Auriana
"What are your plans for this summer?" Alex asked. In the past few months, we'd all gotten closer to Maya and Alex. We'd gotten to know them better, and it turned out we had a lot in common.
"Nothing at all," Nikki replied. Nikki had woken up from her coma a week after the accident and was back at school for the first time after three months of rehabilitation. But all our teachers weren't worried about her; she hadn't fallen behind on her schoolwork in those few months. The rest of us shook their heads as well. I couldn't remember if we had any vacation plans either.
"Oh, that reminds me...we're not moving." Scarlet said. We'd already heard this news, of course, but Nikki still didn't know it, and they looked at Scarlet, asking for more information. None of us had thought to tell her at the hospital, of course; we felt it was important that she'd focus on her recovery first. And she had.
"My father saw how upset my mother was about the idea of leaving the house we'd lived in since I was born, and where we grew up. Even though he'd gotten that job and they had such intense arguments there that they decided to get a divorce," Scarlet said emotionlessly. Parents getting divorced is always the hardest on the children, even though Scarlet knew it wasn't her fault they were getting divorced. We knew her well enough to know that when even though she says she was okay with it, she was having a harder time than she let on. Nikki put a comforting hand on her arm.
"Okay then, after that less pleasant, yet also positive, news, Alex and I think it would be nice to go on vacation together this summer. Our father has a vacation home in Starsskies Bay and he told us we can use it for our vacation, though it's unclear whether he has time to come himself. Want to come along?" Maya asked. We'd realized over the past few months that Maya can sometimes come across as rather insensitive, but that's because she doesn't quite know how to handle the situation.
"Your vacation home is Starsskies Bay?" Jake asked in disbelief. Maya and Alex nodded. Did I hear that right? Or where my ears playing tricks on me? I swallowed before answering.
"We do need to talk to our parents first, of course," I said sensibly, closing my locker. We all walked to the classroom.
"Fine, let me know, okay?" It was clear that neither of us was sure what to make of their suggestion, so we just nodded in response and watched Mrs. Mikealson enter the classroom and quickly followed her. Jake stopped me before I could enter.
"Hey...uh...do you want to go do something together after school? You can just say no, you don't have to." His rambling was quite funny to hear because it didn't suit him. I couldn't help it, and a laugh escaped my lips. With a smile on my face, I reassured him and told him I'd love to go out and do something with him.
"Are you sure I don't need to come inside? I can be very persuasive." Renee had driven me home because she thought I'd been acting rather strangely since Maya and Alex asked us to go on vacation with them. None of my friends knew the truth, and I hated keeping it from them.
"No, Renee, you really don't need to," I laughed. She gave me another worried look, but then decided to let it go...for now. I breathed a sigh of relief. For now, my secret was still safe. I couldn't tell them about my past; my friends would never see me the same way again. That was my worst nightmare.
"Okay, see you tomorrow," Renee said before she drove off. I could say for sure that Renee was suspicious and knew there was something I was hiding from her. I waited until Renee had turned the corner before walking inside and closing the door behind me. The house was quiet, except for some shuffling in the kitchen.
"I'm home!" I called, dropping my bag by the stairs. In the kitchen, I saw my mother rummaging through all the cupboards, searching for the right pans.
"Hey, how was school?" my mother asked, walking to the pantry, searching for the right ingredients for dinner. My mumbling made her look up. She knew something was up, but I didn't exactly wanted to tell her what was going on.
"Auriana, what's wrong?" She raised an eyebrow at me, waiting for me to answer. Why am I always so obvious?
"What makes you think something's up?"
"I'm your mother, I know you better than anyone." With a defeated sigh, I sank onto one of the bar stools. If my mother wanted to know something, she'd find out anyway.
"Maya and Alex have asked if we'd all go to their summer cottage this summer..." She looked at me blankly; it was clear from her face that she thought it would be a fun idea to go on vacation with friends. I felt her put a hand on my shoulder.
"...in Starsskies Bay," I finally added. It seemed like everything was falling into place for my mom. Now she understood where my hesitation to immediately agree to the vacation came from, and she nodded understandably. A smile of pity spread across her face.
"How am I supposed to tell them I can't go because it's in Starsskies Bay?" With a deep sigh, I dropped my head into my arms. My mom put an arm around me and held me tight for a moment.
