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

I opened my ears at once.What was it that Jake wanted to tell me but Ashley did not want him to?

"Listen to me, Jake." Ashley started,"Now's not the perfect time, we'll tell her later."

   Jake looked like he was about to argue, but then he sighed. Ashley smiled at him encouragingly, I felt that it was my cue to say something.

"What are you both talking about?"I said.

   "Nothing, just casual." Ashley replied, with half a glane at Jake.I looked at Jake, he shrugged. I knew that i was not going to be told anything then, so I just said,

"Jake, are you coming?"

    Jake looked at Ashley, it seemed that he was asking her for permission, she shook her head ever so slightly, Jake too shook his head and said,

"Err...no, I remembered I have something important to do, but we'll see you tomorrow."

I knew it, I knew that as soon as Ashley would come in the game, Jake would change his mind.He seemed to listen to everything she said.

"Ok,"I said,"I'll see you two tomorrow then." 

  "Yeah,"Ashley nodded,"We'll see you later."

"Later."

  I started walking, when I was maybe a block away, I looked back, they were both staring at me. I turned away again. Let them watch if they had to. I walked faster, and then I was out of their sight. I couldn't understand Jake's behaviour today. He was completely acting like Ashley's puppet, doing what she told him to and resisting what he forbid him to. And what did he want to tell me anyway? And why did Ashley did not  want him to tell me?

 Oh, it wasnt likely that I would get any of the answers though. So I closed my mind and concentrated only on getting home. 

 

I was soon at my home, mother insisted that I have lunch before I sleep, so I had to. I got stuck in my Algebra homework, Mandy used to help me do it, she was good at Maths.Oh, there were countless things she was good at, except keeping friends. But I didnt have her now, so I would have to do something myself. 

I climbed down from my bed. Maybe a shower would help clear my mind, though it wasnt likely. I opened my cupboard to take out my clothes, that was when something fell out. I picked it up, it was a photo, or photos, it was a collection of photos.

 I sat down again, and analyzed each one by one. They were all of me and Mandy. The first one was of last winter, I think, I had my arms around a snowman, while Mandy was in the background, pretndind to look hurt. The second one was of us in a zoo, Mandy was trying to frighten me with a pet snake. The shot was of me screaming while Mandy was laughing. There were so many that it would take a millinium to describe them. There were of us in different places, but they all had one thing in common, our friendship. It could be clearly seen in the way Mandy and I looked at each other in this photo, for example, I had a butter fly on my hand, and I was smiling at Mandy, showing off and she was grinnning back at me. That was all gone now.

      Why hadn't I ever made a photo album? They would all get lost like this.Like the ones with Jake had. I scooped them all up and put them all in my bedside drawer.I flopped down on my bed again, that shower would have to wait now, and my homework too, I was too sleepy to care.

 

 

I had been trying to hide from Jake and Ashley all day. I did not want to listen to any more of their talks. But I knew I would meet them during rehearsal, and I did.

"Where were you all day,Steph?" Jake asked when we took our usual seats.

  "Where were you that day when I saw neither of you or  Ashley, Jake?"

Ashley looked at Jake and then at me.

  "No where, just hanging around,Steph." Jake said.

"I was too," I said in a firm voice," Just hanging around."

   Jake was about to interrupt again, but Mr Owens started speaking then so he couldn't.

"I am sorry for canceling yesterdays rehearsal, I have scheduled another rehearsal on Saturday. Today we will rehearsa  the scene of Merope's death and her sister, Rosalind and mother grieving for her. Come up, please."

"What?" I said, "But Ashley! you said we would be rehearsing my scene today."

  "This IS your scene, isnt it?" Ashley laughed,"You crying over your sister."

    I shook my head and then walked towards the stage. Mandy was already there. There was another girl there. She was supposed to be my mother.

"Ok, Miss Moore, you will be returning home and then your mother will give you the news that Merope has died, and you will return to her deathside at once,ok?"Mr Owens said, I nodded."Start." I started walking, my mother ran towards me and hugged me.

"What has happened,Mother?" I asked.

   "It's your sister, Rose, she is no more!"

"No! Merope! what became the reason of her death?"

    "She is herself responsible,Rose!"

"Oh no, my Merope! Take me to her, Mother."

   My mother lead me to the corner of my stage, I was prepared to cry and all  but what met my gaze shocked me. I was not prepared for this, it was Mandy, her face was covered, but she was lying in a coffin. Tears which had nothing to do with acting came in my eyes and fell over. I rushed to her at once.

"Merope, oh Merope! This be all because of me."

  I lifted the cover off her face as I was suppose to, and gasped. Mandy looked so white, so ghostlike. She was unmoving, so STILL, I felt for her heartbeat, it wasn't there. And then it hit me, Mandy was DEAD!!

