Justa FRIEND. GraceGervas. Copyright 2019GraceGervas

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2 Justa FRIEND GraceGervas Copyright 2019GraceGervas Alrightsreserved.No partofthisbookmaybe reproduced ortransmited in anyform orbyanymeans, electronicormechanical,and includingphotocopying, recording,orbyanyinformation storageand retrieval system,withoutthewritenpermission ofthewriter. 2

3 Thisbookisaworkoffiction;Alnames,characters,incidents, places,institutionsandbusinessentitiesinthestoryareeither fictionalorusedfictitiously. Resemblancetoanyotherworkofart,livingsituation,people (deadoralive)isapurecoincidence. 3

4 CHAPTER1 ItwasonesummermorningwhenMrs.TheresaAshton receivedacalfrom herfriendabroad,sheseemedal excitedunlikeherusualmoodswingsthatscared everyoneof.shewasaveryclassylady,faircomplexion withdarkshort-styledhair.theresawassurroundedby nothingbutelegance. Withmuchenthusiasm shefolowedherchildreninthe gardentogivethem thegoodnews"chris!carolyn darling,mayihaveamoment?"sheruntowardsthetwo siblingswhowereinthemiddleofaconversation. Carolyn,theyounger,pouted;asifsheknewthat whateverhermotherhadtosay,wasnevergoingtobe pleasant.althoughsheinheritedhermother'sbeauty, shewasabsolutelytheoppositeofher.theideaofbeing anoble-manneredladyportrayedasanexhaustion,she wasarebel. "Therecomesthequeen,IthinkI'm calingaraincheck soon!"shewhisperedtoherbrotherandtheybothtried tomakeasmile. "We'reheremom,whatisit?"Chrisrespondedlovingly, beforeexchangingaknowingglancewithcaro. "Okaymychildren,guesswhat..."Shepaused,"Doyou 4

5 rememberabigail?abbie?myfriendjulia'sdaughter?we metthem onyourtenthbirthdaychristian" Afteralongthinking,Chrisnodded,"Um...wel...I wasonlytenmother,right?...okaylet'ssayiremember her,so?" Carojumpedabruptly,"Okayeveryone!sinceIdon't knowanyebbieorwhateveri-"shegatheredherstufs buttheresacuthershort. "Abbie!It'sAbbiesweetheart!Andwheredoyouthink you'regoingcarolyn!" "Fine,Abbie!Idon'tknowher-soIdon'tthinkyouneed mehere.i'lgomakemyselfusefulsomewhereelse. Kissesbro,loveyoumom!"Sheletoutacrookedsmile andleft. "Ohthisgirl!Ithinktheremust'vebeenamistakeatthe hospital.theycould'veswitchedorswappedherwith anotherchild,ican'tbelieveshe'sactualymydaughter with-"shestoodhalfwayashereyesrestedonherson whowaslaughingheartily."mydarlingson,onlyyou understandsme!"shepathispalm. "Alrightmom,youweresaying?"Chrissnapped. "OhAbbie!Wel,thegirliscomingtomorrow.She's admitedtoyourcolegeandiwasthinkingofletingher 5

6 stayhereforfewdays.wouldyoubekindenoughtopick herattheairportdear?"theycontinuedtheconversation andintheendchrisagreed. MEANWHILE.Sarah,thecookattheAshtonresidence wasonthephonewithherdaughter,hannawhowas supposedtoarriveonthenextdayreadytostarther studiesinthesamecolegeonthecomingweek. "Godhelpmewiththischildofmine.Idon'tknowhow shemanagedtofinishhighschool!"shewasmurmuring toherselfwhenherman,thegardenerenteredthe kitchen. "What'swrongSarah.Troublewiththesoup?" "Iwishtherecipewasmyonlytroubleinthisworld.It's Hanna,She'lbeheretomorowinsteadoftoday.To thinkthationlyhadapermissionfortoday.ohwhatever. She'lhavetofindherwayhere."Shesaidinfrustration. "Isthatal?Heyrelaxwoman,Icangiveyouahand.I'l gopickherupifyou'rethatworried!" "Realy?OhHerman,I'lbeverygrateful.Hannaissuch atroublemakerthat'swhyi'm afraidtoletherwander 6

