by Rachel Lenna
***
“You really didn’t have to pick us all up you know.” I say as Hugo pulls the hunky chunky SUV into the drive of a very large house. It looks like it belongs there but Hugo told me the barbeque is at his friends house.
“I know.” Hugo humours me. “But the street that Steven’s house is on never has any parking and as his friend I get certain privileges… like parking in the driveway with the guests of honour.”
“We’re guests of honour?” Byron’s ears perk up.
“Sure are.” Hugo turns in his seat as he turns of the car. “We are all celebrating Anna-Beth, the twins and you guys for taking her in.”
“Hugo.” I say instantly sobbing. I laugh through my tears. “Damn pregnancy hormones. You shouldn’t have done this. I don’t like being centre of attention.”
“It’s cool!” Byron interrupts, his nose pressed to the window. “Hey is that a water slide and pool I see?”
“Sure is.”
“Oh my can I go on it?”
“Sure can.” Hugo laughs and then sucks in a breath of realisation. “That is if it’s okay with Pop and Aunt Betsy.”
“Can I?” Byron squeals, jumping up and down in his seat. “Can I? Can I? Please?”
“Let’s go introduce everyone.” Hugo says changing the subject when no one responds.
“Good idea Hugo, I want to meet these bestest friends of yours.”
“They will all be here, Cameron a little later but he’s just doing a few promotional things for the Willow Greene concert.”
“Already?” I ask at the same time Byron pops his head in between us and says, “Willow Green?”
“Yes.” Hugo says looking at me. “The more advertising for longer the bigger the crowd.” He turns to Byron. “And yes. Willow Greene.”
“Like the famous singer Willow Greene?”
“That’s the one.”
“Oh my go…”
“Byron!” Betsy cuts him off. “Hush now. Out of the car.”
“But Willow Greene…”
“Isn’t here today.” She scolds then gasps and I look up to see a big tall guy with bright blonde hair walking towards us, beer in his hand. I look back to Betsy who I swear is a little flushed.
“Steven!” Hugo man hugs his friend.
“Hugo!” Steven grins at him then turns to me immediately. “And you must be the super beautiful Anna-Beth Pearson we have heard nothing about?” His tone is pleasant but accusing at the same time.
“That would be me.” I nod uncomfortably as Bill flanks my side instantly. The gesture is not lost on Hugo.
“Don’t worry about him guys, his harmless. All bark no bite.” Hugo shoulder nudges his friend. “Steven just forgets that not every woman on this planet is his business.”
“Oh I bite.” Steven laughs, clearly not getting the message he should shut up. “Totally bite but taken pregnant women are not my cup of tea. Although there is a certain… glow about you Anna-Beth that makes me think pregnant women really are my thing.”
“Dude!” Hugo exclaims and I think Bill literally growls. “That on earth are you doing?”
“What?” Steven grins clueless to his stupidity. “It’s a compliment.”
“How is that a compliment?” Bill demands in a voice I haven’t heard him use before. It’s loud, very loud, like a bullhorn and his body language is screaming for a fight.
I rest a hand on his arm, gently pulling him back. “Bill it’s okay.”
“No its not.” He hisses towards Steven who is now looking a little frightened now, all smug cockiness is gone. “This young lady here has been through enough without some tosspot nincompoop treating her like she's a piece of meat.” He turns to Hugo who is hiding a smile. “Hugo I apologise for making a scene but no one will speak to Anna-Beth like that around me friend of yours or not!”
“Understood Bill.” Hugo nods. “Let me just have a word with Steven,” He grabs his startled friend by the arm and yanks him away. “I will be right back.” He calls over his shoulder practically dragging Steven behind him in his hurry to get away.
“Bill dear maybe you should sit?” Betsy waves her hand in front of her brother, who still has steam coming out his ears. “I don’t want you working yourself up.”
“No!” I cry, panicking. “Please don’t because of me.” He simply nods and tries to visibly relax. Clearly recognising I am frightened.
“Anna-Beth you need to hush t dear, you cannot be getting upset now.”
“I know!” I almost wail. “But I don’t want anything to happen to Bill!”
“Nothing will dear, he’s as fit as a fiddle.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Betsy assures me before she and I help guide a quiet, brooding Bill to a nearby table. Byron has managed to find a bottle of water and places it in front of his pop.
