Sweet as honey • James Maguire

2,3•10 Kids?! Catch yourself on.

We were now trying to walk to Belfast, coming across some travellers. "Is it Just me, or is that gypsy an absolute ride?" Michelle asked as we neared them. I looked at her dumbfounded. "Michelle! You cannot say that!" Erin quickly tried to correct her. "Aye Michelle! You can't say that, look at him, the poor gypsy lad's not a ride at all." I told her, making Erin scoff. "They're called Travellers now. You can't say Gypsy anymore, it's insulting." Erin corrected both of us. "Is it?" Me and Michelle questioned at the same time. "Yes. Yes, it is." Clare agreed. "Really?" Michelle said, not believing it. "Who are they?" James questioned, making me look at him. "Do you not get Gyp- sorry- Travellers, in England?" I asked him. Before he could answer me, Erin responded to his original question. "They're just people, James, they're just people that are exactly like us." She said. "Except different" Orla finished, before Erin accidentally agreed with her. I started to tell James about the travellers, as Clare called Orla racist. "They're basically people right, who live in caravans and move around the country, we used to call them Gypsy's because the way they moved around was similar to the Romani Gypsy's, but they're not the same kind of people. Travellers originate from Ireland. Gypsy's originate from... Romani? I don't know the country but... not Ireland. Although some people see Travellers to be aggressive. I don't agree with it though, there are bad people in every race, it doesn't make one race more aggressive then the other." I explained as best I could, not really knowing much about them. He nodded, seeming to understand.

By the time I finished explaining, we were walking by them. "How ya girls?" The main man greeted. "Hiya." I said kindly, moving along, as the rest of the girls mumbled a greeting back. I don't think they're aggressive, but they're still strangers, I don't really want to stop for a chat. Michelle questioned Clare's use of Sir in her greeting, as James wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Hey! Hold on!" He shouted in his thick accent. "What does he want?" Clare asked,
Making the whole group pick up their pace, except for me. "I'm talking to you! Are you deaf or what?" Well... he didn't sound the friendliest, making me pick my pace up after being slightly left behind. "Get back here!" He shouted again, making James grab my hand and drag me forward. "Am I going to have to come after ya, am I?" He shouted, making James look backwards. "Jesus Christ he's following us. Making us all panic. "Run! He's obviously a psychopath! Run!" Erin shouted. James pulled me along in a run.

Erin grabbed Orla's stick, pointing it towards the man while shouting at him to back off, or she'll use the stick. "Why are you being so weird?" The man questioned. "Why are you chasing us?" Clare questioned him back. "Because you dropped this" he said pulling Clare's purse out of his pocket. He chucked it to Clare. "Why did you think we were chasing you?" He asked... only to be met with silence. "Ah, right. I see, we're travellers which means we're psychopaths?" The man said, angry. "You were right, Erin" Orla said, not understanding the mans sarcasm. "Shut up, Orla." Erin told the girl. "We run after people and beat them up for no fecking reason. We're travellers, so we're obviously violent." He shouted at us. "Well, this is quite a violent way your speaking to us, but I don't think that's because you're travellers" I said, before James clamped his hand over my mouth. "No, not at all. Listen, we have huge respect for you and your people. You've such a strong sense of community and such wonderful, traditional values." Erin tried to tell the man, before being interrupted by a van horn.

"These lads bothering you, Girls?" The driver asked us. "Yes, yes they are!" Erin shouted at the women in the driving seat. "They're fucking madmen." Michelle told her. "They're going to kill us." Erin added. "Help us, please!" Clare screamed, scared. "Jump in." She shouted, making all of us run to the van. Me and James went the long way around, however, and the door had shut just as we reached it. The van pulled off, with us watching it drive away. What the fuck were we supposed to do now?

The travellers where actually quite friendly to me and James, and decided to tell us about their culture and places they've been. They told me about how they've been to the highlands in Scotland, and we got into a conversation about that. I also suggested other great places to visit in my home country, while James recommended places in England. After we had talked for a while, we got to help them with their stall, learning about where they get their fruit and things that they sell. I was actually surprisingly enjoying it, and I could see James was as well. "Maybe we should become travellers when we're older, James? Take to the land?" I told him with a smile. I knew we never would, but it was a thought. He laughed, "oh yeah, I could really see myself doing it, 10 kids in a caravan." He said, half joking. "10 kids?! Catch yourself on. Never in my life. I'll have 5, maximum." I told him. "Okay okay." He agreed without protest, kissing me softly. "You should do it, you know. It's a fun way to live." The man who owned the caravans told us. We nodded. "Aye, but maybe just not for us. I get awfully cold during winter" I told him, honestly. He nodded, understanding. I was Looking at the strange fruit, it looked like an Orange, but was slightly lighter. I picked it up to Inspect it. "What, is this?" I questioned quietly. "That- is a grapefruit." The man told us. "A, grapefruit? It doesn't look much like a grape" I told him. He and James chuckled. "No. They have no relation to grapes." He told me, silently chuckling at my cluelessness. "I've never seen one before." I told him. "Right, we need to start packing up, our days done." He told us as we helped him pack up the stall.