7 thecityalone."atlastitwasdecided.thenightwentby andthenewdaybegan. CHRISARRIVEDattheairportfiveminutesearlierthe flight'sarrival-time.herushedtowardsthearrivalscurb, justtorealizethathe'dlostabbie'sphonenumber.he quicklymadeacaltohismotherbutshewasn'tpicking. Decidedly,hetriedthehomenumber,yetnoone answered.frustratedly,herunahandthroughhisblack hairinsearchofanothersolution. Therewasonlyonewaygiventherunningtime,hehad touseaname-board.evidentlyhecouldn'twriteabigail onit,sinceitwasacommonname,hencewroteashton instead,hopingthatshe'dunderstand.minutespassed, alotofpassengerspassedby,somemettheirescorts, relativesandwhomeverpossibleandothersleftstraight totheexit.hiseyesstucktoanyyoungladythatwould passbutnoneofthem seemedtobeher.hetriedagain tocalatthemansionbutitwasthesame.whenhe almostgaveup,somegirldressedupinloosedenims withleatherjacketandsnickers,tappedhim onthe shoulder. "Heymister.Whostildoesthatold-fashionedgestures nowadays?don'tyouhaveacelphone?"shesnappedat 7

8 Christianwholookedalmoststartled. "Excuseme,areyoutalkingtome?"Heaskedwhile gazingaround. Shesmirkedbeforeputinghercapof,hermedium blonde-hairfeldownhershoulders.sheshookherhead alitleandliftedhereyestofacehim."ashton?"she referred,pointedlytothepieceofsignhewasholding, "Aren'tyouheretopickmeup?"Sheglaredathim "I thoughtchangingmyflightwouldsavemefrom this charade...sherealycaughtonthistime,maybei shouldchangemystrategy"shemuteredtoherself. Chrislookedflusteredforawhile,butthenrealizedthe situation."ohyoumustbeabb-"beforehecouldfinish hissentence,thatgirl'sphonebuzzedandshe immediatelyplacedafingeronchris'slips. "Ohno!It'smymother!Idon'twanthertofindoutI've arrived!"shesaidwhilestaringattheringingphone. Chrispuledherfingeraway."Whatdoyouthinkyou're doing?"hesnapped,angrily. "Sheesh!Youhaveacar,right?"Sheaskedhim andhe nodded."great,let'sgo!"anenthusiasticsmilespread herface.shepuledhim totheexitwithoutgivinghim a chancetoretaliateuntiltheyreachedtheparkinglot. 8

9 "Hey-hey...wait!Whattheheckdoyouthinkyoure doing?nobodydragsmearoundlikethisokay?"he finalyreactedbyshouting,butsurprisinglyshewasjust staringathim,unblinkingly. "What'syourname?"Sheaskedoutoftheblue. "Christian" "Christian?"Sheremainedthoughtfulforawhileasif thenamedidn'tringthebel."okaywhatever.chrisdo youknowanyrestaurantnearby?i'm famished!"she added.thistimeshelefthim completelystunned. "Pardon!" "Eatingdude!I'm hungry.where'syourcaranyway?" Forthefirsttimeinhislife,ChrisAshtonfoundhimself inthehandsofatotalweirdoofagirl.hecouldn'tsay anythingmore,otherthanfulfilinghersilyrequest. Onceattherestaurant,Heletherpickfrom themenulistand stayedasidewatchingherasifshewasn'tagirl he'dpicturedinhismindnomaterhowimperfecthis imaginationwas. "Youknow,Ithoughtyouwouldbediferent.Maybe kindof..."hebrokethesilenceashertrayofchickensaladswithfriesarived. 9

