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

are you surprised?”

Yes,why was  surprised?Just a minute ago, I had accused Mandy of the theft, then why couldn’t I believe it now?I had blamed Mandy countless times.But somehow her accepting, her saying that she HAD done it, made it unbelievable.

“I am not”

“So you believe me now?”

“No, I don’t, you didn’t,Mandy.”

“What?”Mandy said, coming towards me,”You didn’t believe me when I said that I hadn’t stolen your stupid necklace and now you wont believe me when I say that I DID.”

Ugh,this was confusing, I had came here to teach Mandy a lesson,instead I had learnt one myself:Never accuse another until you are absolutely sure. I suspected that I did really believe that Mandy had stolen my necklace, but it was just the fact that Mandy had been crying which had had a bad efffect on my  mind, making it refuse to believe anything against Mandy,but I deserted the idea quickly.

“You know what,Mandy?”I said, moving towards the door,”I don’t think you are in the mood for confessions,I’ll come later.”

“No, you wont.”Mandy said, coming forward and blocking my way,”You aren’t allowed to, just say whatever you want now only.”

“Look,Mandy,I am willing to compromise, just give me back my pics and I’ll leave you alone.”

“As it happens,  I don’t have any sort of pics which belong to you.”

I snorted,”As if I would believe that, the evidence all points against you, Mandy, only you knew where my necklace was.”

“No, I didn’t, I was too hurt by your words alone yesterday, to concentrate on your other wordly possessons.”

“Really,Mandy?”I sighed in frustration,this was getting too much,. Lies and lies, couldn’t Mandy  admit her mistake for once?”You are impossble.”

“Yes I am, I am possible, Steph, but you aren’t, you wont believe anything I say.”

  "Yes, I dont, you have made me.You wont confess?"

"I have already."

  "Ugh!Fine! I'm going."

"Your wish."

I turned away and slammed the door hard as I left.That seemed to be the only thing in my power these days.

 

 

I grimaced as I opened the door to my house. Although the distance hadn't been much, but my mind was weighted with the fact that I had done a wrong, or let a wrong be done. This was all too difficult, not knowing the truth, and having to judje other people with the little facts you had.I did not know whether what I had done was right or wrong, but I  did know that Mandy had been hurt. Did she deserve to be hurt or did I?

 "Steph?" 

Oho, now I was done, Mother would be extremely mad if she found out that I had sneaked out.I sneaked in and I was just in time, I started climbing the stairs to my room the exact moment that Mother turned the corner and the stairs came into view.

"Steph, what are you doing there? Come on down, aren't you hungry?"

"Umm.. I was, er... just coming, mother, but I dont feel hungry now. "

  "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, mother,I just want to have some rest."

"What were you doing upto now if you weren't resting?"

   "Nothing,mother,I am going." 

"OK." I turned and started climbing the stairs. I went upto my room and locked the door.I plopped down on the bed and closed my eyes.Today had been too much.So Mandy was pretty good and actress then, the way she had pretended to be indifferent to the fact that she wasn't lead had almost had me convinced that she didn't care.

But I kneww her almost as much as I knew myself so I knew that she wouldn't back off so soon. And her tears had proved that. Did I perhaps have a hand in those tears?

                     I closed my eyes again, I hadn't realized that I had opened them, and then I remembered, my room! OMG! I hadn't cleaned up my room yet! If mother wasn't angry at me sneaking out, then she would surely be mad now.I jumped off my bed and looked around.Who had told me to spread destruction in my room? It would take an awful lot of time to clean up this mess now. I sighed and then turned to clean up the mess which I had made myself.

 

 

The next morning.

I stepped up and looked around. So much had changed but this dear old school bus had remained the same, I smiled at the driver, Harrry Sloan, as I made my way over to the end of the bus. Mandy was still sitting in our usual seat, but this time the seat next to her was empty. I sighed and sat down beside  her. Mandy kept staring determinedly in the front. So did I. It was like we were playing a childish game, sulking because we had another one of our fights. But even I wasnt that stupid to think that the past few days had been just another fight. They had been an end. The End.

     I sighed again, and this time Mandy turned to look  at me. I turned away, soon we had neared the school and a smile broke on my face as I caught sight of Jake near the school gate. He was with Ashley.Ofcourse, I should have expected, that fact made me bitter though. The bus stopped and I rushed off, pushing Mandy a little in my hurry to get out. I did not look back but rushed straight up to Jake and Ashley.But I stopped a few yards before I reached them, they seemed to be in a serious discussion, Ashley was breathing heavily, and Jake looked angry.Maybe I shouldn't interrupt them.But it was too late, even as I thought it, I was walking towards them, a huge smile on my pale face.

"Hey, guys."

Jake looked up, he smiled in return but Ashley still looked angry. She glared at me from under her dark eyelashes which made me feel nervous.Maybe I should not have interrupted.

