The Girl Next Door

Chapter 18

By the next morning, Leigh-Anne felt more like herself. She had been feeling okay from since last night and had told her mother that she would go to school but she felt even better now.

"Jesy! Jesy! Good morning Jesy!" Leigh called out the window. She did not sound as peppy as usual but she was trying. Her brain kind of felt tired from all of the emotions she had been feeling.

Jesy's eyes opened at the sound of Leigh's voice. She had not heard it in so long. "Bucky!" She called in a little voice. She ran to her window and opened the curtains. Her brother was already at work. He usually left at four.

"Hi! I'm so sorry about being all boring and mopey yesterday and the day before. I was . . ." She made gestures at her head. "I feel a lot better now though." Leigh held up her medicine. "Thanks to this bad boy. And to think I used to hate it so much." She laughed.

Jesy was clapping for her. She could not describe how happy she felt to see Leigh-Anne. The girl looked kind of messy but it was cute. Her eyes were bright through her bed hair. "Keep taking them Leigh. When you don't it makes me sad."

Leigh-Anne pouted. She loves me! She cares about my health! Ahhhhh! "Aww, okay Jesy. Alright." She said dreamily placing an elbow in the window sill. "I dreamt of you last night."

Jesy frowned. "What?"

Leigh's eyes bulged. "What? Huh? That must have been a bird." She started looking out as if there really had been a bird.

Jesy laughed. "Boy did I miss your awkward ass. You and all of your lying."

Leigh-Anne's face became pink. "Shut up." She mumbled. Her spirits felt lifted to their normal height. "How have you been babe?"

Jesy smiled. "I've been great." She did not want to bum Leigh out by talking about what Jade and Perrie did yesterday. "I know how you've been but how do you feel now?"

Leigh stuck herself out the window and spread her arms. "I feel like I can fly!"

"Shit so this is a manic phase?" Jesy was referring back to what she had searched the day before.

"No. I always feel that way silly." Leigh-Anne laughed giddily.

Jesy nodded with a forced smile feeling sorry for Leigh's family who probably found it difficult to tell when the girl was in a manic phase. "I am so glad to hear that. Could you go back in more before you fall please?"

"Why? Why Jesy? I like being like this." Leigh-Anne was doing a dance with her head out the window.

"No uh . . . go back. You know how clumsy you are." Jesy was shooing at her.

"Leigh?"

Leigh-Anne nearly fell out and screamed. "Are you trying to kill me?!" She turned around and saw her mother. "Oh . . . good morning Mum." She got up and ran to her side and hugged her. She then dragged her to the window. "Look Mum. Jesy loves me again. She's decided to ignore her brother's and friends' advice. Yay!"

Mrs. Pinnock shook her head. "The way that you put that was so wrong." She wrapped an arm around Leigh. "Hello Jesy. How are you?"

Jesy waved shortly. "I'm all good. Just waiting for the old sprain to heal."

The mother cringed. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay." Jesy shrugged. "I'm strong stuff."

Leigh pulled away from her mother to get something from under her bed. She returned with her camera and her dog following her.

"Aye look the shit dog still exists. Where has he been?" Jesy was pointing at the dog.

Mrs. Pinnock frowned. "Excuse me?"