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

I remember them there, on the stage? Why did I say these completely different lines? I tossed again.

It was dark, I was on the seaside, up on a high cliff. Where was Mandy? Yeah, there she was, she was so far, I wanted to touch her, but I couldn't. She was so far. She was almost on the edge, she could fall over. I called out to her, she didnot listen. So close, she was so close to the edge. I tried to run towards her, but I couldn't. My feet seemed stuck on the ground. I could hear as well as see the splashing waves below. They looked terrifying, made me shudder. I tried to call out to her again,

"Mandy, come back, Mandy!" This time, I found my voice, Mandy turned,"Yes Steph?"

   "Get away from there,Mandy, you'll fall over!"

"I can not move,Stephanie, you have brought me where I am."

   "Mandy!! Look out!"

I screamed as a wave crashed over Mandy's head. she disappeared from view, "Mandy!!" I screamed agin,"Mandy!! where are you?!!" and then I saw her, falling, down, down, into the water, into the darkness, away from me.

"No, Mandy!!"

"It's allright, its allright, dear-"Somewhere I knew that that was a familiar voice, but I was too preoccupied to care.

   "No, Mandy! she is dying! someone save her!"

"Steph, it's ok, you are okay-"

   "No, Mandy, save her,Mandy-"

"Stephanie! Wake up!"

  Someone shook me, was I dying too? I opened  my eyes and looked around.

"Stephanie? Are you okay now?"

   "Mummy?" I was in my room, not on that cliff. No, I was okay, Mandy was okay.

"Were you having a bad dream?"

   "Yes.Did I wake you up?"

"Yes.You were screaming Mandy's name over and over. Is everything okay between you two?"

    "Yeah. What time is it, mummy?"

  "It's almost morning," She looked at her watch," Yes, it's 5:00."

      "Oh. I am okay now, mother, really."

  "Are you sure?" I nodded,"Ok, go back to sleep."

      Mummy went out of the room and closed the door behind her. I closed my eyes. Morning, it was almost morning, so there would be school soon. Damn Mandy! She was coming in my dreams now too. It was only because I had thought her to be dead in school today, that I had dreamed her dying. Just that. It wasn't a sign or anything. Just Mandy having a laugh out of terrifying me in my dreams.I tossed again and fell asleep.

 

 

I looked around for Mandy, I had to see, had to make sure that she was alive and well.Even though I knew I knew it was just a dream, but still.I knew that she had History after lunch, so I waited patiently outside History class for her to come out.There she was.

"Mandy!"

"Steph? What do you want?"

"Nothing.Are you okay?"

"Why do you want to know?"

  "I just do. I had a dream about you, are you okay?"

"No, I am not, I have never been okay."

    "What do you mean?"

"I am a theif, aren't I? and a liar, And a sneak. And God knows what else."

  Was she trying to make me feel guilty?"If you say so,"I said,"But really, are you fine?"

"What's to say I am not?"

   "ListenI am asking you a simple question, Mandy-"

"You dont have the right to ask me any question,Stephanie,you lost that right when you showered those accusations on me!"

   "You didn't prove me wrong,did you? Infact, you admitted to it yourself-"

"Yes, I did, and didn't you say that you didn't believe me then?"

"I did, but look, that doesn't matter-"

  "Why doesn't it? Why does anything that concerns me not matter,Steph?"

"Can you just stop it,Mandy? Here I am, trying to make things up to you-"

  "Then dont! Dont,Stephanie Moore!Didn't you say it, didn't you say, 'I want nothing more to do with you,Mandy!'why are you making things up to me now?"

"Because I like you! Because you are my friend-"

  "I am your friend? Listen, dont fool me, Steph,now that Jake and Ash have got together and left you alone, you come after me?"

"Jake and Ash arent together!"

"Yes they are!" Mandy grinned,"It hurts you, doesn't it? But they are together, I have seen it."

  "You are lying!you are lying because you want me to feel bad-"

"I dont want you to feel anything,Stephanie, I dont care for you enough for that,now, go run after your Jake and ASH, leave me alone!"

 We glared at each other for a while, then Mandy turned and stormed off, like she always does,  I stared after her for a while, but then I too, shrugged, and walked away.

 

 

 

Chapter 20

Whatever.If she didn't care, then neither did I.Let her be.Who was I to interfere anyway.Yeah, right.Who was I? Someone anyone coud use for their own benefit and I wouldn't even know. That's what I was.A nobody.Liar! How dare Mandy?Jake and Ash together! They would surely have told me if something like that had been going on.

"Hey, Steph, there you are, where have you been all day?"

  Here comes Jake, the villian, or possibly the hero.

"Where's Ash?" I asked, no caring to answer his own question.

"She must be somewhere about. Why? Do you need any help?"

"Not from any of you."

  "Why are you angry at me, Steph-"

"Listen, just butt off,Jake.I am not in the mood to talk."

  "Ok, fine.Buty arent you even gonna come to rehearsal?"

"Is it rehearsal time already?"

