Chapter 39

As soon as Selina finished smoking, she threw the cigarette butt into the toilet before dialling Jerome's number. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hey babe."

"Babe, I got your text message." Selina said. "And I would really like to visit you."

"Have you made any arrangements to get to the Gold Coast?" Jerome asked her.

"Not yet, but I'm going to." Selina replied.

"Great!" Jerome said.

"I can tell that you're excited." Selina said, laughing.

"I just can't wait to see you." Jerome told her.

"Selina?" a voice called out. It was Stephanie.

"I have to go now, babe." Selina said to him. "I'm catching up with Steph and Tiegan at the moment, but I'll text you when I'm leaving the Bay."

"Cool." Jerome said.

When Selina hung up the phone, she left the ladies room and met up with Steph.

"You've been in there for ages." Stephanie said. "Tiegan and I were worried that you fell into the toilet."

Selina laughed.

"And you smell of cigarettes." Stephanie remarked.

"I've got something to tell you, Steph." Selina said. "I've started smoking."

Stephanie looked shocked.

"Just don't tell Irene, okay?"

"No, I won't." Stephanie responded. "But I do have a question to ask you."

"Ask away." Selina said.

"Who knows about your smoking?" Stephanie asked her.

"Just you, Tiegan and Melanie Dolan." Selina replied.

"Jerome's ex?"

"Yeah, her and I have sorted everything out." Selina responded.

Stephanie put her arm around Selina as they approached Tiegan near Kmart.

"About time you came back, Missy." Tiegan said to Selina.

"Had to do my business." Selina responded.

Tiegan, Stephanie and Selina looked at each other before they started laughing.

Later in the afternoon, a young woman around 19 years-old enters the Diner.

"Excuse me?" the young woman asked Irene.

"I'll get to ya in a minute, darl." Irene told her. "I'm just about to give some customers their food."

"I'm looking for Tiegan Brook."

"She hasn't been in here today." Irene said. "Are you a friend of hers or something?"

"Yeah. We used to go to the same high school before I moved down to Wollongong after I graduated." the woman replied.

"Fair enough." Irene said. "If I see her, I'll let her know that you came look for her."

"Thanks."

"What was your name, love?" Irene asked.

Before the woman could answer Irene's question, Tiegan walked in and immediately noticed who the young woman was.

"Hillary Symonds?"

Hillary turn around and noticed Tiegan.

"Tiegan Brook, come here!"

Tiegan gave Hillary a massive hug. "It is so great to see you." she said.

"Likewise." Hillary said.

"What are you doing here in Summer Bay?" Tiegan asked her old friend.

"Well, I looked for you in the city and Steve Wiley mentioned that you moved here." Hillary replied. "I thought I'd come see my old friend."

"That's lovely." Tiegan said. "Thank you for coming."

"I'm actually spending a few days here." Hillary said. "I'm crashing at the local caravan park. I hear you live there."

"Well, I technically live in the owner's house." Tiegan told her.

"Wow!"

"Come visit me later." Tiegan said. "I have to get home for dinner."

"I'll come with you." Hillary said. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

Tiegan and Hillary then left the Diner.

That night, Tiegan and Hillary were reminiscing about their Hartley High days.

"Remember when we squirted toothpaste over the railing and it got Miss Fatoush?" Hillary asked Tiegan, laughing.

"It got stuck in her hair!" Tiegan laughed.

"I've never seen her so furious in my life!"

"How about the times we used to jig school sport to get Slurpees from 7-Eleven?" Tiegan asked.

"Those were some mad times." Hillary said.

While Tiegan and Hillary were laughing, Stephanie walked in.

"Oh hey, Steph." Tiegan said.

"You forgot your hair tie." Stephanie said, giving Tiegan her blue hair tie.

"I didn't know it was even lost." Tiegan remarked. "Thanks, sister from another mister."

"No worries." Stephanie said.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, Tiegan?" Hillary asked her.

"Sorry." Tiegan said. "Stephanie, this is Hillary Symonds. We used to go to Hartley High together."

"Nice." Stephanie said.

"We're going to the city tomorrow and catch up with a few people." Hillary said to Stephanie. "Did you want to come?"

"I'm sorry, but it's still too soon for me." Stephanie said. "I'll see you later, Tiegz."

"Bye."

Stephanie then left the house.

"What did she mean by 'it's still too soon'?" Hillary asked.

"Our friends were killed in a car accident a few weeks back and Stephanie had a crush on a guy that we befriended at a party. Ever since him and his mate died, she gets uncomfortable about going into the city." Tiegan told her.

"Poor thing." Hillary said sympathetically.

Tiegan looked sad.

Later, Jack is sleeping in his room when he begins to have a nightmare about Andrew. In this nightmare, he is tied to a chair and Andrew is walking over him.

"You look so vulnerable, mate?" Andrew's voice taunted him.

"LET ME GO, YOU JERK!" Jack screamed at his former Maths teacher.

"How does it feel to be worthless, Jack?!" Andrew asked him angrily.

"GET STUFFED!"

"I've tied you up real nice and there's nothing you can do to break free!" Andrew gloated.

In his sleep, Jack began tossing and turning.

"You're pathetic!" Andrew's voice taunted. "Because Donna didn't comply with my demand, I'm going to have to hurt you."

Andrew put his hand over Jack's mouth to stop him from calling out.

"This won't hurt." Andrew said before smirking at Jack.

Jack woke up, sweating. He breathed heavily before breaking down in tears. Noticing that something wasn't right, Tiegan entered his room and found him crying.

"Jack, did you have another nightmare?" she asked him.

Jack nodded his head as he cried.

"Andrew was..." Jack sobbed.

Tiegan hugged Jack tight. She felt sorry for her foster brother.

"I can't get him out of my head." Jack continued to sob. "He keeps torturing me in my dreams."

"It's okay." Tiegan said sympathetically.

Jack hugged Tiegan tighter. How long would he have nightmares about the man who kidnapped him?

NEXT TIME...
- Irene sees red when she discovers Selina gone from the house
- Stephanie has a heart-to-heart with Kelly over Louis
- Tiegan and Hillary enjoy a day out in the city
- Pippa becomes concerned when Jack shows signs of depression