Sodor's New Worker (Semi-Hiatus Due to an AO3 rewrite)

Heather on the Hill

   It had been a few days since Bonnie essentially told James to go fuck himself, and that put him in a terrible, awfully sour mood. The tables had turned, and instead of not going out to work because he didn't want to, other engines and citizens on the island didn't want him puffing around because of his nasty attitude. 

"Don't you want a job today, James?" the fat controller asked.

"Well, what does it matter what I want?" the engine muttered under his breath. "Even the newbie doesn't care."

"Don't call Bonnie a newbie!" Emily snapped. "Now how about you take your sour attitude and SHOVE IT UP YO-"

"Emily Stirling!" Sir Topham Hatt bellowed. "It's far too early for this kind of nonsense, and I won't be having it. Whatever personal problems you have amongst yourselves, please handle them when I'm away."

"James' problem isn't a personal problem if it affects the morale of the railway, sir.." Henry puffed. "Wherever he goes, it's a tense wall of bitterness."

"Oh be quiet, Henry." the red engine hissed.

"You know what?" the controller frowned. "You just stay in the sheds, James, Bonnie can take over for you for the day...for the next few days."

"WHAT?!" he screeched. "It's one thing to keep me in the sheds, sir, but to give it to Bonnie!?" 

"That's...her job, James. lighten up.." he heard Jenny mutter.

"Doesn't matter!"

"Do you really have a personal vendetta against Bonnie because she wouldn't help you?" Gordon asked. "Other than that, she's done nothing to you. If I were her, I wouldn't help you either."

"..."

   James just scoffed and backed himself further into the sheds. He was done trying to argue, it was a battle he simply couldn't win.

"Now, if this has been resolved..."

   He just stopped paying attention as the controller assigned everyone else their duties. Gordon was right though, in a sense. The red engine really didn't like Bonnie; an engine very quickly praised for her problem solving. She had shot him down immediately, having known what he had done. It scared him a little too, knowing that she was calm and collected the entire time she was shooting him down. Not even his own wife was that calm, ever. Because of that, he preferred to be yelled at, as that was something he at least knew how to handle, but he didn't know where to begin with Bonnie. All he knew is that he didn't like her. As well as that, she had the audacity to tell that wretched Diesel Ten that he had a chance of reconciliation and it was working. James had seen Ten a few times conversing with other engines, occasionally hearing apologies for what he'd done to them, to their friend.

   Of course, many of them were still very wary around the diesel, but some could see that he was genuinely on a path to trying to be a better person. James didn't get it. Why would she help Ten, and not him? Not that he could ever ask her, since after that day, she just ignored him and didn't talk to him unless she absolutely needed to, and even then, it was concise and to the point, no more than a few words. Even Duck, her oh so entertaining partner wouldn't talk to him much. Well, he and Duck never conversed much to begin with, but now, if they did, he could tell that Duck's attitude toward him had changed.

   Other than that, he had no valid to hate Bonnie. Gordon was right, she'd done nothing.