  "Yeah, it is."

"Ugh.Fine, I am coming."

  Jake waited for me as I brushed off the dirt from my clothes.I made it apparent by my every move that his presence was unwelcome, but he still stuck around, and refused to budge. I got up.

"Let's go." He said, taking my hand and guiding me towards the auditorium.

  "I am fine on my own,Jake." I said, and pulled my hand from his grasp.

"Oh, alright.If you wanna."

   Jake looked at me for a split second, then shrugged as if to say that he didnt care either, and ran off. I stared after him, I had expected him to stay. I wanted him to plead and say that he was sorry. But he didn't. He didn't even apologize. I ran after him and entered the auditorium. There he was.

"You are late, Miss Moore."

I looked up, everyone was staring at me. It was Mr Owens who was speaking to me,  staring at me with a kind of reproving look.I blushed.

  "I.errr,I..I wont be late anymore."

"Make sure, you can have a seat now."

   I nodded and walked to the far end of the auditorium, chose a seat and sat down. Jake's eyes followed me there, he was sitting with Ashley as usual, on the other end.

 Mr Owens started his usual speech, I didn't even bother to listen,it was only when a girl nudged me that I came back to life.

"Hey, get up! It's your scene."

  I got up and walked towards the stage, I hoped against hope that this was not the scene with Mandy. I was right, it wasn't. Instead, it was worse, it was the one in which Jake would kill me in the graveyard. I grimaced and took my alloted place, beside Mandy's grave.

"Oh, my sweet Merope! Why do you do this to yourself?"

  "You make her, evil woman."

I turned around, as I was supposed to, and looked at Jake. God, even though there was nothing different about him, the way that he looked at me scared me.

"What means you, my love?" I said.

  "Do not call me that, I loveth you not. You helpeth my wife to escape-"

"I did it for you, Harry, I loveth you-"

  "I can not let you live. You must die, you are a criminal. Responsible for so many catastrophes."

"Do not harm me, Harry, you do not know how much-"

   "No words! you must not live."

"Then kill me! I do not mind dying by the hands of my love-"

    I was not even finished, when Jake raised his hand, and pretended to draw his sword inside me, I almost thought it was real, and my eyes widened in horror.

     But then I remembered who I was in time, and screamed,"No!" Just once, and then I was dead. I closed my eyes, then I heard clapping, so I sat up and opened them again. Seems that I had stuck to the script this time.

"You were perfect this time, Miss Moore." Mr Owens beamed. I smiled and looked around for Jake, my murderer. He saw me looking and grinned. I turned away. This was enough. I still wasn't prepared to forgive either him or Ashley yet. Now, my only worry was to get home as soon as I could, without being stopped by my large list of followers.

 

 It was 2nd June today, I had got home safely yesterday, Today even, I had not been cornered by anyone. But it was rehearsal time again, so I prepared myself.After a long wait, today I was finally going to rehearse my scene with Mandy. Jake held out a chair open for me as I entered, so I had no choice but to sit down. Jake greeted me warmly, Ashley coldly, though it was her, she should be apologizing to me. I went up the stage when my name was called, and peeped at Mandy from backstage. Finally, Mr Owens gave the signal, so I walked forward,

"You calleth me, my sister?" I said, coming from the darkness into the light.

   "Yes, I suppose you have heard that Sandy and Justin plan to elope?"

"I have heard something of the kind, yes, but how does that matter to you,Merope?"

    "I plan to stop them.I can not let my Sandy go to shame-"

"Do not lie, Merope, I have heard that you are in love with the Justin boy, that is your cause for stopping them, isn't it?"

"No, do not doubt me,Rosalind. Tell me one thing, will you helo me in my cause?"

   "I can not, if I do, Sandy and Harry will be married, I can not let that happen-"

"You will not help your own sister, Rosalind?"

    "I can not. You will yourself go to shame if you try to stop them, no one will listen to you-"

"So you will not?"

   "No."

"You helpeth the enemy,Rosalind."

    "I do not, but I do not consent to bring shame upon myself and my sister-"

"Do not come to see me,Rose."

   "Oh, Merope, do not disown me-"

"Get away, Rose."

   I watched Mandy grimace and then she walked backstage. I turned around and smiled. There was loads of clapping this time round too. Mandy came out.

"Hey, Mandy, you were great-" I started, but she ignored me, and climbed down the stage towards a group of her new found friends. I climbed down too, but not towrds my own friends, but towards the gate.

"You are not going anywhere." Strong hands grabbed me, forcing me to stop.

   "Let me go,Jake." I said and tryed to break free, I watched Ashley from the corner of my eye, looking at us disapprovingly.

 "No, you are coming with us." He forced me to turn around, and then looked into my eyes,"Listen, there's a party at my house today, all members of Sustenance are coming-" I knew where this was going so I said,

"No."

"PLease, come on,Steph. What are you gonna do at home?"

  "Just because I spend my free time at home doesnot mean that I have time to go to ridiculous parties-"

"No, you are coming. Remember