So this is a new story I'm working on (: here's the first chapter, please review I'd love to hear suggestions.
"SUMMARY: Aubrey Moore is an elite at East Gate; nothing in her life could be more perfect. Well, that was until the mysterious death of her best friend Ashley Brown and before Aubrey learned that nothing stays secret forever."
Clear your mind.
Imagine you’re enjoying your last weeks of the summer leading up to Year Ten. Year Ten where you will have to start preparing for your GCSE’s and doing pointless of pages upon pages of coursework. Year Ten where teachers try to force you to do volunteer work, and behind that sweet smile you give them as you nod, you’re really thinking ‘per-lease’.
Image that.
Now imagine that you’re spending the last few days with your best friend, your sister, your other half. Your friend that you’ve known for basically your whole life; the friend you grew up with and played ‘school’ with, the friend you cried to after your first crush told you they didn’t like you, the friend you cried to when that group of boys on the street started shouting bad things at you but that same friend that you shared endless memories and jokes with.
“Aubrey!” Aubrey squeezed her eyes together so that she could only see black then turned around to face the small girl standing before her.
Mia Barkley had short blonde biker girl hair that ruffled off the top of her shoulders. She was clutching a ton of Tesco bags in her right hand and her smile had flipped into a frown after seeing Aubrey.
“Aubrey, what the –? I thought you said you were busy today.” Mia spat out the words in pure disgust as she turned and screwed Ashley Brown, Aubrey’s best friend. Ashley returned the look, and the tiny girl who fed the look flipped her lightening blue eyes back to Aubrey. “Well?” She demanded.
“I… am busy…” Aubrey smiled, signalling to Ashley. Aubrey knew that that wouldn’t be a good enough excuse for ditching Mia, because, well, she was always ditching Mia. She was always ‘busy’ when Mia asked her to go shopping, or to have a sleepover, or to go to a family party with her.
“That’s what you call busy? I thought you meant family busy. Since when did you set up a date with Ashley?”
“Since last year, Mia.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Yeah – right.” A silence followed after Aubrey had shouted out her retaliation. “Me and Ashley always have sleepovers on the last day of school! Ashley is my best friend.”
Mia’s face resembled one of a person whose heart had just been punctured.
“I thought I was you best friend…” She muttered.
Aubrey’s mouth opened and closed twice like a jelly fish as she stared at the five foot Mia who was now looking towards the pavement. Was it worth it to lie just to make her happy? Or should she have just been bold?
Aubrey always found it hard trying to please people and trying to tell the truth at the same time.
“You are also my best friend, Mia.”
“Okay…” Aubrey contemplated putting her hand over Mia’s shoulder for comfort for a bit before Ashley shoved her in the back and hissed at her to hurry up.
“Well, bye.” As Aubrey walked away from the small blonde girl staring down at the pavement, he mouth curled into a smile. Ashley joined her in seconds, she was already in hysterics.
“‘Well bye’?” She giggled as they crossed over the road to Aubrey’s large house. “Talk about awkward.”
“Talk about annoying!” Aubrey unlocked the door and switched on the lights as they entered the passage way. “Parents must be out…” She mumbled.
Aubrey made her way quickly up the stairs and Ashley followed behind her, then Aubrey threw open the door to her room and just before she could run over and jump on her double bed, Ashley came zooming past her. Ashley sprung into the air, landed on the bed with a thump and spread her arms out wide.
“Ah! Home sweet home!”
“Ashley!” Aubrey giggled, walking over and taking a seat next to her best friend.
“Sorry.” Ashley said hastily. “Ah! Mia sucks!”
“Ashley!” Aubrey laughed, again.
“Let’s be honest.” Ashley sat up on the bed and threw one of her brown hairs behind her ears. Ashley was very pretty. She was very tall and very skinny and had gotten many modelling offers before in her life, although what she was really interested in was sport.
She was the opposite of Aubrey, yet they bonded so well. Aubrey was smaller, taller than Mia, but still small. She was constantly changing her hair; one second she’s have it in braids, the next she’d have it out with thick bangs, but she always kept it black. Aubrey was one of those people who was clueless when asked what she wanted to do with her future. It was hard living up to a Dad who was a mayor and a sister who was worshiped by the whole Moore family for her brains.
“Mia.” Ashley began, strolling back down the stairs and moving her hands like a teacher would. “Is a freak.” Ashley pointed her finger to Aubrey who was trailing behind her. “Exhibit, A.” Aubrey cracked up whilst Ashley continued her piece.
“I.” Ashley said, struggling to keep her face straight. “Am just too cool, therefore, Mia feels the need to be jealous of me, I don’t blame her – many are. So she decided to go for you.” Ashley paused as she sat down on her sleeping bag.