    "Hey,Steph."Jake hugged me, he looked back at Ashley, I did too.What was up with her? She was still glaring at me.

  "Ash, you okay?" I turned towards her, reaching out to hold her hand, that seemed to bring her back to life, she glared at me once more, and then at Jake."Ash,what-"I started but she cut in.

    "Leave me alone!"She pushed my hand away from her and stormed off.

"What's up with her?"I asked Jake, I was hurt, what had I done wrong now?

    "Nothing." Jake replied,"She's just having...problems."

"Problems? What sort of problems?"

    "Oh, you know, the usual, money"

"Did she ask you for help?"

   "No"

"Why was she angry with you then?"

     "Look, Steph. I dont know."

"Fine, why is she angry at me,Jake?"

    "I recommend you go ask her, okay? stop bothering me."

"Cant you stop being so bitter?" 

   "No, dont you know a lost battle, Steph? I am not in the mood for talking,ok? I'll see you later."

  And with that, Jake too walked off, leaving me alone to wonder where I had gone wrong, this seemed to be in my fate now, my friends walking out on me. Mandy, Ashley, Jake. What was wrong with those two anyway?

  It wasnt my fault that Ashley wasn't blessed with super rich parents. Why did she have to take it out on me for?I wasn't going to get anything standing here alone.The bell was going to ring any minute. I sighed for the third time that day as I pushed forward in the jumble of students to make my way to class.

 

Chapter 14

I sat next to Leah Candara in English,I had not seen either Jake or Ashley the whole of the day.Ten minutes ago it had been announced that all the play members were to assemble in the auditorium at Lunch to get details for the time of the rehearsals.It was not usual for the rehearsals to be held so soon after the cast members were announced.Probably Ashley's work, she was Mr Owens' pet now, and she wanted things rushed up.Couldnot wait for the first rehearsal where she would see herself as the lead.Ofcourse.

    "Hey, what are you doing, standing there?Aren't you in the play?"

I turned at the sound of the voice, I had not realized that the bell had rung, most of the students had filed out of the class, it was Leah who was talking to me, staring at me as if she thought my mind was somewhere in outer space.

"Yes, I am."

   "Well, then go, Mr Owens is calling everyone-"
"Ya, ya, I know, I am going."

 "Ok, no need to be so rough."

"Sorry."

 I walked towards the auditorium, there were already alot of children assembled there. I spotted Ashley,alone this time, and walked towards her.

"Ash?"

  She turned to look at me,"Oh.Steph."

"Did ypu expect someone else?"

     "Yes."

"Jake?"I guessed.

   "Yeah."

"What's up between you too?"

    "Nothing."

"Are you angry at me?"

  "No, Steph, everything is fine."

"Jake said that you were having problems-"

    "He did?With what?"

 "He said money."

    "Money, oh yeah, money, ofcourse."

"Can I help you in any way,Ash? I mean, I can-"

   "What do you mean, 'I can help you?'"

"Well, if you need a loan-"

    "Shut up,Stephanie, I am fine at my own, I dont need your charity."

"I didnt mean that ofcourse,Ash, I only meant-"

    "I dont care what you meant, Steph, look, there's Mr Owens , he's going to announce the time for the rehearsals today."

  I leaned back. Atleast, Ashley wasn't angry at me, but this wasn;t like her, to be so rude,she and Jake were both acting wierd today,now when I most needed them.When I didn't have Mandy.

  "Did he say anything else?" Ashley was talking to me again.

  "He?" I asked, confused.

"Jake, did he say anything else?"

   "Umm,no, was he supposed to?"

"He didn't say anything about us?"

    "No.About you two, when did you become 'us'?"

"Ofcourse not, Never."

  And with that, Ashley turned away again, I waited for her to elaborate, but she didnot say anything else.I was about to ask her again, but then MrOwen's loud throaty voice filled the auditorium and all was quiet.

   "The rehearsals will be set everyday from tommorow, after school, today is the 27th of May, the play will be held on the 11th of June, in the school auditorium, the tickets will be available for buying in a few days. The final dress rehearsal will be on the 9th of June.Many of you are acting in a play for the first time so please do your best."

       "Is the choir with us?" I turned towards the source of the voice, it was  a 10th grader.

             Mr Owens nodded,"Yes, Mr Lepidus has kindly consented, the choir will be singing all the background songs while the main songs will be sung by our two young leads."

     Ashley blushed under the stares of almost everyone in the auditorium other then those who were looking at Harry, the male lead. Well, there you go, fame always finds it's way to you. It was after a while that I realized that I was staring at Ashley too, I turned away at once.

           I scanned the crowd, searching for a familiar face, where was Jake? He was supposed to be here too, afterall all he had quite an important role, if not the lead.It seemed that the same thought