Girl Trouble (Completed) - Ayesha Azhar (graded readers .TXT) 📗

to loose anyone anymore.I had already lost Mandy.What would happen now?But Jake, what about him, why did I care so much for him?Those pics! of me and Jake together, I wanted to see them now. I stood up, and walked towards my cupboard, wasnt that where I had put them the last time after showing them to Ashley?

  I searched the cupboard thoroughly, I threw out a lot of clothes, but still no pics. But then I remembered that I hadnt put them back in the cupboard after I had shown them to Ashley.I remembered what Ashley had said,

"Keep them in a safe place atleast, they are precious."

  Yup, I hadnt put them back in the cupboard, they would still be in my bedside drawer, I opened it, and threw out all that was inside, but still no pics.I searched all my other drawers but still no pics. I turned my whole room upside down and then looked around in despair.That was when the realization hit me.

   Someone had deliberately stolen my and Jake's pics!!!

Chapter 12

I turned around. Who had done it? Who had stolen our pics? Ofcourse not, no one would have, they would still be here, just my wild imagination again. I bent down to look at the mess on my bedroom floor. I ruffled some clothes here and there, and then started throwing them on my bed.Finally the floor was clothes-free. I ran my hand through my other things. Where? Where were they? They HAD to be here somewhere.

  I stood up, no, they weren't here.I ran out of my room, and ran down the stairs, taking two at a time.There was mother, in the kitchen, probably making something for lunch.

  "Mother?"

"Yes,hon?Why didnt you go to sleep yet?"

  "Forget that,mother, Listen, have you seen that album of pics I had, of me and Jake together?"

"Album of pics?No, why? Have you lost them?"

    "Yes, they arent where I left them, has anyone been in my room recently?"

"No, just the daily maid,It must be there in your room only,Steph.Look carefully."

   "I have looked carefully, mother, I have looked everywhere!" I said.

 "Dont TELL me, Stephanie Moore, have you thrown out everything again?"

  I flushed, how did mother came to know?"Umm..well,err..I'll put it back again,mother."

"You better do,Steph, go and put your room to order right this minute."

  I nodded once and climbed the stairs gloomily and went back to my room, once I saw the mess my room was in, my heart sank.It was impossible to believe that I had brought this disaster to myself in the space of only,what, 5 minutes? Maybe that was my special talent.To attract trouble.

  I wasn't going to clean this up now ofcourse. I had more important things to do, I had to find those pics first. And while everything was out on the floor, then there would be no problem if I made a little bit more mess.I bent down and then sighed.It was no use, I wouldn't be able to find anything in this mess. I pulled myself up and plopped down on the bed.I rolled over and closed my eyes.

             Ouch, there was something pricking me there, under the covers. I stood up again, and pulled the sheet off the bed. There, now the bed was just as messy as the floor, but I didnt bother about that now,there it was, the thing which had been pricking me. I reached over to take it in my hand and then gasped.It was my necklace! The one I had left at Mandy's, the one I had accused Mandy of stealing!

          But what was it doing here? I had left it at Mandy's yesterday, and she hadn't given it back to me in school today.Then how sould it be here? and what about that voice I had heard, making me think that there was an intruder in my room? Were these two things connected? And then the mystery of the pics.Where were they?One thing was for sure, only Mandy knew where my necklace was, only she had the power to retrieve it, if the necklace was here, then it could only mean that Mandy had been in my room too. And if she had been in my room, then she had taken the pics too. I couldn't believe it! She had sunk to breaking in and stealing now!How could she! How DARE she?

               I would kill her, I would completely and totally kill her when I would see her tommorow. Infact I would go over to her house and kill her right now. Such a dangerous criminal did not deserve to live in this world one more minute. First she had spyed on me and Jake, and then she stole our pics.But what did she have against Jake? I had thought she was only jealous of Ashley. But No, it was me.It made her angry to see me happy, that was her problem, she had got it in against ME.

            Well, I was soon going to put that right now, I jumped off my bed, not  bothering to be careful of not crunching my clothes(strewn on the floor) by my shoes. I went down the stairs quietly and I was about to enter the living room and announce my mother that I was going over to teach Mandy a lesson that she would never forget, but then I stopped. Mother would never let me go, she would bother too much about me cleaning my room first, and I didnot want to delay this visit. I sneaked quietly out of the back door, shutting the door noiselessly behind me. I knew mother would be hurt if she found out that I had sneaked out and I would probably be grounded but I had to take that risk.

