Keep Me Safe

Chapter Eleven

As far as Agnes was concerned, the weekend and the rest of the week were two completely different things. Monday through Friday she did what she wanted on her own time. She kept to herself and avoided town as best she could. On weekends, she allowed her family members to pull her around and force her to go places she didn't want to. The only requirement: no church.

It was now the next Saturday, one week since the incident at the river. Even just thinking about it made her shudder. She had been so close to kissing Lottie, only to have it all ruined by something. She continuously tortured herself with speculating what it was that stopped the kiss. The top three guesses were her bad breath, Lottie's fear of admitting her true feelings, and a malevolent spirit hellbent on ruining her life. None of the options were even remotely pleasant to think about, but no matter what she did, she just couldn't push the memory from her mind.

She tried desperately to reason with herself. Lottie had only been with them for a little more than a week. The only time she and Agnes had ever exchanged more than simple pleasantries or had a small conversation was the night Lottie had questioned her about her religious beliefs. She had absolutely no reason to be experiencing the feelings she was feeling, but yet, there they were. And they were refusing to go away, even though Agnes had accepted the fact that there was no way Lottie felt the same for her.

It was a wonder she agreed to go into town with Lottie, Ethyl, and Meredith. On Thursday, Meredith had come across a five-dollar bill- she swore up and down that she did not obtain it doing anything illegal- and wanted to treat the other girls to a day out. The plan was to go to the beauty parlor, have the three normal girls get their hair done up while Agnes sat in the corner and mocked them, and then go down to the diner to eat as much as they wanted.

They left the house around ten. Mama and Papa were in the living room chatting with Smith and the sheriff. Franny was out that day because Joshua had broken his arm on Wednesday and she wanted to be there for him. Floyd had been roped into fixing Josiah Shaw's fence and Darryl went to the next town over with some friends to see the picture show.

"Agnes," Meredith sighed, "can't you wear more clothing?"

"What's wrong with this?" She looked down at her shirt with its fraying hem and trousers that had been cut off above the knee. "It's the perfect outfit for this weather."

"No respectable woman would dress like that."

Lottie laughed and slung her arm around Meredith's shoulder. "Come on, doll. Lighten up. You've got to admit this heat is killer."

"She wouldn't know how to lighten up even if bit her on the ass," Ethyl snorted.

"You're so eager to start swearing that you don't even use the right phrases." Agnes shook her head in shame and playfully pushed her younger sister.

Meredith jutted her chin up and took on that self-righteous tone she always used. "We can't all have grown up around Nunnally. Some of us actually had good role models."

"Finnigan is a role model for how to earn a one-way ticket to Hell."

"Maybe if you stopped judging her so harshly and actually got to know her, then you'd realize she actually has some really good ideas." She brushed aside Lottie, who had placed a nervous hand on her shoulder.

Agnes advanced towards her, smugly grinning and with her arms crossed. "Like what? Mocking everyone who isn't as devout as her? I think I'm good."

"Let's stop arguing," Lottie pleaded. 

She stepped between the two girls, but Ethyl quickly pulled her away. "I want to see how this turns out. It's been a while since they've had a fight."