10: A Little Help

"Well if it isn't Earl Villa."

I glanced up, squinting my eyes against the glare of the sun and made out the tall figure of Adrian Milles.

He knelt down beside me, tucking his dark waves behind his ears and I could finally see his face, familiar as always but one that I wasn't eager to see.

"Need any help Earl?" He murmured with a small smile on his thin, pink lips, already slender eyes narrowing even more.

"No, no," I told him hurriedly, "I'm fine, a hundred percent fine, no help required what so ever."

"Are you sure, can you carry that all by yourself?" He asked skeptically as he glanced down at the two bucket that stood bedside me feet.

"You'll be happy to hear that I can Adrian, just because I'm a girl and probably have less physical strength than you, doesn't not mean that I cannot carry two bucket of water." I stood up dramatically and made a show of picking up the buckets.

"Very well, have a good day." He replied with a half smile, his brown eyes twinkling.

I waited for him to walk away but instead he stood there patiently.

"Aren't you going or do you need water?" I asked with a frown.

"Neither actually, I just want to watch you carry these two bucket, I've only ever seen fully grown men do it so I'm excited to see a eighteen year old girl do the same."

He grinned cheerfully and sat down in the grey cobbled steps.

"Enjoy the show then." I said through clenched teeth.

I began to walk away with the two bucket in my hands, at first it wasn't so bad, I walked towards a smaller lane that would take me to Merrivile where Ciara lived and took a left down a dirt trail.

However a few minutes later I could feel a burning sensation in my arms and around my shoulders. My back began to ache with excruciating pain and my legs trembled. Unable to take another step, I set the bucket clumsily onto the ground and collapsed beside it.

"Still need help?" Adrian called behind me.

"No!" I yelled irritably, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine and if you keep this up you'll tear your muscles." His voice neared and I turned to him where he stood close by.

"Can't tear what I don't have." I muttered, getting reluctantly to my feet.

"I can carry one for you, if you want me too." He offered, reaching out for the handle of the bucket.

"I can carry it by myself, thank you." I picked up the buckets once more and started walking again.

"You don't need to be so stubborn you know, it would be so much easier for you if you just let me help." Adrian began strolling beside me, hands in his pocket as he watched birds soar above our heads.

I ducked under a overhanging branch, brushing aside it green, velvety leave and sighed, "even if I wanted to yes to your help, I wouldn't."

"Why ever not?" He asked causally with an air of indifference.

"Just because." I stated.

"That isn't an adequate answer." He returned.

"Well you have to take it." I snapped.

"Is it about the thing with Hades?" He asked.

"Maybe or maybe I just don't want your help." I set the buckets down as I began to feel a little light headed.

"We were friends before you met the others." He stated.

"That was in lower first till mid seventh, I remember it so clearly." I joked sarcastically.

"You really don't like me?"

"It's complicated." I replied.

He looked at me with small smile and his black curls shook on his head when he began to chuckle. He picked both buckets of water and set off without a word.

"Adrian? I said I didn't need any help."

"Really? That's why you keep pausing every ten seconds for a rest." He shot back.

"You don't even know where to go." I said.

"Ciaras house, Merrivile alley." He called and I gritted my teeth as he turned the right way.

We drew up to her house a few moments later and he set the buckets carefully on the ground.

"You know I did apologies to Hades for insulting him back in upper eleventh last year but he got back at me anyway." He laughed and leant against Ciaras fence with a wistful sigh.

"That's Hades for you," I muttered vaguely, peering over the fence to see if Ciara was out in the yard.

Adrian stared at me for a split second silently before looking away, "Shame we don't talk as much as we used to." He commented.

"I think we traded around fifty words for the entire length of upper school." I added, not extremely concerned with that new price of information.

P"You don't find that slightly sad?" He asked, looking at me intently.

"Well I mean I didn't really realise at the time but looking back I guess it was a little... strange." I said with a shrugged.

"Wasn't like you were missing out on friends anyway," Adrian added with a rueful smile.

"Neither were you," I told him.

"I suppose," Adrian grimaced and tapped his hat in farewell before walking away.

"Adrian!" I called and he turned back with a questioning look.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, for carrying my water the short distance that you did, I appreciate it." He smiled at my words and nodded.

"It was my pleasure Earl." He called back and I watched him walk away till he disappears over the grassy hill dotted with lilacs.

"Earl!" I heard Ciara scream, I turned to see her standing on the porch, waving a piece of paper in the air. I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out the royal letter I received that morning and waved it earnestly back.

I could hear her twinkling laughter from over her family's golden field as she squealed excitedly at the sight of the creamy paper. Her aunt, who was siting in the yard knitting, stared at us in bewilderment as we waved our letters to each other like tearful handkerchiefs on a smoggy train station to our departing lovers.