Second Bestie (Redbend High Book 1)

by Anna Marie Kittrell

“We need something to drink,” Bianca decided as we sat silently.

  I pushed the lever on the side of the recliner. It recoiled sharply, catapulting me into the coffee table. Lenni lunged for the teetering flower vase, steadying it. I caught my balance and slapped a hand over my thumping heart.

  “Guess I should’ve warned you about that,” Bianca said.

  I shook my head and grinned. Not so long ago, Bianca would’ve enjoyed watching me fall on my face.

  We stepped into the small kitchen and Bianca took three tumblers from the cupboard. I mused over the collection of oversized wooden spoons and forks hanging on the walls. Some resembled totems with harsh little faces carved into them.

  “My mother’s collection,” Bianca said, following my gaze. “She used to pick them up at flea markets and garage sales. A few were gifts. This set belonged to my great grandmother.” She pointed to a gigantic spoon and fork hung horizontally above the gold-toned refrigerator.

  “Cool,” I said. “I really like your kitchen. It’s very eclectic.”

  “Molly, people in Old Town have electricity, same as everybody else,” Lenni said, rolling her eyes.

  “I said eclectic, Lenni.”

  She stared blankly.

  Bianca poured ice tea and we drank at the kitchen counter. “Let’s go to my room,” she said, placing our empty glasses in the sink.

  She picked up the bottle of flowers on the way through. We entered a small, dark hallway lined with pictures. Several school photos of Bianca stared at us from the wall, her hair gathered in pigtails, body posed stiffly in front of various backdrops.

  I stopped in front of the largest picture frame. Smiling behind the glass was a beautiful woman with charcoal eyes. Her black hair, brushed behind one creamy-white shoulder, glistened.

  “She’s stunning,” I whispered.

  “My mother,” Bianca said.

  My gaze wandered over Jocelyn’s face—so similar to her daughter’s—then stopped at the locket around her neck.

  “It’s the same one.” Bianca reached into her neckline and pulled out the locket. Guilt knotted my stomach as I recalled her opening it to show me Sam’s picture after she’d eaten Mom’s cookie.

  “When this photograph of my mother was taken, I was a baby. The locket held my picture then.” She tapped the glass with a crimson fingernail.

  I swept my gaze to the frame beside Jocelyn’s portrait—a little boy playing in the lawn sprinkler, his strawberry-blonde hair lit by the sun. “Sam,” I said, unable to look at the little boy without smiling. He seemed to be having the time of his life.

  “Yep, that’s Sam.” She traced her little brother’s face with her finger. “We’re going to visit him tomorrow.”

  I snapped my eyes from Sam’s photograph to her face. Our gazes locked.

  “Bianca, can I go on in?” Lenni asked.

  She looked down the hall to where Lenni stood peeking into a doorway. “Of course. What’s stopping you?” she said, walking toward her.

  “I dunno, just trying to be polite.” Lenni parted long strands of red and purple glass beads and stepped in. Bianca and I followed. “I just love your room!” Lenni squealed, touching a little dragon with sapphire eyes then picking up a jar that looked like an antique urn.

  Bianca rolled her eyes, “Lenni, you’ve been here a hundred times.”

  “I know, but it’s just so cool. I love the spider-webby things and the crystals.” Lenni fingered a wispy tendril flowing from the ceiling.

  “Actually, I’m thinking of redecorating,” Bianca said. “I don’t really use this stuff anymore.” She picked up a small crystal ball. “Here, need a paperweight?”

  “You’re giving it to me?” Lenni asked, her eyes large.

  “On one condition. You use it as a paperweight. Only.”

  Lenni nodded.

  “I don’t want you goofing around with it. I know what can happen when imaginations run wild.”

  “Does it see the future?” She took the sphere from Bianca’s hand and held it up to a lampshade covered in silk scarves.

  “There’s only one person who knows the future, and He doesn’t need a crystal ball.” She set the flowers on her nightstand, next to her crimson Bible.

