Saving Brownie | ✔

Chapter 22 : Bloody Buddy Thief

Clark drove the car to Peaches and Kyle's school and we got down once we arrived. Clark followed me as we both stood at the gate like numerous other parents waiting for their kids to come.

The school bell rang and Clark looked up from his phone. We saw two familiar tiny figures approaching us. Kyle's arms were wrapped around Peaches as they both slowly walked. Peaches was crying and Kyle was consoling her.

I bent down and asked, "Why is she crying?"

"Somebody pushed her favourite pencil down the desk, we couldn't find it," Kyle answered and I sighed. 

"I'll buy you a packet of fancy pencils so stop crying, okay?" I offered and fixed Peaches' coat.

She nodded and sniffed. Peaches always got worried over silly stuff. I wondered what would happen to her when she grew up and would have her periods. The worst was yet to come.

"Bownie!" Peaches eyes lightened up as Kyle pointed to Clark. It seemed that Peaches forgot about her pencil as they both hugged Clark's knees.

I glowered at Clark for stealing my buddies. He shrugged and ruffled Kyle's hair. Peaches insisted him to carry her and he picked her up in his strong arms. Kyle caught Clark's other hand and they both narrated to him about what happened in school today.

"She's four for God's sake! You don't need to carry her!" I exclaimed in pure jealousy and all consuming rage. Peaches frowned and pouted at me, so I quickly added, "I'll carry you and Kyle, come here. You guys are my friends, not his . . . "

Clark stared at me as they didn't try to detach themselves from him. My most trustworthy friends were now his! How could that even be possible? They didn't even know Clark!

"You bloody buddy thief! You pompous wizard! You worked your secret magic on them, didn't you?" I yelled as I stomped behind them towards the car.

Clark placed Peaches on the backseat and Kyle sat beside her. I sat on the front seat and buckled my seat belt in petulance. Clark clearly seemed amused by my actions, but he didn't say anything.

"Bownie, will you join us later to the play house beside the mall?" Kyle asked innocently and peeped through the picture book. Peaches too looked up curiously.

Clark didn't say anything as he quietly drove. He glanced at me and he could notice that I was chewing on my handkerchief furiously. Tears were almost stinging my eyes.

"I don't know," he replied to the kids.

"Bownie, pwease!" Peaches insisted in her gibberish language since she had lost some essential teeth after falling from the swing.

"You little devils never invited me to the damn play house!" I whined and Peaches sealed her mouth shut.

"You can join us too," Kyle mumbled half-heartedly as if looking very disappointed.

"You don't want me to come, do you?" I asked venomously and looked back at the wide-eyed kids.

"You're frightening them," Clark muttered and I raised my chin high up in the air like a snob.

"You're the one frightening me! You stole my friends from me, you little prick! You bitch---"

"Hush, watch your language," he interrupted and I scowled.

"Kids these days are way smarter than us, they know better," I argued and looked back at Kyle and Peaches. Kyle was assisting Peaches to carefully pronounce certain words from the picture book. Peaches shooed him away, telling him that she knew those words. Kyle laughed when Peaches pronounced a word wrong and she frowned at him in annoyance. She looked away from Kyle and he seemed rueful. He then held his ears and apologised to her.

"See, how she's already pronouncing such difficult words," I said and Clark shook his head. "Anyway, that's not the point here. The point is that you are snatching away my friends!"

"You don't need to make a big deal out of this."

"I'm making a big deal? Do you know how it feels when your best friends are snatched away? Do you?" I demanded and he didn't say anything. So I continued, "What if I get close to Ian? How would you feel then?"

"You wouldn't."

"Of course I would! I mean, why not?" I burst out and his jaw clenched. I could see his knuckles getting white as he caught the steering wheel vehemently. He was definitely peeved.

He did not say anything so I averted my gaze towards the kids. Kyle pointed outside the window blithely and shouted, "Bownie wait, we get pencils here!"

Peaches looked outside the window excitedly and I sighed. Clark pulled over at the local stationary store and we got down. Kyle immediately caught Clark's hand and Clark picked up Peaches in his arms since she insisted again. I glared at him and he simply shrugged, before beckoning me to come with him.

Kyle left Clark's hand to browse through the stationary products while I just followed and watched them. He jumped in mirth when he saw an entire section of fancy pencils, erasers, pens, crayons etc. I smiled at him in awe. Kyle asked Clark and me if he could buy some for himself too and we told him to buy whatever he wanted.

Clark held Peaches in his arms and her tiny arms were wrapped around his neck. She was small as compared to her age. Clark showed her some fancy stuff with Barbie, Disney princesses and anime printed on it. He awkwardly held those stuff and Peaches twisted her ears, a habit of hers when she had to choose stuff.

She pointed at a packet of pencils and Clark lifted it up. Clark looked at me with an impish smile. "Dora?"

"Not this again," I mused to myself as I tried to snatch it away from him. However, he held it super high and away from me, so I couldn't reach it.

"Do you like it?" Peaches asked Clark.

"Very much, especially Georgia here is fond of Dora," he said playfully and I narrowed my eyes at him.

I sprang to my feet ferociously and grabbed a nearby basket. I threw all the stuff that the kids wanted in it and went to the counter. At the counter, there were chocolates kept which I gladly picked up for all of us. Kyle had got himself some superhero printed stuff while Peaches got herself Dora and some other anime printed stuff.

I reached for my pocket to fish out money, but Clark took out his wallet. I caught his wrist and said airily, "I'll pay."

He raised his eyebrow as if conveying clear disinterest. Of course he would do that, that rich freaking billionaire!

He paid for the stuff and we left the store. Kyle and Peaches went on talking to Clark and he listened to them intently. He didn't talk much to them, only replied when necessary. I was feeling left alone in all this as I quietly finished my Hershey's bar.

Before we could get into the car, I announced to the kids, "I'll be going to London in a few days. Miss me then, but don't come to me crying!"

Our plan to go to London was postponed due to some work left for Clark and Ian to complete. I didn't tell Kyle and Peaches about me going away and they stared at me cluelessly.

Kyle tugged at Clark's shirt and Clark looked down. He asked Clark in a very sorrowful tone, "Are you going to London too, Bownie?"

I gave him an incredulous look. They didn't care if I went away, they cared if that bitter excuse of a Brownie went! It hurt.

Clark glanced at me and noticed my extreme distressed state. He then looked down at Kyle and said, "Yeah, I'm going too."

"Then take care of her please," Kyle said and my heart swelled in awe and admiration.

"Yes, pwease!" Peaches added.

Clark glanced at me and smiled fully.

***

A/N :

While writing this chapter, I felt like Clark and Georgia were already married, lol. Do you all like Kyle and Peaches? Do you all want more scenes of them or not? Tell me in the comments section.