Addison's Hero

The weekend passed in a blur for Addison, before she knew it, it was Sunday evening and she was preparing herself for school the next day.

She had spent most of Saturday and Sunday morning in the main living room with her aunt Rachel, just talking and looking through old photos of Rachel and Addison’s mum, Shelly, when they were kids. It had been nice. Addison liked having someone to talk to about her mum. From the way Rachel was acting as well, Addison guessed that she needed the comfort too.

Addison hadn’t really seen much of her cousin, Lacey, other to say hello and how are you, that was all. Addison couldn’t believe the change in her cousin though. When she had last seen Lacey, it must of been four or five years ago, she had been small and skinny, rather boyish looking. Now, however, Lacey was all curves and legs. Her blonde hair was perfect and her make up looked like it had been applied by a make up artist. Addison was shocked at the change in her and felt that she and Lacey couldn’t be more different from each other.

Addison knew that she was ok looking, not glamours like her cousin but she knew that she could pass for pretty. She had long brown hair that she was forever forgetting to trim, was of average height and medium build. Her best feature, she thought was her bright blue eyes, the only trouble with them, she had found though, was that they tended to give away her feelings and thoughts. Her father often said that she could be read like a open book, by looking into her eyes.

At the thought of her father, Addison felt the big grey cloud that had been hanging above her head for the past few weeks came back, full force and her heart felt heavy.

She looked around the room her aunt had showed her to on Friday night, it was a nice girly room, a guest room that was now hers. It was on the small side with a single bed and a desk. She had a small closet but no en suit. She had to share the family bathroom with Lacey.

Addison had made the room look more lived in though, by placing photos of her friends, back in England, around the place. Addison had also place a photo of her mum and dad on her night table but soon had to put it away in a drawer. It hurt her eyes to look at it, it was enough to know that it was there.

A sudden knock at the door had her jumping in shock and she turned on the bed to see who it was.

Rachel hobbled into the room on her crutches and smiling came to sit next Addison on the bed.

‘How you doing?’ Rachel asked her. Addison was getting a little tired of her aunt asking that question now. It had been nice at first but now it was just annoying.

Addison nodded her answer, but didn’t say anything.

‘Right,’ Rachel continued. ‘Well, I’ve been thinking. You only got here Friday and tomorrow you’ll be starting a new school. Me and Ben were talking and if-if you want to wait a week before you go, that’s ok with us. We can understand you need time to adjust and settle in.’

Addison listened to her aunt and thought about what she had said. It would be so easy to agree and say yes, that’s what she wanted to do, but that wouldn’t solved anything. She’d have to go to school eventually and it’d be better to do it sooner rather then later. And anyway Addison was a good student, she liked school.

‘If you don’t mind, Aunt Rachel. I’d like to go tomorrow. Having another week off would just be wasted time. All I would do, whilst staying off, would be to think about things and at least if I’m at school my mind would be occupied,’ Addison said, giving her aunt a small smile.

‘Well if your sure, dear?’ Rachel said, frowning. Addison nodded her head. ‘Well, ok then. At least Lacey will be a nice familiar face for you,’ she said and Addison wondered, somehow, the impression Addison had got so far from Lacey hadn’t been a friendly one.

Not long after Rachel had left Addison’s room the door opened suddenly, this time without a pre-warning knock and her cousin walked in. Lacey closed the door behind her and then just stood, arms folded looking at Addison.

‘Right!’ she said, her blue eyes shooting sparks in Addison’s direction. ‘Let’s get some things straight, ok?’

Addison stood there, her mouth open in slight shock, as she listened to the other girl.

‘I’ve just had to listen to my mom and dad go on and on about how I need to help you to fit in. Well!’ she continued. ‘That’s not going to happen! No way! You... You can do what you like, be what you like, just don’t get in my way, ok?’ Before Addison could reply Lacey carried on again, her arms moving and waving as she carried on with her little rant.

‘I’m it at school, I’m the queen bee. Everybody wants to know me and hang with me and to do so is a privilege. At school, I do not know you, don’t speak to me, don’t talk about me and do not try to hang with me. Me and you, we’re completely different and I’ll not have you and your bookish ways bring down the rep I’ve been working hard at building up over the last four years.’ Lacey sent Addison a stern look. ‘Got it?’ she asked.

Addison looked at her cousin and didn’t know quite what to say. So she just nodded her head.

‘Good,’ Lacey said and waltzed out of the room.

When she had gone Addison sat down on her bed again and shook her head. Lacey really needed to take a chill pill, she thought. She didn’t understand what had made her cousin think that Addison would want to hang out with her anyway. Anybody who saw them would be able to tell that the only thing the two cousins shared was age.