The same van from before drove up towards us, honking its horn as Orla hang out the window and Michelle opened the back door. "What are you playing at? Get in the van, fucko! And Caoimhe, I have something to tell you!" Michelle shouted at us, making me Intrigued. "Does not have to if your don't want to, James and Caoimhe" the man told us. Michelle stormed out the back of the van. "With all due respect, this has got nothing to do with you." Michelle told him. "I'm going, James, I want to see Take That. Thank you, Jonjo, for everything, you've been so kind." I told James before turning to the man. "No bother, love. If you ever see us again, come and say hello. And here, take this." He said while handing me a grapefruit. I smiled at him. "Thank you." I finished before walking over to Michelle. She grabbed my ear and pulled it close to her mouth. "Erins been acting so fucking weird." Michelle told me, making me look at her strangely. She held up a finger to tell me to wait a second. "The way you treat this man, is disgraceful." Jonjo told Michelle. "What is going on, James?" Michelle questioned her cousin. "Jonjo and the lads, well, they just get me, and it turns out I'm a really good salesman." James said. "He's a natural" Jonjo agreed. "So what? You're a gypsy now?" Michelle questioned, making Erin correct her again, "Traveller!" She shouted at the girl. "Actually gypsys fine." Jonjo told the girl, making Michelle turn to Erin an whisper an "I knew it!"

The driver of the van told us to get a move on. "Right, get in the van. And do not test me, cos we've already missed PJ and Duncan." Michelle told her cousin. "Is that who was supporting them?" Clare asked. "Aye." Michelle agreed. "Aw, I really like them!" Clare angrily said. "I'm not leaving Michelle." James told his cousin. "Not even for Gary Barlow?" Michelle tried to convince him. "I don't really rate him as a songwriter, you know?" Jonjo said, making me scoff. James stared at him, before taking his money belt off. "I'm sorry Jonjo, you've just crossed the line there." He told the man, before climbing in the van and shutting the door.

Me and Michelle were sitting in the back of the van on the way there, making sure no one could hear us. "How was Erin being weird?" I questioned her, eager to find out. "Right, now I could be overthinking things. But when we were deciding whether to come back for you and James, Erin said that we have to go back for James. She never mentioned you. And with you being her cousin I found that kind of weird. And the look she had in her eyes when she said it... I don't know but it didn't look just friendly. I don't think it's anything to worry about but, just watch her." Michelle told me, making me question everything. There's no way Erin would fancy my boyfriend, right? I mean. Surely not. "Oh god. How did they act when I was grounded and not allowed out? Was it weird?" I questioned Michelle, the thoughts now plaguing my mind. "James was sad. I don't think he's a problem. But now that I think about it... Erin seemed kind of ... I don't know? Flirty? Like you know how she was with David Donnelly?" Michelle told me. I sighed. For gods sake Erin. Why couldn't you ever just leave my boyfriends alone?

We made it to the Venue and made it in without a flaw. As we were walking to our doors Michelle was still speaking to me about it. "I just... I still don't trust James. With how he threw you under the bus with your whole grounding thing. I'd be careful." She told me. I turned to her. "I trust him. I don't think he'd leave me for her or anything. I don't know... I'll have to think about it. I'm more worried about Erin to be honest." I told the girl. She nodded at me as we entered the doors, elbowing our way to the front. The concert was amazing, but it would've been so much better if my mind wasn't consumed with thoughts of Erin the boyfriend stealer.

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1785 words!

Poor Caoimhe :( she just can't catch a break. But this was necessary for some future scenes :0

Sorry I didn't write the van scene, but I just couldn't see Caoimhe forgetting James, so it made more sense for her to be left behind with him.

I just realised this book has 600 reads and is #4 in derrygirls !!! That's insane, thank you all so much<3<3

Vote and comment if you enjoyed <3

But yeah, cya tomorrow