Chapter 4
Crossroads mission school, Oklahoma
May 1859
Nicole scrubbed furiously at the dishes, her annoyance bubbling to the surface. With huff she nearly dropped a bowl and turned to Kaylie, hands on her hips.
"Kaylie, I just don't know what's wrong with you," She sighed dramatically.
"What do you mean?" Kaylie turned and looked up from where she was drying and stacking dishes.
"You spend all your free time with that dummy and his half-breed friend."
"Nicole, that's unkind. He's not a dummy. Ike is a very nice person, and you are welcome to come with me."
"No way!" Nicole shook her head adamantly. "What do you do with them anyway?" Nicole tried to sound as uninterested as possible.
"Just talk about things. Buck's been telling me about his family, and Ike's." Kaylie raised an eyebrow. "Did you know that the Kiowa—"
"Kaylie, I don't want to know anything about those filthy savages. You shouldn't want too either." Nicole flashed a worried look her way. "You know, if you are friends with them, no one is going to want to be your friend, including me."
"Well, if that's how you feel, I don't want to be your friend either!" Kaylie snapped back.
"Fine!" Nicole turned and huffed off.
Kaylie rolled her eyes and continued drying the dishes. She certainly didn't want to alienate herself, but Buck and Ike had become really good friends. She felt a twinge of guilt though. Nicole had, after all, befriended her from the first day she arrived.
She was just being a good friend, right? She just didn't know Buck or Ike. Kaylie decided she would apologize to Nicole later. As she stacked the pile of clean dishes on the counter, she smiled and waved as Buck walked by the window carrying buckets of water to the garden.