Last time on Harpers Falls:
- Michelle Harper watched a tape of Aileen's crimes.
- Julie, Dylan, Kip, Rosemary, Hannah and Sheila recalled her other antics.
- Aileen ratcheted up the war between her and Michelle.
Kip Langsberg was worn out, as he rested on his best friend, Dylan Harper's bed. Nothing had ever been decided on how he and Dylan felt about one another. The two had been best friends since they were little (as the Langsberg and Harper families had been in the same social circle), although the two had gone to different schools. Dylan went to Harper Academy and Kip went to Westbourne Academy, which was an equally exclusive boarding school in Waltham, Massachusetts, a western suburb of Boston. Kip had attended Dylan's graduation; and Dylan had done the same for Kip at his graduation; and it hadn't been until Dylan had begun to work in Boston that he and Kip had reconnected and were very close again.
As far as Kip had known, Dylan had never had a girlfriend, although as rich as he was, he would have been a wonderful catch to anyone. Meanwhile, Dylan Harper was thinking the same thing of his best friend. Kip had never had a girlfriend, just as he never had, (in fact, Kip had always been shy around girls, however, he had always felt comfortable around his sisters, Rosemary and Hannah and his cousin, Sheila) and maybe he was considering that he and Kip could be a couple.
However, he and Kip would have to keep it under wraps, as he knew that Aileen would do anything to spew her anger to everyone about it (Kip had always been afraid of the domineering Aileen); although with Chris and Alex having married already, that gay couples in the Harper Family were not unusual.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Aileen was plotting in the library of Harper Academy, scheming to take down her sneaking aunt, to take over the company and to become the head of the Harper family, as she felt she should have been.
Never mind that her own father was the oldest of the Harpers, and that as headmaster, he had the respect of the town; and that Dylan was older, she felt that he was an airhead, an epithet she always threw at him. She felt that she was the only true Harper and that meant that she had to use the Harper name to get what she wanted.
Not that her former best friends, those traitors, cared. They were now hanging out with her stupid cousin, Sheila. Julie was now Sheila's best friend; and Hannah, the worst traitor of them all, was now a part of her family! It sickened her how Dylan and Rosemary gushed all over Hannah. That gushing should have been exclusively for her. They should have looked up to her and how wonderful her conniving and scheming are to the benefit of the family, but NO! Not her fair-minded and good natured family.
Meanwhile, Dylan looked at Kip, who was now asleep, after the wearing time that he had, he couldn't deny it. He had fallen in love with Kip, as Chris had fallen hard for Alex. Kip was worried about the word of his family, as was understandable, but for some reason, Kip's family knew about Dylan's feelings toward him. Dylan had talked with Kip's family some years ago, and they knew how he felt; as they knew how Kip felt.
Meanwhile, Sheila Wainwright and Julie Wandsworth went to the movies in Boston; Chris and Alex had a night to themselves, (they had recently moved into the guest house on the Mansion grounds, which had been willed to them, by their grandfather's will) and Dylan and Kip went to Boston to speak to his parents.
This allowed Michelle to read over some papers that she was grading, and some paperwork for the company that Marie had given her. Life was decent; she still taught at Harper Academy and was working as CEO of the family business. However, Joe Wainwright, came in, wearing a smug smile.
"Well, well, well!" Joe said, "look at you, working hard! Unbelievable!"
Michelle sighed, "What do you want, Joe?" she said, "I have a lot of work to do, and you bloody know it!"
Joe smiled icily, "I have to tell you, you have made an enemy of dear Aileen," he said.
"What does that matter to you?" Michelle snapped, "You're no longer a part of this family."
"Well, I am on her side in this!" Joe smirked, "I will help her get the company from you!"
"You would have," Michelle looked through her ex-husband, "I see you fell for her batch of lies!"
"Not to mention, I am wearing his ring!" Aileen bounded in, flashing a ring on her finger, "Lookie, I am going to be married!"
"This is disgusting!" Sheila screamed, shocked that her father and her cousin were engaged, "Both of you are a couple of hypocrites!"
Aileen slapped Sheila, "Better be nice to stepmother!" she cackled.
