Hillside High: Book Two

Hillside High

Book Two

Emilia Lafond

© 2012 by Emilia Lafond. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

This novel is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events; to real people, living or dead; or to real locales are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. Names, characters, places, and incidents

either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and their resemblance, if any, to real-life counterparts is entirely coincidental.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/04/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-9639-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-9638-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012923085

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

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Acknowledgements

I will always begin by expressing my eternal gratitude toward my parents. Their support and love are an invaluable resource to me.

Tina Boyd, my super side-kick, has been part of my life since grade two - so long ago! She is always only a text away and has the uncanny ability to know exactly when it’s time for a real talk.

Rachel, Luc & Leila…you know who you are, you crazy cats!

Jill Edgar, (M.A. Criminology), my university roommate and gal pal, has been kind enough to supply me with tidbits of necessary information about the Canadian legal system. She is an amazing person who has given so much of her own time to help those in need, brightening the lives of many.

And thank you to the readers.

Chapter One

The sun was bright in Kelly's sleepy eyes. She awoke next to River who was still fast asleep, crunched up in the fetal position. The poor teddy bear she clutched within her death-grip was squished beyond all recognition. Try as she might, she could not remember getting into bed last night. What an odd sensation of having no recollection of falling asleep. River would have to give her a full account of the previous evening, with its mysterious and secret finale. What she did remember, however, was that River wanted to be at the library as early as possible to allow herself another full day of studying for her last exam.

River, wake up. Your exam is tomorrow and I think I hear the library calling your name. She quickly came to her senses.

Oh shit yeah. Thanks for waking me. She immediately got into high gear by throwing on the first clean t-shirt and pair of comfortable yoga pants she could find. She quickly brushed her teeth in the ensuite bathroom then rushed out of the room, only to stop and poke her head back in again. Thanks for coming over last night. I owe you one. Now I'm off to the library. I'll call you later. Oh and by the way, if you're wondering how you got to bed last night and why you are still wearing your clothes, it’s because you pretty much fell asleep right after we did our nails. Maybe the fumes knocked you out or something! You were out cold so we propped you up on the bed with a blanket. Ha ha. You're such a light weight. Big time rookie! Next time you should try to stay awake past 10 pm! Seriously. She closed the door seconds before a mini stuffed toy could hit her directly in the face. Kelly had been in the Moore’s house plenty of times and she felt perfectly comfortable being left to her own devices. She also knew that River's parents would be out until later in the afternoon as Sunday has always been church day, followed by brunch somewhere downtown. It was a family tradition that she had been made a part of, on numerous occasions. She got up, showered and then made herself an instant apple-cinnamon hot cereal breakfast. She heard Karen's voice from upstairs. Kelly had expected the diva to sleep-in until much later as she was still somewhat jet lagged and had gone to bed quite late.

I'm down here in the kitchen, she said trying not to speak with her mouth full.

Good morning Kelly. Her long hair was tied up in a loose bun at the top of her head, giving her that sexy school girl look. Only she could make an old worn out t-shirt and oversized sweat pants look good. Where is everyone? she said taking out a cigarette and lighting it. Kelly knew Mrs. Moore would have a conniption fit if she knew someone was smoking inside her house, but she opted to stay out of it.

Mr. and Mrs. Moore usually go to church on Sundays and River has already left to go study at the library.

So it's just you and me then? We will have a blast! she said, blowing smoke in the other direction. Kelly still wasn't sure how she felt about her new pal, let alone spending the entire day with her. Karen was, after all, an acquired taste.

Yep, I suppose so, she half smiled.