Addison had known that moving here wasn’t going to be easy and she had not expected to be best friends with Lacey but when then had been little, the few rare times they had seen each other, they had sort of got along. Addison guessed that, that was just what time did, it changed people.

Whatever happens tomorrow, Addison just wanted to get through the day. School was something she was good at, she always got good grades and she was a friendly girl, she was sure that it wouldn’t be long before she made a friend or two. Even if she didn’t get close to anyone, that didn’t matter as long as she had a few people to talk too.

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When Addison got up the next morning she felt sick. Nerves ate away at her but she kept them to herself, giving her aunt and uncle bright, cheerful smiles at the breakfast table. She managed to eat some toast but it tasted like charcoal in her dry mouth.

‘So, is Addie going to catch a ride with you and the girls, this morning?’ Rachel asked her daughter when she came down the stairs.

Addison had to look at Lacey twice, her whole outfit looked like she had stepped out of the fashion pages of a glossy magazine. She wore white crop pants with small navy blue kitten heels. A blue and white striped baggy top that hung off one shoulder and a blue scarf tied at her long neck. Addison had to admit that her cousin had style. She looked down at her own outfit and felt like wallpaper. Addison was wearing a smart denim skirt and plain white t-shirt, she wore flat white shoes and had her favourite cardie to finish the whole outfit off.

Addison had spent ages the night before, painstakingly going through her small collection of clothes to find something half decent to wear. She was use to wearing a uniform to school, not really bothering to look stylish, just neat...

‘No, Claire has to take her little sister and her friend too, there won’t be enough room in the car, sorry. Got to go, see you later!’ With that she picked up a apple out of the fruit bowl on the table and shot out of the bak door.

‘Oh, well. I can drop you off, Addison,’ Ben said. ‘On my way to work.’

‘Thanks, uncle Ben,’ Addison replied. When she looked at her aunt Rachel it was to find the older women looking toward the door Lacey had just exited out of. She was frowning and Addison wondered what was on her mind to make her look that way.

It didn’t take long for Ben to drive Addison to school, when he pulled up into the car park Addison’s nerves really started to play games with her. Her palms started to sweat and her heart was beating madly.

‘Want me to come in with you?’ Ben asked from the drivers seat.

‘NO!,’ Addison turned to look at him in horror. ‘No, I mean, no, thank you. I’ll be ok.’

Ben chuckled as Addison made herself get out the car. ‘I know you will,’ he said. ‘You’re a strong girl, Addison. You can cope with anything.’

As Addison walked up the steps leading to the main entrance of what looked like to her a maze of a school, she thought about what her uncle had said. She wondered if that truly was how people saw her. She was quite a strong character, yes, but she still found it hard sometimes. Her uncle had said she could cope with anything, was he referring to her parent’s death. Addison didn’t think she had coped with it very good in the beginning, since having to move had took up a lot of her time and thoughts, she hadn’t really been dwelling on it, She had been avoiding thinking about it, if that made sense. But she still found it hard. Everyday the loss of them still broke her heart. She was coping because that was what you had to do. You could not, not cope. Not if you wanted to live. She was just going through the motions.

She mad her way slowly into the school building. It really was big and students and teachers where milling around going here, there and everywhere. Addison caught a quick glance of her cousin stood with a group of equally glamourous looking girls. When Lacey noticed Addison she turned to the group and said something which they all thought funny. Addison wasn’t surprised when they all turned to look in her direction. She could just imagine what Lacey had said to them, probably some lame comment about her hair or choice of shoes.

Addison made her was through the school, following the signs for the main reception. When she arrived and introduced herself to the women behind the desk, she didn’t understand or take in half of what the women said to her. She was soon handed far too many pieces of paper and pamphlets to read. She was given a class timetable and before being shown to her first class she was introduced to the principle.

Mr Jenkins seemed like a ok kind of guy, if a little frazzled and preoccupied. He was middle aged, with thinning hair and heavy eyebrows. Addison thought he looked like he needed a good holiday.

‘It’s nice to finally meet you, Miss Moore, Your teachers from the UK can’t rave enough about you. You’re our first transfer from overseas. I hope you settle in well here.’ Was his one and only comment to Addison before he went into his rather messy looking office.

Addison had missed ‘Home’ room, which she guessed was just like the British ‘Form’ room registration. She was soon to her first lesson, which was English. By the time she sat down behind a desk and tried to follow the class, she was getting use to eyes following her all over the place. She had never been stared at so much in her life. Whispers of ‘Who’s the new girl?’ or ‘Check out the newbie...’ echoed around her.

Addison hoped that the student’s were friendly and by the end of the day at least one person attempted to speak to her.

