Part 3

Trixie coughed and sputtered, shocked that Amelia had done that in front of many students from Sleepyside Junior-Senior High School, most of whom who were now laughing.

"Here," a familiar voice said, handing her several napkins.

"Thanks," Trixie said and began wiping the sticky drink from her face.

"How could you, Amelia?" Jim demanded.

"I slipped," Amelia said softly.

"Really? Just like you slipped into Trixie's seat and ate the burger she ordered?"

"How was I supposed to know that Trixie was sitting there or that the food was for her?" Amelia asked. "She wasn't here when I came in."

Trixie opened her eyes and saw Amelia was looking pleadingly at Jim, whose face was as red as his hair. She felt more napkins slide into her hand and turned to see Dan standing there, concern and anger on his face.

"Thanks, Dan," she said quietly.

"Why don't you go wash some of that off?" Dan suggested. "I'll have Mike make your order again."

"I'm not hungry," Trixie said and slowly turned toward the rest room. "But I will try to clean up a bit."

Trixie returned to the restroom and got the water going. She was able to wash the sticky drink from her face and arms, but her clothes were ruined. She also knew she would need a shower to get her hair clean.

As she stared into her reflection in the mirror above the sink, she could see the tears pooling in her eyes.

I don't understand what's going on, she thought. Why is Amelia treating me this way? I've never done anything to her. We've always gotten along. Sure we've never been the best of friends, but there is no reason to treat me like she has. This is all just too much.

Knock, knock

"I'll be out in a minute," Trixie said, trying to steady her voice.

"It's me," Dan said. "I've got my coat, so you can get out of those sticky clothes.

A small smile filled her face at Dan's thoughtfulness. She opened the door and took the jacket as well as a plastic bag.

Trixie quickly changed and put her wet clothes in the bag. She made sure the jacket was zipped up to her neck before leaving the restroom.

She saw Dan standing near the doorway, watching the crowd.

"Thanks, Dan," Trixie said, reaching his side.

He looked at her. "You ready to go?"

Trixie nodded.

"Jim's waiting outside."

Trixie made her way toward the door, trying to ignore the stares from the customers. From her peripheral vision, Amelia was nowhere to be seen. She stepped outside and headed for the parking lot, ready to go home.

As she neared Jim's car, she saw him pacing in the light from the street lamp. But Jim wasn't alone. Regan was leaning against Jim's car with his arms crossed in front of his chest. In the light, she could see that he was angry as well.

Regan spotted her first. "You okay, Trixie?"

She nodded. "Nothing a hot shower and a gallon of shampoo can't fix."

"Trixie," Jim began.

"Don't, Jim." Trixie put her hand up and shook her head. "I just want to go home."

His shoulders sagged and he moved around to the drivers side.

Trixie moved to get in and Regan said, "He feels really badly about this."

"I know, but he wasn't the one who was publicly humiliated."

"But he feels that way because you mean so much to him. And if something happens to you, he takes it personally."

Trixie sighed. This was more than she wanted to deal with at the moment.

"Trix, wait up."

She turned to see Dan heading toward her, carrying two Styrofoam containers.

"Mike made these to go for you and Jim," Dan said.

"He didn't have to do that," Trixie said and started fumbling for her wallet to give Dan some money to pay Mike.

"He said there was no charge," Dan said.

Trixie stared at Dan, surprised. She couldn't believe Mike's generosity.

"Please thank him for me," Trixie said.

Dan nodded. "And if you need to talk, don't hesitate to call me, okay?"

Trixie nodded. "Okay."

She got in the car and Regan closed the door behind her. After she put her seat belt on, Jim started the engine and headed for Glen Road.

The silence in the car was deafening. Trixie could see from the way Jim clenched the steering wheel with his hands that he was still angry. Trixie was angry as well, but she wanted to know why Amelia was doing these things to her. It seemed as if Amelia was going out of her way to make Trixie miserable.

