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So Many Memories – Chapter Two
The next morning, Rachel awoke to the sound of a much-needed rain pattering against her window. A sudden flash brightens up her darkened room, followed by a rumble of thunder off in the distance. She rolls over and tries to give sleep one last try. As she finally feels as if she is going to drift off, she is rudely awakened by a shrill ringing from her alarm clock.
With a moan, she slaps her clock and sits up, releasing a yawn as she pulls herself out of bed. She makes her way across the room and flips on the lights, stumbling as she adjusts to the change from dark to light. She starts towards her closet to dig out a new outfit for a new day, stopping in front of her mirror.
She emits a groan when she sees the horrendous black mark surrounding her eye. Memories of the night before come flooding back to the surface of her mind. 'I can't believe my own mother would abandon her children like that.' With a sigh, she turns to her closet door and swings it open. She pulls out a pair of Guess jeans and a brand new Esprit T-shirt. She lays them out on her bed and walks into the hallway, bumping into Jill as she walked out of the bathroom.
"Why don't you watch where you're going? And what the hell did you do to your eye?"
"Sorry, Jill, I didn't see you there," she said groggily, trying to think of something to cover up what happened the previous night. "And I, uh, fell down some steps last night."
"Yeah, whatever," Jill replied, showing no concern what-so-ever for her older sister. She walks off to her bedroom, and Rachel proceeds to take her shower.
~~
Joey runs down the stairs, closely followed by his youngest sister, Dina. "Well, do you think something happened to her last night?" Dina asked, the only person Joey trusted enough to tell his true feelings for Rachel to.
"I don't know. She sounded really weird on the phone last night, and her dad has been acting strange lately."
"Joey! Dina! Hurry up! The bus will be here any minute now!" Joey's mother runs up to them and plants a kiss on each of their cheeks.
After their mother goes off to the kitchen to check on Mary Angela, Dina turns to face Joey. "Maybe you should just ask her. I mean, you're her best friend. If something is going on, she could really use your support."
Joey ponders that idea as he slips on his shoes. "I guess you're right. I'll ask her as soon as we get a moment alone." They grab their backpacks and open the front door, which reveals the fact that it is now pouring down rain. "Awe, man!" Joey complains.
There's another crack of thunder, each one getting closer and closer. Another flash of lightning reveals Rachel running up their front steps, eager to get away from her father's wrath.
"Hey Rach," Joey says, not noticing her black eye. "Hey Joey. Oh Dina, I heard you had to go home early yesterday. Are you feeling any better this morning?" Rachel asks, hoping they won't say anything about her eye, with which she tried to cover up with makeup. To no avail.
"Oh yeah, I'm feeling a lot better. Thanks for asking." A deafening rumble of thunder cuts off the end of her sentence. Lightning streaks across the sky, allowing Joey to see what Rachel was so desperate to hide.
"Oh my god, Rach! What did you do?" he pointed at her eye, concern etched across his face.
"Oh, um, long story short, I kinda fell down some steps. You know how clumsy I can be sometimes," she laughed, hoping he would buy her story.
"Alright," Joey answers, with a look that says he doesn't quite believe his ears. "Do you think this weather is gonna let up?" he changed the subject, aware that she was nervous and didn't want to be interrogated any further.
"I'm not sure, but I think the showers are only supposed to stick around this morning," Dina said.
An awkward silence befalls the trio. Joey looks down at his shoes, while Dina and Rachel watch intently for any sign of headlights through the darkness. A clap of thunder is the only noise to break the silence. Joey kicks a lone stone across the wraparound porch, as the thunder slowly recedes into the distance.
At long last, the sound of an engine reaches their ears. By now the rain has diminished, although Rachel is still drenched from her dash across the lawn.
They gather their things and exit the porch, then proceeding to board bus number eight. 'Alright, here we go,' Rachel thinks to herself, worried that her other friends won't react as well as Joey had to her phony alibi.
Little did she know Joey didn't buy one word of it. He knew she had her reasons for lying to him, but he was determined to find the truth before she was seriously wounded. Even if it meant going behind his best, and closest, friend's back to find it.
Well, there it is. As always, read and review. Let me know what you think.