Do You Know Her As Well As You Think You Do? (Part 1)

She thought it was all going to be okay. She thought it was all over and done with. She thought she’d never have to go through it again.

Linda Foster was wrong.

“Hi, I’m Chelsea! What’s your name?”

I looked up from my book, surprised. No one had approached me all day. I was just the new girl: uninteresting and a general waste of time to be around.

So when Chelsea Marks greeted me that day, auburn ponytail swishing, make-up and dangly earrings, bangles and all, I was kinda surprised, to say the least.

“Hi, uh, my name is Linda.” I tentatively reached out and shook her outstretched hand, which she shook roughly and returned to her side.

“Hi, Linda! New here, huh? Been there, done that!”

Chelsea was like an explosion of colour in my otherwise grey and boring life. She talked paragraphs without breaths and would carry on regardless of interruptions from anyone around her. It was like she was reading from a good book, like she couldn’t stop because it was so interesting.

I guess, to Chelsea, I was a good book.

I listened to her speak with fascination, watched as her eyes rolled and her hand moved around in crazy, incomprehensible gestures.

Finally she stopped. I realised that I had been staring and looked away, only to have her laugh at my shyness.

“Oh, you’re so cute! Want to come and hang out with me and my friends?”

She was smiling so warmly … how could I resist?

Chelsea practically dragged me towards her clique – tall, beautiful girls with cheerleading uniforms and long, cascading ponytails.

“Hey, guys, this is Linda,” she introduced me. Most regarded me coldly for a moment, and then brightened and came to greet me.

Aubrey did not do this.

She bounced up to me, grinning like a maniac and gave me a huge bear hug that made me gasp for air. She was the only one with short hair, which was positioned in a spiky ponytail on one side of her head. She looked hilarious and I warmed to her immediately.

“Hi! I’m Aubrey. Great to meet you!”

“And you,” I smiled.

“Hey, this lot are no fun,” she whispered to me, giggling. “They won’t come down to the lake with me! Will you come?”

“But it’s school,” I gasped. Aubrey laughed.

“So? We can catch up. C’mon! If it makes you happy I’ll call in pretending to be my mother and say that she signed us both out because we were sick or something.”

“What about my mother? She’ll want to know about her.” I pointed out.

“I’ll say that we’re “dropping you home”.” She said simply. “Please come! These guys are such a bore.”

“Fine, I’ll come.” I sighed, defeated. I liked school, but I wanted friends as well. Anyway, Aubrey was right – I could catch up the next day, and I was good and quick at schoolwork.

“Yay!” Aubrey squealed. “Let’s go!”