Well This Is Just Swell
Chapter 18: Envy
As Hilery and Bo sat talking, a couple of girls watched. Bo was popular with the ladies, and they didn’t like how he was looking at the young Davenport woman. They were used to the competition with each other, and thought of it more like a game, but they hadn’t counted on Hilery. Each of them had easily dismissed the friendship she had with the Duke boy, figuring her to be nothing more than a Plain Jane without a feminine bone in her body. They had figured her as a woman that Bo would never have any interest in, a woman that no man would ever have an interest in.
When Bo reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind Hilery’s ear, the girls knew he was genuinely interested… and it bothered them immensely. They knew that Hilery was only open to serious relationships, and with what Bo had been through, they knew he would seriously consider one.
When Hilery stood up and made a hasty retreat toward the church, they looked at each other… beginning to smile. There was hope they could derail the romance before it even got going.
Wordlessly, the three of them stood up, grabbed their purses, and headed toward the church. They didn’t like the young woman encroaching on their territory, and their territory was a certain blond Duke boy.
Hilery looked up from washing her face when she heard the door to the ladies’ bathroom open. It was a little restroom with just two stalls. She was grateful when one of the women who had walked in handed her a paper towel. “Thanks Gina.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t go thanking any of us yet,” Gina replied. Hilery turned to look at them, a little confused. When they moved to form a semicircle around her, her stomach sank. She knew she was in trouble.
“What seems to be the problem?” she asked, bracing herself against the sinks.
“You,” Danielle told her.
“But I haven’t done anything wrong….”
Jenny, Danielle’s twin sister, looked at Hilery and started laughing. “No, you haven’t, but you see, we don’t like competition, and you honey, are major competition.”
“Come on, I don’t want any trouble… and you’ve never had any problems with me before…”
Gina was the first to strike. She balled up her fist and attempted to punch Hilery in the jaw. It was blocked, but Jenny and Danielle both hit her from the sides. As she doubled over, Gina pulled a pair of scissors out of her purse. “Let’s see how beautiful you are after we’re through with you.”
After about ten minutes, Bo became frustrated when Hilery didn’t return. He honestly hadn’t expected her to, but he had noticed Gina, Jenny, and Danielle follow her. He knew Hilery could take care of herself, but that was in a fair fight. Three against one wasn’t good odds, and the three of them weren’t known for fighting fair… not to mention they tended to be a jealous lot. He got up and walked over to the table where his family and Cooter were dining.
“Bo, what’s wrong?” Luke asked when he spotted his cousin.
“What ain’t. I upset Hil, so she went runnin’ to the bathroom before I could apologize and explain things to her, and then Gina, Jenny, and Danielle followed her into the church.”
Luke, Daisy, and Cooter all stood up. “Bo,” Luke said to his cousin, “you stay here with Uncle Jesse.” As he spoke, they were all sliding their chairs in.
“She said she was headin’ for the bathroom.”
“Just stay calm,” Cooter told him. He was concerned, but not terribly so. He had faith in Hilery… but at the same time, he knew things could get out of hand quite quickly if there was a fight.
Gina, Danielle, and Jenny’s laughter could be heard from the hallway, but there was a distinct screaming and cussing that could be heard over top of it… and it was an easily recognized voice. When Daisy went to open the door, she found it locked. Luke and Cooter didn’t waste any time in kicking it in. The sight that greeted them made Cooter’s stomach turn and royally ticked Luke off.
The three girls looked up from what they were doing when the door slammed against the wall. Jenny and Danielle were holding Hilery down while Gina cut her blonde locks. She hadn’t been able to cut it as short as she wanted thanks to Hilery’s struggling, but she had managed to cut a considerable length off.
Jenny and Danielle let Hilery go and the three assailants stood up. They knocked Luke and Cooter out of the way as they ran out the door. Daisy had already moved closer to kneel next to Hilery to make sure she was okay.
The young woman was sobbing, sitting in a pile of her hair. Although she never really wore it down, it was something she had taken pride in. It bothered Luke, Daisy, and Cooter to see her so heartbroken.
“It’s alright sugar,” Daisy said gently, brushing Hilery’s hair back from her face. It was still long, going down to her shoulders, but it was still damaging to the young woman’s self esteem. “It’ll grow back,” she tried assuring her.
“Daisy, why don’t you take Hilery out the back, and down to the salon?” Cooter suggested. “Luke, you need to find Ellen to see what she can do with Hilery’s hair. I’ll go find Rosco. We can meet y’all over there.”
When Luke and Cooter exited the church without Daisy and Hilery, it caught Bo’s attention and made him nervous. It made him even more wary when Cooter stopped at the table with Boss, Lulu, Rosco, and Mama Coltrane.
As Luke came closer, Jesse waved him over.
“Is everything alright Luke?”
“Afraid not. I need to find Ellen.”
“Uh, cousin, why do you need to find Ellen” Bo asked, a bit confused.
Luke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t know how to quite break things to Bo.
“Luke?”
“You were right to come get us. It could have turned out worse than it did.”
“What happened,” the blond demanded.
“They beat the hell out of her and cut her hair.”
“WHAT!!??”
“Bo, calm down,” Jesse told him. “I assume that’s why Cooter is over talking to J.D. and Rosco.”
“Yeah. Daisy took Hilery over to the salon.” Bo immediately began to get up but Luke grabbed his good shoulder and pushed him back down into the chair. “Bo, Hilery’s upset and embarrassed enough. The less people who see her like this, the better.”
“But-.”
“Luke’s right Bo,” Jesse told him. “Just stay here with me for now.”
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