"Go to Starsskies Bay. Face your past." I looked at her as if she'd suddenly grown three extra heads. She was the one who'd decided we were moving after the big incident in Starsskies Bay. My parents and I had decided it was best to keep what'd happened a secret. They saw the move as a new beginning for all of us.
"Are you sure?" She nodded resolutely. My mother had been right every time so far, so why would this be any different? Suddenly, I remembered something else that had slipped my mind.
"Jake's coming over later," I let her know. The new friendship between Jake and I hadn't escaped my parents notice of course. They were happy that we'd put that part of the past behind us and started over as friends.
"Why don't you go to the movies? My treat." My mother always knew how to cheer me up because as soon as she said this, it immediately brought a huge smile to my face. I gave her a hug as a thank you.
"Will you help me make the lasagna?" Yum, my favorite. I nodded and followed her to the kitchen counter. We worked in silence until my mother broke it.
"Maybe it's time you told your friends about Starsskies Bay," Theresa said. I think she must have bumped her head, because this was completely out of character for her. My expression spoke volumes, because my mother was watching me intently. I didn't even have to ask my question.
"Because you'll definitely run into your old friends. And I saw you still have that jacket up in your closet." My cheeks turned almost as red as my hair. Okay, I have to admit, I haven't really been able to bring myself to get rid of the jacket yet; it was, after all, a part of my past.
"But that was three years ago!" I sputtered. Part of me hoped my old friends had long forgotten about me and wouldn't recognize me if I ran into them anywhere in Starsskies Bay.
"I know you've changed a lot since we moved to Westbrook, mainly because of your friends. Now that you're going back, it might be easier to tell them, to avoid the inevitable drama. And who knows, they might even be of great help to you." I carefully placed the first lasagna sheets in the oven dish. I was still not sure whether or not I should tell Jake.
"Start with Jake, and if he takes it well, you can tell the rest. They can't take it any worse than he can, can they?" As I laid out the next layer of lasagna sheets, I debated whether to tell Jake. We'd only been friends for a few months, and I honestly had no idea how he would react. Once the lasagna was in the oven, I went upstairs to see what movies were playing. My mother's words kept echoing in my mind. It was as if an invisible force was pulling me toward my closet. Kneeling in front of the closet, I pulled the jacket out of the box. Sighing, I examined the jacket as I ran my fingers over the emblem, then put it back in the box and shoved it deep into my closet. Ryleigh and Rose came home with my father. The argument between my parents from my dream resurfaced. I shook the thought from my mind and tried to refocus on the various movies playing. I quickly texted Jake that my mom had suggested we go to the movies together, he was immediately enthusiastic. He said he'd pick me up after dinner and that I should let him know when we'd be finished. My mom called me downstairs that dinner was almost ready and that I should set the table. Apparently, I'd been lost in thought longer than I thought. I quickly closed my laptop and hurried downstairs. While we were eating, Rose and Ryleigh told me about their day at school and what they'd done during recess. My sisters always cheered me up with their stories, even though I wasn't sure if everything they told was true or if it was just part of their imagination. While my sisters were clearing the table, I texted Jake that we were done eating. He didn't live far from us, so it wouldn't take him long to get here. A little while later, the doorbell rang. My dad was too quick for me and was the first one at the door. During dinner, I'd told my dad about our plans for that evening. He couldn't wait to embarrass me, at least that's how I saw it. My dad would give Jake a good talking to before we left.
"Hey Jake, come in," My dad said, opening the door wider for him to come in. With my hands over my face, I feared the worst.
"If you hurt my little girl..." I felt my cheeks begin to burn. To my surprise, Jake started laughing, which made me look up from my hands. He didn't seem to care what my dad said at all.
"DAD!" I yelled indignantly, a faint pink tinge still tinging my cheeks. Jake stopped laughing and looked at my dad seriously.
"Don't worry, Mr. Williams, I'll drop her off personally right after the movie, after a quick stop at Brooke's parents' bakery," Jake said, grabbing my hand and trying to get out of here as quickly as possible. My father looked doubtful but finally let us leave with a slight nod and without saying a word.
Jake
As soon as we were out of the street, Auriana snatched her hand from mine. Oops, maybe I shouldn't have dragged her along like that...but her dad was giving me the creeps. It wasn't like I was letting her go home alone.
