Kawaii-Cherri: Yeah… you're going to be waiting a while before there are any confessions, I'm writing chapter 22 and we're nowhere near a confession. It's a slow burn… sort of? As for another fic idea, the whole vampire online personality thing could be pretty fun. Question is, is Sebastian the vamp, or the farmer? What a twist!

A/N: We're skipping on a bit, gotta keep mooooving.

Chapter Thirteen: Unlucky number.

'Damn!' Elspeth swore as she gripped the controller. She had been practising playing a game that Abigail had introduced her to called, "Journey of the Prairie King". She had managed to get to level two but that was when she began to struggle. Elspeth hadn't grown up playing games and even though she only had a brief introduction, she had begun to enjoy them. She had the cliché match maker games on her phone and other silly time wasters. Sebastian had fun teasing her about them but didn't discourage her from when she showed interest and even let her borrow the console she was currently using. It was frustrating but she was determined to get further in order to help Abigail progress, it was something that they bonded over and Elspeth wanted to have more close friends seeing as she wanted to live in the community amicably.

Buddy whined from where he was lying on her bed and she looked over at him. 'What's the matter, boy?' She asked as she paused the game. He whined again and lifted his head, and gave her a soft woof. Elspeth looked out the window, it was a little drizzly and so they had been in most of the morning. 'Looks like it's clearing up, do you want to go out for a walk?' She asked. He woofed happily and bounced off the bed. Elspeth giggled as he trotted over and began to lick her face, 'ugh, gross,' she laughed and pushes his snout away. 'Okay, okay, I'm getting up,' she moaned as she leaned forward from the cushion she had been sitting on and turned off the telly and console.

It took about fifteen minutes for Elspeth to get ready. She had pulled on a pair of heavy-duty boots and a thick jumper; she didn't mind getting a little damp and she had put Sebastian's hoodie in her backpack in case the weather took a turn. While he hadn't asked her not to wear it in public, she didn't want people's questions and had refrained from doing so. Occasionally, when he visited, she would find it missing from its usual place – on her bed. The first time, she had panicked and rang him asking if he had changed his mind about gifting it to her; turned out he had simply taken it to wash and "refresh" it, which she had discovered meant spraying it with more cologne once it was clean. He had brought it back the next day and she no longer worried when it randomly disappeared. Although he hadn't inquired about when she wore it, it was obvious that it had something to do with her bedroom. Elspeth had grown accustomed to wearing it to bed and missed it on the nights it was gone.

They left the house and Buddy wandered off ahead, while Elspeth fiddled with her headphones. There was no need for a leash as Buddy was well-trained and had an excellent recall. The weather hadn't improved but hadn't gotten worse either so Elspeth let Buddy decide as to where they would walk. After twenty minutes or so, they were up the mountain and she spotted some berries. 'Oooh, they would make a nice jam,' she said to herself. Elspeth had just bought a load of fine sugar, and invested in some barrels for pickles and such. Robin had great fun building them and teaching on her how to make her own should she wish to try her hand at woodworking. She tackled the bush for a moment and attracted the attention of a squirrel that stared at her from a branch, unnervingly.

Elspeth frowned as she kept the gaze of the small creature, feeling like it was judging her unfairly. 'Hey, you probably have hundreds of acorns you forget about every year. Bite me,' she said, as she gave the bush an ungraceful tug. The berries were finally surrendered and she put them into a bag that she had stashed into her backpack for this very reason. Pulling down her headphones, she stuck out her tongue at the squirrel, causing it to scamper off and then she looked around for Buddy. She listened for a moment before whistling for him, seeing as she could neither hear, nor see him. While she waited for her dog to appear, she noticed the sound of a flute. Following the sound, she found Abigail under a tree, enjoying herself.

'Elspeth,' she said in surprise as she put down her instrument. 'Hey,' she said with a smile. Abigail was dressed in thick tights and a skirt with big boots and a leather jacket. Buddy appeared and Elspeth gave him a quick pat on the head before affirming that he could wander off again. He disappeared back into the brush and Abigail smiled at his antics. 'What are you doing up here, in this weather?' Abigail asks.

'I could ask you the same question,' Elspeth grinned. She leaned against the tree and smiles, 'I'm just walking Buddy, he was getting restless and it's not completely horrible out here. The weather is getting better by the moment,' she points out as she looked at the sky.

'Wanna join me for a bit?' Abigail asked as she moved up on the log that she was sitting on. Elspeth sat down happily and Abigail continued to play lightly.

Elspeth closed her eyes as she listened and then a thought hit her, 'is that from a game?' She asked as she enjoyed the ambiance.

'Yeah!' Abigail said, her tone perky with enthusiasm. 'I'll bring it over next time I visit, or like, you can come over to mine and we'll play,' she said, her eyes lighting up.

'Sounds great!' Elspeth nodded, 'oh, speaking of games. I've gotten to stage two, the forest? I'm getting better but honestly, it's so hard,' she laughed as she fiddled with her jumper sleeve. 'I don't know how you manage to do it,' she added.

