The Witch in the Woods

Chapter 3 - Pay back

The next day, my hunch was proven true. Lindsey gained back her mood and she was in good spirits that day. She was running a little late and we ended up walking into school grounds together. In class, Bridget had once again taken our usual seats. We went to the back but after lecture, Mr. Heiney announced that we can have half the class to talk to our group members and get organized for the project. I felt a bit weird like something wasn't going to be good about this project but when I looked at Lindsey, she had a sinister smile on her face.

Tanya walked over to our desk with a notebook in hand but Lindsey got up and walked over to where Bridget was sitting. She stood over her and I quickly moved beside Lindsey. I wanted to have her back but, standing in front of Bridget, I felt nervous.

Bridget's grey eyes moved up and peered at Lindsey from under her auburn bangs then they moved towards me. "What do you two want?" Bridget asked in a cool voice. "Our seats" said Lindsey. "Sit somewhere else" she said and back towards Kyle, dismissing us. Lindsey snapped her fingers at Bridget's face. At the sound of the snaps, her face took another form.

The arrogant look was replaced by irritation. "What?" she snapped. "We need the seats so move." "And what if I don't?" she asked with a tinge of amusement. At this time, everyone else in class has sat down including Tanya who was sitting in the table where we had been sitting, watching the argument.

Mr. Heiney saw that Lindsey and I are the only ones not sitting and asked what's wrong. "We need to sit here to work with our group but Bridget is refusing to get up. She's not even sitting with her own group" said Lindsey. "Bridget sit with your group and you two sit down and start working" Mr. Heiney said behind his clipboard.

Lindsey smirked as Bridget slipped past our desks to sit with her own group members in her original seat. She flashed a cold look before sitting down. I only then noticed how quiet the class was and realized even without looking around that everyone was probably staring at us. The work time wasn't very productive. I suggested we do something about a politician.

There weren't too many exciting history people in our town so I figured we can just pick a person who had some political power so that the person is both historical and hopefully made some kind of change in the town so he'd actually be significant. We never ended up choosing someone though. We made a list of possibilities but that's about it.It turns out we didn't know much about the town history after all.

Lindsey suggested doing our project on Minister Patrick Bernard Junior who's actually Lindsey's great granduncle and though she has no idea what significant thing he's done and it was like a hundred years ago, she was proud of being related to him always. Tanya unfortunately brought up the town witch as a prospect. I answered that she was probably just a myth and it wouldn't count and plus the myth wouldn't be historically significant.

With our list, the history class concluded. I caught up with Lindsey at lunch. "Why did you do that? " I asked Lindsey while she was lying down on the bench. Her jacket spread across her body and her eyes were closed. "We had to sit there to work" she said without opening her eyes. "You know you just wanted to mess with Bridget' I said. "Fine. That too" she said grinning then got up to turn to look at me. "She kind of had it coming didn't she? and plus we didn't do anything to hurt her. We just asked her to give us our seats back".

Lunch was over and we headed back to class and this semester, out of five classes, I had three classes with Bridget. She kept whispering to her friends and taking glances at me and Lindsey. She giggled and her friends laughed at us. I wished I knew what was happening. It was horrible but Lindsey didn't seem to notice all of this. In fifth period Lindsey had biology class with Bridget and I had visual art.

Though it was my favourite course, I couldn't help thinking about what's happening in biology class. I texted Lindsey numerous times and ended up having to walk to the front of the class to have my phone taken away for the rest of the period. Great. Two embarrassments in one day. I never had such a long school day in my life. I caught up with Lindsey after class and we started walking home together. I noticed numerous looks form Bridget's friends and their giggles as we walked through the hallway.

Lindsey was trying to act like she didn't notice but I knew she did. In order to avoid running into Bridget we took the path through the woods. It was a cold day and I shuddered as the winds suddenly picked up. We were silent for the most way home until Lindsey spoke up. "Can you believe that girl?" she said shaking her head. "Well you know what Bridget's like. Probably better to just avoid crossing her I guess." This made Lindsey visibly mad. "Oh so she can do whatever and we're just supposed to take it" she asked. "No. I don't know... just saying" I said.

"Hmmm well you were her favorite when we were all friends" said Lindsey. "Yeah so weird to think about that now" said I trying to conceal my annoyance at her implication. I was not taking Bridget's side. "What do you think happened?" I asked. "Well she started doing a lot of different things at school and got good at them, became friends with wannabes and people who wanted to suck up to her and started dating Kyle. So she got a huge head and then just ditched us" she said shrugging. I didn't know how that could happen.

We were very close as kids and were best friends until grade five even after Lindsey moved away but then Bridget just drifted apart and things just got like this. Bridget and Lindsey had been competitive since they were kids but we weren't going to break up but then we all just grew apart. "Yeah I guess you're right" I said. "I'm glad you're back Lins. If you hadn't moved back last month, not even we would be friends right now" I said quietly.

She grinned and put an arm around my shoulder. "Girl, we're real friends not like Bridget and her groupies. we'll always stick together" she said smiling. Her street came and she bid me goodbye and turned into Rover's lane. I passed her house and kept walking some more to get to Bridle street then walked the round way home.

The next day was the same. It was impossible not to notice that Bridget and her friends giggling at us and whispering. I wished I knew what they were saying but I couldn't hear. Art class came and it actually felt good. None of Bridget's friends were in my art class and it was nice to have break from being ridicule while having no idea what it was about. The week went on similarly until Friday came.