I never eat breakfast, but I’m turning over a new leaf. What have we got here? They ate hot cereal together and then Karen went upstairs to shower and get ready. Kelly contentedly stayed downstairs in the sunny kitchen nook reading her e-book. She adored reading and was an avid reader at that. The classics were her favourite and she was currently immersed in a Charles Dickens’ novel. An hour later, Karen came downstairs and asked Kelly if she wanted to go shopping. As she waited for an answer, Kelly looked up from her book at the naked-faced girl staring back at her. She could not believe the difference in appearance. She no longer wore the dark lip liner, lipstick, mascara, blush, false lashes or heavy foundation. She stood with her long braided hair set to one side, a touch of mineral face powder and a peachy gloss smile as sweet as honey. She looked much younger and way more innocent than when they were introduced the night before, but still managed to look strikingly beautiful.

Um, you can stop STARING at me now. I know I look like a babe in the woods!

No, really you don't. You don't look that young. Just a teensy bit younger. It suits you though! They laughed together at her awkward response. Karen brought up the clothing issue, or lack thereof.

Since I have to head home now, why don't you just wear something of mine that I brought for today and then I will just change when I get home?

What, you're going home? I thought we were shopping today! Kelly bit her lip, wondering if she could survive an entire day with this eccentric girl. She would have loved nothing more than to throw on a swim suit and head up the road with her dogs for a dip in the lake. She hoped her sister Rebecca would join her for the afternoon, but she knew from the countless rejections her sister had dished out over the past couple of months, that she would not be leaving the safe-place of her bedroom. Rebecca was going through something serious, but absolutely refused to let anyone help her in the personal plight she faced. Weighing her choices, Kelly opted on showing some courtesy and kindness to her new acquaintance.

Sure, I'll just have to stop home on the way and grab a couple of things. No biggie.

Perfect. Let's get this party started! They left the Moore residence ready to take full advantage of the beautiful weather and the beginning of summer.

The two girls spent most of the day shopping at Pinecrest Mall, where Karen had purchased a truck load of clothes. She was a retailers dream, helping each and every sales associate meet their daily, if not weekly, commission quotas. It had amused Kelly to see how seriously Karen took her shopping. She needed to ensure that colours and styles were all able to function perfectly together. The accessories were an entirely different matter! Purses, shoes, jewelry and scarves all had their own purpose and place. The vast majority of the day was simply listening to Karen’s superb and slightly unbelievable travel stories, and when Kelly wasn’t immersed in one of her tales, she found herself daydreaming about when she would be able to see Wesley again. She unfortunately hadn’t seen him since the party and that had only been for a short while. She had also noticed that his phone calls had not been as frequent as of late. Kelly had called Sylver’s place from her cell phone while Karen was forever in a change room, but there had been no response. That seemed odd; however, she didn’t give it a second thought. When Karen had finally finished her mammoth shopping spree, Kelly dropped her off at her cousin’s place. She had even briefly wondered if all the bags and boxes would fit in her car!

I had a blast with you today. I hope we can get together again soon. Like maybe tomorrow!!

Of course we will. See you later. And thanks for getting me those awesome shoes. You are too sweet. Kelly was astounded at the amount of attention that Karen procured from the male population; they had positively come out of the woodwork. She was an absolute guy magnet. Kelly hadn’t seen this many hotties since their last school dance. She decided to stop by Sylver’s on her way home, despite there not having been an answer to her calls. When she rang the bell, she was pleasantly surprised to find her friend answering the door.

Hi Sylver! You missed a few of my calls but I’m glad to find you home. Savior barked from the backyard. Let’s go for ice cream. I’m pooped from shopping all day and I feel like something creamy! They both ignored the potentially funny joke that neither of them felt like delivering. Sylver was very somber and Kelly was simply too exhausted to immediately pick up on these signals. I was Karen’s fashion pupil all day. She taught me everything there is to know about colour, cost and cut. I am now an expert at Karen’s ‘triple-c’ rules of shopping. Kelly wondered why her friend was being so evasive. Ready for your exam tomorrow?" she said becoming more aware of her friends gloomy demeanour while trying to spark some sort of conversation.

Yes, lied Sylver. I’m totally ready. She had not touched her books once all day, and she doubted anything would sink in right now anyway. She only had one thing on her mind and it was causing major interference with everything else. The only highlight of her day had been when Wesley had called. "I’ve