When Jim pulled the car into the driveway at Crabapple Farm, he parked close to the garage. He turned off the engine and got out.

Trixie released her seatbelt and gathered her clothes and the food. She was glad to be home. As she reached to open the door, she realized Jim had beaten her to it.

He offered her his hand and helped her out.

"Thanks," Trixie said quietly.

"You're welcome."

Trixie moved around the car and headed for the house. Jim was close behind. They entered the kitchen and Trixie set the food and her ruined clothes on the table. She turned to Jim. Guilt was written all over his face.

"Trix, I feel so badly that this happened," Jim said quickly. "I tried to get her to leave, but she just wouldn't go. She ruined our evening."

"This wasn't your fault," Trixie said. "And you shouldn't feel guilty about it. You didn't do this to me."

"I still feel badly."

"You shouldn't," Trixie said. "I doubt you invited her to sit with you. I doubt you invited her to eat my meal and I doubt you asked her to pour my drink all over me in front of everyone from school."

"I didn't."

"Then you shouldn't worry. This was all Amelia."

"You really are amazing," Jim said stepping closer to her and gently pulling her to his chest.

She rested her head against him, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart. It was so soothing.

"I was going to kill her for that stunt," Jim said. "I'm so glad that Regan and Dan showed up when they did. I don't know if I would've been able to keep my temper in check."

"You're not the only one," Trixie said, leaning back from Jim.

"I was surprised at your self control," Jim said, letting go of her.

"I think I was in shock at what she had done and I hadn't gotten to angry yet. I also think Dan suggested I wash some of the drink off myself before I did lose it."

"You'd think we have short tempers or something that would cause our friends to remove us from volatile situations."

"Us?" Trixie asked, a small smile appearing on her face as she tried to look surprised. "That's not us."

Jim chuckled and Trixie could see the guilt and anger vanishing from his face.

"Thanks, Trix."

"You're welcome."

"I'm going to go so you can get that stuff out of your hair," Jim said. "Call me tomorrow?"

Trixie smiled. "I will."

Jim leaned forward and gave her a kiss. "Sweet dreams, Trix."

"You too, Jim,"

He turned and left the house.

Trixie made her way up to her bedroom and quickly gathered some clean clothes. She knew Jim would still feel guilty and knew she had no power to stop those feelings. But she did have the power to get to the bottom of Amelia's reason for all these stunts. She was certain Amelia's motive was something she wasn't going to like.

Things were quiet at school on Monday. Trixie was on guard for another humiliating stunt. She caught Amelia standing with Honey and Di near her locker several times that day. All three of them were staring at her and smiling.

When she arrived at school on Tuesday, she saw the halls were decked out with white and blue steamers and snowflakes. Announcements hung on the walls inviting all the students to attend the Snowflake Ball a few days before Christmas.

The annual ball was formal. The guys wore tuxedos and the girls dressed in beautiful ball gowns. Dinner was catered, followed by dancing in the gymnasium until midnight.

It was a great way to celebrate that start of the holiday break.

"Hey, Trix," Jim said as she opened her locker.

"Hey, Jim." She placed her bag inside and turned to face him.

"The committee did a great job decorating, don't you think?" Jim asked.

"They sure did," Trixie said. "It must have taken them all night to get this done."

"I think they may have had a little help from maintenance," Jim said.

"You're probably right."

"Uh, Trix, I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Go ahead, Jim." She gave him her full attention.

"Well, we've know each other for a long time and I was thinking that maybe, if you wanted to, of course, but we don't have to if you don't feel its something you want to do, but could do if you thought it would be something you wanted to do," Jim rambled.

Trixie smiled at Jim and had a feeling he was asking her to the Snowflake Ball.

"Jim, relax," Trixie said as she saw the color rising on his neck. "Take a breath and just ask me."

He took a breath. "Trixie, will you accompany me..."

"JIM!"

They turned to see Amelia heading toward them, waving her hand in the air. Both of them were surprised to see her wearing a light blue mini skirt and a skimpy white shirt that left nothing to the imagination.

