Next To You

Don't Say It

The next few days felt like a lifetime. She had been trying to avoid Eoin, but he seemed to be everywhere. Friday afternoon had arrived before she realized it. It was the dreaded day of the meeting at Hill Crest Academy. Connelly picked her up around the corner and she changed into the clothes her grandmother sent for her. Fiona was already waiting at the school for her.

"In the future, Heather, remember this, when you're early, you are on time, when you are on time, you're late."

"Yes grandmother," Heather droned.

They walked to the headmaster's office. He was a rather serious and strict-looking older gentleman, with a distinguished silver mustache and swept back hair, by the name of Bryson LeDeaux, but he looked quite pleased to see Fiona O'Reilly there.

"So this is your granddaughter?" he inquired cheerfully.

"Yes, Heather O'Reilly. Under my careful watch, she has completed her etiquette lessons, plays multiple classical instruments, and fluently speaks several languages. She does quite well in all subjects, and is very studious and hardworking. I trust that accurately meets all your requirements?" Fiona stated pridefully.

LeDeaux stood up from his desk and circled Heather, critically examining her posture and attire.

"What are your hobbies, Ms. O'Reilly?" LeDeaux put his hand up as Fiona started to speak, "I'm asking her."

Heather had to count to ten in her head before she could answer, "English riding, ballet, and playing music."

"Which languages do you speak?"

Fiona stared ferociously at Heather, she just ignored her and smiled,"French, German, Danish, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian."

She recited facts and figures, displayed refinement and sophistication, just like her grandmother wanted her to. LeDeaux was very impressed and told them to wait for a letter or a visit from herself or a member of the academy's board. Then he had one of the high-ranking upperclassmen give them a tour. They went through the different wings, until Heather stopped at a restroom and told them to go ahead.

As she was coming out, she saw a group of students, uniforms starched and pressed. Her stomach turned when she saw who was leading them.

"Heather O'Reilly, always lovely to see you. Will you be attending here soon?" a handsome and sophisticated young man with dirty blonde hair and stormy gray eyes stood in her path.

"Gregory Reynolds, still fake as usual I see. Headmaster LeDeaux just interviewed me and we're on a tour of the school. But you don't really care about that, do you?" Heather stepped around him and started walking away.

Gregory twirled her around to face him, "of course I care, you attending this school would make things a lot less boring around here. I'm very much looking forward to it actually."

The other students were uninterested and had kept walking, leaving them alone with each other in a dead hallway. She felt her stomach churning, she had to get away.

"I really have no desire to go to this school, it's much too stuffy for me. I was just doing this interview to get my grandmother off my case. I suppose I'd better catch up with them. Always a misfortune to see you Mr. Reynolds, good day to you, or whatever," Heather walked off, and as soon as she was out of his sight, she sped up.

Gregory Reynolds was like any of the typical young elites she had the displeasure of associating with at any high-society functions, only much worse. He was very manipulative and spoiled, and did whatever it took to get what he wanted, using everyone for his own selfish benefits, and not caring who he hurt in the process. If she wasn't being judged and observed so sharply, she would've ran out of the building without a second thought.

She found the guide and her grandmother entering a lecture hall. Fiona was thrilled.

"How nostalgic, this hall reminds me of my days at ladies' college. Don't you just love it Heather?" Fiona gushed.

Heather had no interest in it, "seems like it's trying too hard to me, it's dusty and dark."

The guide shook his head, "the skylights aren't open, and this classroom hasn't been used today. Usually it's quite tidy and well-lit. I assure you Ms. O'Reilly, it's much nicer than any musty old classroom you are accustomed to."

"How would you know what classrooms I'm accustomed to? Any that I've been in serve their students just fine. Besides, they're all just walls, it's not about the rooms, it's about the great teaching and learning that occur within those walls, it doesn't have to be fancy," Heather replied sharply.

Fiona was horrified at the expression he gave, she thought for sure they would be thrown out and banned from ever stepping foot at Hill Crest again.

The guide's face suddenly broke into a smile, "you're quite intelligent and philosophical Ms. O'Reilly, you'd do well here at HCA, I hope to see you here soon. Would you like a tour of the dormitories now?"