"Sorry," I apologized, scratching behind my ear. My cheeks were burning slightly. She gave me a reassuring smile, and we continued walking to the cinema.
"So...which movie do you want to see? I have no idea what's playing." She wasn't surprised that I hadn't looked up what movies were currently showing before showing up at her door. Okay...maybe I just had a bad habit of leaving everything to the last minute. So it was nothing new to her.
"There are several good movies playing, we'll see which one's playing first when we get to the cinema," she suggested. Luckily, Auriana didn't live far from the city center, so the walk to the cinema didn't take as long as I'd liked. I loved listening to her voice as she told stories. Suddenly, I had a fun idea.
"I'm going to get the tickets so it's a surprise," I said, sticking my tongue out at Auriana. She rolled her eyes and handed me the money. After I bought the tickets at the counter, we walked into the lobby. A large red and gold rug lay on the wooden floor. The walls were painted black and were adorned with posters of various films currently showing and/or previously shown. Off to the side was the bar where you could get drinks and snacks. It was a wooden bar with a glossy finish on the top and a red glass base. The bar stools and benches where people could sit while they waited were upholstered in red leather. Auriana led me to the bar and looked at the screen behind the bartender, which showed the various options and the price.
"Do you want to share a bucket of popcorn, or would you like your own?" Auriana asked. She looked at me expectantly, as if she wanted me to make the choice for her. I briefly scanned the menu boards behind her before answering.
"We can split one, right? If you want," I added quickly. She nodded in response before gesturing to the bartender to order.
"Hi, can I have a medium Coke, a large bowl of sweet popcorn, and a bag of crispy M&Ms?" Auriana asked the bartender. The bartender looked at me and waited patiently to see if I wanted to add anything to the order. Just to be sure, I scanned the boards again before making a choice.
"I'll have a medium Fanta and a bag of Jellybeans." Loaded with candy and drinks, we walked into the theater and sat down. While we were waiting, Auriana had already tried to coax me into telling her which movie we were going to see, but I hadn't said anything yet.
Brooke
While I was trying to watch my favorite game show on the couch, Chase kept calling me from the bottom of the stairs leading to the bakery. Why couldn't he ask Katie to help him? Why did I have to?
"WHAT, CHASE?" I shouted from the top of the stairs. What must the customers think of that loudmouth in the bake
ry? Now, I have to admit, it was busier than usual. Our bakery had always been a big deal in our town, but since the school dance where my parents catered, not only our regulars but also young people and newcomers from out of town were coming to our bakery more and more often.
"CAN YOU HELP IN THE BAKERY?" Not like I knew my brother or anything. With a sigh, I turned off the television and went downstairs.
"What can I do?" I asked, pulling on a pair of kitchen shorts. He slipped a whole list into my hands before looking into the display case. The list was already quite long, with things I was supposed to make, but apparently it wasn't finished yet.
"Can you bake some rainbow cake? It's almost gone. The coconut macaroons too." After asking if that was all, I gathered everything I needed and laid it out on the work table. After a quick check, I grabbed my phone and put on my music. It was smart to start with the cake batter; that was the most work. Once I had divided the batter into seven separate bowls, I added the correct food coloring to each bowl and put the baking pans in the oven.
"Where's that rainbow cake?" Chase asked, as he entered the kitchen, stressed. That was how he always was when he was in charge of the bakery. He'd get stressed out over the smallest thing. Chase sighed when he saw me just putting the last pan in the oven and walked away.
"Need help?" I turned around, startled by the sudden voice. Luckily, it wasn't just some customer; it was Jimmy.
'I came to get some croissants...but it´s rush hour.'
"You can help if you want. Can you grab these ingredients?" They say: don't look a gift horse in the mouth, right? I slid him a list of all the ingredients already on the table so he knew which ones to hand over. Jimmy started gathering the ingredients while I made the icing for the rainbow cake. Chase poked his head back around the door.
"BROOKE, WHERE IS THAT CAKE?" I really had to try not to roll my eyes and snap at him. Surely he understood that the oven wouldn't be running any faster than it already is, right? But then again…it's Chase.
"THE OVEN IS NOT GOING ANY FASTER!"
"THEN MAKE IT GO FASTER!" Now it was Jimmy's turn to roll his eyes.
"Is he always like this?" he asked as he weighed out the sugar.
"If he's in charge of the bakery, then yes," I laughed.