"I'm so glad I found you," Amelia said as she took hold of Jim's arm when she reached him. "I know you're probably as excited as I am about the Snowflake Ball. You've probably also been thinking about who should be your date for this fabulous evening."

"I have," Jim said as he looked at Trixie with love in his eyes.

"I'm so glad we're on the same page," Amelia said. "I'm glad we're going together."

"No, we're not," Jim said, pulling his arm away from Amelia's grasp.

"What?" Amelia asked loudly.

The gathering crowd great silent, wondering what would happen next.

"I'm not going with you," Jim said. "I've asked someone else."

"You can't," Amelia said.

"Jim, you need to think this through," Honey said as she stepped up to them, moving in front of Trixie. "This is the Snowflake Ball, the second most important night of the year. You need to go with Amelia."

"I don't have to go with her," Jim said. "As I said, I've already asked someone."

"Jim, you really need to reconsider this," Honey said. "It's not too late."

"Jim, you and I will have a better time than you will with this other person," Amelia said.

"I don't think so," Jim said. He looked at Trixie who nodded.

"Whoever agreed to go with out is just a tramp after your inheritance and nothing more," Amelia said. "You need to open your eyes and see what everyone else sees."

A gasp was heard from the crowd, shocked at Amelia's words.

Trixie's mouth fell open in disbelief.

"How dare you?" Jim demanded, the color rising on his face.

Amelia flipped her hair over her shoulder. "The truth hurts, doesn't it? If you just opened your eyes to see what is going on, you'd see that what I'm saying is true. You know what the right decision is, Jim. Just think about it and everything will be clear."

"I am not going to cancel on my date because you have this insane notion that we would be better together. I's not going to happen."

Amelia placed her hand on Jim's arm. "It's all right, Jim. When you realize what's going on, it will happen, I'll be your date. We will have a blast at the ball."

She took her hand off Jim's arm, spun around and headed down the hall as the crowd parted to give her a path.

"Jim, please be reasonable," Honey said. "Your image is very important. You know rumors will start if you attend with the wrong person. You honestly have to think about your future."

"Honey, it doesn't matter what other people think," Jim said. "It matters what I think."

"This is a mistake, Jim."

"Then it's mine to make."

Honey stared at him for a moment and then hurried down the hall with the dispersing throngs of students.

Jim turned to Trixie. "I hope I wasn't assuming your answer."

"You weren't." Trixie smiled. "I'd love to go to the ball with you."

"Are you sure?"

Trixie nodded. "I may not like dressing up a lot, but I'd love to be your date."

Jim smiled. "Good."

Amelia seemed to make a pest of herself over the next several days. Every time Trixie and Jim crossed paths, Amelia was there to interrupt them. She continually tried to get Jim to change his mind and attend the ball with her, but he stuck by his decision.

If Trixie was by herself, she was getting jostled about in the crowd. Her books got knocked to the floor and she was shoved into lockers. Many times there were members of Amelia's close knit circle of friends nearby. They giggled as they hurried away.

As they days passed, the incidents seemed to increase. Twice in one day she was standing by her locker getting books for her next class when the door was slammed shut in front of her.

Laughter echoed down the hall and she signed in resignation. She knew that if she said something, it would cause more trouble. The holiday break was just around the corner and felt she could deal with it until then.

It was Friday afternoon and Trixie was looking forward to the weekend. A light snow had begun falling around lunch time, creating the perfect winter wonderland scene. The forecasters predicted snow each day, certain it would be a white Christmas.

As Trixie neared her locker, she saw a lot of students gathered nearby. She slowly made her way through the pack, wondering what had everyone's attention. Moving to the front, she stared in disbelief at the sign hanging on her locker.

Her class picture from junior high was placed in the middle of the bright green paper. Written on it in black marker in all capital letters were the words: CALL TRIXIE BELDEN FOR A NIGHT OF PURE PLEASURE.

