Macy

Chapter 3

I'm a month into mending the piano and all four legs have been successfully glued and screwed on.

But of course I forgot to make sure they were the same, exact length as each other and the sand paper has disappeared so I can't do an easy fix straight away. And Pastor Rick isn't around to do a hardware store run for me, so I've got to drive into to town for it myself.

I do need the break though. Spending the whole morning and afternoon in the shed makes a person a little claustrophobic and disconnected from the outside world.

Plus I could do with a coffee from the café just next door.

Thankfully uncle Henry looked at the truck again and I was right. One of the sparkplugs hadn't been cleaned and was throwing the whole engine out of whack.

"Macy! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Mr Wearing the owner of the hardware store asked from behind the counter when I walked in.

"Just some sandpaper for the piano, still in the usual place?" I asked him.

"Sure is" he nodded "how is that piano coming along. I know you've probably had your ear chewed off by everyone at the church about it, but this is a great thing you're doing for us Macy"

"It's going well thank you" I smiled shyly and made my way to the back of the store.

I grabbed what I needed and a little extra just in case I lose it again and walked back to the counter.

"Hey man" an oddly familiar voice called from the front "where are the sledgehammers?"

"Third aisle to the left young lady" Mr Wearing's voice told the girl.

Why would a girl need a sledgehammer?

Then again, she might be doing a project too, it's not like I buy sandpaper for the fun of it.

"Macy Coleman" the voice of the person who was asking for the sledgehammer called out.

I looked around and at the end of the aisle with a sledgehammer in her hands was the girl who drove me home.

Billie?

"What're you doing here?" she asked, walking towards me.

"Just grabbing some supplies for a project" I held up the sandpaper and motioned towards the sledgehammer in her hands "what about you? Why the sledgehammer?"

"My brothers being a fucking dick, so I'm going to smack some sense into him" she grinned, spinning the tool in her hands.

I gasped for one of two reason.

The first being how much she swears, I have never heard someone let alone a girl swear so much in my life. And this is only our second encounter!

And the second, she just plainly admitted to planning to kill her brother! And by the grin on her face I can't tell if she's joking or not.

"Uh- I have to go now" I squeaked and tried to get past her, but Billie held out the long handle of the sledgehammer out, stopping me.

"I'm kidding Macy, I have a... project of my own" she laughed "you should have seen your face. I know I dress like a junkie, but I'd never commit a crime such as murder. Only petty crimes for me" she joked.

Or at least I think it's a joke.

"So what's the project your working on?" she asked me.

"Just a repair job for the church"

"The church?" Billie asked, her now cold eyes flickered to my necklace and she shuffled on her feet a little.

Does she have a problem with religion?