Ashley always had a sleeping bag stored at Aubrey’s house. They were constantly having sleepovers, and Ashley always preferred it to be at Aubrey’s. Aubrey was the more privileged one; her parents were hardly ever in but there was always money around. Aubrey’s home really was Ashley’s second home.
“But, even you, my dear Exhibit A, are too cool for the ugly, short, clingy, rude, stupid byatch – Mia Barkley. Do you get what I mean?” Aubrey didn’t reply to Ashley’s comment. Although deep down inside Aubrey knew she really disliked Mia, she didn’t like to talk about Mia in that way. Mia wasn’t lonely, she had her own group of followers, but Aubrey could never help but feel bad for constantly ditching her.
Aubrey couldn’t even imagine a sleepover with Mia, they never had proper conversations; it was really just Mia talking about her life. She didn’t feel comfortable around Mia as she felt around Ashley, but then again, she didn’t feel as comfortable around anyone as she felt around Ashley.
“So…” Said Ashley, leaning back on her sleeping bag and taking out a half finished packet of crisps that were crumpled up in her pocket to munch on. “Joe Montello.”
“So… what?” Aubrey said, moving her hands over to wipe the crumbs from Ashley’s mouth. Ashley could be a real pig.
“How many years now has it been since you got yourself the most perfect Italian boyfriend? Veuillez qui.”
Aubrey didn’t plan on answering the question, though she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. Joe Montello was the perfect boyfriend. Aubrey would never forget that day when they were twelve at the school disco where he had called her into the corner and asked her out. At the time it was a first, people would usually send notes to ask someone out then dump then the next week.
But not Joe.
“Oohh!” Ashley’s sudden squeal made Aubrey jump up from her fantasy; her best friend was now sitting up on her duvet, cross legged and concentrating deeply on a text message she was typing.
“Who’s that to?” Aubrey teased, trying to move her head around to see the text.
“No one…” Ashley snapped the phone shut sharply and thrust it back into her jean pocket. Aubrey surveyed her suspiciously, but forgot about it… Forgot about it like all the other times she had been forgetting about it lately.
Ashley had been acting strange. She was always talking about the fun days she’d had with her new friend ‘Shannon’, she was always text messaging away in a corner. She always seemed to be hiding something.
But Ashley was Ashley.
“Hey girls.” Aubrey heard her older sister slam her keys down onto the counter and saunter into the living room. Aubrey loved and loathed Andrea Moore at the same time. She loved her unconditionally, she loved how she had her to speak to and she loved how they could tell each other anything.
But she loathed her because Andrea was always better at everything. Andrea was always prettier, taller, her stomach always toned. She never had spots, she never had hairy legs and at the same time she was a genius.
She had ruled East Gate High before she went off to six-form, yet she still managed to be incredibly smart and pull off all A*’s and A’s on her GCSE’s.
It took a couple of moments for Aubrey to realize the look of jealousy she had been giving her sister and snap out of it. Andrea, who didn’t seem to notice, spread out her arms wide for Ashley who instantly bounded up and fell into them.
Another reason Aubrey loathed her; because Ashley, her best friend, seemed to love her just as much as everyone else.
“Aubrey, what’s wrong?” Andrea asked, sitting down on the sofa behind them and taking one of Ashley’s crisps. Andrea was wearing a v-neck white top, black leather jacket and regular skinny jeans, the outfit showed off her curves and a few other places. It was hard to find Andrea not made up with tons of make up. It was hard to find Andrea not looking beautiful.
“Nothing…” Aubrey squealed, moving forward to give her sister a quick hug.
“We were actually just talking about Joe…” Ashley cut in, her lips curling. Andrea’s face turned into a sympathetic smile.
“Aww…”
“I hate it when people say that…” Aubrey slurred. “Anyways…” She didn’t want to talk about Joe. She never really wanted to talk about Joe with anyone; she liked to keep her thoughts to herself. “Where were you Andrea?”
“Is that any of your business, little sis?” Andrea snapped back in a way that was still loving, she brought her manicured hands over and ruffled the tops of Aubrey’s hair. Aubrey sighed and she organized her bangs back into place.
Andrea didn’t seem to observe this and instead began flicking threw East Gate’s daily that was lying on the coach, with a regular supply of “Ugh!”’s and “Arrgh!”’s. Aubrey could guess why.
Aubrey’s Dad was the mayor of East Gate. East Gate was a small place of course, it was no London, and there was no news. So there were times when they’d turn their focus to the Moore family. The whole Moore family, probably apart from Aubrey’s Dad, hated being semi-famous. They hated the lies that East Gate’s daily came up with about them; they hated the neighbours that always gossiped about them.