"Can I have you tonight?" a voice asked.

Trixie spun around to see many of the guys looking her up and down as if she was a slab of meat.

One guy stepped forward, cupped her face in his hand and leaned close to steal a kiss. Trixie lifted her knee before their lips touched and he crumpled to the floor in a ball.

"Don't touch me," Trixie said.

"Then you shouldn't be misleading people with that advertisement," Amelia said. "I bet that's the only way you got Jim."

"That's right," another voice said. "She had to be giving him something. No one would go out with the likes of her."

Trixie glanced at the people who stood there, nodding in agreement. Shed realized that everyone believed it. She tore the poster down and pushed her way through them, moving quickly toward the front door.

Without stopping, she shoved the poster in the garbage can outside the entrance. When her feet left the final step, she took off at a run, completely humiliated.

"Trixie!"

She kept running, She didn't care who called her or what they wanted. She just needed to get as far away from the school as possible.

The cold temperature didn't even register. She was too upset about what had happened. She knew a path that would lead her to Crabapple Farm that was also out of sight of Glen Road.

The snow seemed to be coming down more heavily and she struggled through the drifts as the path hadn't been cleared.

Trixie finally reached the driveway to Crabapple Farm and headed for the house. She knew that once she reached the inside, she would be safe.

Entering the kitchen, she grabbed a freshly washed blanket off the dryer and wrapped it around herself, trying to get warm. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably and she hoped she wouldn't get sick.

She moved further into the kitchen and saw a note on the table.

"Kids, I had to go into town. Place the casserole in the over at 4:00 and I will be back soon. Moms."

Trixie looked at the clock and saw that she had half an hour before she needed to take care of that task.

She was about to move into the living room when she heard two car doors slam shut. A moment later the kitchen door was flung open and her two older brothers stormed into the room.

"I can't believe you!" Brian yelled. "How could you be so stupid?"

Trixie took a step back, scared at her eldest brother's anger. Trixie stammered, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do, too!" Brian yelled. "I can't believe you would think this was a way to get a guy to like you! I thought you had a better head on your shoulders than to do something so stupid. Trixie, you're only in high school."

"I haven't done anything," Trixie cried, realizing the meaning on the sign had gotten to her brothers. "Honest."

"Stop lying," Brian said.

"I'm not," Trixie cried.

"Is this why there's so much tension between Di and Honey and you?" Mart asked. "Did they catch you and Jim in the act and can't stand the sight of you?"

"It's not true."

"And how do you want to prove it?" Brian asked.

"She shouldn't have to prove it," a familiar voice said.

They all turned to see Jim and Dan standing in the doorway.

"You are not welcome here anymore," Brian said through gritted teeth as he balled his fists. "Get out."

"I'm not going anywhere," Jim said. "Not until you listen to what Trixie is trying to tell you."

"She doesn't have to tell me anything," Brian said. "We already know. Lots of people told us what's been going on."

"So, you'll believe them before you even listen to your sister's side of the story?" Dan asked.

"Stay out of this, Dan," Mart said. "This doesn't concern you."

"It does because Trixie is my friend and she is purposely being hurt by the people who are supposed to care about her."

"What? Are you trying to protect her because she's sleeping with you too?" Mart asked.

Dan dropped his bag and had taken a step, only to be stopped when Jim grabbed his arm.

"Don't, Dan," Jim said. "This will mess up your probation."

"Go ahead and hit me," Mart begged. "Go ahead. I dare you. Sure, you'll probably be sent to juvenile hall, but that's where you belong."

"Stop it!" Trixie yelled, tears of shock rolling down her pale cheeks.

The disgust of what was happening sent her into a tailspin. She dropped the blanket and ran past all of them. She headed out the door and to the road. Her tears mixed with the snow and blinded her.

"Trixie!"

She never saw the car that hit her. She never saw the snow covered ground as her body slammed into it. She never heard the people screaming for her. Trixie's body shut down.

TO BE CONTINUED….