Frozen

by L. A. Casey

  “That’s the deal, Da. Take it or leave it.”

  I covered my mouth with my hand so I wouldn’t laugh.

  The kid had Justin by the bollocks.

  “Okay, fine, you little shite – but not a word to your ma about the snacks, dishes, or the not-bad word I said, okay?”

  Dustin grinned from ear to ear. “What word, Da?”

  He turned and ran out of the room then.

  “Hey, rude kid! Say hello to Neala!”

  I heard Dustin’s feet as he pattered up the stairs at lightning speed.

  “Heya, Auntie Neala. Bye, Auntie Neala.”

  I laughed. “Hello and goodbye to you too, Dusty!”

  I looked to Justin, who was grumbling under his breath as he sat down on the recliner facing me.

  “You can’t be mad; he isn’t doing anything you weren’t doing at his age.”

  Justin snorted. “You weren’t alive when I was his age.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Give it a rest. You’ve got seven years on me, Wise One, not seventy.”

  Justin grinned, then nodded at the living room doorway and said, “Can you believe he is turning seven in July?”

  I shook my head. “Nope, it’s like yesterday he was born.”

  Justin smiled as he thought about that fond memory. “The kid is too smart for a six-year-old. I wasn’t as advanced as him when I was his age; nor was I that much of a hustler.”

  I cackled. “He’s picked up some new tricks, that’s for sure.”

  “All at me own expense.”

  “Would you have him any other way?” I asked, smiling.

  Justin looked at me and smiled. “No.”

  “That’s what I thought.” I snickered, then said, “I still can’t believe you wouldn’t give on his name. Justin and Dustin are confusing to me sometimes.”

  “I wanted him called after me, but his ma wasn’t having it, so Dustin was a close second.”

  I moved away from the radiator now that I had feeling back in most parts of my body. I took off my wellie boots and other winter layers and set them by the radiator to dry; then I sat across from Justin and rubbed my arms with my hands.

  “This winter is horrible.” I grumbled.

  Justin nodded in agreement. “It’s going to get even worse, too.”

  God, I hoped not.

  I leaned my head back against the chair. “Where’s your baby mama?”

  Justin pulled a face at me. “Sarah is working.”

  I snapped my fingers. “Right – you mentioned that on the phone. How’s work going for her?”

  Justin shrugged. “It’s going as well as can be down the pub. She and Jess have pretty much the same shifts, so they have a bit of craic together.”

  “Good, glad to hear it.”

  Justin grinned. “Spit it out.”

  I smiled knowingly; nothing got past him.

  “Spit what out?” I smiled.

  “Why are you really here, kid? I know it’s not to shoot the shit and rag on petty little things, so say whatever it is about Darcy that you need to say,” Justin said, a warm smile on his face.

  Time to get down to business.

  I trained my gaze on him. “I’m here to enlist you into me army.”

  “Steady on, Lara Croft.” Justin laughed.

  I hissed. “I’m serious. I need you on me side in order to win this war.”

  Justin dropped his smile and stared at me in dismay. “War? Army? Who the hell are you fighting, Neala?”

  “Darcy and Sean.” I spat out their names. “Apart I can handle them, but together they form one working brain and can anticipate me every move. I need help to defeat them. Your help.”

  Justin blinked. “I don’t like the vibe off you right now. You sound, and look . . . murderous.”

  I grinned evilly. “I am, and your brother is one of two on me hit list.”

  Justin screeched, “Fucking hell, will you blink already? You’re scaring me, Neala!”

  I snorted and batted my eyelashes.

  “Better?” I asked sarcastically.

  “No,” Justin huffed. “You looked like that chick out of—”

  “I don’t care who or what I look like, Justin.” I cut him off. “I really need your help. Your stupid little brother has crossed a line with me, and I intend to make the bastard pay.”

  Justin sat forward and scrubbed his face with both of his hands.

  “Tell me.” He sighed. “What exactly has Darcy done to upset you so much this time?”

  I swallowed down my rage, and reminded myself that Justin wasn’t the person I was angry with.