Abigail tilted her head, 'are you playing on the arcade machine? I've not seen you in there recently,' she asked, wondering how Elspeth was practicing. There was a heavy breeze and the girls stilled for a moment, bracing themselves against the cold. Elspeth was thankful that she had braided her hair back as Abigail's seemed to whip around her face.

'There's a hairband in my backpack if you want one,' Elspeth said as she pulled it off her shoulder. Abigail grinned with a nod, Elspeth unzipped her backpack and as she did so, Buddy emerged from a bush with something in his mouth. 'Ah!' Elspeth said, as she spotted her dog. 'Drop it!' She commanded, receiving side eye from Buddy as he refused her command. 'Have a hunt,' Elspeth said quickly to Abigail as she passed over her bag and got up to tackle her dog. 'Come here, you little shit,' she said as she ran over to Buddy who backed up, reluctant to give his discovery.

Elspeth pinned Buddy while Abigail gingerly went into her friend's bag, looking for the hairband. She moved the bag of berries aside and felt something soft. Abigail raised a brow and pulled out the piece of clothing. A hoodie. She looked at Elspeth, who currently had her fingers in Buddy's mouth and was trying to pull out what looked to be a mushroom out from his teeth. 'Hey, Elspeth… is this… Sebastian's hoodie?' She asked, feeling a pit in her stomach grow. Her heart sped up and she glances back at Elspeth who had succeeded in stealing Buddy's find.

'Oh, yeah,' Elspeth replied nonchalantly, not wanting to make a big deal out of it as she lobbed the mushroom into the nearby stream. Elspeth knew that Abigail and Sebastian were close but seeing as how reluctant he was with touch and other intimate things with herself, she was sure that there was nothing going on between them. Another breeze hit them and Elspeth winces, 'speaking of, can I just-?' She said as she returned to her seat and took the hoodie from Abigail, pulling it on. 'It's so cold,' she added, trying to change the subject.

Abigail frowned, 'that's not cool, Elspeth. I mean… I know you like him,' she said not wanting to admit it, 'taking his clothing is a little out of order. He's very protective of his things, and it's not on that you're just helping yourself. He's probably too polite to tell you to give it back-'

Elspeth interrupted, 'don't worry. I didn't take it,' she replied, bluntly, noting the shock on Abigail's features. Her flute sat in her lap, and her body language was reserved. Elspeth didn't really want to tell Abigail as it was a private moment between her and Sebastian but going by Abigail's expression, Elspeth knew she had to clarify what she meant. 'He gave it to me,' she said simply, as if it didn't matter.

'He gave you it? That's his favourite hoodie,' Abigail said, her frown returning. 'He's had it for literally years. You're telling me he just, gave it to you? On a whim?'

'Well, I wouldn't say on a whim,' Elspeth said tilting her head as she gave Abigail a look. 'He gave it to me because he wanted me to have it, that's all,' Elspeth said, ignoring the tone of hurt in Abigail's voice. Elspeth was trying to downplay how much the sentiment meant to her and get off the topic but Abigail seemed determined to pull at every thread.

Abigail huffed, 'what else has he given you?'

She shrugged, 'nothing. I mean, he let me borrow his game console so I could practice our game,' Elspeth said trying to find a segue. It didn't work. 'I've been trying really hard so that I can help you get further on-'

'It's not our game,' Abigail snapped as she got up, grabbing her flute and passing Elspeth her bag, roughly. 'I… I thought you were my friend,' she said, cruelly.

Elspeth frowned as she stood up and put down her bag, 'I am! Why wouldn't I be?' She asked, worried about how she's managed to upset Abigail. 'What's going on? Why are you upset?'

Abigail looked like she was about to cry, 'you! I've liked Seb for years!' She said bluntly. 'Now you've suddenly decided you want him and he's all over you! I've waited for years for him to notice me and it's like he can barely tolerate my presence! But, with you, it's like, he just…' she snaps at Elspeth. 'He'll hug you and smile at you… he's given you his clothing and letting you borrow things! He never lets me do any of those things!'

Surprise hit Elspeth like a truck, 'I'm… sorry, Abi,' Elspeth said simply. 'I didn't know,' she admitted. 'I mean, I knew you were close but I didn't know you have feelings towards him,' Elspeth said, honestly. Oh, shit. I had no idea… I feel like a right bitch… the whole reason I stayed away from certain other guys in the village is because I knew that other people liked them, she thought in guilt. Then, her heart tightened and her expression hardened. Hold on, it's not my fault that she's never told him. I'm not in the wrong for liking a guy, Elspeth thought simply as she put her mind to it. She looked at Abigail and crossed her arms, privately enjoying the smell of Sebastian's cologne that the breeze washed over her face. 'I'm sorry you feel that I'm stealing his attention, Abi, but like you said, you've had years.'

A scowl appeared on Abigail's features. 'Excuse me?' She snapped, copying Elspeth's posture and crossing her arms.

