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

"So,everyone as you all know today was the final rehearsal before the dress rehearsal,"Mr Owens was giving his usual speech after the end of a rehearsal the next day,"Please do your best. Mr Harry Sutton has kindly consented to watch our play. There will be an audience of more then 3000 people. It may be a girl or a boy. Please abide by Mr Harry's decision, wichever it is."

I glanced sideways at Ashley. She smiled triumphantly at me. I scowled. Her Highness must be confident that she would be selected. Well, not if I had any say in the matter. I would do everything in my power to have Mr Harry select Mandy instead of Ashley. In any case, he might not select either of them. I turned away, Jake had wanted me to sit with him, but I had refused, and when he had insisted, I had told him in very clear words to mind his own business. I was positive that this was for the best.I couldnt care less. If I liked Jake, then that would have been different, but I ddin't.

An evil little voice in the back of my head had been troubling me ever since I had woke up, it said now,

   "If you dont like Jake, why did you cry for a whole night after you saw him and Ash kissing?" I tried to make him shut up, but it continued,"Then why do you care? Why do you want to distance yourself with Jake now if you dont like him?"

Shut up, SHut up, I repeated it over and over like a mantra until finally the voice kept quiet. Though I quite doubted that that was maybe because it had had it's fill.

"Tomorrow the dress rehearsal has been sheduled for 3:00. Please dont be late.There should be no mistakes. None at all. Everything should be perfect. Please come with your alloted dresses.I repeat, do not be late."

I nodded along with many others, it seemed like a natural response to nod if someone asked you to do something. I looked for Mandy, along with any sign  that she knew we would be spending the night together. She caught me looking and shrugged. We had not spoken to each other since that last fight. When I had declared her a liar because she had said that Jake and Ash were together. i felt so bad now. Horrible.Mandy was right, she had always been right. And I had misjudged her, always doubting her motive. As I stared at her, I wished I could be sitting over there with her, instead of here, alone.

But there were just 2 more days. The 9th and the 10th. I would be spending the night of 11th with her, and then it would be alright. I got up, Mandy was just out of the door when she turned to look at me, I stared back into her blue eyes, my own brown eyes wide. I felt lost in that sea of colour. It seemed that I would never get out, and then Mandy shook her head and closed the door. I felt a hand behind me and turned around, it was Ashley.

"So, your Mandy didnt wait for you, did she,Steph? I feel so bad for you."

   I breathed heavily and then turned to look at her.

"How come your boyfriend isnot with you,Ashhley?"

   "So you have finally admitted that he's my boyfriend? Good,so you realized you cant win from me."

"I dont care whatever he is. Where is he?"

   "I dont keep track of everyone-"

"Not even your boyfriend?"

   "No. Noone is important enough."

"Then why did you do all this if he isnt even important to you?"

    "All this as in what?"

"You know what I am talking about, Ashley, you made me and Mandy fight-"  

     "Nonsense. Same old nonsense again. I really do think you need a doctor,Steph, your brain is affected, first you accused Mandy, and now me. You'll be accusing your mother next!"

  "You are such a liar, Ashley."

"You are the teacher,Steph."

  "Ugh."

I freed my hand from her grasp and then walked out of the auditorium. Why was Ashley dating Jake if she didnt even like him? The way she had said that, as if she really didnot care. Then why was she doing this? Maybe she was doing this for Jake, mmaybe he really liked her. 

"She's my best friend, I couldnt remain in The Educators without her."

  Ofcourse. How could I have missed that? Ashley didn't like Jake, Jake liked her.  I placed my hands in the pockets of my overcoat. As if I cared. Let them do whatever they wanted. I wouldn't be the victim of Ahsley's games anymore. I was out of this. Jake had brought this on himself. He would have to find his own way out. I didn't care. I had put on a strong face. Like I was indifferent. But deep down, like really deep down, where no one could see it, I knew I did. I knew I cared.

   I ran up the steps and into the house.

"Mummy?"

   "Steph. Yes?"

"Is lunch ready?"

  "No. Just half an hour."

"Ok. I am up in my room."

  Mummy nodded so I went up to my room. Tomorrow was the dress rehearsal, I had to pick out my dresses. The sets were completed, though I couldnt take any credit for that. I had hardly paid any attention to the sets with everything that was going on. Everything had been done by Brittany and the others. But I was the head anyway, so the credit WOULD go to me.

