Holiday of Passion and Pain

Thrown under the bus

The tension at the spring caused everyone turmoil and no single child could think straight.

“What have you done, Miranda?” Suzy questioned Miranda in anger. “Why did you challenge him like that?!”

“I didn’t know…I…,” tears choked her voice.

“If anything happens to him, it is your fault,” Suzy was getting mad.

“Relax, Suzy,” Ryan calmed.

“No! You relax! Someone freaking got carried away by the water current and you are telling me to relax,” Suzy roared in anger. “What is wrong with all of you?! Who brought this stupid challenge in the first place?”

“Suzy!” Ryan yelled at her in anger.

“Why are you all yelling? Relax,” A voice said from behind one of the trees. They gazed towards its direction and caught sight of George walking towards them with a grin. “You all need to chill sometimes!”

“George!” They all called happily and hurried to hug their arms around him. He wrapped his arm around them too.

“I didn’t know I was loved this much,” he said with a crafty smile.

“We might be 10, 11, and 12 years, but that doesn’t mean we do not have emotions, you know,” Suzy said, rolling her eyes and Miranda nodded. “Just because you are 12 doesn’t make us less of a human.”

“Was this supposed to be a prank?” Miranda asked in disappointment as she cleared her tears.

“See who is crying now?” He gave her a mocking look.

“Please stop, it is not funny,” she slapped his arm playfully.

He felt bad for her and turned back to the rest of the guys.

“I am sorry for everything. My feet got scraped by one of the stones and it began to bleed,” he explained. “I had to get out of the water to fetch some herbs. I bet you guys didn’t notice.”

They admitted that they didn’t. They all stared at his injured feet covered with green herbs.

“Your evil mother will be very mad at us,” Suzy said with a worried look. “They warned us not to come here. What do we do now?”

“I…I…don’t know,” George admitted, staring into Suzy’s eyes. “But we will come up with something…eventually. I will need help in going home first. I can’t… I can’t go by myself like this.”

The three kids nodded and both Suzy and Ryan balanced him on their shoulders trying to help him walk properly.

“I still blame Miranda for this,” Suzy wasn’t done. Ryan rolled his eyes impatiently.

“Can we all not blame one another now?” he pleaded unable to bear the toxic environment.

Then there was silence. The festival was getting at its peak and more and more people stepped out of their homes. Ryan noticed the sight of his parents struggling with customers at the stall and left George with the girls.

“Keep him safe, okay,” he pleaded to them and they agreed. Soon, in their drenched swimsuits, they’d taken him before his wealthy gate where his bodyguard was dismayed.

“What the hell happened here?” He asked in surprise, but let them in anyway.

One of the servants noticed George’s condition and hurried to call his mother, while his Nanny took him from the girls.

“Are you fine? What happened?” She asked.

“I am okay, Nanny, thank you,” George said with a smile.

“Did you go swimming in that river again?” His Nanny asked with surprise, and there was silence among them.

“What the hell have you guys done to my son?!” His mother hurried out of their mansion screaming like a crazy lady, before spotting his legs. “O! God! They have wounded my son.”

“Mum, they didn’t do anything…I…” George tried defending them but his mother cut him shut.

“O you keep quiet! This is how commoners do. They try to eliminate all influential people in their areas! I won’t let them take you away from me, you hear me?! Where the hell did you find these pigs?” She asked in anger.

“Mum, stop!” George was getting mad. “They are my friends. Stop calling my friends pigs.”

“Didn’t you see better people to be friends with?” His mum asked, pissed. “Why these dirty human beings?! And why the hell are you all wet?! Did you go into that freaking water again…”

“Mum, it…”

“O! God! They tried to drown him! I am sure they tried to drown him! You all will pay for it. Each and everyone of you! You will pay with your freaking life!” She yelled in annoyance and called for her guards.

“It was Miranda!” Suzy threw Miranda under the bus immediately. “Miranda was the one who challenged him to swim. I wasn’t involved, I promise.”

George’s mother turned to Miranda looking more mad. She’d never been a fan of Miranda or her family from the start. Hearing this report only caused her more hate than good.

“So it is you wretched witch?” She asked.

“I didn’t do anything,” Miranda defended herself.

“I will throw both your families in jail!” Mrs Finn eyed both Miranda and Suzy. “I do not care whose fault it is. I will fine you for this damage and will never forgive you kids for this,” George’s mother threatened.

“Mum, please don’t do this,” George pleaded, but his mother slapped him hard on the cheek causing his lips to go mute.

“Keep your f*****g mouth shut!” She lashed. “These dirty human beings are going to jail and that’s final! Any more words, I will stop your trip to France!”

And then, the coward shut his lips like an i***t. Miranda hated him with all her guts. Was France that important to him that he had to watch his friends go to jail? That night, the festival was disrupted by the sound of sirens. Both families were sent to jail, with Ryan luckily missing this harsh verdict. Miranda couldn’t view Suzy the same way, and the sight of her at the opposite cell of herself disgusted her so much. So that was how Suzy was huh?! The girl wouldn’t change. She still did all she could to impress George’s parents. Miranda knew Suzy had feelings for George, but who the hell told her playing the victim card would make his mother like her. His family never liked them and never would.

Miranda’s mother couldn’t stop crying and Miranda watched in guilt.

“I am sorry,” she apologized, but her mother wouldn’t look at her face.

“You will never interact with that boy again, okay?!” Her father yelled at her getting the attention of the cops. “You will never interact with him, or go to that spring again! You hear me, you daft girl?!”