  * * *

  Bianca’s father carried in delicious-smelling paper bags covered with greasy stains. “Bowling alley burgers and fries for everyone,” he said, setting the sacks on Bianca’s dresser. “Be right back.” He hustled out, returning with a roll of paper towels and three cola cans. My mouth watered as the aroma of fried onions and grilled meat filled the room.

  “Dad, you’re the coolest,” Bianca said, kissing his cheek before she grabbed the bags and dropped cross-legged to the floor. “Want to eat with us?” she asked, divvying up the food.

  “No way. This is a girl-thing, and I don’t do girl-things. If you need me, holler, giggle, or scream. Although, I’m sure I’ll be hearing a lot of that anyway.” He backed out of the room.

  “So, want to play truth or dare while we eat?” Bianca asked, her eyes teasing.

  “No, thanks,” I said, enjoying my burger entirely too much, mopping grease from my chin with a paper towel.

  “I do,” Lenni said, popping open her soda can.

  “I wasn’t serious.”

  “Well, what do you want to do, then?” Lenni asked, licking her fingers.

  “Oh, I don’t know, maybe watch this?” Bianca pulled a DVD of Dizzy’s latest tour, Dizzy’s Epidemic, from under the bed.

  Lenni and I squealed. “I didn’t think it had released yet.” I took the case from her, turned it over and read the back.

  “Just came out yesterday. Dad brought it home.”

  “Outrageous!” Lenni slid the case from my hand and pried it open. “Wouldn’t that be crazy if it contained footage from the show we went to?”

  “That was too recent. This footage has to be older. Probably clips from the beginning of the tour.” She snatched the disk and slid it into the player. “Hit the lights, Len.”

  I joined Lenni and Bianca, belly down, on the large area rug. Dizzy and her band filled the screen, screeching, screaming and gyrating for the next two hours while we sang along.

  The DVD ended. Bianca slid in her favorite movie, an old black-and-white horror flick with terrible lighting, poor monster makeup, and zero special effects. We all fell asleep on the floor.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The opposite of a nightmare, that’s what the dream had been. Bianca no longer wanted to ruin my life, and Lenni could be friends with both of us at the same time.

  Eyes closed, I groped for my journal, not willing to let the dream go. My breath caught as my fingers tangled in the web of an enormous spider, or the fur of some strange animal. I squeezed my lids tighter. I’d rather not see the thing eating me alive. I twisted my wrist, trying to get free. The creature drew closer, its breath on my face.

  I jerked away, clawing. A bloodcurdling scream exploded in my ear canal, springing my eyelids open like window shades. Bianca faced me on the floor, our noses nearly touching, my hand knotted, wrist-deep, in her hair.

  “What are you doing?” she shrieked, tugging on my fingers.

  “I was sleeping…waking…it was an accident.”

  “Relax your hand.” She pried the strands from my knuckles.

  “I’m sorry.” I sat up. Loose, red hairs still twisted around my wrist.

  Bianca sat up too, rubbed her head and glared.

  “What’s going on?” Lenni asked as Seth pushed through the beaded doorway, spatula in hand.

  “I got tangled up in Bianca’s hair,” I said, embarrassed.

  “Are you okay?” Lenni asked her.

  She stopped rubbing and pulled more loose strands from her head. “Yeah, I think so. Do I have any hair left?” She lowered her head, showing me her scalp.

  “Plenty,” I said.

  “Well, if things are okay, I’m going back to the stove. Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes,” Seth said.


  I faced Bianca, my pulse still pounding. “I really am sorry about the rude awakening. This sounds stupid, but I forgot where I was. I thought I was home, reaching for the dream journal I keep on my nightstand.”

  “Did you dream?”

  “Actually, I was half asleep. I thought this was a dream, the three of us, being friends. I didn’t want to wake up.”

  “Well, I guess I should consider it payback.” Bianca smirked.

  “Payback, for what?”

  “Pulling that hair from your head in the hallway.”

  “Yes, we could definitely call this payback.”

