:: Stars Falling All Around Her Head ::

::
Author's Note:  Thanks to Kyrie for using her awesome goddess powers!  No, YOU rule!  And to Anne, because she knows I write more slowly than she does. tee hee

Chapter 5

Honey was jealous.  Plain and simply jealous.  And the sad fact?  She knew that she probably shouldn't be. 

When Mart and Brian had shown up at the house, it was obvious that they both thought Leah was gorgeous.  Di's arrival had turned Mart's attention, but Brian had been stuck like glue to the slim red head for the rest of the day.  When they had gone riding, Leah had ridden with Brian on Starlight, as there hadn't been enough horses in the stable for her to have her own.  She had watched jealously as Brian easily bantered with the girl, the two of them teasing each other as if they had known one another forever. 

Now they were all at the lake, eating burgers and cold fried chicken, playing in the water.  She glanced over at the dock where Leah lay stretched out on the boards.  She was wearing one of Honey's bikinis, and, as Honey unhappily noted, she filled it out perfectly.  Brian was in the water, his arms folded on the dock to support him.  Honey stabbed at her potato salad angrily, so forcefully that she poked a hole through the flimsy cardboard plate. 

"Those potatoes were unarmed, you know."  Trixie quipped.  "Is everything all right?" 

Honey wrenched her eyes away from the dock, where Leah had thrown back her head in laughter at something Brian had just said.  "Everything's fine, Trix!  Isn't it a lovely day?"  She pasted a bright smile on her face to hide her true emotions. 

Trixie wasn't buying it for a second.  "OK.  I'll leave you alone about it for now.  But don't think you're going to get away with it that easily.  I know where you live."  She stood up from the picnic table and headed over to the grill where Mart was standing guard with the spatula, leaving Honey to her thoughts and her private battle  against the killer potato salad. 

And then there was Jim.  Honey had loved having him as her brother these past years.  Now that there was someone new he could label with the term "sister", she wasn't quite sure where she fit in anymore.  Never since coming to Sleepyside had she felt so forgotten.  She had planned this summer all out, the summer when she and Jim would get to know each other better, become closer as brother and sister.  They'd grown apart so much since he'd left for college.  She looked longingly at Mart and Trixie, who were teasing each other over who had eaten the most hamburgers.  She wanted a relationship like that.  She wanted to feel that comfortable with Jim.  Maybe it was an unattainable goal, but she felt as if it were all that more impossible now that there was Leah to contend with.  Already the two seemed more like siblings than Honey and Jim ever had.  Where would Honey fit into all of that? 

Honey felt the jealousy turn to anger as she thought about how Leah had won the race out to the floating dock in the lake.  It wasn't fair!  That was the one thing Honey felt she was good at--besides sewing, that is.  And now this newcomer had taken the title of "fastest swimmer" away from her.  She felt like everything she was proud of or loved in her life was being stolen by this - this - hot tempered red head.  She sat at the picnic table, glowering over at the girl on the dock.  She was even wearing Honey's favorite bathing suit. 

"She didn't know it was your favorite," a rational little voice inside Honey said, but that voice was quickly squelched by the ever rising irrational jealousy.

"This seat taken?" another voice asked, this time a real one.  Honey glanced up, startled to find Alex smiling down at her, a loaded hot dog in his hand.  "It's Honey, right?" he added.

Honey shook her head and waved at the empty spot on the bench.  "Have a seat," she said, trying to be pleasant.

"Thanks.  There sure are a lot of you to keep straight.  There aren't any more members in your club, are there?"

Honey shook her head with a half-hearted smile.  "Nope. Just the seven of us."

Alex grinned.  "Great!  Any more names to remember and I think my brain might just short-circuit.  Say, who's Porsche is parked in front of your house?  It's beautiful."

"It's Jim's," she answered shortly. 

Alex nodded and took a bite of his hot dog before asking his next question.  "Jim's your adopted brother, right?"

Honey cringed at the word "adopted", but nodded.  She didn't need to be reminded that she was only a sister on paper, not in fact.

Alex continued on, not realizing the blunder he had made.  "He's a great guy.  Nat, Leah's brother I mean, and I were worried that she'd come up here and meet some ogre Yankee from New York City who pushes people down stairs if they're in his way.  You know--the stereotypical New Yorker."

