Hidden (Short Story Series #2)

Chapter One

I was sitting at the lunch table across from my best friend Rebekkah. I was trying to talk to her, but her attention was focused on something behind me. I turned around and saw Aaron sitting a few tables away, talking and laughing with his friends.

“Rebekkah!” I yelled, snapping my fingers in front of her face. “Marry him already!”

She sighed. “Trust me; I would if I could. He’s just so perfect. He’s way out of my league.”

“No one’s perfect,” I said, annoyed.

“But Aaron isn’t ‘no one’,” Rebekkah said. “And he seems perfect to me. Look at him. And have you seen that hot gold chain he always wears? He has such a hot style…” She went on and on.

I looked back at Aaron who was hunched over a book with someone, helping them with a math problem.

I quickly turned back around. “He is not!” I insisted. “So would you please stop staring at him? I was trying to talk to you. I need a new story for my column, and I was asking for your input.”

“First,” she said, “Name one imperfect thing about him.”

“You’re still on that?”

“Cayda.”

“Rebekkah,” I said. “I think my column is more important.”

“I knew you couldn’t,” she said smugly.

“Yes I can! For instance, he…” my voice trailed off as I tried to think of something.

“Exactly,” my friend said in triumph. She said in a taunting voice, “You can’t think of anything.”

“I bet I could find something,” I said.

“Really.” She crossed her arms. “You do that.”

Well maybe I will. An idea came into my head. “I got it!” I exclaimed.

“Got what? A life? It’s about time…” she muttered.

I glared at her. “Putting aside that you just totally insulted me… Maybe I could interview him. I could use it for my column, and at the same time prove you wrong!”

She studied my face. “Only if you find every single thing about him that you can for me. And you have to tell me absolutely everything.”

I rolled my eyes but said, “Deal.”

She nodded nonchalantly, but I could see the excitement in her eyes. “Cool. Now, what are you going to interview him about?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Something that pulls out of him all the juicy stuff that I can get.”

“I know!” Rebekkah said. “Ask about what he looks for in a girl.”

“Ignoring the fact that you just want me to ask him about that for your own personal gain… I have to say that it’s not a bad idea. How he goes about answering that question would say a lot.”

“So you’ll do it?”

“I’ll do it.”

o .  O  . o

I got off the bus and walked the rest of the way down the street of my neighborhood until I came to my house. I hurried inside. I knew Aaron would be coming on his motorcycle in a few minutes, because his house was right beside mine. Yeah, that’s right. Let’s just say that Rebekkah likes to spend the night a lot. Like every single weekend. And she was spending the night again tonight.

I shut the door behind me and headed to the kitchen where I knew I would find my mom. As I expected, the counters were completely covered with different ingredients. She was using a wooden spoon to stir something in a skillet that she held over the stove.