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

we go over to Mandy's, Jake? The McHughs are really broken."

"Whatever you say. But you'll have to come with me to see Ashley first, Steph."

    "I dont  want to see her,"I replied.

"Remember?"Jake said from the other end of the phone,"You said you would think about what I said?"

    "Oh. Allright."I said, giving up,"When are you coming over?"

"10 minutes. I'll be there."

   "Good. Bye."

"Bye, See ya."

   I hung up the phone and looked up to see mother,"He's coming."

God knew what would happen now.

 

   Jake was over at my house, not in 10 minutes, 15, but whatever. He stood there at the door looking up at me shyly because he could see Mummy standing inside.

 "Umm, so? You are coming to the hospital?" He said,I nodded.

 "Yeah. But you'll have to come and meet Mummy first. You know, she's worried about me after what happened to Mandy."

   Jake looked like he understood, and then walked inside and shook hands with mother.

  "Hello, Mrs Moore.  So, can I take Steph over to see Ashley now? She's in the Hospital for the Mentally Unstable-"

  "Hospital? But werent you two going over to visit Mandy's parents?"

"We are,"Jake looked at me, I shrugged,"But we are going to go to the hospital first."

   Mummy looked at me and smiled,"Oh, ok. Please take care of Steph, Jake."

"Ofcourse."Jake smiled, and walked back to me.

    "Bye, mummy."

 "Bye, Steph. Be back soon, it's night out."

    "Ok."

 We walked out, Jake turned to look at me.

   "Look, if Ashley says anything, think of it by her point of view, ok?"

"You mean, like remember she lives in a cottage and starves thing?:

    "Yes."

"Ok." We both got on the bus and rached the hospital.

    "Woa!"I said,"This one's bigger then that last hospital."

"It's the best one in Riverdale."Jake said,"Come on. Ashley is in a ward upstairs."

    We climbed up the stairs, I was getting more and more nervous with every step. A big decision lay before me, a decision that could change lots of lives. A room came into view, Jake opened the door and we went inside. There was Ashley on the bed, Mrs John was sitting on the stool beside her. And...two, two such incredibly cute little twins standing beside her. Ashley's twin brothers, I realied,they must be 11 years old.How could I do wrong to such innocent little boys?

   Ashley looked up as we came in; Jake went and sat beside her; Mrs John nodded at me once and then walked out of the room, taking her twin sons with her. Not knowing what to do, I sat on the empty stool and looked at Ashley. She looked the same as ever, thin and beautiful. Except perhaps maybe a little pale.

  "Ashley wants to tell you something, Steph."Jake looked at me,and mouthed'Remember?', I nodded.

"Umm, what, Ash?"

   "I was the one who did it," Ashely said, as if in a trance.

 "The one who did what?"

    "Stole your necklace and Jake's pics."I gasped, so I was right, it had been her all along,"And I thrashed your room. I wanted to break up you and Mandy, so that it would be easier for me to win the lead role, because Mandy would not perform her best."

  "You-!"I stood up, Jake  was over at my side at once, saying,"Remember?"

"What 'Remember?, Jake?!" I screamed,"She's the reason Mandy and I stayed mad at each other for days!"

   "Steph, please. You know why  she did it."

 Jake looked at me, his eyes were begging. I nodded once, Ashley continued,

    "And then I realized that you and Jake were getting close, I couldn't let that happen. You had everything. Everything, Steph! And you wanted Jake too! He was the only one, the only one who was mine. My best friend, Jake. And you were trying to take him away from me too!"

     I shook my head, "No, Ash, I was doing nothing of the kind-"

"Come ON, just admit it!" Ashley screamed,"You liked him. I realied that. ofcourse, I loved Jake like nothing else except a brother, but when I saw  your intentions, I changed my mind. I had to make you back off, and that was the only way."

  I gasped,"You..you USED jake just to make sure that I would back off?"

"Not used."Ashley said,"He was in on all this."

    I gasped again, and turned to look at Jake again.

"You!" I accused,"You were involved in all this?"

    "I only did it for Ashley." He said, as if that exlained everything.

 "You FOOLED me!" I yelled.

    "Yes, but I had to, Steph. Ash was hysterical, I had to help her. you dont know what its like. For her. I realized her possesiveness. That's why I did it."

   I just glared at him. Ashley continued,

"Then I threw your pice in that tunnel, I couldnt let ANY proof remain that you two were once together."

    "You are insane!" I yelled,"Mad, Ash!"

  "Well, that's why I am here, isnt it?" Ashley said bitterly,"In a mental hospital?"

      "You did this all just for your stupid role?"

"Yes. it was important for me, Steph. My path to fame. You HAVE to understand, Steph. I never meant to hurt Mandy more then just a few bruises here and there. I had no idea she would die. You have to help me, Steph. Please!"

   "Ugh." I said, this was getting more confusing every minute." I...I have to go now. "

I turned back, I heard Ash yell after me,"Please think about it, Steph, You'll be saving my life!"

   Yes. yes, I would not only be saving her life, but four other lives. But was it worth to do another wrong for a person who had already done me so many wrongs?