"I won't let you ruin things worse than you already have," Dylan snapped, "I am on record as against this marriage!"
"As am I," Sheila piped up.
"And I," said Hannah and Rosemary, together.
"I won't support this marriage either," Chris said, glaring at his father and cousin.
"Neither will I," Alex said, holding Chris's hand.
"What about that loser?!" Aileen smirked at Kip Langsberg.
"I stand with Dylan!" Kip said defiantly, "I too am against your marriage, because you both are absolutely disgusting people. Sheila told me everything about what you did!"
"And of course, you listen to my goody-goody cousin!" Aileen screeched.
"Why wouldn't I?" Kip snapped, "Sheila is a decent person, unlike you!"
Joe strode over to Kip and attempted to grab him by the neck, but Dylan stopped that hard. "You get your mitts away from my best friend," he snapped, "as of right now, he is part of this family! Whether either one of you likes it or not!"
Aileen looked stunned, "Just what are you talking about?" she snapped.
"I just got back from talking to Mother and Dad," Dylan said, "and Kip was with me; and a few months back, we talked with Kip's family, and I told them how I feel about Kip. Now, that the whole family is here, I think it's now a good time as any to say what I want to say. I love Kip Langsberg with all my heart, and all my soul. He's as much my soulmate as I am his. He and I have been best friends for a good part of our lives, and I can't see myself as living without him."
Michael and Shelby came in, as did Rosemary and Hannah. Sheila and Julie were also with the family. Aileen looked confused, and looked at Joe.
"I've talked with Lou and Angela Langsberg," Michael said, "and they and we agree. Dylan and Kip are a couple, and we have also agreed that they are going to be married!"
Aileen's jaw dropped! Not again! Another fruit wedding?! And her own brother to boot!" She then snapped, "Not if I have anything to say on it!" she screamed, as she bolted toward Kip and slammed him hard into the wall! She then grabbed a ball bat and was about to hit him with it, however Dylan stopped his sister.
"Don't you DARE get near him!" Dylan yelled angrily, "I won't allow you to put a hand on my future husband!"
"Then, I'll beat YOU!" Aileen screamed, "then I will be the oldest sibling, as I deserve!"
Sheila grabbed her cousin's hair, as she screamed, she dropped the bat, Julie kicked the bat out of reach of both Aileen and Joe; as Dylan helped Kip to his feet. Kip was furious at Aileen.
"Dylan said you were crazy," he said, "and I see that he's right! You're beyond crazy!"
"I won't let you be a part of this family!" Aileen screeched, "and Joe agrees with me, don't you?"
Joe was stepping away from the carnage, "No, Aileen," he said suddenly, having a burst of conscience.
Aileen looked like she had been hit in the stomach, "What do you mean, you loser?" she said in a deadly voice.
"Trying to fight my ex-wife is one thing, Aileen," he said, "standing by while you beat your brother and his lover up is another thing! As of now, Aileen, I don't want you to be my wife! I had absolutely no idea what you were planning when you manipulated me to attempt to marry you. Now, I am seeing that it's not just Michelle you are mad at, but you are mad at your whole family! I don't want anything else to do with you!"
"Then you are a loser too," Aileen screeched, "All of you are losers! And fruits on top of it!"
"I'm not intimidated by you or your empty words," Michael said angrily, "I am still your father, and you are still subject to my rules!"
"Don't be so sure of that," Aileen flung at her father, "you are approving of all this insanity! You are the ruination of the Harper family! That is what you all are!"
"No, Aileen," Sheila screamed, "If anybody is ruining this family, it is you! By your anger, hostility and hatred of the family, that is who is ruining the family!"
"None of you care a fig about me!" Aileen screamed, "You all hate me!"
"You brought it all on yourself!" Kip ordered, "You don't even give anyone a chance!"
Without saying anything else, Aileen then stormed out of the house. She would get even with all of them another day!
What will happen next?
- Now that Dylan and Kip are engaged to marry, how will their wedding and their lives be?
- What does Joe have planned to stop Aileen's schemes?
- How does Julie fit in with her new friend, Sheila?
Tune in again, and don't miss the next installment of Harpers Falls.