  “He stole a doll from me.”

  Justin raised an eyebrow and muttered, “A doll?”

  I nodded my head. “Long story short, we both fought for the same doll in Smyths yesterday. He wanted it for Dustin, and I wanted it for Charli. I won it fair and square.” He didn’t need to know that was a lie. “But that wasn’t enough for Darcy. He came into me home pretending that he wanted us to be friends, and when me back was turned he stole the doll right out from underneath me nose. Who does that? That is me niece’s Christmas present and he just took it! I knew better than to believe him, but Sean vouched for him, so I had no reason to doubt him, you know?”

  I looked down to my fisted hands and willed them to stop shaking, but I couldn’t make them stop. They weren’t shaking from the cold anymore. I was so angry with Darcy, and hurt that he would do this to me. The hurt I felt disgusted me more than anything, because I had sworn a long time ago that Darcy’s actions wouldn’t faze me, and yet here I was close to tears over the idiot.

  My brother’s role in Darcy’s messed-up game was upsetting, but I knew deep down Sean thought I enjoyed my tug-of-war games with Darcy, and to an extent I usually did. But not this time around. I’d taken a lot of crap from Darcy over the years but I refused to let him one-up me on this.

  Justin frowned as he looked at me. “I agree he shouldn’t have robbed you of the doll, but I don’t think he intended to upset you. In his mind he probably thinks you’re cooking up a plan to get the doll back from him. This is what you and Darcy do, kid. You play off one another.”

  I grunted. “Not anymore. He crossed a line by coming to me house spewing lies about false relationship mending. I hate liars and he knows that.”

  Justin chewed on his lower lip. “I feel for you, kid, and I want to help you even out the playing field, but I can’t step in on this one. Orders from the head office.”

  The head office?

  No. Way.

  I gasped. “Our mothers!”

  I don’t know why I was even surprised at the mention of our mothers being involved in this situation – those two knew everything. They had eyes and ears all over the bloody village.

  Justin grinned at my outburst. “They never told me what was going on, but they warned me not to get involved because they don’t want to encourage any drama between you two that will roll over to Sean and Jess’s engagement party tomorrow night.”

  How did they even know what Darcy and I were up to?

  Did someone in Smyths let on what happened to them? Damn our small town – everyone knew your business.

  “Those meddling cows! How come Darcy gets Sean’s help and I have to go it alone?”

  Justin winced, and I guessed it was because of how unfair everyone was being to me.

  “Maybe they know your cleverness and wit is worth ten of Sean and Darcy put together, and that you don’t need the extra help to outsmart them both?”

  I couldn’t help but smile. Justin was a smooth talker.

  “You’re such a lick-arse.” I chuckled.

  Justin smiled. “I know what to say in certain situations; it’s a nice trait to have.”

  “Well, if you aren’t going to help me bring down Dumb and Dumber, then keep mum that I know Darcy has the doll, okay? I want him sweating with worry on when and how I’m going to strike back.”

  Justin winked. “You got it, and for whatev
er it’s worth, kid, I’m rooting for you to come out on top on this one. Literally.”

  That sounded more than a little suggestive, and I was about to call Justin on it when a shout came from upstairs.

  “Da, I’m starving!”

  I rolled my eyes at Dustin’s dramatics.

  “What do you want to eat?” Justin shouted back.

  “Pizza!” came Dustin’s quick response.

  I snorted as Justin reached for his phone and said, “Don’t judge me. I don’t like cooking.”

  I motioned with my hand over my mouth that my lips were sealed.

  Justin smirked. “You staying for dinner?”

  I shrugged. “Sure. Plotting my plan of attack against your brother over pizza sounds perfect to me.”

  Justin shook his head as he pressed on the screen of his phone and then lifted it to his ear. “Poor little brother. He doesn’t realise he’s opened the gates to Hell.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  How do you ignore a person who’s bought you something nice?

  Easily – you don’t look at them.

