Elite Eight (Book 1)

Strength

Jesy was screaming at herself in her head, asking why the hell she was here. Something crazy was going on. Something she'd never felt before and did not understand at all. F*ck me f*ck me f*ck me. On the outside she kept a cool even bored expression.

Leigh-Anne was skipping towards the hammock in her backyard. She'd shown Jesy the house. This was the last spot. It was a very special place to her. One of the few she felt safe from her overbearing family. "And this is where I come to clear my head late at night . . . sometimes I write songs or poems . . . sometimes I just swing in it until I feel sleepy . . . and sometimes it's a good place to cry when I don't want anyone to hear me . . ." She'd gotten quiet towards the end of her explanation but was sure that Jesy heard it anyway.

Jesy raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any questions. "Why are you staring at me like that?" She asked feeling weird under Leigh-Anne's gaze.

Leigh grinned. "Come sit in it silly. You are the very first person who gets to sit in it with me. You're very lucky." She teased.

Jesy laughed a little. "Well of course I'm the first person I'm just that important."

Leigh-Anne rolled her eyes. "Sure."

It took a while for them to settle in the hammock as Leigh-Anne kept falling off when they were trying to get in. They were now lying side by side and swinging lazily. There was comfortable silence for a bit. Leigh-Anne felt calm. Having someone who wasn't going to guilt her into submission just laid next to her in her favourite place was soothing. She'd felt like she was locked in a tower for the past year. But just being next to Jesy who was so . . . strong . . . It was freeing.

"We should share secrets." Leigh suddenly said excitedly. This might have been the only moment she'd get to pretend that she had a real best friend to talk to again. She felt like she might have a breakdown when Jesy left so she wanted to make the most of it.

"What is this? Kindergarten?" Jesy asked in a bored voice.

Leigh-Anne giggled. "Come one. I know you like me Jesy. Tell me something about you nobody else knows."

Jesy sighed wondering if she should go through with this game. I'm already here . . . what could it hurt really? She thought this even as another voice in her head answered that question. The answer was scary but she ignored it. I have no fears. "Mmmm" She hummed thinking. "Something that no one knows about me . . . is that . . . I once dated a Prince." Dated is actually a strong word.

Leigh's mouth popped open. "You're kidding." She was thinking of all the Disney Princes from the movies and tried to picture Jesy next to them.

Jesy smirked. "I did . . . it was a couple years ago."

"How'd you end up doing that?"

"My dad paid me to. I was on vacation with him -well I mean he was working but Mum was forcing us to bond . . . Anyway his company struck oil somewhere they were checking out but it was just across the border on some tiny European country's land. It was ruled by a monarchy just like in them fairy-tales and my old man asked me to go on a date with the prince in order for them to have a better chance at getting permission to keep digging there." She shook her head. "It was pretty fun."

"Ohmygosh. Was he super handsome?" Leigh asked amazed. It was like Jesy got cooler by the second.

"Actually he was pretty cute. I mean not cuter than me if that's what you're thinking." She winked.

Leigh-Anne giggled. "Okay, okay . . . I'll tell you one of mine . . . It's not as cool as yours but here goes; I've got a huge stash of candy under my bed. It's a secret." She put her finger to her mouth.