It's all about TRUST

Alexis, Chapter  1

Holly and I weren’t exactly the most popular girls in the form, but that didn’t mean we weren’t great friends. We had been friends since the start of High School, but now we were best friends and were never seen separated. I would say we were more than best friends; in fact we were so close you could call us sisters!

We had arranged to go to the shopping centre today, as we both had a little birthday and Christmas money leftover that we’d been saving. Holly’s mother had objected at first, but after a lot of persuasion let her come with me. This was of course on the conditions that she had her phone on at all times and never talked to strangers. We were also to stick together and stay away from any strange looking people. Okay! Okay! We all know about safety, but how old does she think her daughter is, ten? Come on! She should at least let her come shopping with her best friend. I must admit, she is very protective over her daughter with things like that!

Anyway, it was a cheerful Saturday morning and I was just applying my make-up – a light layer of tan foundation with a hint of blusher, honey coloured eye shadow and a sweep of mascara – when Holly arrived, with her mum. If that was my mum coming with me everywhere I went, I would be mortified! I don’t know how Holly manages not to blush or get embarrassed about it!

‘Hi Holly!’ I exclaimed.

‘Hey Alexis,’ said Holly happily. ‘Are you ready to go?’

‘Yeah almost. I’ll be back in two,’ I said as I turned to sprint upstairs. I grabbed my bag, finished my make-up, and put on my favourite shoes – navy sailor-striped flats which I had teamed with a cute navy Hollister dress. I was feeling the summer vibes! My bag was a large straw tote with a pretty blue rim. I ran back downstairs, skidding on the bottom step.

Mum was talking to Holly’s mother, Lindsey in the hallway. I felt slightly awkward so I started talking to Holly in the living room. She was wearing a gorgeous floral Jack Wills dress which hugged her figure in all the right places. I wish I was as pretty as her! Holly had this perfectly wavy golden-blonde hair which shimmered in the light. Her eyes were leaf green with emerald specks and her skin had a slight warm tint to it. She hardly ever wore make-up – she didn’t need to.  I had horrible dirty mousy brown hair and greyish eyes. My skin was pale as you could get (almost).

‘Soooo, Holly…  What have you been up to lately?’ I ask absent-mindedly.

‘Nothing much, actually I’ve been quite bored. I’m kind of glad we’re back at school on Monday, ‘ she sighed. Okay, Holly didn’t have many friends apart from me, and I’ve been on holiday in France for three weeks and have only just got back a few days ago, so she wasn’t lying – she must have been really, really bored.

‘Yeah well, now it’s time for some catch up time with your best friends, Alexis!’ I replied. Holly laughed. I heard mum saying goodbye to Lindsey in the hallway, so I knew it was time to go soon. Mum came into the room when she had gone. ‘We’ll get going then,’ I said. ‘Purse, Check. Sunglasses, Check. Phone, Check. We’re off!’ I said goodbye to mum, then I pulled Holly out of the door. We needed to catch a bus in ten minutes, and the bus stop was about five minutes away . We walked up Booth Street, and turned left at the corner. I knew this route without thinking. In what seemed like no time at all, we were at the bus stop. We had a few minutes to kill before the bus came.

‘Look over there, Alexis,’ said Holly, nodding to her right.

‘Hey… I recognise him!’ I replied.

‘Yep. It’s that Tom guy from school.’

‘He’s in our year, right?’

‘Yeah…’

‘Sorry! I don’t know who every single person is in our year! Haven’t we got, like, 400 people in each year?’

‘yeah… but everyone knows Tom…’

‘Do they? Are you in a set with him?’

‘Yeah, English.’

‘Right. Is he popular or something?’

‘Yeah! He’s got loads of friends, and he had a girlfriend a few weeks back!’

‘Whoa! He doesn’t really look like that sort… does he?’

‘Well, you know…’

‘You don’t!’

‘Well… if I had a chance…’

‘You wouldn’t’

‘Well maybe…’

‘Go out with him?!’

‘Yeah!’

‘Is he single?’

‘I think so.’ Then there was this awkward silence, and the bus came and saved us.  We got a row with two seats; I sat by the window – Holly hated sitting there. Then it became even more awkward because Tom came and sat in the row opposite with two of his mates.  One of his mates, Sam, looked at us and smirked.

‘Hey look Tom, it’s the Holexis!’ said Sam. Tom looked across at us quizzically. Holly blushed. I looked away. Why, oh why do they have to be going to the same place as us? I thought boys didn’t like shopping! Oh well, hopefully we would lose them after a while. Tom’s other mate, John, looked across at us and nudged Tom.

‘You know, Tom, I think Hol likes you!’ smirked John, ‘Like you’d ever go out with her’.

‘Hmmm…’ replied Tom.

‘You wouldn’t!’ laughed John. Tom whispered something in John’s ear and his eyes popped with surprise. ‘You don’t!’ he said to Tom, seriously. Tom just shrugged and looked away. Tom and Sam started muttering.  The bus finally came to a halt outside the shopping centre. I felt saved – mainly for Holly’s sake.