  “Which one do you want to wear tonight at the party? The red one or the blue one?” my mother questioned me, as she held up two identical skin-tight dresses, only in different colours. They were gifts from her, since I hadn’t bothered to go out and get anything new to wear for the party.

  “Can you at least pretend you’re excited about going to Sean and Jessica’s engagement party?” My mother frowned and lowered the outfits to her side.

  I raised one eyebrow. “I am excited . . . for Jess, anyway. No comment on me feelings towards Sean right now . . . or towards you and the other meddling cow, for that matter.”

  My mother huffed. “For goodness’ sake, Neala. It’s not a terrible thing we did. Marie and I just don’t want you or Darcy to ruin the party with your arguing. We’re your mothers; we know what you’re both capable of.”

  Way to place the blame!

  “Oh, thanks very much.”

  My mother groaned. “I don’t mean it like that—”

  I cut my mother off. “Then, pray tell, how did you mean it?”

  My mother shook her head as she gently laid both outfits over the back of my lounge chair. She folded her arms across her chest and stared me down.

  “Everyone knows what you and Darcy are like when you’re caught up in a fight: neither one of you cares how it affects the people around you. Justin was told not to get involved because we didn’t want the current dilemma to build up and explode tonight in front of the entire village.”

  I gasped. “We’re two people, Ma, not bloody ticking time bombs!”

  My mother rolled her eyes. “You’re both the equivalent of chemical warfare during an argument, Neala.”

  Talk about dramatics.

  “That’s ridiculous,” I stated, waving her off.

  “No,” my mother calmly stated. “What’s ridiculous is your and Darcy’s behaviour of late.”

  I could feel my temperature rise.

  “Darcy stole from me, and me so-called brother helped him. Why is everyone failing to see that they are in the wrong here?”

  I hated that my eyes filled with water – and my mother hated it too, from the saddened look she gave me. I held up my hand and shook my head when she made a move to come over to comfort me.

  “I’m fine; I just hate that everyone is siding with him.”

  My mother’s frown deepened. “Honey, we aren’t picking sides here. We just don’t want what normally happens with you and Darcy to happen at the engagement party . . . Is that so horrible?”

  I thought about it and decided that it wasn’t. I didn’t want to ruin anybody’s party, but I wasn’t letting Darcy think for a moment that he had gotten away with what he had done. No way.

  “No, it’s not. You’re right. I’ll behave. I will just stay away from Darcy at the party so nothing will happen,” I said, and stood up from the couch.

  I passed my mother, picked up the blue dress from the back of the lounge chair, and smiled. “I like this one.” As I walked up the stairs to my old bedroom, my mother’s words halted my steps.

  “Just so you know, sweetheart, I’m always in your corner. Always.”

  I smiled as I entered my room and closed the door behind me.

  I would do as my and Darcy’s mother wished – I would stay away from Darcy and I wouldn’t cause trouble with him. I smirked to myself then as a wicked thought entered my mind.

  I didn’t need to be near him to mess with him.

  I was suddenly excited about the engagement party tonight. Very excited.

  “Neala!”

  I looked around for the source of the voice calling my name, and when I found Jessica Waters, my soon-to-be sister-in-law, walking toward me I smiled wide.

  “Jess, hey! You look gorgeous!”

  She had on a knee-length wine-coloured lace dress. It was stunning and her figure with its never-ending curves did wonders for her and the dress. She looked sexy as sin.

  “Me? Look at you! God, I’d bloody kill for your legs!” she gushed as she crashed into me and hugged me tightly.

  I laughed and hugged her back and kissed her cheek for good measure, but I felt uneasy. I didn’t do the friend thing very well; Darcy had made sure to ruin that for me at a young age. After our initial falling-out when we were ten, and our other spats throughout the years, I had never put myself out there with anyone else. I didn’t even attempt to find another best friend, always worrying that history would repeat itself. I had friends in school, but no one I confided in.

  I hated to admit it, but Darcy had once been very special to me, and I just didn’t think a new friendship could compare to the one we used to have.