By lunch time she was getting fed up of all the stares. No body had made any attempt to speak to her and she had sent a few polite smiles in quite a few peoples direction.

Before lunch, Addison had found her locker, something she had never had in school in the UK. The girl with the locker next to hers had looked kind and friendly, her face bright and full of freckles to match her bright red hair. Addison had smiled and said hello to her, then another girl had come to stand by the first girl and both of them had turn their backs on Addison. When they had left though, the first girl, with the curly red hair had looked back and smiled a little. Addison had been looking out for her during lunch but couldn’t find her. So she had ate lunch on her own.

She did so on the second and third day too. The week was going from bad to worse. People continued to stare at Addison when she walked past and no-one made any attempts to be friendly. Lacey ignored her in the corridors and Addison didn’t even attempt to talk to her. She got lost on the way to most of her lessons and the map of the school she had been given was years old and incorrect.

By the Thursday she was missing home terribly, her old school and all her old lovely friends that she use to take for granted. She was once again sitting on her own eating her lunch when she heard someone say Lacey’s name.

It was the two girls sat at the table behind her, talking. Addison couldn’t help but overhear.

‘So, I heard from Claire, who was told by Lacey, who knows her, that she got kicked out of the UK!’

‘No way! What did she do?’ the second girl asked in a rather loud stage whisper.

‘I don’t know. I heard stuff about blowing up the school, but I doubt that’s true, although it must have been something bad ‘cause I know that she can’t get a place in a school in the UK, so she’s come here to live with relatives. Lacey told Claire that her behaviour is terrible, that’s she’s been involved with all kinds. Got into all kinds of trouble, Drugs and stuff I think!’

‘Well, I hope she doessn’t try to make friends with us. I’d hate to get involved with anyone like that.’

Addison had heard enough. She got up from the table and walked out of the canteen. She quickly made her way outside and went and sat on a low wall not too far away.

The hot sun shined brightly in her blue eyes and she bet it was raining in England. She missed the rain already.

She finally understood why her week had been full of stares, not because she was the new girl but because Lacey had spread rumours about her.

What was her problem?! Addison though. She hadn’t done anything to her cousin. Why did Lacey want to get to her so? What was the reason for it?

Just then Lacey and her friend with the long dark hair, Addison thought that this was Claire, walked past. Before Addison could let her temper cool down a little she followed the two other girls. She walked right behind Lacey and pulled on her arm.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Lacey asked, outraged when she turned to look at Addison, pulling her arm out of Addison’s grip.

‘I could ask you the same thing, Lacey.’ Addison said, blowing some of her brown hair out of her face. ‘Why have you told lies about me?’

Lacey looked at Claire and the two girls giggled. Addison’s temper flew up a couple of notches, she really hoped that she wasn’t as immature as her cousin. And to think Lacey was two months older then she was.

‘Oh, that.... Well we thought it’d make you sound more interesting...’ Lacey said, not even having the grace to look like she felt bad for it.

‘More interesting than what, Lacey?’

‘Then what you are...’ Claire answered.

Addison shook her head and looked from one of them to the other.

‘Oh, chill, Addison. It was just a little welcome to Parker High prank!’ Lacey said looking at the growing crowed around her.

Addison fallowed her gaze and saw that groups of kids where stood watching what was going on. She decided to have a little fun of her own. She’d show Lacey that she wasn’t going to take her tricks lying down.

‘Oh, really? Well I guess in a couple of weeks I might find it funny,’ Addison said in a condescending tone that neither the two girls noticed.

‘There you are, then,’ Claire said.

‘It’ll be one of those funny family stories we can tell at Sunday dinners and such...’

‘Family? Sunday dinners?’ Claire asked, frowning.

‘What?’ Lacey said, her bright blue eyes full of worry. Addison had guessed right. Lacey hadn’t told her friend that they where related. Addison was pretty sure that no-one at the school knew.

Addison looked at the crowd to make sure they had their attention and then, making her voice very clear, said, ‘I’m sure Aunt Rachel and Uncle Ben would find it funny too, after a while. You’re right, it’s no big deal. Don’t worry about it, I forgive you... After all I can’t stay mad at my favourite cousin now, can I?’ Addison promptly turned around and walked away. Leaving a angry Lacey having to explain to Claire.

Even though she had got one small one over on Lacey, Addison didn’t feel any better for it. So the start of her new school hadn’t gone well, she hadn’t made any friends. So what? She’ll just concentrate on her studies and grades. What did having friends matter anyway?

Like her uncle Ben had said, she was strong. She didn’t need anybody.

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A/N: I wrote this story over a year or so ago and even I as I re-read this can see that it needs work. I'm hoping that my writing style has improved somewhat. Please leave me a review and let me know if you're enjoying this :)