminated the property. Slowly, the blushing turned into a smile. "I'd like that."
It was Jack's turn to smile. His words were becoming gentler with each successive pass he made. "Then you wouldn't mind if I came by tomorrow to take you to the Goddess Festival." Jack stated reasonably.
A gasp managed to escape Popuri's lips, nearly loud enough to attract the attention of the two flirting young adults. If either one had heard her, they weren't showing the slightest notion. In fact, the two appeared to be falling for each other, drawing ever so closer. Now, their faces were mere inches away from each other. "Call it a date." Elli murmured, her head tilting slightly as she found her lips connecting with Jack's.
The two stayed in their lip-lock for nearly a full minute. The sight was causing a storm of jealousness to brew up inside of Popuri. There she was, just a few small feet away from the man she had grown attracted too, and he was lost with some nurse's tongue jammed halfway down his throat. Popuri almost felt like getting up and ruining the entire romantic scene with an outburst, but she found herself lacking the energy to even climb to her feet. She tried to call out something, anything, but nothing escaped her lips other than a meek whimper.
Finally, as if only as a necessity, the two groping youths came up for air. A sly smile now donned Jack's face as he held on to Elli, his gaze lost deeply in the empty abyss of the twit's pair of dull brown eyes. "Why don't we continue this inside?" Jack suggested, using his distinct size advantage to move the caressing pair up against the door.
Elli motioned agreement by reaching around Jack with one hand and pushing open the door. Jack dove in for another kiss, nailing his target square on. Elli let out a guilty giggle as she and Jack managed to find their way through the open doorway amid the passionate exchange of exploring kisses. The last sight that Popuri saw of them was Jack reaching around Elli, carefully untying the knot that held Elli's apron in place. The simple article of clothing came undone, dropping to the ground in an unwelcome signal that the courting had gone on to the next level.
Popuri let out a sound that was a mix of a disappointed sigh and an angry growl as she got to her feet and headed home. Rick was there, waiting, even at this ungodly hour, a smile across his face knowing that Popuri had failed. She regarded her brother with a low growl as she passed by him and into the house. Then, she headed straight to her bedroom, not wanting to face the reality that she was going to the Goddess Festival all alone.
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The faint, yet mouthwatering aroma of breakfast came drifting up the stairs. Popuri jumped out of bed, eager to get a taste of the wonderful food awaiting her. Although it was only for a moment, Popuri was forgetting about what she had witnessed the night before. She tossed on her robe and ran down the stairs. She was met with a warm smile from her mother as she sat down at the table. "Good morning, dear." Lillian greeted. Popuri merely nodded in response, her mouth full of food.
"So, is Jack coming to get you?" Lillian asked. This caused Popuri to stop eating, her mouth quivering as she was reminded that she was going solo to the Goddess Festival. Lillian immediately sensed that something was amiss, rushing to her daughter's side to offer consolation, "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't know."
"No… I'm… ok. It's fine." Popuri sobbed. She had her heart set on the hopes that she would be going to the Festival with Jack, but that was no longer the reality. If only she had made the first move earlier. That first meeting between the two must not have meant anything more than a friendly gesture. But, to her, Popuri believed that it meant something more. Now, it seemed to her that her earlier procrastination had resulted in another woman winning the prize.
Lillian was desperately searching for something that would help ease the awkwardness of the situation. "Come with me, Popuri, I have something to give you." Lillian offered, directing her daughter to follow her back up the stairs. Popuri followed, curiosity drawing her forward even with the tears in her eyes.
Popuri found her mother searching deep within her own closet, trying to locate something that must not have been used for years if not decades. "What are you… looking for?" Popuri asked, the sobbing of her voice nearly under control.
"Hah! There it is!" Lillian proclaimed in celebration, backing out of the closet. In her hands, held aloft, was a beautifully stunning pink dress with strands of roses running along the waist. Popuri had to think back a long time to the last time she had seen this ancient dress. Way back when Popuri was very, very little, Lillian had worn this dress in her final dance at the Goddess Festival. "This dress has been in my family for generations, my dear. I think that today, you will inherit this dress. Put it on." Lillian ordered, her eyes becoming teary as she watched Popuri carefully change into the outfit.
The dress fit perfectly, hiding the few flaws that Popuri had and greatly enhancing her good features. "Wow." Popuri uttered, her voice expressing the sheer amazement that Popuri felt. She looked into the nearest mirror, examining herself and twirling about gaily. Popuri turned to her mother, eager to express her gratitude, but nothing came to mind that suited the moment.
