Quit Bugging Me

Chapter 19

After taking another desperately needed nap on the way to her aunt's, Taylor dragged herself and her painting to the creek. The normally busy hub was strangely quiet with the running water drowning out what little chatter remained. The usual crowd of kids and teens had been reduced to a couple straggling pairs as the rest prepped for one project or another.

Anna splashed her way across the creek with a smile. "Come on, Mason's already by the mounds!"

Even Anna taking her by the hand could only coax a small, tired smile out of Taylor. The incomplete painting weighed heavily in her wagon in more ways than one.

Her expression soon changed into a gape of pure shock. Mason was not alone by the mounds. Jack and Eliza sat near him laying out a cornucopia of art supplies.

A bucket full of paintbrushes, eyedroppers, and paint tubes clattered as Jack came to his feet. "Glad to see you could make it," he said. Harry squealed with delight, carefully keeping his weight off his bandaged leg as he trotted over to greet Taylor.

"What's all this?" And what was Eliza doing there? Had she come to mock her?

"I wanted to make it up to you for saving Harry and me. When Mason told me y'all like to hang around here, I figured this would be the perfect place for us to help you with your project. If you'd like us to, that is."

Eliza's voice fluttered like her hummingbirds' wings. "And I want to help too." She couldn't quite manage to look Taylor in the eye.

Taylor couldn't stop her shoulders from shaking or keep the tears from running down her face as her smile returned bigger and brighter than before.

"Oh gosh, this wasn't supposed to make you upset!" Mason said.

"Don't worry, these are happy tears," Taylor said. She wiped her face. "Thank you so, so much. You guys are the best!"

Once all the supplies were set up, everyone helped her paint. "I'll get the soil color mixed," Jack said.

"And I'll work on getting the perfect shades of green," said Mason. He flapped his hands happily at the thought of using his favorite color to help Taylor.

"We'll drip the applesauce," Anna said as she watched Eliza out of the corner of her eye. Her bees buzzed warily as they weaved around the cautious hummingbirds.

The group set to work remaking the painting. Mason looked at Taylor as if she had handed him an entire year's worth of spinach mini quiches when she directed Eliza to drip the flies' trail through a canopy of unmistakable thorny branches. "It may not be native to Louisiana, but that acacia looks amazing."

As Harry intently watched Jack mix different shades of brown to add some variety to the painting's soil, Taylor got an idea. "Hey Jack, maybe Harry should go sit in the shade. It's getting pretty hot out."

"Good point. It's about his snack time too."

Mason gestured to the heap of broken oak branches he kept by the mounds. "Feel free to help yourself to as many of the acorns as you want."

"Thanks." Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "I know I already said this earlier, but I'm so sorry for being such a jerk the other day. You're a really cool guy."

"You don't need to keep apologizing," Mason said as he helped Jack gather a pile of acorns in the shade. "Everybody gets too loud sometimes. Even trees can get super loud. Did you know trees can explode when their sap freezes?"

Harry trotted over to his snack and settled down with a contented snort. Taylor glanced at the boar, carefully examining how his bristly fur looked in the shade before mixing different shades of gray.

She waited until Jack shifted his attention back to the paint before finally filling that empty space that had bothered her for so long. The boar's pearly white tusks jutted toward the beehive as it watched the sun dipping below the water's surface.

Cracking branches announced the arrival of yet another kid. "How's my favorite cousin doing?" Lydia asked as she handed out wonderfully cold bottles of water. Other than the dark circles under her eyes, nothing about her hinted that she had been sick.

"I'm your only cousin," Taylor said with a laugh. "I'm doing pretty good thanks to all the amazing help I've been getting. Feelin' better?"

"Mostly." Her snakes peeked out of her sleeves to nudge her hand away from one of the last remaining mosquito bites. "Just gotta take it easy and avoid scratching these stupid bites. That's a really pretty painting you've got there by the way." She winked. "I especially like the beehive."

"Me too," she said as she snuck a glance at Anna squinting at the thin trail of applesauce guiding the flies to show the boar's reflection. "I'm so glad you feel better. Gus really missed you."

"I heard. Sorry you had to deal with that. Sometimes I forget he has a temper." She turned to Jack, concern crinkling her forehead. "Is the boar okay?"

"He's a—" Jack blinked, realizing someone hadn't misidentified his companion for once. "He's pretty sore, but it's no big deal. I bet he'll have a cool scar in a couple weeks."

"Thank goodness. Now, I'd love to stick around and watch you guys work on that awesome painting, but I really should head home before Mom gets worried." With that, she left them to work among the dying leaves and autumn breeze.

"She's right you know," Eliza said. "This painting really is awesome. You've still got it."

Taylor thought over her words, but they seemed completely sincere. "Thanks. I don't know if I'll be able to finish it in time, but it's definitely turning out nice."

"I'll say," Jack said. "Your cousin seems super excited about it, and I bet the rest of your family is too." He went quiet, and Eliza put her sticky, applesauce-stained hand on his shoulder. "I wish my family was that interested in my project," he muttered.

"My parents have barely seen it yet. I hope they think I did an okay job. And Mr. Woods, too." Her eyes skittered across the painting, searching for tiny white spots and other imperfections. The thought of other people judging her painting and, worse, judging her made her stomach churn.

"I'm sure they'll think you did a great job, Tay," Mason said. "Do you think maybe a piece from one of the mounds could help you relax when you have to present it?"

"What a cool idea!"

His termites hummed at her praise. "Got a favorite color?"

"I'd have to go with blue." Although black and yellow were growing on her.

As Mason set to work painting his gift to Taylor, Anna rested her hand on Taylor's. "I'm sure it'll turn out great," she said, "because you're great."

"Gosh, you're sweeter than your bees' honey," she said as heat rushed to her face. That thought led to another, and before she could lose her nerve she asked, "Would you mind giving me some?"

"Course not. What for?"

"It's a surprise." One she hoped would be a sweet one.