Girl Trouble (Completed) by Ayesha Azhar (miss read books TXT) 📕

 ''Hey, Steph, over here"

Mandy waved at me as I made my way over to the cafeteria. Mandy McHugh is my best friend, as in my only friend. She has blue eyes and tanned skin whereas I have pale white skin. She’s really bold, totally opposite of me. I am very nervous and as much as I hate to admit it, I am much of a coward, afraid of almost everything like spiders and dark rooms. But surprisingly, I never get bullied. I made my way over to her.

"Steph! You are late, auditions for Sustenance are about to start. Come on" She took my hand and led me to the gym. I stopped.

"Mandy, you know I will never get a part, you will get the lead role, you always do, but me......" I sighed. Mandy gently took my hand.

"I had a different idea for you, I thought you might like to join the stage crew since you are fabulous at painting"

I brightened up at the idea instantly. After all I was the daughter of Charls Moore, a well known artist, so it was only natural that I would have that talent too. So while Mandy wrote her name down for the lead role of Sandy, I wrote mine down for the stage crew. though it did hurt me to know that Mandy hadn’t even considered that I could get a part in the play, if I practiced hard enough. I mean, I know I am not that great an actor, but I COULD have got a minor part. But, oh well, Mandy knew me so well; she must have thought that I wouldn’t even want a part. And I didn’t really; stage crew was good enough for me.

Mr. Owens, our cast director knowing how good I was at art selected me as the President of the stage crew. I was in charge of building the sets. I was quite happy. Mandy wasn't so happy though, she was afraid that she might not get the lead role.

"Don’t be stupid, Mandy, so far you are the most likely person to be selected and does anyone else even want the role of Sandy?" I asked as we ate sundaes in the California Dream Parlor. She didn’t reply.

"Maaaandy"I started “Are there any other competitors you are worried about?"

"Well" she replied, "There’s Ashley John and she’s a real pro"

"She may be excellent but you were lead last year too, remember"

"Yeah, guess I am worried about nothing". Just then we saw Ashley coming towards us, smiling sweetly at Mandy. She came and stood in front of her.

"Hey, I heard you are auditioning for Sandy too,"

  "Yes, I am." Mandy replied.

"I am glad, a little competition is always good for the health, and it’s going to be really interesting now"

    "Oh, really?"Mandy said sarcastically, “You’re not worried I might get the role of Sandy, and you won’t?"

"Umm...No, you see you might be good at acting, but I’m better. I KNOW I’ll get the role, so there’s no need for me to worry, its going to be a great competition though"

"You’ve got it a little wrong there, Ashley, seeing as I was lead last year, I’m most likely to be the lead this year too “Mandy said.

"That’s just the case, Mandy, you were lead last year too, but not again, time changes, and with it people too, there are new faces, and there will be a new face this time too"

I sat quite still through this exchange, I don’t really like interfering in other peoples matters, I have got enough troubles of my own, but seeing as this was something in which my best friend was involved, I had to say something.

"Well, you guys, “I started “None of you know who will win, I mean, you can’t be sure, If you are as good as you say you are, Ashley, then it IS going to be an interesting competition, but why worry about it now?"

Mandy and Ashley both turned towards me, they had been quite lost in their own worlds, and they must have forgotten that I was there too.

“And who may you be?" Ashley asked quite rudely.

"None of your concern."Mandy said, I shot her a look, whatever would it matter if I told Ashley my name?

  “I’m Stephanie Moore."I said, extending my hand.

"Ashley John," Ashley shook my hand “Nice to meet you"

"Well, nice to meet you too," I said, and received a glare from Mandy, “So let’s forget all about this, okay? The best actor will get the role of Sandy, so you both can’t do much except practice hard."

"Yup, there’s no doubt in that. May the best actor win."Ashley nodded.

"Yes. May the best actor win."Mandy repeated.

"Brittany, you are the clothes designer, since you know so much about fashion"

It was morning, some days later, and I was busy handing out jobs for the stage crew, when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around. 

"Jake?!"I cried out in surprise.

"Great surprise, huh?"Jake grinned.

Jake Wilson had been my best friend in my old school, The Educators, that was years ago, I had not seen him since the last two years, but still, I recognized him immediately.

"What are you doing here? You’re not in trouble, are you?"I asked.

"Nope, I just changed schools like you and I thought I could also join the stage crew in Sustenance."He said.

"Great” I said enthusiastically, “We need more members anyway, but when did this happen, I mean, when did you transfer?"

"Just this month, must have been two days."

"Wow," I was surprised, "How come I never saw you around?"

"Well, you have seen me now, anyways, I kind of found some new friends so I hung out with them."

"Oh, someone I know?"

"I don’t know. You know Ashley John?"

