Chapter 51
On Friday morning, Tiegan and Stephanie decide to take Ryan and Anita to Yabbie Creek.
"The bus service here is pretty crap." Stephanie told them. "The buses only come every hour."
"You're joking!" Ryan said. "Back home, there's buses every 20 minutes!"
"Maybe because Yabbie Creek and Summer Bay are regional towns, Ryan." Anita said.
"True."
"It doesn't take long to get there, guys." Tiegan said.
They soon get off outside Just Jeans before walking past the row of shops.
"How many shops are there, Tiegz?" Anita asked Tiegan.
"Heaps." Tiegan replied.
"I'm so keen on a shopping spree!" Anita said, with excitement in her voice. "Not too sure about Ryan, though."
"Yeah, I need a new CD Walkman." Ryan responded.
"There's a HMV at the Yabbie Creek Mall." Stephanie said. "We'll go and check it out."
The four friends soon make their way to the Yabbie Creek Mall.
Back in Summer Bay, Casey Mitchell, a new foster child of Travis and Kelly, arrives at the house with her caseworker, Adriana Fields.
"Now, I want you to be good for this family, Casey." Adriana reminded her.
"I'm always good, Adriana." Casey replied. "Don't believe anything my psychotic mother says!"
Soon, Kelly opened the door.
"Ah, hello. You must be Adriana Fields." Kelly said.
"That's right." Adriana replied. "I'm Casey Mitchell's caseworker."
"Come inside."
Casey and Adriana go inside the house.
"So, where am I sleeping?" Casey asked Kelly.
"I'll show you to your room, Casey." Kelly responded. "I won't be long, Adriana."
Once Kelly shows Casey her room, she returns to talk with Adriana.
"So, how long will Travis and I be having Casey live with us?" Kelly asked.
"Permanently." Adriana replied. "Her mother had to be committed to a mental health facility interstate."
"What about her father?"
"Walked out on Casey when she was a little girl."
Kelly looked sad.
"I just hope we don't have any problems with her." Kelly said.
"Believe me, you won't." Adriana said, reassuring Kelly.
"Good."
Kelly managed to smile.
After spending the morning shopping, Tiegan, Stephanie, Ryan and Anita decide to head back to Summer Bay.
"So, what did you guys think of Yabbie Creek?" Stephanie asked Ryan and Anita.
"I loved it!" Anita replied.
"Me too." Ryan added.
"I'm all shopped out." Tiegan said before sighing.
"How long until the next bus?" Ryan asked.
Stephanie checked her watch.
"It should be here in a minute." Stephanie replied.
Soon, the bus to Summer Bay arrives. As the four friends are about to board the bus, they see Selina get off.
"Hey guys." Selina said.
"Hey, Selina." Stephanie said.
"Where you off to?" Tiegan asked.
"I'm going to see Melanie Dolan. She's invited me out tonight." Selina replied.
"Nice." Tiegan said.
"I'll catch ya's later." Selina said before walking away.
"Since when did Selina be friends with Melanie?" Stephanie asked Tiegan as they boarded the bus.
"Who knows, sister from another mister?"
Stephanie and Tiegan sit behind Ryan and Anita before the bus drives off.
That afternoon, Selina is trying on some crop tops and jeans at Melanie Dolan's house.
"We're going to look so smashing tonight, Mel!" Selina said.
"Does your mother know that you're going clubbing and drinking up tonight?" Melanie asked her.
"No way!" Selina said, laughing. "She's pissed me off for not letting me spend more time with Jerome!"
"Who cares?" Melanie laughed.
"She has to get her stuck-up daughter to fight her battles for her anyway!"
Melanie spat out the Coke she was drinking and gave Selina a shocked look.
"Say WHAT?!"
"Yeah, so last night, Fin has a go at me and called me selfish and then had the nerve to slap me in the face!" Selina said.
"What a bitch!" Melanie said angrily.
"I really couldn't give a stuff about what Irene thinks, to be honest!" Selina said. "I'm getting drunk!"
When Stephanie arrives home, she's shocked to find Casey sitting in the living room watching TV.
"Uh, Kelly?"
"Stephanie, I'd like you to meet Casey Mitchell." Kelly said. "She's going to be living with us from now on."
"So, I've got a new foster sister." Stephanie said. "It's so nice to meet you, Casey."
"Can I give you a hug?" Casey asked Stephanie.
Stephanie gave Casey a hug.
"Welcome to the family." Stephanie said, smiling.
"Casey will be starting at Summer Bay High on Tuesday." Kelly told Stephanie. "So, I'm sure she'd be happy for you to show her around the school."
"I will more than happily do that for her." Stephanie responded.
"I just hope the teachers are nice." Casey said.
"Where did you previously go to school?" Stephanie asked Casey.
"I went to Reefton Lakes High." Casey replied. "Yourself?"
"I was born in Somalia, where both my father and sister were killed in separate massacres. An English doctor took me to live with him, but he died in late 1989, so I arrived in Australia and lived with a foster family in Brisbane for about seven months. Then, in July 1990, I was sent to live with another foster family in Sydney and stayed there until the beginning of this year when I moved to Summer Bay." Stephanie explained.
"Wow." Casey said.
"You'll have to meet my best friend, Tiegan Brook." Stephanie said. "She's so cool!"
Casey just smiled at Stephanie.
That night, Selina and Melanie are at the Yabbie Creek Hotel.
"Here's to an awesome night!" Selina said.
"Cheers, bitch." Melanie said.
They clink their bottles of vodka cruisers.
"That'll teach Irene to be a control freak." Selina muttered under her breath before taking a sip of her pineapple vodka cruiser.
"Hey, listen. I'm going into the city next weekend." Melanie said. "I have a cousin who knows how to party."
"That's nice." Selina said.
"You keen?"
Selina finished drinking her cruiser before replying, "Hell yeah. I might even bring a few friends along."
"The more the merrier." Melanie said, laughing.
At 9:30, a live band starts performing. By this stage, Selina and Melanie are getting tipsy.
"You keen to dance, Selina?" Melanie asked.
"I wanna bring on the boogie!" Selina called out.
Melanie and Selina then started laughing hysterically as some other patrons rolled their eyes at their behaviour.
Meanwhile, Finlay was sitting on the lounge reading a book when Irene came downstairs.
"Have you seen Selina, darl?" Irene asked her.
"No, I haven't seen her." Finlay replied.
"I just hope she hasn't taken off again." Irene said, looking stressed out.
Chloe comes out of her bedroom at that moment.
"What's going on?" she asked Irene.
"Chloe, do you know where Selina is?"
"Yeah, she actually is staying the night at Melanie Dolan's place." Chloe replied.
"Well, I just hope she doesn't cause any trouble." Irene said.
Chloe and Finlay exchanged a worried look.
NEXT TIME...
- Tiegan confronts Nicholle and calls her a 'selfish bitch'
- Selina goes on a bender
- Irene and Pippa have a heart-to-heart
- Ryan and Anita receive an update on their mother's surgery