10 "Diferenthow?...Sortofapretygirl?I'm sorryto disappointyou,spendinghoursinfrontofamiroris terible!"sheprompted"heythefoodtastesgreat,are yousureyouwanttopass?"sheimmediatelychanged thesubject.sheneverceasedtoamazehim,themorehe keptscrutinizingher. "Nothanks.Huryupthen,I'lwaitforyouinthecar. I'm gonnatakecareofthebil!" "What?Holdon!"Sheurgedhim."First,I'm notleting youpayandsecond,i'm notdoneyet,howcanwegoin suchabroaddaylight." Herwordslefthim dumbfounded.hepuledachairand resumedhisseat."listengirl,i'm notheretofulfilyour litlewhims!ifyouwannastrolthecity,doitsomeother timeandwithsomeotherperson."thistimeheuseda veryharshtonebutshedidn'tseem shakenatal,her facewasexpressionless. "Isn'ttheresomethingyoulikeandhaven'tdoneina longtime?"sheasked,herlipsstretchedintoawide smile. "What?" "WhatdoyoulikeChris?Swimming?Movie?Museums? Comeon,telme!" 10

11 "Ohno!What'swrongwiththisgirl?Fine,Ilikehorseracing.I'm surethat'stheleastofyourinterest.so,shal wegonow?"chrisreplied,inaresignedmanner, obviouslytiredofherimpudence. "Iloveit!Isthereaplaceforthat?"Tohisdisgrace,she becameenthusiasticonceagain,eventhoughshe'dlied aboutlovingit. "Youdo?"Heaskedandshenoddedherhead.Hiseyes showedasmalsparkle,asiftouchedandreadytogive inbutsuddenlydarkenedagain."no,we'regoinghome andthat'sfinal"hestoodupandwalkedout. "Howlame!"shemumbledtoherselfwhilefolowing him. ShefoundChrisoutside,leaningagainsthiswhiteSUV, asulenlookonhisface.hewasgood-looking,fairheight around5'10ftorso,handsomebrunnete.she contemplatedhisfeaturesforawhileandfoundherself smiling.welheisn'tsobad,shethought.astheireyes met,heopenedthedoorreadytohopin,whenshe suddenlygrabbedhisshirt.furiouslyhereturnedtolook atherandfoundherfacesotenderandimploring. "Nowwhat?"Hesnapped. "PleaseChris,Ipromisethis'lbethelastone.Horse- 11

12 racingimean.huh?pleaseeee!" Chrissighedheavily,vividlytiredofhergames.He thoughtforawhileandreplied,"youpromise?" "Ipromise!" "Okay.There'soneatOldDerby,Getin!" "Yay!Thankyou!"Shescreamedloudlyandrunlikea child. Hetookanotherdeepsighwhileshakinghishead. "Whatapain!"Hemutered. Afterplacingtheirbets,theybothtookaseatwithother racingfansasthegamestarted.itwassonoisyas everyonekeptshoutingthenamesandnumbersofthe competinghorses. "Hey,areyousurewe'vemadearightchoice?"Thegirl askedloudlyinatempttosurpassthenoises,asthe horsetheybetonkeptlaggingbehind. "Trustme.IknowDomingowon'tletusdown!"He repliedclosertoherear,whilepayinggreatatentionto thegame.eventhatstrangegirlcouldspotthediference andfailedtoresistlaugh."what,istheresomethingon myface?" "No.Justyourfurowedbrowfrom overindulgence!" 12

13 Shekeptlaughing. "Ohcomeon.I'm onlyprotectingmymoney!" "Yeah.Suuuure!"Sherepliedsarcasticaly.Suddenly, Domingoplacedtheleadingspotandtheybothstarted shouting."yeah.there,there,comeonboy?...go!... Gooooo!Yes!"Anditapproachedthefinishlinewithan enormousspeed,thenfinishedtheraceamomentlater. Chris,withatightgrip,huggedherwithjoy,theyboth sreamedloudlybeforepulingaway,almostawkwardly. "Themoney!Let'sgogetourmoney!"Hesnappedand theybothlaughed. Oncethegamewasovertheyleftwithsomecashthey gotoutofthatluckyday.asagreedsheledthewayto thecarbutchrishadachangeofheart.thistimehe wantedtograbsomedrinksbeforetheyleft,itwasprety hot. "Heey,IthoughtyouwerenofunbutIguessyoudo haveitinyou!"sheslappedhisbackplayfulywhile chuckling. "Don'tpushitlady,orelseI'lchangemymind!"He snappedseriously "Alrightmybad!Shalwe?"Shedecidedtoplaysafe.He walkedfirstwithoutrealizingthatshewaspretending 13

