Page 15 of Hexes and Hiccups
“Good grief,” Daisy snapped. “When will we find the actual book?”
“Beats me.”
“Look,” Daisy began, “how about we –”
The loud rev of an engine cut Daisy’s words short. A luxury car whipped through the empty parking lot, coming righttowards them. The tires squealed as it came to a rushed stop, the drivers’ side door whipping open to reveal a familiar face.
Rebecca rushed out of the car, leaving the door wide open. Though they had known her for so long, neither one of them had ever seen her look so haphazard before. The button-down she wore fell down one shoulder and was full of rips and holes. Her denim jeans were far too big for her, falling beneath her ratty shoes with every step she took. Even her hair, which was usually seen in a professional blow out, was frizzy and unkempt, shooting out in every which direction possible. She staggered towards the truck, her hands running through her hair.
“Oh no,” she breathed, her eyes incredibly wide. “I-It’s really here!” Rebecca’s head fell into her hands as she shuddered and wept, the sound echoing through the empty lot.
Daisy eyed Tessa before reaching forward and patting Rebecca’s back. “It’ll be okay,” she muttered, not at all feeling in the reassuring mood.
“There, there,” Tessa snapped, her hand resting against her shoulder. The magic radiated off her, but before the calming power could seep into Rebecca’s skin, she whipped backwards, swatting their hands away.
Breathing heavily, Rebecca pointed a trembling finger at them. “This wasyourdoing, wasn’t it?” She shook her head, an unsteady laugh leaving her untinted lips. “I justknewit. You two have been so jealous of me that you spreadthesesenseless a-and ridiculous rumors!”
“What point would there be in us doing that?” Daisy snapped, no longer reassuring her. “Some of us aren’t bullies!”
Rebecca scoffed. “Don’t act like you haven’t tried to be me all this time! You’re taking it too far with this! You want to sully my family’s hard-earned name?”
“So it’s a lie?” Tessa blurted, her arms crossed stubbornly.
Rebecca faltered. “W-What?”
“The rumor,” Tessa replied. “It’s a lie, then?”
“Well, I-I said –”
“Because just by looking at you,” she continued, pressing closer to her, “I feel like something’s up. Don’t you think, Daisy?”
Daisy shrugged. “All I’m saying is thatthatdoesn't look like Chanel to me.”
“What would you know about Chanel?” Rebecca spat.
“More than you, it seems.”
Rebecca pressed her lips together as her face grew redder and redder with each passing second. “You have no business questioning me!”
“Seems to me like you can’t really answer the question,” Tessa said. “All I asked was if it was a lie, right? So, looks like –”
“It’s true, alright?” Rebecca screeched, her feet snapping against the floor as though she were a toddler in the middle of a tantrum. Angry, hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she stomped her feet against the pavement, not caring how high pitched her voice became, her oversized clothes barely hanging on.
“The government is looking into my father’s businesses,” Rebecca continued, entirely unloading upon them. “And until they figure things out, all my accounts have been frozen a-and m-my…my…my…” Rebecca’s voice trailed off as she wailed. “My clothes have been seized by the government. What else could I do than push all my credit card limits, to take out loans a-and more loans to stay the same?”
Daisy pressed her lips together tightly, desperate to keep herself from laughing. She side-eyed Tessa to see the same expression on her face, her round cheeks growing pink as she held her breath. Daisy began to back away, stepping closer to Tessa. They had everything they needed, and as far as Daisy was concerned, there was nothing keeping them there. Rebecca’skarma seemed to have caught up to her, and Daisy had no intention of standing in the way of it being delivered.
Tessa was slowly backing away from the truck. “Well,” she murmured, “now thatthatwas all cleared up, we will just be –”
“Wait!”
They froze as Rebecca pointed a finger at them.
“Y-You can’t just go,” she cried. “I need help!” She waved at the truck. “I need to clean this off before people start showing up!”
Tessa shook her head rapidly. “You created this situation yourself, Rebecca.”
“Sorry,” Daisy muttered. “But we can’t help you.”
