Golden Read online

  “We should double this weekend.” He yelled after me, making me stop in my tracks.

  “What?” I asked confused.

  “You and me, Damon and Angelica.” He said with a clear smile on his face.

  I wanted to tell him not ever even if hell froze over, but I remembered my phone conversation with Ang. In the back of my head I was planning on telling her that I wasn’t close to Jay and didn’t honestly think he would want to do something like that.

  The words would sound better when I told her, but now that plan was shot. Jay was standing here asking me to go on a double date just like Ang wanted.

  I for some odd reason got the feeling that he was using Ang liking Damon to get to me. I felt like he knew that she liked Damon and I wasn’t too sure if Damon had the same feelings. I was sure that Damon didn’t mind helping Jay by putting up with Ang, since he didn’t seem to care who he spent his time with, but if what I thought was true, these guys were so mean and wrong. Messing with someone heart wasn’t ever right.

  In the back of my head I hoped that this wasn’t the case but my heart was telling me this was the truth.

  “I heard that they had quite the time together, I’m sure we could to.” He said and I glared at him.

  “Damon told you about his time with Angelica.” I asked for some reason not liking this. Knowing Damon he would have the whole school know about it. I just hoped that he wouldn’t do something so horrible for Ang sake.

  “I’m sure she told you about it.” He said reading the tone in my voice. “Don’t worry the forbidden four never kiss and tell. The school will know only what Angelica wants them to know, but I am sure after their night Angelica wants another date.”

  “What did he tell you?” I asked suddenly, hoping that they didn’t have sex like I thought.

  “Why don’t you come with me and we can talk all about it.” Jay smiled. “If the next bell rings you will be late. You don’t want a detention do you?”

  “Rather that then an absence.” I said then looked at the school. I really wanted to ask him more questions about what he knew and even wanted to find out if he knew about what Ang had seen in her mirror, but my time was limited.

  “Bye Jay.” I said to him yet again and began to run away from him to my first class.

  He had said that he was going to be back for lunch anyway. I could just ask him then. I thought as I went off to my first class.

  My first hour teacher was upset with me for being late. I was just happy that said teacher didn’t give me a tardy note because of my already flawless attendance, but after my first class, my other classes seemed even duller. In fact so far getting yelled at for being late was the highlight of my day.

  In my second and third hour class I found myself wishing that I went with Jay. It would have been more fun with him than sitting in this class, wanting to see him, so I could ask my questions. Then again if I was with him I think my mind would be wondering what was going on in class and if I would be caught by my parents or sister.

  Sitting in my next class was the worst. It may have been because of the fact that this class was my class right before lunch and it didn’t help that I found myself becoming very hungry. That toast I had seemed not to make my stomach happy, it wanted more.

  I just could not wait until I was done with this semester. Then only one more year and I would be free. No more listening to parents, no more hating going to class, and no more forbidden four.

  My eyes scanned the broad and I kept looking at the questions that the teacher had written on the board. I hadn’t know what the answers where but I had done my homework, so I hoped that the teacher wouldn’t call on me.

  But my luck was off. The teacher called on me and asked me a question. I smiled warmly at her and she frowned at me then moved on to another student with red blonde hair. The girl answered the question with such knowledge that I felt like I was a stupid. Soon the bell ring and I began to feel like my luck was back.

  I went to my locker and saw that Beth and Angelica were both by it talking quickly about something I didn’t know. When I got closer to my locker I saw that Beth long flowing blonde hair was now gone.

  My eyes stared at her wide eyed. I didn’t understand what she had done. She had always loved playing with her hair and showing off it healthiness, so why had she allowed scissors to touch her hair.

  I would be lying if I said the cut look bad, because in fact it looked better than it did when she had it long. It brought out her pretty face and beautiful round eyes. Her face looked younger and more beautifully then before.

  “Hi Bonnie, you like the cut?” She asked as she touched her layered hair that felled just on her shoulders. Before I could tell her yes she cut me off. “I went to that new place on main and the lady told me that long hair hides my face, so I was like okay whatever.”

  “It’s looks really nice. How much was it?” I asked trying to be nice. I knew that I wasn’t going anywhere near a salon. I cared to little about my hair to even think about it.

  “Like fifty, think Jonathan will like it. He hasn’t seen it yet.” Her blue eyes stared at me with her heart in her eyes. “She tried to talk me into dying it jet black, but I was like I don’t want to go too far.”

  “Hey there are very few people who can say they have natural jet black hair, right Bonnie.” Angelica green eyes stared at me and I shook my head.

  “Not getting into it.” I put one of my hands up as I began to put my things in my locker.

  “Well most people don’t have natural blonde hair, right Bonnie.” Beth said.

  “Not in it.”

  “Oh really, name one person in your family that has natural jet black hair, I’m talking even in the light there are not traces of brown or any other color!” Angelica said with a smile on her face. Beth opened her mouth then closed it and I rolled my eyes at them both.

  “Yeah most people don’t have natural brown or red hair either, that’s why people dry their hair.” I laughed wanting to move on from this conversation.