         I walked softly on the hard ground.Have I ever mentioned before that the distance between my and Mandy's house is really small? As it was, I reached her house soon. I decided to ring the bell.We used to have a secret way, whenever I would come over, I would tap quietly on the back door three times, and Mandy would know it was me, and then we would hang out for hours, and Mrs McHugh  wouldn't notice a thing until I would suddenly spring up and surprise her, and she would wonder how long I had been there.It all seemed childish now, I felt my hands clenching into fists as I waited for someone to open the door.

   I heard footsteps and readied myself, Mandy's mother opened the door.

"Good afternoon, Mrs McHugh."I started,"Can I meet Mandy?"

   "Of course."She replied and led me in.she gave me a look which plainly asked why I hadn't came through the back door.Obviously, Mandy hadn't told her about our little exchange of friends. I smiled apologetically and then waved once before climbing the stairs which would lead me to Mandy's room.I knew she wouldn't be expecting me, but when I reached her door, the sound which I heard coming out shocked me. Mandy was crying! A thing I hadn't seen her do in months!

         I opened the door and ran towards her, hugging her instintively. It was only after she pushed me back that I realized what I was doing and the reason I was here. I stepped back, trying to bring some of the anger back,which I had been feeling at my own house, and which had melted as soon as I had heard Mandy crying.But try as I did, I failed very badly.

       Mandy glared at me, trying to wipe away her tears with her hand. So it had all been an act, that smiling face when the roles of Sustenance had been announced. This was the real Mandy, without the hard mask.Crying, crying because she had lost the role of Sandy.

   "What are you doing here?" She asked very rudely, as I watched her sniff.I dint know what to answer, I couldnt be angry at her when she was so weak like this.

"Well, errr..."I started, and then stopped.I looked aat her, her expression turned into a snarl.

    "Just say it and get out!" She said,glaring. Fine,I felt my anger rising again.If she was going to be so difficult, then so was I.

"Good, where's my necklace?"I asked.

"That damned necklace again!" Mandy shouted in frustration,"How many times do I have to tell you,I have no knowledge where it-"

"Mandy!"I broke in."I left it here yesterday, after I found it in your backpack yesterday."

 "You what?Oh."She said as understanding dawned on her face,"Well, it must be here somewhere, I dont know where it is."

 I knew for certain where it was, back in my house, safely locked in my drawer, but her pretending that SHE didnt know,made me angry again.

"Dont you remember your little visit at my house?" I said sarcastically.

  "Visit?No,"Mandy said, looking at me earnestly,"I haven't been over at your place in days."

"Oh,really?" I took a step towards her,"Then who left my necklace under the covers? and who stole mine and Jake's pics?"

"Accusations!MORE accusations!"Mandy said, as if she couldn't believe that could be possible."Homestly, I thought you had came here to make up with me,but no,you are the same as ever!"

"You are the same as ever too,Mandy, selfish, cruel and envious of everyone else!"I flushed as I said the words. Mandy looked at me as if she couldnt believe it, I couldnt believe it myself. Had I really said that to her, right to her face?

"You know what,Stephanie?" Mandy said, coming towards me so that her face was inches from mine,she spoke in a calm voice, but with hatred dipping on every word,"I dont care! Go on believing what you want,Stephanie Moore, Yes,I stole your necklace, I stole your pics,I broke into your house,and what else was there?"

Inspite of myself I began to laugh,it was so funny that Mandy was asking ME for the hundred different crimes that SHE had commited.

     "You think it's funny, dont you, Steph?"I nodded, not really believing that she was seroius."Then I will tell you something which isnt, you know what, Steph?I did really steal your necklace."

 

Chapter 13

         “Oh, ya, you stole my  necklace,”I said,repeating after her sarcastically, not really realizing what she was saying,”You stole our pics and you-Wait!What?you stole my necklace?”

  “Don’t you believe so,Steph?”Mandy said in a  calm cold voice,”Don’t you KNOW so?”

“Yes,ofourse, yes you did-“

“Then why