  Despite all this, Jess was a friend of mine, and even though I couldn’t trust anyone enough to tell them my deepest and darkest secrets, I could trust her enough to lightly vent to.

  “So, you and Darcy . . . What the hell happened? Sean told me he may not live long enough to see our wedding if you get your hands on him anytime soon.”

  It wasn’t something to laugh about, especially because Jess looked genuinely concerned, but I couldn’t help it. It was funny.

  “I shouldn’t be laughing, because I’m seriously pissed off at both Darcy and Sean, but it’s nothing that payback can’t wait a few days for . . . for Sean anyway.” I smirked.

  Jess widened her eyes. “You plan on getting Darcy back for whatever he did . . . tonight?”

  Shite.

  She looked worried.

  “Yes, but I promise it won’t cause a scene or put a dent in your engagement party.”

  Jess waved me off. “I don’t mean that. I mean Darcy got to you so much that you want to seek revenge right away? You usually wait until he isn’t on Neala Alert.”

  Neala Alert was a two-word code Darcy had made up when we were ten after the incident with Laura Stoke and a certain skipping rope. He used it to let people know not to distract him because he was completely focused on his surroundings and on the lookout for me. Neala Alert usually happened to Darcy after he’d pulled a prank on me or if he’d just pissed me off.

  I shrugged. “He crossed a line this time.”

  Jess stared at me and waited for me to explain.

  I sighed. “It may sound stupid, but he stole a doll from me that I bought for Charli for Christmas a few days ago at Smyths, and your soon-to-be husband helped him. I’m sort of mad about it.”

  Sort of . . . Okay, I was livid.

  “This is all over a doll?” Jess asked, her tone now amused.

  No.

  I huffed. “It’s not about the bloody doll. It’s about the fact that he stole something from me that was mine, and I don’t plan on letting him get away with it.”

  Jess frowned. “You seem . . . upset?”

  “I am,” I nodded.

  “No.” Jess shook her head. “I mean you seem upset, like really upset, not just annoyed.”

  I shrugged my shoulders
. “He went too far this time; he tried to trick me into thinking he wanted to be me friend again.”

  Jess blinked her big blue eyes. “I’m sorry, babe.”

  I didn’t want to lose my cool and dwell on my silly feelings, so I forced a smile and waved the conversation off.

  “It’s nothing a bit of payback won’t fix.” I devilishly smirked.

  Jess grinned. “You’re hard-core.”

  “In all aspects of me life,” I teased.

  Jess laughed and pulled me into another hug. When we separated, Darcy’s mother, Marie, was in front of us with a very large camera in her hands pointed directly at us.

  “Smile, lovelies.” She beamed.

  Jess and I straightened up and put an arm around one another’s waist and smiled wide into the camera lens. The flash spotted my vision for a few moments. When my eyes refocused I instantly narrowed them.

  “You,” I growled.

  Darcy was standing behind his mother, grinning knowingly at me. He was actually using his mother, the woman who’d carried him for nine months and birthed him, as a human shield. He was a bloody wimp!

  “You both promised you wouldn’t start any fights tonight,” Marie said as she looked back and forth between Darcy and me.

  I continued to glare at Darcy as I said, “I know, and I’m not going to start anything.”

  Darcy winked at me and said, “Me either.”

  I clasped my hands together to try to kill the slap-Darcy itch that had gathered on both of my palms.

  “Is it too much to ask for a picture? The last one we have of you both together is from when you were both kids.”

  Lie.

  “We’re in tons of pictures—”

  “They are family pictures,” Marie cut me off. “Not any of just the two of you in a picture on your own . . . not smiling, anyway.”

  I swallowed the rejection I had planned when I saw Marie’s face; she looked so hopeful that I couldn’t say no to her, even though I really wanted to. She was like a mother to me, and I hated seeing her upset.

  “Okay,” I grumbled. “Take a picture.”

  Marie quickly grabbed a reluctant Darcy’s arm and all but threw him at me.

  “Arm over her shoulder, Darcy, and arm around his waist, Neala. Somebody get Clare; she needs to witness this. It might never happen again!”