 

 

"Mrs McHugh, are you okay?" We were  at Mandy's house now, Jake was somewhere about and I was with Mandy's mother.

"No, I am so hapy you are here, Steph. Mandy loved you, so much."

   "I know,"I nodded," Do you..do you want me to stay here with you,Mrs McHugh?"

"Please, "She replied,"Dont call me Mrs McHugh. Call me Aunt Jenny."

   "Umm, ok." I replied,"So, Aunt Jenny, do you want me to bring you anything to eat or something? You look so tired."

 "No, dear. You should go home now. Your mother must be worried about you."

"Ok."I nodded and got up.

   "Stephanie, please be early at...at Mandy's funeral,"her voice broke as she said this,"I wouldnt be able to do it without you."

  I nodded again and went over to hug her, just like Mandy hugged her.

"I'll be early. Mandy meant alot to me too." 

   " I know."She replied.

 I nodded again and then left the room, back to my own house.

Once inside, I dove straight for my room, after a yell,"I am home, Mummy!" and then I was in my room, with the door locked.

  Now, I had to decide soon. What do do and what not? The court had called a hearing for 15th. Today was the 13th. It was so hard to believe that on the 11th, I had just been worried about making Mandy angry at me, and now I was worried about her funeral. Strange world. You never knew what could happen next

  But what should I do? All the talks that I had ever had with Ashley, Mandy and Jake were flooding my mind; and then in a moment of realiation, I knew. I knew what I was going to say when the judge called me up in court. I smiled and then fluffed the covers up my head and closed my eyes into the darkness.

 

 

"Would you like to come forward and say a few words about Mandy, Miss Moore?"

It was Mandy's funeral the next day and the priest was calling me up the podium. I looked around. Almost everyone from the town was here, many reporters. My parents, Jake's. Even Ashley and her mother were here. And the cops, ofcourse. And the town people. I walked up to the podium and too the mike.

 "Mandy was the best friend a girl could ever have,"I said,"Sure she was possesive, she would shout, yell, be mad at me. But over all that, she loved me. She was the sort of girl who, if she had anything against you, would say it right out infront of you. Not keep it in like sneaks."I looked over at Ashley as I said this,"She never wanted to loose, so she never gave up; until people made her.

"She would always warn me, dont get too close to this person, or that person, and I never listened. But she was right. She was always right. She used to judge people correctly. She  would know their inner thoughts.  But even though they did wrong to her, she never wavered, never wavered from the path of truth, of virtue. She was, and will always be my best friend, Mandy McHugh."

  I heard  alot of cheering as I walked down from the podium and over to my seat between Mummy and Mrs McHugh. There, I had done it. Paid my last respects to Mandy, may she rest in peace now. We all stood up to pray for her. The other's had  already spoken, I was the last one. And then Mandy was buried. I had a last glimpse of her, as one by one, everyone threw a handful of sand over her, and then she could be seen nomore. Mandy, my best friend, Mandy was gone. Buried, beneath the earth. Mandy was no more.

 

 

"Have a good night's sleep, Steph, you have a very busy day ahead of you."Mummy said, as she tucked me into bed that night.

"Yeah."

Mummy left the room. Yup, tomorrow was going to be the court hearing. Not that I was unprepared, I had learnt my statement by heart, but still. It was the law afterall. I was abit nervous. Today, the reporters had swarmed the McHugh's house. They even tried to talk to Mummy, though what information could they possibly get from her? She wasnt even there when it happened. But once the court gave it's decision, my life would be normal. Yeah, normal except that Mandy wouldn't be there.

 

 

"Dont be nervous, Steph, you just go in that little box when the judge calls you and answer every question that the lawyer asks you, Ok?" Father tried to comfort me, we were outside court the next day, and the hearing was in a few minutes. I was so nervous my hands were shaking. Mr and Mrs McHugh were here, Jake and Ash, her family and lots of other people whom I didnt recognise. And then the jury. Jake and Ash had been pestering me nonstop. They wanted to know whether or not I would give evidence against Ashley, but I wouldnt tell them.

  The bell rang and we all went inside the court room, Mummy practically had to drag me because my feet had turned to stone. The court room was so big! And so official and dangerous looking! Lives were destroyed here, or saved. We took our seats. A man in the front started to speak,

"We are here to find the real culprit behid the Mandy McHugh murder. Mandy McHugh, age 17, was pushed, or fell down a flight of stairs and was killed. We will now call in the defense lawyer, Steve Stifler," A man came in,"And the prosecutor, Michael Clark."

  Another man came in and sat on the seat beside Mr McHugh. So Mrs John had hired a lawyer too. Duh. Ofcourse they would. The case started.

  Ashley was called up in the culprit box, and then one by one, the withnesses. Mrs Wilson, Jake's mother was called too. And many others, who according to me, didn't give any useful evidence at all. And then Jake. I didnt want to hear anything that Jake said, so I closed my ears and only opened them when I heard Jake saying my name,

"Steph and I were there with Mandy and Ash. It was all really a small fight, and Ashley, in a sudden burst of anger, went over to push Mandy. It was unfortunate that Mandy was standing near the stairs, which is