When We Fall

Chapter 12

                                                                             A u g u s t

Leigh sat on the steps of the schoolhouse, waiting impatiently for her sister to finish up talking to her friends. It had already been ten minutes since school ended and she would have hoped by now she'd be halfway home. Instead, she pulled the petals off a daisy boredly, flicking them off into the air and watching them land among the other petals in the dirt. She sighed to herself. I wish I could walk myself home. 

A sudden sound of hollering happened distantly and distracted Leigh, as she looked up and saw Henry and his friends talking a few feet away under some tree. He always stayed later and walked the girls home, now, as if he were some knight in shining armor. Only princesses need knights to protect them, Leigh thought, and I'm not a princess, I'm a witch. She began to wonder what kind of spells she would cast if she were a witch. My first one would be to turn Henry into a toad or a worm, because Kitty would never marry a slimy animal.  

Henry's friends started to depart slowly, so he walked away and began in her direction. When Leigh saw this she pretended she wasn't glowering at him at all and began plucking at her flower again. 

"Good afternoon, Leigh." He greeted merrily, as he always did. It's like he has no more emotions other than happy or annoying. 

"Good afternoon," Leigh said plainly. She wasn't interested in having a conversation with him, but to her dismay, he sat down right next to her on the steps. Leigh snuck in a noticeable eye roll before adding, "What do you want?" Henry scoffed at her playfully, leaning back against the upper step. 

"Nothing." And to her surprise, he did, in fact, act like he wanted nothing. Instead of talking on any more he picked his own daisy from the ground. Silence followed, followed by even more silence. He really doesn't want to talk? It was fine by Leigh. She didn't want to utter a single word to him. Every day they got closer to the wedding, she loathed him even more. "I have a question, Leigh." He finally broke after a minute or so of silence. Leigh's patience broke in half at his voice. There it is. 

"What is it?" She asked dryly, hoping not to express any curiosity or emotion in her voice so that he might leave her alone. He didn't. 

"Why is it that..." He lost his voice partway through, but after a moment regained it. "Why does Kitty like me, anyway?" 

"I honestly have no idea what she sees in you." Leigh blurted hatefully, not paying him any eye contact as she zoned out on the daisy in her fingers. Henry didn't seem to be affected by her previous words and continued;
"I just don't understand why she'd want to marry me, especially when we're so young." He vented. Leigh looked up at him in surprise. In his tone, there was very much distress, something she had never heard from him. He sounded... scared. 

"You don't want to marry Kitty?" Leigh asked, and couldn't help but have hopefulness greatly expressed. Maybe this was it. Maybe she didn't have to convince Kitty to walk away, just Henry himself. But in the same moment Henry seemed distressed, he stared back at Leigh in regret. He seemed to mentally run back over what he had said to her. Then he looked back down at his hands, shaking his head. 

"No, I do." He recanted slowly. Then all of the hope that Leigh had felt quickly diminished into thin air. It was quickly replaced by fuming agitation, it coursed through her veins like fire. 

"You're lying..." She hissed. Leigh knew the truth, it was clear to see. He was only pretending, and he'd pretend his way right into marriage. 

Henry looked a bit shaken, as if he felt exposed. He quickly covered up his shock with a mask of sternness.