     I opened my cupboard. That one scene in the graveyard would require a black dress. Because I would be mourning.This one would be perfect. And the scene with Mandy, hmm....yeah, this. It was a beige coloured dress with a V-neck and half sleeves. It would be perfect for a visit to my elder sister. All the other dresses had already been picked out, so I didn't have to worry about that. I flopped down on my bed. Mummy would soon call me for lunch.

I woke up afresh the next morning. It was 9th May, the dress rehearsal. the days had passed so quickly. It just seemed like yesterday that Mr Owens had announced Ashley the lead. But it seemed like years to that first morning when Mandy had called me for Sustenance auditions.

"Hey, Steph, you are late. Auditions for Sustenance are about to start."

Sweet Mandy. Sure she had her errors. But she was not altogether wrong. Atleast she still had a brain. Ashley hadn't been able to fool her as easily as she had fooled me. I was lucky to have her. I would gain her back. I would go to any lengths to have her forgive me. I knew she missed me too.

I got up and put all the dresses into my backpack. I had no idea if everything would go as planned today, but I did know that today was going to be the last day. The last day of all this pretense. 11th, we would be ating before the audience. And then everything would be okay. As it used to be. 

"I'm leaving, mummy!"

  "Will you be back late?"

"I dont know.Maybbe."

   "Try to be early, Steph."

"Yeah. I'll try. Bye."

   "Bye and Good Luck."

 I started to walk and then turned around again.

   "By the way, mom, if anyone calls for me, anyone except Mandy, say I am not at home, ok?"

  "Why?"

     "Just do, please."

"Is this connected to that night you came back crying?"

     I blushed and tried to smile to hide that blush,"No. I just dont want to talk to anyone before the play, mom, you know, not good for the nerves."

"How come Mandy is different?"

   "Gosh!Look at the time."I said, pointing to an imaginary watch on my wrist, and hoping that mother wouldnt notice,"I'll be late. Bye."

Mummy looked like she wouldn't give  up so easily but then she said,"Okay. Bye."

   I hurried down the steps, I had missed the school bus. I started to run, ever since I had started coming home alone, I was beginning to be scared of the dark. Now, I used to take the longer way home, just so that I wouldn't have to pass that dark alley. But I was short on time now, so I would have to pass that alley.

The danger was over. I was into the school gates now. The day passed so quickly, I hardly realized, and soon it was rehearsal time again. Ashley was sitting alone in a chair, I was almost about to ask her for Jake, but then I didnt. You dont care, remember? You dont care. I chose a chair and sat down. Soon we were all called in to change in our dresses. I was changed in a minute. All the important scenes were rehearsed first. I had forgotten, today was the last and the dress rehearsal which meant that I was going to be terribly late home. Mummy would worry. But she would probably call Mrs McHugh and be reassured.

    My scenes came too. The ones with Jake and with Mandy, I only had a few scenes with Ashley, which I performed, surprisingly, with ease. But maybe that was because of the fact that these were the scenes where I help Ashley run off with Justin, so she is acting all grateful to me. But, whatever, all of my scenes were soon done. The changing was a little bit difficult, changing into one suit after another. But I knew that this was nothing. The real problem would be on the 11th, when all the changign rooms would be occupied, because everyone would be changing clothes one after the other. 

  It was all so hurried that I didn't have a chance to talk with anyone. Not even Ashley could get through to me. I only saw Jake in our scenes together, and he pretended to be indifferent to me, or maybe that was just his good acting skills. He was going to kill me afterall. It was soon over, and Mr Owens gave his usual speech, which was too boring even to relate. The only few exceptions were that there were some new hopes and all. He hoped we would perform well and that the most deserving person would win the role by Mr Harrry. The most desreving. Ha! I remembere a conversation me and Mandy had once had.

"You are a good actress, Mandy, what's more to it?"

   "You dont know, Steph."

How I wished I could go back. Now I know, Mandy. I sighed. Now I know.

I scowled as I tripped over my feet and landed  head first on the floor.

  "Ouch!" I stood up, rubbing my head, still scowling.

"Come on, get up, there is really no need to hurry, Steph." Mother came at my side and helped me up.

    "No, there is, I have to take the school bus today, mummy, I have been missing it the past few days, I have to meet Mandy."

   "You can meet her at school."

"Yes, but others are there too then. I need to talk to her