I stared at Fiona as she nervously shifted waiting for my reaction.
"I'm sorry, who?" I asked.
"Henry Catwick." She sighed. "You know, this might not have anything to do with-"
"Oh like you actually believe that." I said standing up and pacing my room. "She's had it out for me ever since we were five! Now she's getting Daddy to do her dirty work." I said pulling a face.
"Not long after you had gone, I heard Rachel on the phone to her." Fiona said stopping me in my tracks.
"Of course, they are perfectly matched. I'm surprised it took her this long to speak to her, then with me gone it would make it a whole lot easier." I said bitterly.
"Rachel never actually mentioned her though."
"I don't know what Carol has planned but I need to get back soon before she causes any real damage." I sighed rubbing a hand over my face,
"I don't know." Fiona shrugged and I turned to look at her. "I mean, this is probably what she wants right. She knows that if you found out it was her father pressing charges you'd go running back and she could blackmail you into anything she wanted."
"Ok and?" I asked not seeing her point.
"And, you know that they have no real prove of what they are accusing your father with. So, why not just wait for it to blow over. Don't do what they want you to." I thought about it.
"But I don't want to stay here Fiona. I may not be as bitchy but I still don't fit in here." I said sitting on the bed.
"Which is why I'm here." She grinned.
"Ok Fiona, firstly you have no clothes or anything, secondly your father-"
"Right, I'll call him now." She said bouncing over to her phone.
I lay down on my bed with an arm drapped over my face.
Carol and I have never gotten along. She's goes to our rivalry school. Always trying to be better then the other. I thought I had heard the last of her last year when I drenched her in some alcohol in fancy glasses, at a party some guy was throwing.
Seems like she just keeps coming back. She hates how I'm always one level up from her, she gets a story in a magazine, I get the cover story. She a new pair of shoes, I got a new car. I didn't do it on purpose, trust me.
I got tired of the childish games a long time ago but she always brings out the worst in me. And now she's taking it way to far.
"He said it's fine." Fiona said happily.
"Really?" She nodded.
"Yup. He said I can stay here for as long as you need me."
"Huh?"
"I told him you were in the middle of a crisis. He understands." I've always been jealous of the closeness she has with her family.
"Ok then. I'll run it by Martha." I said making a mental note of it.
"So, tell me. What's it like here?" She asked curious.
I told her everything from the beginning. About Reese, the party, Melissa.
"Wow. Who would have guessed that Texas would change you for the better?" She said at the end.
"I know." I sighed.
"Look, don't worry about Melissa ok. It's probably a stage in her teenage years. She'll pass through it." Fiona said comforting me.
"I hope so." I mumbled.
"Come on, Addy!" I rolled my eyes.
"Your never going to let that down are you?" I asked and she shook her head smiling.
"Hell no. Now come on, where's the fun loving Addy? You can show me around tomorrow."
"I have school tomorrow Fiona." I groaned.
"Even better." She grinned.
"Seriously, you want to come to school with me?" I asked and she nodded again. "Well, ok."
We stayed in my room for the rest of the night. She filled me in on everything back home...if I can call it that and I told her everything about my new life here.
Apparently everyone still believes I'm in Africa or somewhere helping out the children. Honestly, I would have loved to have gone there, so why I'm not there and here i'll never know.
******************************************
"This is so exciting!" Ever since Fiona woke up this morning she's been excited to see what a, in her own words, 'real school looks like'.
"I know, thats the tenth time you've told me." I said brushing my hair.
"Come on Addy! Live a little." She said grinning like she won the lottery.
"Come on, or we'll be late." I said grabbing my bag and leading her down to the kitchen. Gloria and Luke were still here although they were going back later today. Luke had asked me if I still wanted to go with him but I've decided to stay here for a little longer after everyting Fiona's told me.
"Finally, I was about to leave you here." Reese grumbled. "Who's that?" He asked pointing at Fiona with his spoon.
"That is Fiona." He groaned.
"He's hot!" She whispered at the same time and I gave a horrified look but she just shrugged.
"Another one? Seriously! What are we, a posh a hotel for rich people?" I heard him mutter.
I rolled my eyes ignoring him. Five minutes later Reese very reluctantly took us both to school in the old pick up truck. Fiona's eyes nearly fell out of her sockets when she saw it but then, for some unknown reason, she got all excited about it.
"Wow, this is so cool!" She said when we were walking down the hallway to my locker. I'd manage to talk the office lady into letting Fiona come to all of my classes saying she was my cousin and was visiting for a while.
"I know, it's different right." I said when I opened my rusty locker.
"I love it. It's so.....real. Not the clean, perfect, fake school we attend. This seems so real." She said staring around in awe. I laughed at her reaction.
"Yeah, it's something all right." I said just as the bell rang.
"So what lesson do we have first?" She asked, her eyes glowing with excitment.
"English." I said raising my eyebrows.
"English! Let's go!" She said dragging me in the completely wrong way.
*******************************
"You're still thinking about it aren't you." I looked up from pushing the pasta around on my plate to Fiona who was looking at me with her eyebrow raised.
"Sorry." I mumbled dropping my fork and leaning back in my chair.
"Give it time, it'll all blow over." She smiled and I sighed.
"Everythings just gotten so complicated lately."
"Addy, I've been looking for you." Sammy said sitting in the chair next to Fiona.
"Well, you found me."
"Ryan's having a party this Friday. But a bunch of us are skipping school and going down to the old cabin his parents own. You in?" She jumped straight into the question.
"Of course she's in." Jazzy said coming up behind me.
"Yeah, who else will I pull all my moves on?" Mike said winking at me.
"I'm not sure, I mean-"
"She's in." Fiona spoke up for me and I turned to look at her. "Don't argue with me, it's a good distraction."
"Well hello." Mike said grinning and leaning on the table. "I'm Mike and you are?"
"Fiona." She blushed looking down.
"Oh sweet lord." Jazzy muttered laughing.
"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." We all burst out laughing.
"That was the cheesiest pick up line ever." Sammy said.
"You two have to come on Friday." Jazzy said pointing between Fiona and me.
"Fine." I sighed.
"Good, so it'll be us, Ryan and Reese." She grinned and I groaned.
"What?" Fiona asked.
"Her and Reese don't get on." Mike said rolling his eyes. "But really you could cut the sexual tension with a knife. Ow!" He complained when I smacked him over the back of the head. "Jeez woman, just saying." He said and moved to the other side of the table.
"Keep it to yourself." I glared at him.
"He's right though." Jazzy whispered across to Fiona who inturn looked at me.
"He's not!" I defended myself.
"He's not what?" Ryan said walking over with Reese by his side. I slapped my forehead and glared at Mike daring him to say it.
"About the sexual tension going on between her and Re-" He stopped mid sentence when my pasta hit him in the face. "Really Addy?" He asked as it fell to the floor leaving the tomato sauce splattered on his face.
"I warned you." I said putting my fork down and trying to hold my laughter.
"Just wait, I'll get you back for that." He said taking the napkin Fiona offered him.
"What was he saying?" Reese asked.
"Nothing." I answered not meeting his eyes.
"So, Friday." Jazzy said changing the subject.
The rest of lunch we talked about Friday until the bell rang. When we were all leaving for class, I noticed a peice of paper on my bag.
We still need to talk -Reese
Looking up, I met his gaze from across the canteen.
"Ready?" Fiona asked.
"Yes." I said ripping the paper up and throwing it into the bin.
Yeeeea, we still needed to talk.