Fiona breathed a sigh of relief, she was starting to realize what she perceived as Heather's weaknesses were actually her strengths, as disagreeable as she found them to be sometimes. Heather was true and genuine in her ways, and these traits were what made her more successful in her endeavors. People found her differences refreshing, and she always surprised them with her wisdom of the world, being as young as she was. Suddenly, Fiona realized this had been a test, and Heather had passed it. LeDeaux had heard everything she just said, and he shook her hand whole-heartedly.

It was now time for them to leave. Fiona watched Heather as they rode in the limousine on their way home. She could see Heather was distracted and not at all excited about Hill Crest Academy, and LeDeaux had offered her instant acceptance. She could start their next semester, if she desired to, but all she did was thank him for opportunity and asked if she could think about it. LeDeaux, not wanting to scare her away, permitted it.

Fiona reached over and held her hand, "do you really dislike Hill Crest so much? You haven't said one good thing about it. Do you even know how important this is Heather? You've been offered a place at this amazing academy, very few people even get in the doors of Hill Crest."

Heather sighed and pulled her hand away, "there's nothing wrong with the school, grandmother. I just really like the school I'm at now, I have friends that like me for who I am, and I do really well there. I'm already over halfway done with high school, what's the point in switching now?"

"I know it's difficult Heather, but graduating from Hill Crest practically guarantees getting into the best universities, isn't that what you want?" Fiona reached over and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"I thought it was, but don't you believe I can get there myself by my own hard work and accomplishments? Rather than using Hill Crest as a crutch?" Heather turned away from her and leaned her head against the window.

Fiona couldn't help but smile, "you really are an O'Reilly. Alright, if it's that important to you to stay in North Ridge, I won't say another word about it. But only under the condition you give it serious consideration. Measure the pros and cons, do your research, is it a deal?"

Heather snapped her attention back to her grandmother, "seriously? Okay grandmother, I promise."

A couple of weeks later, Heather had looked into everything, talked to Mya about it, and did as Fiona asked. She told her she wanted to stay at North Ridge. LeDeaux came on a personal visit to get her answer, and was disappointed, but told her if she were ever to change her mind, there would always be a place for her at Hill Crest Academy.

One afternoon, while she was working in the library again, Heather glanced up from the computer at the checkout desk, there was Eoin again. She ducked down and walked to the back of the library. Mr. Florian, the head librarian, was there anyway, if he saw someone at the desk, he would help them.

Her plan to hide had backfired. For some reason, Eoin walked to the same part of the library. They bumped into each other coming from opposite directions of the same corner.

Eoin smiled when he found out who he had collided with again, "why Ms. Librarian, we should really stop running into each other like this."

Heather was worried, then smirked, "here's an idea Flannery, stop coming in here to spy on me. Also, that line is a cliché and completely overused."

Eoin chuckled, "well aren't you full of yourself? I actually came in here for a reason, I have to find a book for a report."

Heather raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him, "oh really? For which class?"

"Well.. er... social studies, yeah, that's it, social studies," Eoin nodded decisively and pretended to start looking.

She shook her head and smiled knowingly, "you used that excuse last week Flannery. I have the same social studies teacher, and Ms. Bowen hasn't assigned any book reports since last quarter."

"Oh, it's for extra credit," Eoin said it as convincingly as he could.

Heather knew he didn't need any extra credit on account of him being one of the top students in their year, but she decided to leave it alone. She grabbed a book cart and started putting books away. She could see him peeking at her through the book shelf and hid her amusement behind a novel. Just to mess with him though, she suddenly looked right at him.

Eoin turned red and looked away quickly, resuming his pretend search for a book. Mya and Melody came in to see Heather, finding her in the back aisles, her full focus back on her task of straightening up. They could see Eoin peering at her, then pretending to look for something.

"Hey Heather, what's going on?" Mya asked with a cheesy grin.

Heather subtly tilted her head in Eoin's direction. "book report excuse again. Also, apparently, we're playing some kind of game. Watch this."

She snapped her eyes in his direction again and again, Eoin grabbed a random book and opened it innocently. She covered a laugh and looked down at the book in her hand, fingering the binding as she read the label. Mya and Melody shared in her entertainment.

"He's so cute," Melody said longingly, "how do you do it Heather?"

"Do what? Keep myself from smacking him upside the head? It's quite difficult actually," Heather joked.

"No, I mean how do you not melt every time he smiles at you or stands close to you?" Melody swooned.