"Yeah." I nodded, how could I forget Ashley? Mandy had been driving me crazy about it, constantly worrying that she would not get the lead. As if.

"Well, so it’s her and some of her friends."

"Hey, good start."I thumped Jake on the back lightly, "You made friends so quickly, it took me ages."

   "I didn’t really make friends."

"What do you mean?"

    "Nothing, anyways, want to hang out somewhere today?"

"Umm.....okay," I nodded, “I’ll meet you .Later."

"Later."

Jake waved and then left the auditorium. I got up too and after giving instructions to the other members to be at the auditorium early morning tomorrow, I left the auditorium too.

I went over to the clothes room. Mandy sat there, looking upset.

"Mandy? What’s the matter?"

"That same old Ashley problem" She replied matter of factly.

"What Ashley problem?"

"Don’t pretend, Steph, you know what I’m talking about, I saw Ashley practicing today, she’s really good."

  "Well then, that’s good, isn’t it? There’ll be a tough competition."

"Good? Are you mad, Steph? Her being good means that she has a very good chance of being the lead."

  "You have too, Mandy."

"She's better than me, what if she wins?"

"She might, but maybe if you spend your time practicing, instead of spying on your opponents, there won’t be a chance of her getting the lead."

"What do you mean, spying? I was just passing and I happened to see her, Steph. Nothing more to it."

"Okay, good, forget it. I don’t think you should be too worried, Mandy, I mean you are a good actress, what’s more to it?"

"You don’t know, Steph."                           

"Enlighten me then."

"Not now."

"Well, you’re right about that. I need to go, but we WILL talk about this later, Mandy."I said, putting on my coat.

"I wanted to go see a movie with you today, Steph."Mandy said in a small voice.

"Oh. l am so sorry, but you see, Jake Wilson, he was my best friend in my last school, he’s here and I promised to meet him, so I’ll have to go."

"Steph, don’t go, please."

"Whatever’s the matter with you, Mandy? Jake was my best friend, I have to meet him."

"He WAS your best friend, Steph; I am your present best friend. You should be spending more time with me."

"I hate it when you get so possessive, Mandy, and anyways, don’t you have to complete your history homework today?"

"Ughh..Oh don’t bother, go on, have fun with your new best friend!!"Mandy screamed and stormed out of the room.

I didn't know what was wrong with her. I couldn't believe that she had walked out on me as I looked at her disappearing figure.

        Well, whatever. I didn't care about Mandy’s anger. I mean, this was nothing to be angry about.She was just being possessive. What was the use now waiting here? She wasn’t going to come back. I had better go and meet Jake. I locked the door and turned to leave. I was quite fuming at Mandy by the time I was eating sundaes with Jake at the California Dream Parlor.       

"So, how did you end up in my school?"I asked dipping the spoon in my cup.

"Well....."

"Well what? Tell me."I insisted.

"It was actually Ashley; I don’t know where I would be without her."

"Ashley? What do you mean? You have only just come to know her.”

"No, Steph, Ashley has been my best friend ever since she came in The Educators."

"So, you mean you’ve always known Ashley?"

"Well, not always, Steph. Ashley came at The Educators soon after you left ,and she soon became my best friend, well, she has that personality, Steph, which makes a person want to like her."

     When did Ashley's personality come into this?

   "Just tell me about her, Jake, so she’s your best friend or she just was?"

"She was my best friend after you, Steph, she is, now even. We used to do everything together, and then Ashley won a scholarship. She was so happy that day when she found out that she had won the scholarship."

    "Wait! You mean to say Ashley got admitted in this school through a scholarship?"

    "Yes,  Steph." Jake nodded, "She wouldn’t have been able to afford the high fees otherwise. Getting admitted in this school was quite important for her, Steph, this is an acting school, it was her dream come true, she always wanted to be an actor."

    "Oh," this was all quite new to me. Ashley was poor? Of all the mysteries in the world, this was most surprising, she definitely had not looked poor; that day she had met Mandy and me.

"Is she like really poor?" 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

  "Oh, nothing. So when she transferred, you did too?"

"Yes, she was my best friend, we went through so much together, I couldn’t remain in The  Educators without her."

"So much as in what?"

"Sorry, can’t tell you, Steph."

Why did no one wanted to tell me anything nowadays? Mandy hadn’t told me whatever it was about Ashley which frightened her, and now this.

"Oh, so are you two kind of like a thing?"

"No! Ashley is just my best friend."

Suddenly my eye caught something, there was Ashley, sitting in a far end booth with some of her friends whom I didn’t recognize. She came over when she saw Jake and me.

"Jake?"She exclaimed, "What are you doing here with Stephanie?"

"Manners, Ash."Jake smiled, "I would like to officially introduce you to my friend, Stephanie Moore."

 I just stared, so did