Blueberry Pie # 3: Crossing the Bridge
Author: lady_leia_solo
Story: The Roaring Belles (Archive)
Title: Crossing the Bridge
Challenge: Blueberry Pie #3: silent partner
Toppings: None
Word Count: 434
Summary: One of the boys has a grand idea to cross the bridge. Helen takes him up on his offer.
Rating: PG-13 for alcohol mentions.
Warning: This piece uses outdated terms to refer to people of color, especially black people.
Notes: This is the first of the my new series, The Roaring Belles, that I'm posting here. This series takes places in America in the 1920s. Segregation is a normal part of these character's lives. Please head my warning. This series will have racial and ethnic slurs in it. I do not condone the characters actions.
Helen raised the tankard to her mouth. She took a sip and then spit it out. Whoever made this beer sure as hell needed to stop.
“Having fun, baby?” Clarence asked putting his arm around her shoulder.
She shrugged his arm off. He had been getting too friendly as of late.
“No, I’m not. If I wanted to sit around with a bunch of drunks, I would have stayed at home.”
“Hey you take that back, little miss!” Leonard said sloppily.
“Make me,” Helen said sticking out her tongue.
“You need to control your lady,” Howard said standing and coming over to Clarence and Helen.
Clarence looked at Helen. He grinned. He knew as she did that no man could control Miss Helen Helms.
Howard took a swig of his beer. He sloshed it around in his mouth before swallowing it.
“Hey I got an idea! How’s about we go to the Colored side of town?” Benjamin said from across the barn. He was sitting on a bale of hay.
Everyone turned and looked at him.
“Are you mental Ben? Why the hell would we go to the Colored side of town?” Howard asked.
Benjamin smiled droopily. “Those Negro girls are mighty pretty with their chocolate colored skin.”
Helen scoffed. “You’re drunk Ben. But hell I’m up for anything. Whose car are we going to take?”
The barn was quiet as each of the boys shuffled their feet.
Helen rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine, we’ll take my Pa’s. But if we get caught, I’m blaming everything on you!” She said pointing to Clarence.
“Me, but why?”
“You brought me out here and thus you inadvertently led me to cross the bridge to go to the Colored side.”
“Helen!”
She smiled as she stood up.
“I’ll drive,” Howard said.
“You wish. I’m driving. Pa doesn’t let anyone but me drive his car anyway.”
“Fine, but if we get lost, it’s all on you,” he said walking towards the door. He tripped over a bale as he went.
“Don’t laugh!” He yelled uselessly as the others got up and followed him.
Helen started to follow, but Clarence pulled her on the arm to stop her.
“What?” She asked annoyed.
“You sure this is a good idea?” Clarence asked.
“Stop worrying. Everything will be fine as long we don’t get attacked by any of those Negros. I’ve heard that they’re pretty peaceful though.”
She left the barn then. Clarence sighed and ran his hand through his blonde hair. He had no choice but to follow Helen. Her father would kill him if anything happened to her.
Story: The Roaring Belles (Archive)
Title: Crossing the Bridge
Challenge: Blueberry Pie #3: silent partner
Toppings: None
Word Count: 434
Summary: One of the boys has a grand idea to cross the bridge. Helen takes him up on his offer.
Rating: PG-13 for alcohol mentions.
Warning: This piece uses outdated terms to refer to people of color, especially black people.
Notes: This is the first of the my new series, The Roaring Belles, that I'm posting here. This series takes places in America in the 1920s. Segregation is a normal part of these character's lives. Please head my warning. This series will have racial and ethnic slurs in it. I do not condone the characters actions.
Helen raised the tankard to her mouth. She took a sip and then spit it out. Whoever made this beer sure as hell needed to stop.
“Having fun, baby?” Clarence asked putting his arm around her shoulder.
She shrugged his arm off. He had been getting too friendly as of late.
“No, I’m not. If I wanted to sit around with a bunch of drunks, I would have stayed at home.”
“Hey you take that back, little miss!” Leonard said sloppily.
“Make me,” Helen said sticking out her tongue.
“You need to control your lady,” Howard said standing and coming over to Clarence and Helen.
Clarence looked at Helen. He grinned. He knew as she did that no man could control Miss Helen Helms.
Howard took a swig of his beer. He sloshed it around in his mouth before swallowing it.
“Hey I got an idea! How’s about we go to the Colored side of town?” Benjamin said from across the barn. He was sitting on a bale of hay.
Everyone turned and looked at him.
“Are you mental Ben? Why the hell would we go to the Colored side of town?” Howard asked.
Benjamin smiled droopily. “Those Negro girls are mighty pretty with their chocolate colored skin.”
Helen scoffed. “You’re drunk Ben. But hell I’m up for anything. Whose car are we going to take?”
The barn was quiet as each of the boys shuffled their feet.
Helen rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine, we’ll take my Pa’s. But if we get caught, I’m blaming everything on you!” She said pointing to Clarence.
“Me, but why?”
“You brought me out here and thus you inadvertently led me to cross the bridge to go to the Colored side.”
“Helen!”
She smiled as she stood up.
“I’ll drive,” Howard said.
“You wish. I’m driving. Pa doesn’t let anyone but me drive his car anyway.”
“Fine, but if we get lost, it’s all on you,” he said walking towards the door. He tripped over a bale as he went.
“Don’t laugh!” He yelled uselessly as the others got up and followed him.
Helen started to follow, but Clarence pulled her on the arm to stop her.
“What?” She asked annoyed.
“You sure this is a good idea?” Clarence asked.
“Stop worrying. Everything will be fine as long we don’t get attacked by any of those Negros. I’ve heard that they’re pretty peaceful though.”
She left the barn then. Clarence sighed and ran his hand through his blonde hair. He had no choice but to follow Helen. Her father would kill him if anything happened to her.