Heather knew Eoin had a lot of admirers, but she refused to be one of them, "he is attractive, I'll give him that, but he's so irritating, distracting, and an absolute pain. That's why I'm not melting."

Eoin heard what she said and laughed to himself, then he snuck up behind them, "shush, some of us are trying to study."

Heather jumped with a start, then turned red. She had forgotten to keep an eye on where he was. Eoin was smug and she wanted to punch him in the face for it. Instead, she ignored him and walked away.

He smiled at Mya and Melody, "whew, someone woke up extra feisty today, am I right?"

Melody blushed and Mya giggled. Before Heather sat back behind the desk, she rolled her eyes and sneered at him, "I suggest you make your selection and leave Flannery, after all, people are trying to study, and you're being a tad disruptive."

Eoin put his hands in his pockets and with a wink, sauntered out, "whatever you say, Ms. Librarian."

She turned to her friends with contempt in her eyes, "see, he didn't even get anything. For weeks, this is what I've been putting up with."

"Why put up with it then? Why don't you just confront him about it?" Mya advised.

"I do, every single time he comes in here, he's driving me crazy," Heather said irritably.

"Well, have you tried asking him to leave you alone?" Melody chimed in.

"I haven't used those exact words. I guess with someone like Flannery, I should just be frank and to the point. I am tired of these games," Heather sat down and started working on the computer again.

Mya and Melody exchanged looks, then shrugged it off and left. They had a feeling there was a lot more to it than that.

The following Saturday, she went to work as she usually did, but found that Torrence, Ellie's husband and owner of the gym, had gone with his two sons, Scotty and Toby, to help with Eoin's bridge project.

"I didn't realize it would be so soon," Heather conveyed to Ellie.

Ellie shrugged, "they all wanted to get it done before the bad winter weather hit."

"I guess that makes sense, but I would've helped if I had known sooner," Heather was sweeping the floor deep in thought.

One of their regulars walked in, her name was Finnola Murphy. She was a professional kick boxer. She was 5'9, with golden blonde hair and green hazel eyes. She came there four nights a week to train with Heather.

"You ready?" she said to Heather as she walked over to the ring.

"Always," Heather put the broom away and geared up.

They sparred around the ring for an hour, then spent two more hours in the ring so Finnola could practice new submission holds on a real person.

Ellie gave Heather an extended lunch break while she took lunch to Torrence and their sons. Heather stayed back at the gym even though they weren't busy there. Finnola was the only one who had actually come in that afternoon. She sat at the front desk and ate her lunch in silence. Part of her wished she could have gone with Ellie to the bridge, curious about what they were doing over there. When Ellie returned, Heather went back to cleaning, and Ellie resumed working the front desk, going through books and making sure everyone's accounts were paid up.

"How's the project going?" Heather asked meekly.

Ellie glanced over at her and smiled, "wonderfully. They took out all that thorny overgrowth and already removed all the rotted boards. Such a sight to behold, it looks better already. Torrence said it's a good thing they're working on it now, he doesn't think it would've lasted through the winter."

As Heather finished straightening up the gym, she looked over the course again. She suddenly stared off and remembered ruffling Eoin's hair. She hoped it didn't seem like she was flirting.

Then she thought to herself, "would it really be so horrible if I was flirting with him?"

She shook her head, she couldn't let herself think that way. It must've been she got too comfortable with him knowing she worked at the gym and acted without thinking. Her and the Fitzwalter boys acted that way with each other all the time, but she still couldn't shake the way she felt when she thought about Eoin, whatever it was that she was feeling. Annoyed with herself, Heather moved on to the training room and pounded her frustrations into a punching bag.

The next morning, they were almost halfway done with the bridge. Eoin had been working endlessly, he wanted it to be done that night so he could show Heather. The day before, he had noticed Mya was shyly watching Ivan from afar, he told her to help him, and soon after, they were working so well together and talking like old friends. Mya was so grateful, and today she wanted to show him something. When it was time to take a break for lunch, she tried convincing Eoin to go into town with her.

"Hey Eoin, I just want to say I really appreciate what you did for me yesterday," Mya stood on her tiptoes and leaned over the side of Eoin's old light blue pick-up truck.

Eoin smirked as he tossed some boards onto the ground from his truck bed, "I don't know what you mean, all I did was ask you to help Ivan. Anything that happened after that was all you and Ivan."