"No, I don't know," she answered coldly.

But Alex didn't notice the ice in her voice as he chomped hungrily at his food.  "This is a great hot dog.  Ya'll sure know how to cook, don't you?  What's that blond boy's name?  The one who was grilling."

Honey told him, pointing in Mart's direction.  "There's probably still some left, if you want another."  The way she said it made it seem obvious she wanted Alex to leave.

"No, thanks.  I'm full after this one.  But man!  was it ever good!"  He smiled, patting his stomach.  He turned and straddled the bench, facing Honey.   "Hey, do you think Jim would take me for a ride in the Porsche?"

Honey smiled, finally seeing a way to get rid of the boy.  "Oh, I'm sure he would."

"Great!"  He jumped up from the bench.  "It was nice talking to you," he added, waving as he walked towards Jim.

Moments later, all five boys were headed up towards the house, intent on staring into the bowels of the German machine.  Di hopped up on the table, sitting close to Honey.

"Boys!" She sighed.  "They're all alike, aren't they?"  She didn't wait for a response before hurrying on.  "Didn't Alex have the dreamiest accent?  I wish Mart could talk like that."  She and Mart had been dating for several months, although they were both worried about a long-distance relationship when Mart would leave for Cornell that fall.

"He was all right," Honey mumbled.

"Hey, what's up with you?  You're not sick or anything, are you?" Di asked, leaning down to press her hand to Honey's forehead.

"I'm fine!"  She snapped, shoving Diana's hand away.  Startled, Di jumped back, murmuring apologies.  Only her eyes showed how hurt she was.

"Oh, Di.  I'm sorry.  I guess I'm just in a bad mood.  I didn't mean to snap at you."  Honey smiled apologetically at her friend.

"It's okay.  We all have bad days.  Just cheer up."

"I'll try," Honey answered, although her voice held no enthusiasm.

"Good!  We don't want Leah to think we're weird or anything.  She's so sweet, don't you think?  Here she comes now."  Di waved at Leah, walking arm in arm with Trixie.  "Come sit up here, you guys.  We'll have a good old-fashioned girl chat!"

Honey turned her head towards the approaching girls.  Her eyes narrowed as she saw her best friend's arm entwined with Leah's.  Their heads were close together, giggling madly about something.  "What's so funny?" Honey asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!"  The two girls chimed, then doubled over in laughter again. 

"Oh.  I see."

Dark thoughts swirled around in her head.  Trixie and she had never  kept secrets from each other.  And they wouldn't now unless. . . They must be laughing about her!  Honey's mind swiftly jumped to the conclusion.  How could Trixie make jokes with a complete stranger about her best friend?  The hurt and anger boiled up inside of Honey, bringing sharp, stinging tears to her eyes.  She blinked furiously.  She would not cry like some stupid baby in front of Leah.

Trixie quickly sensed her friend's anger.  "Honey.  We weren't laughing at you.  We were laughing at Brian because he's so, well, Brian.  And I knew you wouldn't like it because you like--er, think so highly of him." 

But Honey was still suspicious.  To her, there wasn't one thing about Brian that wasn't perfect.  Not one thing that anyone could make fun of.  "What's so funny about Brian?"

At this, Leah giggled.  "Well, he's sort of, you know.  Boring."

"He is not!" She yelled, jumping up from the table.  "He's wonderful.  You're just too narrow minded to notice.  Alex told me what you think of Yankees, and you probably think the same thing of Brian.  Well, if you hate us so much, why don't you just go back to where you came from?  We don't need you!"

Leah stepped back, obviously startled.  "Come again?"

But Honey was off.  Somewhere in her conscious she knew that she was making no sense, but she couldn't stop once she started.  "Nobody here wants you.  Just leave.  Get back on your big, expensive jet and head back to where you belong."

Trixie came up and laid her hand softly on her friend's arm.  "Honey? Please stop.  This is something I would do."

Leah looked close to tears.  "Nobody wants me here?" She asked incredulously.

"Absolutely nobody."  Honey answered firmly, deluding herself into half believing what she said.

Leah's voice sounded very small and scared.  "I guess I'll go then."  She took off quickly in a fast run, but not in the direction of the house.  She ran towards Glen Road, towards the preserve on the other side. Before anyone could react, she was gone.

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