The Hill Scene

Two lives

Ophelia entered her house prepared for the worst. As soon as her mother heard the front door shut, she came rushing out clearly angry. "Where have you been Ophelia!? You can't keep doing this! Who were you with this time huh!?"
"I was with..just myself, like I usually am."
"It's not that new girl in town is it? You've never been out this long before. It is isn't it? I knew she looked like trouble, I said to you-"
"I was alone, I listened and I stayed away. I promise."
"You better be telling the truth Ophelia, God hears when you lie you know and I know I didn't raise a liar." Her mother started to calm down, she couldn't have her daughter running off with any new girls. The same thing almost happened a few years ago, she had to stop her daughter from going down the wrong path, she just wants her daughter to live a normal life.
"Get up to bed it's late and you have school tomorrow." She said sternly still upset. Ophelia didn't reply, instead just doing as she was told. Her mother always used god in arguments, it sounded more like a guilt trip than faith, but that's just how her mother was. She wished her dad was here, he'd understand.

The next morning Ophelia was feeling conflicted. She really liked hanging out with Alice, but if her mother found out that she was hanging with the "strange new girl" then she'd never hear the end of it. Her mother was quite strict, if she set a rule then she expected it to be followed. Ophelia didn't want to think about either of them, she had let her mother get to her head and when she got to school, she did her best to avoid Alice as much as possible, which wasn't hard since they hardly had any classes together and when they did they were seated far away from each other. Alice didn't understand why she hadn't seen much of Ophelia that day, she assumed it was due to their classes, she'd be sure to catch up with her and hang out with her after school.
The end of school quickly arrived and Alice didn't let Ophelia slip away. Alice ran up to her in the crowded hallway and lightly grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Hey, I haven't seen you today." Ophelia just looked sad with a hint of guilt before walking away from her friend, she lived right next to the school, if her mother was watching she'd easily be able to see them together the second they left the building. "Hey wait up!" Alice called after her causing Ophelia to sharply stop and turn slightly frustrated, not with Alice but with herself. She let out a sigh. "Look, I can't hang out today. My mother doesn't want me to bother with you." Alice could tell that this wasn't easy for Ophelia to say, she clearly didn't want to be saying it at all. "Fine, then I'll go to the hill and you can go home alone and tell your mother you're going for a walk, so she won't see you with anyone, then meet me there, okay?" Ophelia thought for a moment, her mother wouldn't be convinced that she was going to be alone but at the same time she really wanted to see Alice. Ophelia nervously nodded before exiting the school, Alice waiting a few moments before doing the same and walking the opposite way towards her house.

"I'm home!" Ophelia called out to her mother. Her mother had been watching from the window, pleased to see that Ophelia wasn't with that new girl, she didn't trust her at all.
"Hey I had a long day at school, I'm gonna go for a walk okay?"
"Okay, just don't be out too late." Seeing Ophelia come out of school alone restored a bit of trust that Ophelia had listened to her, so she was more willing to let Ophelia go for a walk that day. Ophelia smiled and rushed out of the door, she hated lying to her mother but she needed her friend, it was as if she was living to lives. To her mother she was a loner who did as she was told, but to Alice she was a friend, a good friend. Ophelia ran as fast as she could, not wanting Alice to think that she wasn't coming, she ran faster, ignoring the stitch forming in the side of her stomach. She finally reached the top of the hill to find Alice laying down on the grass. Ophelia joined her on the floor underneath the willow tree, it was quite an old tree but it was pretty none the less. The pair laid in the familiar, comfortable silence for hours, just enjoying each others company, feeling no need to disturb the peace.