Mya giggled, "okay, but all the same, thank you. I do want to show you something though, will you come to town with me?"

"What? Right now? But there's still so much to do here," Eoin was reluctant to leave.

Ivan had overheard Mya asking him and came over, "it's all good Eoin, we got this, you've been working your tail off, go take a break, you deserve it."

Eoin still hesitated, "I don't know... we're getting so close to being done."

Mya giggled again, "come on, they're not all going to stop working if you're not here, I promise, it's totally worth it."

Ivan made a shooing motion with his hands, finally Eoin gave in, "alright, alright, I really hope this is worth it, Mya, but we are taking the truck."

"If you insist," Mya was secretly relieved, she couldn't walk all over in boots like Heather could, so she wasn't looking forward to walking into town if she had to.

They drove into town and Mya had him park in front of the dance and art studio. The art studio took up the bottom level, the dance studio was the whole top level. Eoin was puzzled.

"What are we doing here?" he wondered, still in a hurry and hoping whatever they were doing wouldn't take too long.

"Just relax, you'll know soon enough," Mya hopped out of the truck once Eoin opened the door for her.

Eoin heard the classical music flowing from the upstairs windows. They went inside and climbed up the stairs. His work boots clomped on the creaky old steps. When they reached the top, right away he noticed four different doors, each to classrooms for different types of dancing. The one to the right of the staircase appeared to be a ballet class. Little girls aged from 6 to 12 years old were lined up against the far mirrored wall, warming up and stretching. Mya nudged him and pointed to a slender young woman in a leotard, with familiar red-blonde hair pulled back in a bun. She was demonstrating a pirouette.

"Heather teaches a ballet class?" Eoin had asked a little too loudly.

"Shh, they'll kick us out for being disruptive," Mya covered up a giggle, "and yes, every Sunday afternoon, you'll usually find her here. The girls still come here during the week, but because Heather has school and other obligations, they have another teacher for those classes."

Eoin was in awe, "wow, she looks amazing in there."

"Yeah, the girls adore her. They call her Miss Heather, but you should see her dance by herself someday, you think she's amazing now, you haven't seen anything yet," Mya had her arms propped up on the window sill, separating the hall from the classroom, then she sighed and perked up, "let's go say hello."

Mya grabbed Eoin's shirt sleeve and pulled him behind her, Eoin didn't want to upset Heather, "are you sure this is okay?"

"Sure it is, I do it all the time," she continued pulling him behind her.

The little girls all stopped and stared when they saw Eoin's tall figure enter the room. Heather turned around in surprise and covered up a smile.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Oh nothing much, we were in the area and wanted to drop in and say hello, nothing suspicious about that, right?" Mya had a goofy expression on her face.

Heather smirked, "yeah, right. Girls, you remember my friend Mya. And this guy over here is Eoin, don't be afraid, he's just a big pushover."

Heather reached up and ruffled his hair again, the little girls became excited and started chattering all at once. Eoin touched his hair and smiled at her, he really wanted to know why she did that. He talked with the little girls for a bit as Mya and Heather stood off to the side. Mya peeped at Heather from the corner of her eye, she really seemed happy to see him there, not upset or irritated like they expected her to be.

Heather caught her stare and self-consciously brushed off her leotard, "alright girls, wrap it up, then get back into formation please."

They happily obeyed and lined up at the railing again. Heather counted as they did their steps. Mya winked at Eoin and gave him a thumbs up.

"Okay Heather, thanks for letting us interrupt your class, we'll see you later," Mya beamed.

Heather smiled at them through the mirror's reflection and waved them off, continuing to count for the girls. Eoin had an affectionate look in his eyes as they drove back, and Mya knew he was thinking about Heather. They returned to the bridge and worked even harder to get it done, she even caught Eoin humming a classical tune to himself as he was working. As the sun was setting, they were finishing it up. When they were done, they all looked on in pride at what they had accomplished together.

Heather had just finished running errands around town and stopped at the diner. She had her violin in its case and her gym bag slung over her shoulder. She was sure she looked quite the sight. Mya spotted her from the booth she was sitting in with Eoin and Ivan. She waved Heather over as Lana went to get Heather's tea ready.

"Well you look like you've been doing a lot of running around today," Mya giggled.

Heather smiled, "yeah, it was a good day for errands, my violin was long overdue for new strings. It feels nice to get things done."