Chapter 19

I screamed "Mandy!!" the exact same moment that my mother screamed "Merope!!, so it was fortunate that my scream was drowned out. Because if Mr Owens had heard me, I would be out of the play for sure. As it was, when Mandy heard me scream HER name, instead of Merope, her eyebrows flickered, as if she was about to open her eyes, but then she thought better and remained still.

I breathed heavily.For a moment there, I had actually thought that Mandy was dead.She looked so still, so dead. Anyone would have been fooled. I had to admit, she was an excellent actress, she had even fooled me! Her best friend!Ok, I wasn't her best friend now, but I was once, so that was enough.

My mother in the play, I still couldn't remember her name, rushed and fell down beside Mandy's coffin.That was my cue to get up and comfort her. I got up and put an arm around her, still watching Mandy from the corner of my eye. 

"There, there, Mother, do not be grieved, Merope would not wish it."

    " It has happened all because of Sandy, and becasue of you, Rose! you were not there when she needed you! where were you?"

"I was waiting for news  mother, I know I am to blame for what happened to my dear sister, I am to blame for the disaster that has struck us. When will she be buried?"

  "In the afternoon. Do not leave me now, Rosalind."

"I will not, Mother, do not be afraid."

    I looked down at Mandy's still face again, and another tear came into my eyes, why was I crying? I knew Mandy wasn't dead, it was all acting, why was I crying then? I wanted this to be over as soon as it could be so that Mandy could return to her own form again. I half dragged my mother to the corner of the stage.

"Good acting, Miss McHugh,"Mr Owens said, Mandy got up from the cofffin and brushed the dirt off her clothes,"Miss Moore, you need some more practise, you were not emotional enough."

   Was he kidding?!! Me, and not emotional? Did he even see me crying? Did he hear me scream Mandy's name? ofcourse not, he hadn't heard that.

"Yes, Mr Owens, I'll practise at home."I said.

   "Ok, you can all go now."

I looked back once at Mandy. Only she had heard me scream her name. What had passed between us what was passes between two people in love. Pain, I had felt real pain, horror, to see Mandy dead. And in that one second, I knew I still loved Mandy. I still loved her as much as ever. I still believed her to be my best friend in my heart, if not by my appearence.She met my gaze and smiled.

  "You were good, Steph."

"Thanks,"I smiled back,"You too."

I turned again and climbed down the stage towards  Ashley and Jake. 

   "Heey, guys."

"Hi, Steph." they both replied together.

   "Was I good?" I asked.

"Errr... yeah, you were really good."Jake said, I raised my eyebrows,"Really, you were excellent."

     "He's right, though you did seem a little bit indifferent, Steph, you know what I mean?" Ashley looked at me. My eyebrows clicked together in confusion. Indifferent? What did she mean?

  "You were supposed to cry out,Steph."Ashley said,"You only did once, and you didn't even folow the dialouge script."

  "No, I did." I said quite firmly.Of course I had followed the script.

 "You didn't, Steph."Jake said,"What you said was nowhere in the script."

     "Really?" I couldn't believe them, had my mind just made up those lines which I had said itself?

"Yeah. Anyways, maybe you just forgot, learn it better next time."

    "Oh, ok." I nodded."Are you two prepared to tell me what Jake wanted to tell me yesterday?"

"No."Ashley said coldly,"There WAS nothing, just a Jake thing, pretending to have secrets, right Jake?"

    "Yeah."Jake said, grinning at me,"We were only trying to fool you, testing to see whether we both could act good enough, and you fell for it!"

  I glared at him.Such lies! Acting, ha!"Please dont make a fool of my mind,Jake, you were not acting-"

   "But that's the beauty of an actor, isn't it?" Ashley broke in,"He acts so well, that people dont even realize that he's acting."

"Oh, alright." I said in frustration, "if you want it to be that. I am going."

    "Wait, Steph, dont be angry-" That was Jake.

"Leave me alone, Jake, you go and act with Ash, yeah, go!"

    Jake stared at me, "Let her be, Jake."Ashley said, looking at me,"She'll cool off."

   Yeah, I'll cool off, I'll do whatever everyone wants me to. Like a puppet.Oh,yeah I'll cool off.

 

 

I tossed and turned on my bed, I was finding it hard to sleep tonight. Weird thoughts were running in my mind. But the one image which kept making appearences every few seconds was the image of Mandy, lying still, lying dead. And then as if I could hear my own words,

"I know I am to blame for my dear sister's death."

 Where had these words come from? I had learnt the script so well. The original lines were," Do not make me feel worse, Mother, I am here mourning for my sister, I refused to help her, do not make me leave."

I could remember them as clear as anything now. Why couldn't