Belle & Daegan

Market Day

She could hear the yells from her house, a quarter-mile away. She couldn't imagine how violent it would be there.

"We need to call the police," Grandma said, coming up beside her to the window facing Daegan's house.

"No! They'll take Daegan away," Belle said.

"It would be better for Daegan, honey," her grandma said. "Do you have your homework done?"

"Daegan's more important than homework," Belle said firmly.

"Honey, there really isn't anything we can do besides call the police. He's still a minor. However, he will be welcome here, don't worry. Now go and check to see if you have your homework done."

Belle reluctantly turned away from the window to go up to her room. She checked things off in her planner that she had done, swiftly went through her Spanish homework, then took out her phone. She dialed a number.

Later that afternoon, Belle surveyed her friends' pickings. They had all succeeded in gathering all the fruit they needed. They were all in wooden baskets, ready to load.

Belle had gathered ten basketfuls of strawberries. She helped her grandparents load the fruit onto their pickup.

"Thanks, girls. We're all ready for tomorrow. We'll be gone for most of the day, so just make yourselves at home," Grandpa said.

"We'll hang out, paint nails, do our own thing," Belle said.

"Yeah! So what should we do next?" Qwin asked.

"Let's explore!" Reed exclaimed.

"Reed, we've already explored," Harissa said, annoyed. When Belle's grandpa had headed back to the house, she added, "Reed, leave that poor boy alone. He looks like he's busy."

"Yeah," Belle added quickly. "He told me that he has to work on that fence for a long time."

Reed narrowed her eyes at her, and was about to say something before Qwin hastily suggested to go to the barn and look at the horses again.

Reed huffed and went in the direction of Daegan's farm.

Belle sighed, shaking her head.

When Harissa and Olive started toward the barn, Qwin whispered in Belle's ear, "You know how Reed loves boys. She loves to hang out with them."

"It's not because I like him or anything. He needs to work on that fence." Belle fingered the bandana around her wrist.

"Why though? Why does he have to work on it all the time?" Qwin asked, confused.

Belle hesitated. Should she tell her best friend about Daegan's father?

"He just wants to get it done," she lied. "It's a big project, and it takes up a lot of time."

Qwin nodded in disbelief. She shrugged it off, and told Belle to hurry up.