"It's ok, dear. You don't need to say thank you or anything. I'll be the one who makes the emotional speech for you. You look absolutely stunning, dear. I can't believe how gorgeous you are." Lillian wiped away a stray tear that was rolling down along her cheek before continuing, "Just like a pink-haired angel, becoming the embodiment of everything beautiful that there is in nature. Now, go out there, dance your heart out, and win over the man of your dreams." Lillian gently placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. Then Popuri was gone, rushing down the stairs and out the door, eager to carry out her mother's wishes.
The Town Square was already filling up with people. The Goddess Festival was a village favorite, simply because it marked the beginning of Spring. Plus, the guys liked watching the young girls dancing around in seductive dresses. Today wasn't unlike any of the other Goddess Festivals that Popuri had attended, either as a dancer or as a mere spectator. Nearly every person in town was present, except the people who couldn't make it or preferred to live in isolation.
Also present were Jack and Elli, who were just arriving, arm-in-arm. Elli gave her lover a deep, engorging kiss before the two separated. Elli joined the other three girls, while Jack, who Popuri was much more interested in, made his way to the back of the crowd, nearly out of sight from everyone.
"Hey, Popuri! We're almost ready to start! Get over here!" Karen, Rick's girlfriend, ordered. Popuri grudgingly took her eyes off her prey as she got into her position for the start of the dance. "Ready?" Karen asked down the line, receiving a series of affirmatives. Karen was the unofficial leader of the dancers, so her orders were final. "Ok. On my count. Three… two… one… zero."
Popuri immediately let herself loose, descending into a nearly unconscious state, as she began the memorized dance steps. They had practiced this dance so many times that it was second nature to all of them. Each girl added their own personal flair to the scheduled twirls, whether it is a humble blush or a bashful flutter of eyelashes. But, Popuri had her own plans to gain Jack's attention that were nearly guaranteed to work.
It was Popuri's turn to do her twirl. She locked her eyes with Jack, who seemed memorized at the mere sight of the stunning women before him. The meaning behind her gaze was not lost on the other males in the crowd, who apparently thought they were the lucky target of Popuri's attention. Popuri gracefully lifted one foot off the ground, pushing herself into the twirl. The long silky Goddess dress spun about her seductively, even managing to come to a rest with Popuri so that the slit gave an enticing show of leg. A chorus of primitive cheers erupted from the men. "Typical."
The remainder of the dance went smoothly, with a few of the girls constantly trying to one-up the girl before them. A friendly competition that evolved over the years, but actually had a purpose behind it this year, even though it was unknown to the girls other than Popuri. After what seemed like hours of dancing, the music finally died down, only to be replaced by the wild cheers of the spectators. "One of the best Goddess Festivals ever!" Someone proclaimed, drawing another round of cheers.
Deep in the middle of the celebrating villagers, Popuri was searching for Jack. Surely he had seen her dance and had been enticed by it. "You were amazing." A voice stated from her left. Popuri turned to see Jack approaching her. "Yes!" Popuri rejoiced as Jack came nearer.
Her rejoicing came a bit too prematurely. Jack walked straight past her and into the open arms of Elli. The two instantly puckered up and picked up their game of tonsil hockey as if it had never taken a break. Popuri, mouth open in perturbed shock, watched helplessly as the two enjoyed each other's saliva. This was the final straw.
Popuri calmly walked up to the two lip smackers, standing patiently to the side of them. "Ahem." She cleared her throat, trying to break up the disgusting interfacing. No use. "Ahem!" She repeated, much louder this time. Still no responsive action from the necking lovebirds.
Popuri was probably going to regret her next action for a long time coming, but it proved to be immediately satisfying. The pink haired poultry raiser placed her left hand on the shoulder of the brown haired nurse, roughly yanking her away from her hitch. Then, with such ferocious force, Popuri brought her right hand across Elli's face. The noise the slap created was so loud that everyone in the Square turned to see what had happened.
Elli now lay at Popuri's feet, her hand clutched tightly against the stinging throb where Popuri's handprint still remained. The force of the blow had left the girl stunned. She hardly knew what she was seeing from her near prone position on the ground. Was it just her, or had her assailant just kissed her boyfriend? Indeed, this was what had transpired. With an evil smirk across her face, Popuri broke the kiss with Jack. The entire crowd watched in stunned silence as Popuri proudly strutted out of the square and back home. Victory was hers at the end of the day.
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A/N: I must say that I am rather proud of this chapter. Hopefully most people feel the same way about this chapter as I do. The entire make-out scene between Jack and Elli wasn't in the original plot, but I'm glad that we thought of it as I wrote this. That's the one part in particular that I believe was done extremely well compared to previous scenes with similar objectives that I have written. Please leave a review regarding this chapter and your opinion if I sent Popuri down a little too far at once. Thanks for reading.