“No one should ever speak to a lady like that.” Bill huffs, but a lot of his steam has left.
“I agree.” I nod smiling at him. “I really do. Hugo will sort him out.”
“He better.”
I am about to respond when my phone rings. It’s a special tone for a special person and if I could jump up and down withi joy I would – but I cant so I wont. I quickly yank the phone out of my pocket and press connect.
“Candace!” I practically scream into the phone.
“Hello to you too sister from the monster mother.” Candace laughs into the phone. It is a joke she and I have because we often refer to ourselves as sisters. She is always stating that I’m just from the monster mother while she got the awesome one.
“Hiiiiiiiiiiii!” I giggle into the phone. “Oh my god I missed you.”
“I have missed you to, believe me.”
“Oh honey.” I say knowing exactly what she's talking about. “How is she?”
“Not good.” Candace barely keeps it together. “That’s why I rang.”
“Oh Candace…”
“No!” Candace cuts me off fast. “She’s still alive, but the doctors don’t know how much longer for. She wants you.”
“Absolutely!” I don’t even hesitate. “I am sure Hugo will understand.”
“So you’re with baby dada then?”
“Yeah but that’s not important.” I wave it off even though she can’t see me. “What's important right now is you. Where are you?”
“Well about that…”
“Candace?”
“I’m in Moonlight Falls.”
I go silent for a minute as that sinks in.
“Anna?”
“Where?”
“Some place called Touchés. The bus driver said that that’s where all the youngling’s hang out.”
“That’s Hugo’s Club.” I bounce up and down. “We are coming to get you. Wait there.”
“Okay.”
I look around the party before I realise I can’t see Hugo anywhere. “Hugo!” I scream at the top of my lungs. He comes running within seconds.
“Anna what’s wrong?”
“My friend Candace… She needs me.”
“Okay?” He says looking confused.
“She’s at Touchés… We need to go get her now.”
“Okay.” He says fishing his keys out of his pocket instantly.
“Bill will you be okay?”
“Go get your friend little lady, we will be right here.”
“Yes.” Betsy agrees. “Bill and I will take Byron to play on the waterslide if that’s fine with you Hugo?”
“Of course!” He exclaims. “Just let me get Jaydan and Tara to come and show you around.
Jaydan appears instantly and I get the impression that that boy has like super crazy hearing. He hears everything. “We got it.” Jaydan smiles at me. “Go get your friend.”
I smile and nod at him and waddle back to the car.
“Anna-Beth?” Hugo asks cautiously near the door.
“Yeah?”
“Is everything okay?”
“No.” I answer honestly as he
lifts me up into the seat. “Candace is going through some stuff now and I may have to go back home for a couple of weeks.”
“Oh.” Hugo seems to sense the situation because he doesn’t press me any further, instead holds my hand the whole way to back to Touchés.
We arrive in minutes and I see my poor, emotionally battered friend hunched over near the entrance. “Candace!” I call out to her and her head immediately snaps up and looks around. When she settles on the SUV her eyes grow wide.
“Wow I didn’t think you were gonna come get me in a tank!” She grins at me through her pain. That’s one of the things I love about her. She is always so full of positivity that even in her darkest hours she can still crack jokes.
“I don’t even have a response for that.” I laugh. “Only because I kind of agree with you.”
“Hey!” Hugo pretends to be offended. “Don’t knock him, he’s a favourite!”
“Him?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Yes him.” Hugo rubs the steering wheel mumbling incoherent things to the car. I just roll my eyes.
“Not knocking.” Candace grins at me as she walks over. “I like tanks, it’s a compliment trust me.”
“I’m Hugo.” Hugo sticks his hand out my window, he leans over me and I get a big whiff of him. Oh he smells so good!
“Candace. Nice to finally meet you Hugo.”
“You to.” He smiles. “Hop in, we are having like a BBQ for Anna over at my friend Steven’s house.”
“Sounds good.” Candace smiles politely and jumps – literally – into the back seat.
I reach behind me as best as I can, waving my hand around like a loony searching for my friend. She leans forward and wraps her arms around me before bursting into tears.
“Anna I’m such a mess.” She mumbles quietly through her sobs.