'I don't want to fall out over some guy, Abigail,' Elspeth said, shrugging a shoulder. 'Thing is, I like Sebastian a lot and I'm not going to apologise for that or stop spending time with him. I like developing my relationship with him, I'm excited to where it could go,' she said, not caring that Abigail's scowl darkened.

'It's not going to go anywhere!' Abigail said, nastily. 'If you think it can, then you don't actually know him at all, do you?'

'I know him better than you,' Elspeth replied simply. 'If you really think that things won't change-'

'You're an idiot! He's stated multiple times that he can't touch skin on skin!' Abigail replied, interrupting. 'You're just okay with that? I doubt it! You can't change him! You can't fix him-'

Elspeth shook her head and almost shouted at her in reply, 'he's not broken!' She snapped. 'You truly have no idea how he feels about it all do you?' Elspeth scowled. 'So much for being one of his closest friends, Abigail,' she said, simply and cruelly. With all the nights that Elspeth and Sebastian had spent hanging out, she had learned a lot about him and his perspective on how things were.

'Fuck you, Elspeth. You don't know anything about our relationship,' Abigail said with a glare.

She shrugged her shoulders. 'I know that I've told him that I like him, and I know he likes me. That much is obvious,' Elspeth replied. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, 'fucking hell, this is all so… pathetic. Are we really going to fall out over a guy? A guy?!'

Abigail simply glared at her and Elspeth rolled her eyes. 'Looks like it,' Abigail said, bluntly.

'Fine,' Elspeth replied. 'Abigail, if you want to try and like, "win" him, go for it. I have no claim to him. We're not dating. Just like you aren't dating him either. It's up to Sebastian to decide, not us,' Elspeth said, feeling annoyed that she was having to go through this entire rigmarole. She picked up her bag and looked inside, pulling out a silver velvet scrunchie. Elspeth whistled for Buddy and walked towards Abigail who frowned. 'Give it your best shot, Abigail. We'll see who Sebastian prefers. I'm still your friend, if that's something you want,' she said as she pressed the scrunchie into Abigail's chest, forcing her to take it. 'That's up to you.'

Elspeth left Abigail standing there in the slight, drizzly rain and wind as she continued to walk down the path. She zipped up her bag and followed the dirt trail; Buddy joined her moments later. Within about fifteen minutes, they had reached the bottom of the mountain and were on the outskirts of town. Elspeth sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes. Great. Now I'm in some petty fight about a boy. The very last thing I wanted when I started to look for a relationship, she thought as she trudged into the main square. Deep down she knew that it wasn't her fault, she had no idea that Abigail liked Sebastian or had any feelings towards him; it was clear that Sebastian also had no idea. 'Should I tell him?' Elspeth asked Buddy, using him as a sounding board. He huffed and wagged his tail at her as they paused in their walk, she stroked his head and gave him a good scratch behind the ear. After a moment's contemplation, she decided not to. It wasn't her place to reveal such things, even if she was annoyed at Abigail.

Looking around, Elspeth pulled out her phone. She clicked on her contacts and put the phone to her ear as it began to ring. 'Hey,' she said as it connected. 'Are you home?' She asked.

'Yeah,' Hayley replied.

'Can I come over?' Elspeth asked, 'I have Buddy with me and we're both a little damp,' she added, not wanting to impose on her friend.

Elspeth swore she heard Hayley roll her eyes, 'why don't I put some shoes and a coat on and we go to yours? Sounds like you're better equipped for damp dog than I am,' she said with a slight laugh. 'Where are you now?'

'I'm in the main square,' Elspeth replied.

'I'll be there in five.'

They didn't have to wait long before Hayley came around the corner and walked over to them. She was dressed in a light rain coat and cute looking wellies; they were a light blue and covered in white flowers, they matched the open umbrella she was carrying casually over her shoulder. Elspeth smiled brightly and held Buddy's collar so that he didn't jump at Hayley. 'Hey! Sorry about this,' she mumbled, calming Buddy with an ear scratch.

'Sorry, about what?' Hayley replied, tilting her head as she looked at Elspeth. 'What happened?' She asks. Hayley noticed the hoodie that Elspeth was wearing but didn't make a comment on it as she had seen it on Elspeth's bed when she had come over previously. 'What's going on?'

Elspeth sighs and shakes her head, 'I'll get into it when we get back at the house. Do you have plans for tonight?' She inquired as they began to walk back to the farm.

Hayley shook her head, 'nope, I'm free as a bird,' she said simply.

'Good. I need to get drunk,' Elspeth said, bluntly as she let Buddy go and watched him bolt off now that they were near home. 'There's going to be a lot of word vomit,' she added, seeing Hayley grin in reply.

'Boy problems?' Hayley stated, a smirk plastered on her face.

'Ugh!' Elspeth moaned and nodded. 'Yeah… boy problems.'

BOY CHAT!

Failing every test for feminism!

Be well. Stay safe.