Eastern District School

Chapter 46 - The barn

"I just need air!" she cried, as she pulled away from Rich opening the back door that led into the kitchen. The paper already on the floor, dropping her hands as she fled.

With nothing except the socks on her feet she ran across the back yard away from the house, leaving everyone behind in the kitchen. 

So much for keeping calm, she thought. When could she ever keep a promise anyway? She had been digging away at nothing. Everything so far had given what she had thought to be evidence that her father was still alive. Hiding out like some fugitive somewhere. What had made her think this way? 

Hope! Just a shred that had appeared, and she had been clinging onto it. With so many coincidences popping up everywhere, that led her to this path.

This path...they needn't carry on anymore for anyone's benefit.

"ROSE?"

She heard him calling her name, from where she was inside the barn. As if answering him, Daphne mooed loudly from the small field beside the barn.

"Shhh girl!" she whispered openly. Why did he have to come after her? Why had he given her so much confidence in her father's existence? Had he been influencing her all this time?

She slid slowly down the wall of the barn to crumple in a heap on the floor. Her hands to her head covering her eyes as she sobbed for the second time that day.

It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair that her hopes had been played with so. For nothing. Right now, she didn't care what connection her father or she had with Eastern District. She was burning with pain, and as far as she was concerned, she didn't want to return there...ever!

Suddenly she felt herself being lifted from the floor. Her hands instantly falling away from her face, to grip what or who had hold of her. Before she could really focus on Rich or what his face revealed, he had popped her on several bales of hay nearby, his hands on her shoulders to steady her balance.

"Get off me!" she shouted at him, still clearly distressed. 

"Shh, Rose, listen to me..." he began his hands sliding down from her shoulders, now holding onto her forearms.

"Don't shh me! I can't believe you got me thinking all this time...that he...was still here. Do you know how much I'm hurting right now..." she whimpered. 

"Rose, no...you're not listening to me..." he tried again.

"Listen to you? Are you kidding? That's all I've been doing...all this time, and now..."

Rich's lips suddenly came to hers, in a quick kiss. His, only gently pressing against her own. Again, before knowing what had happened he pulled away. 

It had silenced her. Had that been his intention, she wasn't sure. She looked straight at him, being only inches apart. Her eyes locked with his. If she could read every emotion just from looking into someone's eyes, then right now Rich's held them all. Something told her to just hear him out and then continue to give him a piece of her mind.

"Rose?" A voice cam from the opening of the barn. "Is everything okay?" 

Had her mother just witnessed their kiss? Well technically he had kissed her. 

Rich released one hand and slid the other down to her hand. "Well, there was something that we wanted to tell you," he began, and this time it was Rose's turn to squeeze his hand. 

What was he doing? Surely he wasn't going to continue this facade? It would not be of any benefit now at all! Their plan had crumbled!

He turned to her then very quickly, as he helped her to her feet. "Trust me, follow me!" he said simply in a soft voice into her ear, so that her mother wouldn't hear him.