“Baby I know.” I squeeze her tight. “I’m here now. All the way.”
“All the way isn’t that long anymore.” She sobs again and tears well in my eyes. “They say it’s gonna happen in a few short weeks. Anna! What am I gonna do?”
I want to tell her something, anything and I look to Hugo who has kept respectfully quiet. He sends me a small smile of comfort before patting Candace on the arm, “Candace whatever you need, whatever you want. We will make it happen.”
“Can you turn back time?” She says a little aggressively, before instantly regretting it. “Sorry!”
“No need.” Hugo hands us both a tissue he plucked from nowhere. “We don’t even have to go to the party if you don’t want to.”
“No.” Candace sits up straight, pulling herself together instantly. “Today, just for today we are going to have fun.”
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Yes.” She smiles at me stubbornly. “Tomorrow we deal, today we celebrate you two.”
“I can take you to a hotel?” Hugo says again.
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“We are here.” He says pulling the car back into the driveway just as Steven comes running out. He looks at Hugo and I before his eyes drift to the backseat and he literally freezes mid step.
“Who’s that weirdo?” Candace half laughs, she could only be talking about Steven.
“Steven.” Hugo says, barely able to control his own laughter. “My apparently petrified friend.”
I open my door and call out “Steven!” he snaps out of it and wanders over to Candace’s door, ignoring Hugo and I.
“Hello.” He says as he opens her door. “I’m Steven, the host of this rocking party.”
“I’m not impressed.” Candace returns back to him. “Or Interested.”
Hugo and I burst into laughter as Steven stands there speechless. Candace gets out of the car and moves away.
“Well then sexy chicken legs I will just have to change your mind wont I?” He seems to have gotten his groove back because he stands next to her, right in his face. “Trust me.”
“Or not.” Candace says again easily cutting him off.
“Anna?” Hugo whispers in my ear.
“Yeah?” I cuddle up to him.
“I like her.”
“She’s my sister.”
“She’s awesome.”
“She needs me.”
“I know.”
“Do you mind?”
“Of course not.”
“You sure?”
“Anna-Beth I am in love with you. I would give you the world if I could.”
“Oh.”
“We will do whatever she needs.”
“Um Anna?” Candace stands next to me again. “Does the creepy guy have an off switch?”
I laugh, “No why?”
“Because he’s gonna end up head first in the pool!”
“You wouldn’t be the first.” Hugo laughs. “Nor the last.” He adds just as Steven grins at him.
“Great.” Candace rolls her eyes. “Why do I always get the crazies?”
“No idea.” I laugh at her. “But let’s go party!”
“Just for today!” Candace agrees. “Just for today!”
***
In a Few Short Weeks
Book Three in the Saga of Moonlight Falls
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t. “Candace” She had said. “I have some bad news.” She sounded so calm and peaceful I almost expected it to be a joke! But it wasn’t! “Don’t get worked up but I have to tell you…” She adds trying to hold her own tears in and I know it’s bad, my Mum never cries! I grab her arm and make her look at me, asking her with my eyes to keep talking…
“I’m dying Candace. I have Ovarian Cancer.”
How? How do you deal with something like that? Watching your Mum die slowly of cancer? No one should ever have to deal with something like that. Ever. It’s just cruel.
I needed to get away from it all. Just for a few days. I just need air. The doctors say she has a couple of weeks left and Mum told me I needed to bring Anna-Beth to her anyways. I’m not being a coward… I’m not!
So anyways here I am. Moonlight Falls. Cool place. Anna-Beth’s baby dada seems cool and his friends seem decent too but not that obnoxious hot one. He’s really annoying. He’s loud and crude and calling me the most ridiculous things. Like any girl will take “sexy chicken legs” as a compliment! Pfft!
I want nothing to do with him.
I don’t!
Really I don’t.
No really… I’m like completely serious…
Even when he gets all cute and tries to help me…
Besides my mum is my priority. My ONLY priority. Now is not the time to get romantic with anyone especially snot nosed, loud-mouthed hot boys that irritate me. Why do I get the feeling if Anna-Beth could read my mind she would tell me “Thou is protesting way too much” right now?
Oh Boy…
I’m screwed.
Coming December 2014