14 smackinghishead. Therewasajuicebaracrossthestreetwithamazing freshsmoothies.whilehavingthefil,christookthe mostofthemomenttoaskhersomequestions. "So,areyoucomingstraightfrom South-" "No.Anddon'tyoudaretelmymother.Ilefttherea weekago."sherepliedevenwithouthearingtheful question. "What?Andwherewereyou?"Chriswasrealysurprised. Frankly,everythingaboutthatgirlkeptshockinghim. "Around.Heythiscountryisbig.Butwel,Iwentforthis summercamcamping...itwasspectacular,ihada-" Anotherphonecalfrom hermotherinterruptedher again.thistimeshedecidedtoanswer."yesmom.it's me,hanna"sherepliedandcontinued.inthewhole conversationthelookonherfacekeptchanging,andso didchris's.theybothrealizedthattherewasahuge misunderstanding.sheputthephoneasideandasked, "You?Whoareyou?" "Hanna?Isthatyourname?"Hesnappedatherandshe nodded."hanna?andnotabigail?" "Yes.Hanna.Andwhotheheckareyou?Ithoughtyou weresentby..."shetriedtoexplainbutchris 14

15 immediatelygrabbedhiscelphoneandfoundseveral missedcalsfrom hismother.hehadabriefcalbefore turninghisburningeyes. "Damnit!Youtrickedme!Areyouaphony?Whatdo youwantfrom me?money?"heaskedherangrily, alreadyonhistoes. "Pho-phony?You'recrazy.Whotheheldoyouthink youaretocalmephony!weren'tyouholdingaboard withanashton?" "Andsowhat?Youthoughtyoucouldripmeofsome moneybecausei'm anashton?" "Eh?Youmustbedelirious!Maybeweshouldcalthe police.thisiskidnapping!howdidyouknowiwasgoing totheashtonresidence?youmustbeacriminal!"hanna shouted.atthemomentalotofpeoplewerestaringat them.bothofthem lookedsuspiciousoftheother.their debatetookawhileuntiltheydecidedtocalm down. "So,accordingtoyou,you'realsogoingtomyhouse?" Chrisaskedher,atentively."Andalsoyou'reclaiming thatnannysarahsentyousomeonetopickyouupand youthoughtthatpersonwasme?" "Yessir,doIhavetowriteitdown?Apparentlyyourso calednannysarahismymother!so,whereisthatabbie 15

16 girlyoumentionendlessly?" "She'sonherwayhome,someoneelsepickedher.Wait, Areyoualsocomingfrom SouthAfrica? "Eh?Helno.I'm from SouthWales,Sidney!" "Justgreat!Andwhytheheckdidn'tyoutelmebefore!" "Becauseyouneveraskedyouidiot!"Hannarepliedand theystartedarguingaloveragain. 16

17 CHAPTER2 Laterthatday,ChrisdrovebackhomeaftertheneverendingargumenthehadwithHanna.Theybarelyspoke thewholewayasbothsulked;eachbelieveditwasthe other'sfault. Backtothemansion,Sarahwaswaitingoutside restlessly.itwasobviousthatsheknewherdaughter perfectlyweldespitebeingapartforalongtime.she jumpedwithreliefwhenshefinalysawthecar approachingthemaingate.sherushedover,impatiently, waitingforchristogetof. "Ohson,thankGodyou'rehere.Youdon'tknowhow sorryiam foralthetroubleyou'vegonethrough."sarah snappedandhegentlyputhishandsonhershoulder withasmile. "Relaxnanny!It'salright.Everythingisokaynow.Just-is sherealyyourdaughter?"hewhisperedhislast questionwithanamusedeyebrow,itevenstabilized Sarahwhosefacedrewalitlesmile.Andatthatmoment, Hannawastakingherstufsoutwhileeyeingthetwoof them withoutaword."welnanny,notawordofthisto Ms.Theresaplease...ItoldherthatIhadaflattyreand Godknowswhatelse,youknowhowhandyshecanget." 17

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