  Angelica and Beth looked at me wide eyed then they laughed.

  I wanted to ask them why they always liked the get in stupid arguments with each other, but thought against it. They had been doing that since they had known each other. I just always figured it was a way that they told each other they were friends.

  “I think we went through pretty much all the colors of the rainbow.” Beth smiled and shook her head. “Let’s go to the café, I’m so hungry.”

  We all walk to the café and I was happy to see that neither one of them tried to bring something up so they could debate it. We got to the café in silence. This was ok with me.

  The lunch line wasn’t full today so we were able to get our food quickly and without anyone trying to take cuts.

  Beth spotted our friends before I or Ang did. We all walked over to Keith, Madison, Jonathan, and Reed. They all were sitting down at a lunch table Reed had thrown one of his fries at Madison who was staring loving at Keith.

  Madison eyes shot Reed a hatful look and I wonder if Keith had noticed the way that Madison had been looking at him. He never did seem to notice or rather never seem to care enough to say anything about it.

  When I sat down Keith eyes lit up and I smiled warmly at him. We had been friends for a long time and he was always so nice to me. I noticed that Madison almond eyes shot me a hard look, but I ignored her. Her shoulder length off black hair looked thin and lifeless around her shoulders.

  Her light sun colored skin was the only thing that looked nice on her, but it wasn’t nearly as pretty as Beth golden tanned skin.

  I shook my head at that thought. That thought may have been due to my own personal dislike of her.

  “Hi, Bonnie, how have you been?” Keith asked his green eyes sparkling.

  “I’ve been good.” I said as I looked over his black hair that matched Angelica as did his green eyes.

  “Oh thanks a lot cuz of mine.” Angelica bit her bottom lip as if sad. “You c
ould so say hello to me.”

  “Hello Ang, had a cup of coffee today?” He asked and made Reed laugh. Angelica started to yell at him about something, but I wasn’t paying any attention to them anymore.

  I looked over to the other side of the table and saw that Jonathan was talking to Beth. He was whispering in her ear making her blush.

  I smiled happy to see that their relationship was starting off nicely. They had been friends for a long time, longer then me and her; I had always seen the way he looked at her. It was nice to see that he had finally gotten the courage to ask her out.

  Part of me had understood why he never asked her out. Beth had always liked her guys to be tall, dark, and handsome, as well as have some bad boy traits.

  Jonathan was none of these things. While he had the dark red hair, was cute in a geeky kind of way, he wasn’t tall nor did he have the bad boy ways that she liked. He liked his sci-fi, fantasy, and comics. This was a reason why I thought he and Beth had only been friends. On secret Beth loved those things as well, but she would never tell anyone.

  Even though Jonathan wasn’t at all her type she had given him a chance. I guessed Beth had gone out with one bad boy to many, because she told Jonathan yes when he asked her out. I just kept hoping Beth wouldn’t start to act vain and say she would only date the tall, dark, and handsome.

  I loved her, but I knew her like a book.

  “Bonnie I heard that you were talking to Jay this morning.” Madison said her black eyes smiling at me. She slowly looked from me to Keith who had suddenly stopped talking to Ang to stare at me looking shocked.

  I shook and rolled my eyes. “Don’t remind me about that jerk.” I replied to her and looked the see that Reed had a huge smile on his face.

  “Come on Bonnie, I saw the way he was holding you.” Madison urged on. She kept a frown on her face while looking down at her nails. “I was going to see if he was bothering you, but then I saw how you two were looking at each other.”

  I glared at her then looked to see that Angelica was also glaring at her as well as Beth who had placed her hands on the table away from Jonathan.

  “For your information, Bonnie was only talking to him for me.” Ang said her voice full of anger. “So mind your own business.”

  “Yeah Reed get your friend before I do.” Beth rolled her eyes and flipped her hair. She then started to talk to Jonathan again who was now trying to take some of the food off of her plate.

  “Why every time you get pissed at her she’s my friend.” Reed laughed pushing his long dark hair from his hazel eyes. “But when she’s nice she’s your friend.”

  Madison was Beth and Reed friend or rather apart of their crowd, even Keith as well. They all were a part of an unspoken crowd of jocks and cheerleaders.

  Beth was the captain of the cheerleading team, Reed was on the soccer team, Keith was captain of said team and Madison was co-captain of the cheerleading team.

  It was funny to remember about how I and Beth had started to talk.

  I could still remember the one summer that my parents tried to get me into cheerleading, saying that it would look good on college applications if I did some after school activities.

  Beth had been there and we had talked the whole summer. She had truly been there to get ready for her joining the high school team, but we both find out we had a lot in common. I may not have enjoyed the cheerleading that summer,-it was better than staying at home with mom and dad-but I had meant a new friend, who became really close to me.

  In fact I had meant Reed because of her. I had a class with Jonathan and would soon find out that he was friends with her to. Madison had just followed Beth and Reed around since they all had been good friends in middle school.

  Madison may not have been close friends with them anymore, but she was only talking to us so she could be around Keith who seemed not to like her the way she liked him.

