throw that was big enough to make her feel like she was under
bed covers. On the coffee table in front of her was everything a girl needed to
get through a rough day: a pint of salted-caramel ice cream, chocolate covered
raisins to dump into that pint, and the remote control. It was just the kind of
dreary Saturday night that Laura needed to regroup after everything that
unfolded on Friday. During moments like these, Laura didn’t mind the constant
absence of her parents. Having the house to herself was nice, especially after
the discovery that some classic movie channel was running a romance movie
marathon. Dad would be bummed to miss this , Laura thought. He was
responsible for her love of old black-and-white films, and pints of ice cream,
for that matter.
Laura had checked the whole day’s movie lineup when she
stumbled upon the marathon that morning. Listed beside the two o’clock slot was
the exact title she was hoping to see— Sabrina starring Humphrey
Bogart and Audrey Hepburn. It was as if some movie-loving fairy godmother was
giving her a little gift to help her feel better after the Jeff Haskell party
drama. Though, in fairness to Jeff Haskell and the rest of the partygoers,
Amanda Hunter was the only person responsible for all the drama.
Amanda had proven to be as predictable as every other “it”
girl Laura had ever met. For the one hour that she was at the party, Laura felt
like she was sitting in on a master class in being two-faced. Though Amanda was
way too obvious about it, in Laura’s opinion, to be considered a master.
I need to solve this Charlie-and-Amanda mystery, she
thought. And I need to do it without involving Amanda…
Thankfully she didn’t have to deal with any of that until
after the weekend. For now Laura would be fixated on the TV screen where her
all-time favorite scene from Sabrina was unfolding—the one where
Sabrina writes a letter home to her father at the end of her trip to Paris. It
was just a static shot of the crazy-charming Audrey Hepburn sitting alone at a
café scribbling as her voice read her words, but Laura could have watched the
scene a thousand times and never tired.
“ I have learned how to live, how to be in the world and of
the world, and not just to stand aside and watch. And I will never, never again
run away from life. Or from love, either.”
I wonder if I can find a print of those words for my
bedroom , Laura thought as she watched Sabrina continue to scribble on the
screen. She hopped up from the couch to grab her laptop for a quick search of
her favorite handmade-crafts site. When Laura returned to the couch, there was
a new text waiting on her cellphone from the absolute last person she expected.
Hey, girlie. FYI someone from Haskell’s party is super into you… Text me
back to find out who. Would say we should grab a coffee, but dealing with some
Charlie stuff… Typical.
Laura couldn’t for the life of her figure out how Amanda got
ahold of her cellphone number. She’d given it to Charlie and no one else. Had
Amanda hacked into Charlie’s phone? Or, worse, into her own phone? Laura
couldn’t decide which move was creepier, but they both meant the same thing:
Amanda wanted to keep her very close. Laura wasn’t naïve enough to think it was
in the name of a blossoming new friendship. Amanda had a very tight hold on
Charlie, and she obviously wasn’t going to let anyone inch in on her turf. But
Laura’s biggest concern right now was…why? In what ways were they “eternally
bound,” as Amanda said? Laura could tell by the tone in her voice that Amanda hadn’t
just said that to get rid of her—something had happened. How that past
was currently affecting Charlie was the mystery Laura was most interested in
solving. Unfortunately this was the exact sort of high school drama that Laura
wanted to avoid as the new girl. But from what little she’d seen of Amanda’s
behavior so far, Laura feared she was no longer in control, and
bed covers. On the coffee table in front of her was everything a girl needed to
get through a rough day: a pint of salted-caramel ice cream, chocolate covered
raisins to dump into that pint, and the remote control. It was just the kind of
dreary Saturday night that Laura needed to regroup after everything that
unfolded on Friday. During moments like these, Laura didn’t mind the constant
absence of her parents. Having the house to herself was nice, especially after
the discovery that some classic movie channel was running a romance movie
marathon. Dad would be bummed to miss this , Laura thought. He was
responsible for her love of old black-and-white films, and pints of ice cream,
for that matter.
Laura had checked the whole day’s movie lineup when she
stumbled upon the marathon that morning. Listed beside the two o’clock slot was
the exact title she was hoping to see— Sabrina starring Humphrey
Bogart and Audrey Hepburn. It was as if some movie-loving fairy godmother was
giving her a little gift to help her feel better after the Jeff Haskell party
drama. Though, in fairness to Jeff Haskell and the rest of the partygoers,
Amanda Hunter was the only person responsible for all the drama.
Amanda had proven to be as predictable as every other “it”
girl Laura had ever met. For the one hour that she was at the party, Laura felt
like she was sitting in on a master class in being two-faced. Though Amanda was
way too obvious about it, in Laura’s opinion, to be considered a master.
I need to solve this Charlie-and-Amanda mystery, she
thought. And I need to do it without involving Amanda…
Thankfully she didn’t have to deal with any of that until
after the weekend. For now Laura would be fixated on the TV screen where her
all-time favorite scene from Sabrina was unfolding—the one where
Sabrina writes a letter home to her father at the end of her trip to Paris. It
was just a static shot of the crazy-charming Audrey Hepburn sitting alone at a
café scribbling as her voice read her words, but Laura could have watched the
scene a thousand times and never tired.
“ I have learned how to live, how to be in the world and of
the world, and not just to stand aside and watch. And I will never, never again
run away from life. Or from love, either.”
I wonder if I can find a print of those words for my
bedroom , Laura thought as she watched Sabrina continue to scribble on the
screen. She hopped up from the couch to grab her laptop for a quick search of
her favorite handmade-crafts site. When Laura returned to the couch, there was
a new text waiting on her cellphone from the absolute last person she expected.
Hey, girlie. FYI someone from Haskell’s party is super into you… Text me
back to find out who. Would say we should grab a coffee, but dealing with some
Charlie stuff… Typical.
Laura couldn’t for the life of her figure out how Amanda got
ahold of her cellphone number. She’d given it to Charlie and no one else. Had
Amanda hacked into Charlie’s phone? Or, worse, into her own phone? Laura
couldn’t decide which move was creepier, but they both meant the same thing:
Amanda wanted to keep her very close. Laura wasn’t naïve enough to think it was
in the name of a blossoming new friendship. Amanda had a very tight hold on
Charlie, and she obviously wasn’t going to let anyone inch in on her turf. But
Laura’s biggest concern right now was…why? In what ways were they “eternally
bound,” as Amanda said? Laura could tell by the tone in her voice that Amanda hadn’t
just said that to get rid of her—something had happened. How that past
was currently affecting Charlie was the mystery Laura was most interested in
solving. Unfortunately this was the exact sort of high school drama that Laura
wanted to avoid as the new girl. But from what little she’d seen of Amanda’s
behavior so far, Laura feared she was no longer in control, and
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