Uncomplicated 3.3: Life is unfair!

     I don't try to hide the annoyance in my tone as I ask, "What do you want, Edward?" It's Edward Jones. As in, Helen Jones's brother, the boy who tried unsuccessfully to keep me from making a scene at my parents' wedding. I'd heard he'd aged up to adult a little while ago as well.
     His voice still sounds stubbornly upbeat when he replies, "Well, I thought I'd come see what you've done with the place. I must say I love it!"
     With an aggravated sigh, I roll my eyes and bend down to fertilize another plant.

     Not taking the hint, he keeps talking. "In all honesty, it was merely an experiment of mine to build the place. Never in a million years did I think someone would want to live here."
     I freeze. What? I think flatly.

     "That's why I did it so far out of the city," he continues after I stand up. "I never imagined it would also make a nice small farm."
     "No!" I whine to the cosmos.
     "I beg your pardon?" he asks, confused.

      I turn around. "YOU?! You're my landlord?"
      He blinks a few times, surprised. "Yeeeess," he explains slowly. "I thought you knew that. It was on the paper you signed, after all."
      "It just said E. Jones! Do you know how many Jones's there are in the world?" He CAN'T be my landlord! How could this happen to me?! The brother of my hated enemy is the one I have to negotiate with to buy my little paradise. I want to break down and cry. Life is unfair, and this further proves it!

     He looks like he's catching onto the fact that I'm not happy he's my landlord. "Yes, of course I do, but there aren't that many in Roaring Heights."
     "It's possible it could've been someone from outside, and I assumed it was since this house is so odd compared to the rest of the town." Which is why I'm perfect for it, I mentally add.
     "I thought it would be something interesting to try. Everyone wants things so grandiose and opulent or whatever they can do to make it look that way, but I only see wasted space and how the grand scale creates the need to hire someone else to clean it, among other things. I saw a future where the world is overpopulated and people will find more efficient ways of doing things." He keeps talking, telling me stuff I've already thought of myself, and I stop listening. Instead, I just stand here and watch his mouth move.
     "Don't you think?" he asks, and it's only now that I realize I'd stopped listening.

      "I think I need to feed my chickens," I reply, grateful the Maker just plopped them down. I dash around him to leave the suddenly-small walled-in area.

     I can hear him following me as he keeps talking. "You know, it's funny, but adding the chickens only makes this place more charming."
     Why does it have to be a Jones? Why does it have to be that awful witch's brother? The one that so happily rubbed it into my face how I'd been a fool?! Why?
     "I see you extended the back one tile. I don't mind coming back another day and fixing the paving stones and support beam to match with the rest of the structure," he says, still sounding as happy as a lark.

     "It makes a lot of sense, seeing what you did by putting the washing machine there. Still, it would be better to put it on the stones instead of outright grass," he keeps going.

     "I could go out and get some chicken wire if you'd like. Maybe you haven't thought to do that," he says, his voice getting closer.
     I throw chicken feed into the little tray thing, whatever it's called. I can't remember right now. The point is they're fed! There! I turn around. "I'm fine," I reply and walk around him again, headed to the front of the house. He mentioned the washing machine, and that reminded me I need to do the laundry. We don't have space for laundry hampers.

     He won't shut up!
     "Oh, and I don't expect it will since I designed the place to run efficiently, but don't be afraid to contact me should something stop working. Even if it's the middle of the night, I'll-"

      I snap. "What? So you can join with your sister in spreading lies about me?!"
      Finally seeing my mood, he leans back so far he has to take a step or lose his balance. That stupid grin has left his face.
      "Because you didn't get enough kicks at my parents' wedding letting me know how everyone's been calling me a harlot since the day I got here?" I growl, everything I'd thought I didn't care about bubbling up to the surface, not to mention how I never fit into Lucky Palms either.
      "Not since the day you got here," he says in a smaller voice.
      "Oh yeah. That's right," I agree angrily. "It was after I made the mistake of dating Joseph, and no one, especially him, was going to tell me he was already dating someone."
      "Well, he wasn't," he says quickly. Seeing my quickly building anger, he corrects himself, "Well, everyone knew he didn't really want to date Helen. He said he was going to officially end things with her until..."
      I glare fire and ice all at once as I sarcastically finish for him, "Until I kissed him. Right. Because it's against the rules for a girl to kiss a boy. Silly me." I take a breath. "Because that made everyone think I was a strumpet."

     He watches me carefully and quietly says, "Not everyone thought that. Most of us assumed he was just blowing smoke."
     "Well, news flash! I did kiss him first. Big, hairy deal. I guess that makes me a fast woman, then, right? That's what you said."
     "I was only telling you what he'd said, as a way to warn you-"

     "Oh, come off it!" I interrupt. "What you were 'doing' was helping your sister get rid of me. How convenient for her to have you around to do that for her!"
     "Ana, I'm afraid you're mistaken. I was doing no such thing. Helen and I have never seen eye-to-eye on most things, and as far as Joseph goes, frankly, I was shocked to hear him talking about anyone like that. I used to think he was a pretty good fella, but after hearing what he'd said, I saw what you were about to walk into, and I had to intervene."
     "Well, does it make you feel better that you were right?" I ask, in my mind reliving those moments just before slapping Joseph across the face.
     "Of course not!" he exclaims, finally raising his voice. I don't know why, but it makes me happier that he's upset now too. "I realize how ridiculous that must've looked to you, this person you barely know coming up and saying those things, but I'd quickly figured out what had happened."
     "You're right. It was none of your business," I snap.
     He takes in a quick breath. "Forgive me, but I consider it my business when I can't bear to watch an impending catastrophe that I may be able to stop. I'm not happy I was right. I'm not happy I couldn't stop you."

     "Just stay out of my way," I hiss and start walking away. Again.
     "Unfortunately," he says, making me turn around to look at him, "I still own this land. I'm afraid I'm going to have to irritate you with my presence from time to time."
     My jaw drops. Oh plum! I just mouthed off to the one person I need to convince to let me buy my little paradise. I click my jaw back into place and storm into the house, locking myself into the bathroom to quietly vent my anger and humiliation.

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So yeah, that's the townie Edward Jones post makeover. He was so bland that I had to give him a custom skin as well.

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