"You play the violin too? What else can you do?" Eoin was very impressed.

"Well, I play multiple instruments, I grew up around a lot of music, but I guess I assumed someone would've told you that already," Heather shot a teasing look at Mya.

"Come on Heather, what do you take me for? She sings beautifully too Eoin," Mya laughed and took a sip of her cocoa as Heather put a hand on her hip in dismay.

Eoin leaned in closer to Heather, "I'd really like to hear you sing someday."

Heather blushed and looked down at her tea as Lana set it down in front of her, "thank you Lana."

Lana saw the way Eoin was looking at her and grinned, "of course dear, let me know if there's anything else I can get for you or your friends."

After hanging out for a while, Ivan yawned and stretched his arms, "I'm beat, I think I'm going to head home, you need a ride Mya?"

"Thank you Ivan, that would be lovely. We'll see you two at school tomorrow," Mya tugged Heather's braid as she walked by her and made a telephone sign with her hand, then waved goodbye to Eoin.

Eoin chuckled, "see you two tomorrow."

Ivan saluted him and linked Mya's arm in his as they walked out. Mya's mouth dropped open as she exchanged looks with Heather and pointed at their arms before they went out the door.

"Well, they seem to be hitting it off splendidly, what happened?" Heather laughed as she picked up her tea.

Eoin smiled affectionately, "they needed a little push, I kind of got a feeling she wanted to be closer to him."

"I always had a feeling she liked him, but figured she couldn't suck it up enough to go talk to him before," Heather paid her bill and put a tip on the table, "I think I'm going to start heading home too."

"Wait, do you want to see the bridge?" Eoin grabbed his jacket and was about to head out the door.

Heather spotted his wallet on the seat as he started walking to the door and picked it up, hiding it behind her back, "okay, but don't you think you should make sure you have everything first?"

Eoin looked at her strangely, "what would I be forgetting?"

Heather held up his wallet and waved it in front of his face, "gee, I don't know, this maybe?"

He frantically felt his pockets to see if it was actually his wallet or someone else's that she was holding, then smiled as she held it out to him. Their fingertips brushed against each other. They both felt the same tingling from the last time. This time Heather couldn't hide it, they both gasped.

Heather laughed it off, "must be static electricity from sitting in those plastic seats."

She snuggled up in her coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck as she stepped outside. Eoin came out behind her, wondering if it was just static electricity. Heather was about to walk, but he stopped her.

"I have my truck, we can just drive over there. My heater doesn't work, but it's better than walking in the cold," he suggested.

Heather wasn't sure she should be alone in a vehicle with him, she admitted she still didn't know much about him besides what everyone else knew, but she agreed to ride with him. It was a short drive to the bridge anyway.

Eoin drove her over and parked on the side of the road. He even opened the door for her and helped her down. It seemed like her hand lingered in his for a moment before she let go, but he didn't want to read too much into it and make a fool of himself for nothing. She admired the work they had done. They repaired, painted, and added lighting. She did a few pirouettes across it and leaned on the railing excitedly, forgetting Eoin was standing there watching her.

She glanced over and blushed, stroking the wooden rail as she rested her hand on it, "you guys did a great job, I'm very impressed."

He nodded modestly and stood next to her, "this is totally off subject, but perhaps you could help me with a dilemma I'm having."

Heather shrugged, "I'm not sure I'm the right person for that, but I'll certainly try my best once you tell me about it."

"Well, you see, there's this pretty amazing girl I really like, and lately, it seems like she might like me too, but I can't tell if she's been flirting with me or not. What do you think?" Eoin stepped even closer to her.

Heather felt her cheeks flare and gazed up at him, "maybe she's just starting to get comfortable with you. You are, after all, one of the most popular boys in school, with lots of admirers. Maybe, instead of questioning it, you should let things go at their own pace and see what happens."

Eoin's heart beat faster, she was so close to him, he could feel her warm breath on his chest.

He grabbed her hand, "Heather, I..."

"Stop... I have a feeling I know what you're going to say. Please, don't say it. I should go, goodnight Eoin," she grabbed her things and left, leaving Eoin more confused than ever. He watched her leave, then grabbed the railing and stared into the cold icy water below. He felt like an i***t, he knew he should've waited longer, now he was afraid he had ruined everything.