The whole Moore family, definitely minus Aubrey’s Dad, hated that fact that he was hardly ever home.
Aubrey sighed at her wondering thoughts again and stared up to her older sister.
“What does it say?”
“Complete shit.” She snapped back immediately, turning the page over so fast it ripped. Aubrey knew not to say anymore.
After flicking through the newspaper, Andrea stood up and stormed out of the room; of course this was not before being called back by Ashley, who begged her to stay for a while, because Andrea was so perfect according to the world.
Ashley grabbed the magazine that Andrea had left abandoned of the sofa and began to read the headlines aloud.
“‘East Gate’s star family’s oldest daughter, Andrea, gaining some weight?’ Hm, hm! ‘Mayor Moore slacking on his jobs in East Gate’s as stabbings rise?’ Hm, hm!”
“Stop that Ashley.” Aubrey couldn’t help but say.
“Oh, wait, here’s one about you.” Ashley’s eyes lit up as she came to the headline, but that light was instantly lost. “‘Aubrey Moore roaming the streets at night with an unidentified friend.’”
Silence flooded into the living room as Andrea carefully placed the newspaper article back on the sofa and slid back into her comfortable position on her sleeping bed.
“Always the unidentified friend.” She mumbled, picking at her already chapped nails.
“Hey, I didn’t write it.” Aubrey justified as not one ounce of her really cared. She never understood why being referred to as the unidentified friend made Ashley so upset, after all, it was true. After all, Ashley wouldn’t have liked to have been in Aubrey’s shoes, hearing crap and lies everyday.
Aubrey would have liked to be the unidentified friend.
“Whatever.”
“No need to be rude now.” Aubrey laughed to herself, moving over to the sleeping bag that she would be staying in during their sleepover.
“‘No need to be rude now.’” Ashley mimicked, and this time neither of the girls were laughing.
“How old are you Ashley, five?”
“How old is your sister Aubrey, eighteen?” Ashley had sat up from her sleeping bag now and was digging her bright green eyes into Aubrey’s alert brown ones. Aubrey knew what she meant, of course she did.
“Shut up Ashley.”
“Make me.”
“Grow up Ashley.”
“You should try that, too, Miss Aubrey.” Aubrey shook her head. There was so much she wanted to say to Ashley; but would it be considered too mean?
“Ashley I’m so sick of you always being moody. What is it now? Just because they called you the unidentified friend? Well – it’s true! No body knows you, Ashley.”
Ashley’s retaliation was fast, “and nobody would know you if it wasn’t for you famous Daddy, Aubrey.” Ashley stood up off of her sheets and Aubrey did the same.
Before Aubrey could speak, Ashley started, “you basically have everything handed to you Aubrey and your families still messed up! Your damn eighteen year old sister is pregnant.”
“People make mistakes, Ashley.”
“You are forever whining about your Dad not being home, oohh Daddy this, Daddy that - can’t you just be grateful for all that he’s given you?”
As Aubrey stared into the blazing eyes of an outraged Ashley, she felt something towards her that she had never felt for Ashley before.
“Well what about your Mum?” Aubrey spat, throwing her hands in the air. “And Mr. Monroe, eh? And I know you know what I mean, Ashley.”
“I don’t care.” Ashley retaliated confidently. “I’m not my Mum, am I? But I bet you’ll be like your sister, except a dumber version. I mean, look at you – already in a three year relationship when your fifteen.”
Aubrey froze… and then she charged. She wanted to hurt Ashley, she wanted to make her cry, she wanted to tear her hair, she wanted to scratch her and leave bruises. Ashley knew enough about Aubrey to bring out things that nobody else knew, things that hurt Aubrey the most.
But Aubrey stopped herself, Aubrey could never beat up Ashley; of course not… but she could kick her out of her house. Aubrey grabbed Ashley by the shirt and started to pull her out; she stopped herself from screaming as Ashley tore towards her and hit her and scratched her.
“Get the hell out of my house.” Aubrey shouted through Ashley screams, she opened the door with all her might although Ashley tried to push it back.
And then the next thing she knew it was closed, and she was crouched in front of the door crying. Her and Ashley had argued, but they had never tried to hurt each other.
Aubrey contemplated re opening the door… but Ashley could have been gone by then, and there was something else Aubrey was too scared to find.
But she didn’t tell the police what she was scared to find the next day when they interviewed her, after they had announced that Ashley’s body was found near by in East Gate’s park and that she had suffered a stabbing to her head.
“I have no clue what might have happened.” She told them warily, still trying to grasp the story. “Ashley told me she was going down to the shops for some sweets… and she just never came back.”
