Frozen(20)

"Careful," Darcy muttered, but didn't look at me as he pulled away from me once again.

I brushed myself off with my hands and mumbled, "Thanks."

I blinked when I realised those were the nicest thing Darcy and I have willingly said to one another in years.

Wow.

My mother's giggle got my attention.

"Sorry, baby, but I want pictures with the both of you... with Sean."

I glared at my mother. "You're pushing it."

She just smiled at me like she had no clue what I was talking about, but of course she did because she knew everything. The cow knew Darcy and Sean were on my hit list and she wanted me in close proximity with both of them? She really was testing a girl's restraint.

"Sean!" my mother shouted.

I don't know how he heard her over the punters in the pub, but Sean popped up behind Jess and rubbed his neck as he said, "Yeah, Ma?"

My mother snapped her fingers at him. "Picture time with Neala and Darcy, now."

Sean hesitated when our eyes locked.

He swallowed, and shook his head. The worry on his face made me happy.

He was scared, and he should be.

"Sean, don't make me ask again. Get in the picture with Neala and Darcy."

Sean visibly paled as he stepped around a laughing Jess and walked in our direction.

"Please don't hit me," Sean muttered as he came up against my left side.

I gritted my teeth. "No promises."

My mother was exasperated as she gave the lads orders on where to put their hands on my body. They were both told to place their hands on my back, and lean into me because I was considerably shorter than both of them. I blew out a breath when their hands pressed against me and we were told to smile.

"Stunning!" Marie gushed.

I could feel the lads start to pull away when Justin's voice suddenly sounded in my ear.

"Don't forget me."

Our mother's squealed with delight.

Justin placed his hands on Sean and Darcy's shoulders and rested his chin on my head.

"Smile!" Marie shouted proudly.

We did as ordered and when the last flash went off I couldn't help but groan.

"Was that the last one?"

I felt a hand nudge my back. "Don't complain about getting in pictures with family, kid," Justin said.

I grunted but kept my mouth shut.

"No, it's not the last one. Now one with you all and Jess since she is joining the family. Where is Sarah? I want a group photo of all of you together"

I growled at my mother while Jess pranced over to Sean's side. My mother shouted Sarah’s name and like Sean, she appeared out of nowhere and stood behind me with Justin.

"Okay, big smiles everyone. This is one for me wall." My mother smiled.

I couldn't help but smile at my mother's excitement.

Her "Wall" was the wall along her hallway in her house. She had a pretty big house, the hallway was very long and pictures covered the entire wall. It looked beautiful, but only the nearest and dearest pictures went up onto the wall - and if you were in one that made the cut, you were practically being honoured by my mother... and Marie, because behind every decision my mother made was Marie, and vice versa.

After the final flash from the camera I stepped away from dumb and dumber and surged towards my mother. "Where is me da?" I asked.

My mother waved her hand towards the back of the pub where the plasma screens were. "Back there - he's watching some football documentary, I don't know."

Without a word to anyone I took off in search of my father because he had something I needed, something I asked him to bring. Something that would partially get Darcy back for what he has done to me over the past few days, and also something that would lead to me getting the doll back.

I found my father right where my mother said he would be, watching a football documentary with his friends while drinking - it was a pub we were in after all.

I moved over to my father and leaned down. "Did you bring it?" I asked.

Darcy's father, Mark, smiled and shook his head as my father discreetly reached into his shirt pocket and took out a strip of tablets.

"No more than two, you will cripple the lad otherwise," my father said without looking away from the plasma screen.

I smiled, he was all for me getting revenge on Darcy, but he didn't want Darcy severely hurt. My father loved Darcy, he thought of him as a son, but I was his baby girl so when I rang him in tears - fakes ones, by the way - and explained how Darcy and Sean had robbed me of Charli's Christmas present - his precious grand daughter - he was furious and more than ready to help me get revenge, and also get the doll back. He came up with a deadly idea to seek revenge, and even though it was old school, it was still gold. It wouldn't harm Darcy, only his pride, and it would help me get the doll back. All I had to do was execute my plan perfectly.