  “Did you guys here about Brenda missing?” Jonathan soon asked after the tension seemed to melt away. “Can you believe she was in school just the other day?”

  “Wait Brenda is missing?” Beth asked putting her fork back on the plate. “Since when?”

  “It was all over the news this morning.” Jonathan said. “They say the last time they saw her was Friday.”

  “OMG, that’s crazy.” Ang said. Keith and Reed shook their heads.

  “Who is Brenda?” I asked.

  I always knew faces more so than names. I didn’t talk to many people outside the little group who sent in fount of me.

  “She had red hair, pretty face, loves Jay…..” Ang began.

  “What one of you girls don’t?” Reed laughed and Ang lowered her eyes at him.

  “Well last time I saw her she was talking about how she and Jay were making out.” Beth said as she ran a hand in her hair. “The little thing was bragging all about. She had said that they were on the staircase and everything after school, but I told her I had to leave since well you know.” She had a faint blush on her cheeks; she must have been talking about her date on Friday. I guessed. “So I told her I would call her later, I wondered what happened to her.”

  “She said that she was on the staircase on Friday?” I asked as I closed my eyes. Trying to remember if the girl I had seen making out with Jay had red hair or not. Then I realized she did.

  “Yup, why?” Beth asked and everyone eyes stared at me.

  “I think I ran into them.” I told them all and Ang folded her arms.

  “Oh she was the one you were talking about.” Ang said to me and shook her head. “Wow that is something. If I was going to go missing I would have loved to have…..” Ang paused and looked away from me to Keith who was eyeing his cousin carefully.

  “You really like someone in the forbidden four as well?” He asked his voice sounding like it was full of horror.

  “Keith are you going to have a game soon?” I asked not wanting Ang to feel sad about her feelings for Damon.

  I saw a faint smile go on Ang lips and knew I had done something she was thankful for.

  Keith eyes beamed at me. He must have been glad I had even wanted to know. As he spoke I begin to think about Jay and if he could have had anything to do with Brenda missing.

  I didn’t trust the forbidden four, but could Jay really have done something like kidnapped Brenda or something far worse. I didn’t want to think he could, but something in my stomach was twisting at the thought of Jay and his ‘brothers’ doing something like that.

  My mind didn’t want to think that Leon would do such things. He had after all saved my life, but he was always with them. I didn’t want to think the worst of them, but I just couldn’t let go of the possibility that they may have done something.

  I had always been on edge about them. They were able to skip school without anyone caring, everyone seemed to be under some kind of spell of theirs, no one had ever seen their parents, and even every girl they went out with always came back to school looking lifeless.

  Then I started to think about what Angelica had told me about her night with Damon. How she had looked when she saw herself in the mirror. I would never tell her that I truly believed her, only so I wouldn’t get her freaked out, but I had saw the way she had looked at the club. I had seen how she was acting after she was with Damon for just those few moments.

  Now Brenda was missing and the last time anyone had seen her was on Friday. Had Jay done something to her or was I just overacting?

  I didn’t know but I knew I was going to find out.

  Chapter 6

  Talking

  I was so mad. He had said he was coming back for lunch but he didn’t come back. The only person in the forbidden four that did come to lunch was Leon. When I saw Leon walked into the café I wanted to go over and ask him where Jay was, but I thought against it when I saw my friends eyes on him and then me.

  They must have thought I would go over there. I wasn’t sure why they would think that, but I wasn’t going to make their thoughts true.


  After lunch the rest of the day went by quickly or as quickly as I thought it could. The classes that I had weren’t as great as the first few. I had done the work that I was supposed to do, but nothing really happened.

  I soon found myself wondering why I would even think something should happen. It was like ever since I spoke to the forbidden four I just thought something crazy and exciting was supposed to happen.

  But when the thought of my next class came to me, I became somewhat excited. I was going to see Leon. He was after all in my next class. So this should be good. I could talk to him about where Jay was and hopefully he would give me some answers.

  But when I got to my next class I saw that Leon wasn’t there. That whole hour he never came to class.

  My last hour class I spent most of my time trying to listen to Ang as she spoke quietly to me about Damon and the teacher who seemed to like to talk a lot today. I didn’t know what either of them was saying and cared too little to let either know it.

  Once the bell rang I made myself write down what homework we had to do. Angelica had said to me that she would call me later or text.

  After I went to my locker and got my things I was highly upset. I was even more upset when I got to my car. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt angry. It felt weird to me to be so upset at the fact that Leon hadn’t come to class or that Jay hadn’t come to lunch like he said he would.

  It wasn’t like we were all friends. I didn’t even really know them, so why should I care about what they did. But then again I wanted to know more about them only to find out if Jay did have anything to do with Brenda missing.

  I got into my car and started it. I rode to my house and began to wonder just what I would say to Jay once I did see him again. He got on my last nerves and every time we did speak we always argued.

  “Don’t let him get to you when you start asking your questions.” I said to myself as I got closer to my house.

  I stopped at a red light sighing about the last time me and Jay spoke to each other. I wanted to just kick him or something. He needed someone to tell him off all the time. He was just too full of himself and needed to be brought back down to earth.