  “Although, I don’t think my plucking one measly hair from your head justifies you tearing out a whole handful. But, whatever.”

  “I love you guys,” Lenni blubbered, hugging both of us at the same time, jostling us back and forth, kissing the tops of our heads.

  “Enough!” Bianca barked. “Let’s get dressed. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”

  “Chow time,” Seth called.

  I followed Bianca and Lenni to the kitchen.

  “Don’t you think Dizzy’s prettier in person?” Lenni asked.

  “Definitely,” I said. “Of course, I only saw her from a distance.”

  “Eh, I don’t know. I thought she looked about the same, only she looks a little fatter on TV,” Bianca said.

  “Hope you girls are hungry.” Seth stood proudly in front of the table, his arms crossed.

  “Wow, this is great!” Lenni exclaimed, widening her eyes at the colorful fruit topped with whipped cream.

  “Thanks, Dad,” Bianca said, reaching for a slice of bacon.

  “Wait a minute.” He moved her hand from the platter. “I want you girls to sit at the table.” He pulled each chair out.

  “Now can we eat?” Bianca asked, eying a large bowl of scrambled eggs.

  “Not quite. I think we should say grace.” He lowered his head.

  “Really?” she asked.

  “Really.”

  Seth prayed over the food and said a prayer for each of us. He then prayed for Jocelyn, and thanked God for blessing their family with Sam, for even a short while.

  “Amen. Bianca, you may eat now.”

  “Amen,” she said, her hand already grasping two slices of bacon.

  “You’re sure you don’t need me to come with you?” he asked.

  “I’m sure,” she said before drinking her juice. She set her glass on the table. “No offense, but I don’t want to feel like a kid today.”

  “None taken,” he said. “In that case, I’m going to visit your mother while you girls are at the cemetery.”

  Cemetery? Lenni and I exchanged confused glances.

  “Your mom will enjoy an extra visit this week. She’s doing so much better. She still won’t speak, but I can tell she really wants to.”

  Bianca tossed a grape into the air and caught it in her mouth.

  “Did I tell you she smiled at me the other day?”

  She nodded and chewed. “Can we go now?” she asked, rising.

  Lenni and I gathered plates and silverware while Bianca covered leftovers and slid them into the refrigerator.

  “I’ll have the dishes done in a flash.” Seth turned on the faucet.

  “Thanks, Mr. Ravenwood. Breakfast was really good,” I said.

  “It was yummy,” Lenni agreed.

  “Glad you liked it.”

  Bianca crossed the kitchen and kissed her dad’s cheek. We followed her to the bedroom. “Will you carry these again, please?” She handed Lenni the bottle containing the bloodberry flowers then walked to the closet. “Molly, would you mind holding this?” She passed me a soft, blue-and-yellow quilt.

  “Pretty,” I said.

  “My mom made it for Sam before he was born.” She picked up the jar that resembled an urn. “Let’s go.” We left Bianca’s room, carried the items down the dark hallway, past the pictures of Jocelyn and Sam, and into the sunshine.

  Lenni and I crowded in the back of the jeep. Bianca slid in front. Seth hurried down the steps, ruby slipper swinging from his index finger. He backed into the tree-lined street.

  “Turn on the radio!” Lenni squealed.

  “Not today, Lenni.” Bianca sat rigid, her tendrils lifting in the breeze.

  “Sorry,” Lenni said in a small voice.

  We rode in silence through the twisting country roads to Redbend Cemetery. I sat tall on my knees, taking in my surroundings, breathing in the aroma of freshly plowed fields and the not-so-fresh scent of pastures dotted with cattle. The brisk air tingled my nose and cheeks, making me glad I’d worn a sweater.

  “It’s over this next hill,” Seth said.

  The gated cemetery sprang into view. Vibrant flowers contrasted with gray headstones. It was beautiful, even from a distance.

  He pulled into the open gate and crept along the little lanes between grave markers. Bianca looked out the window, her profile solemn as Seth guided the jeep around an ornate bell tower. He pulled over, stopping in front of a small, granite headstone engraved with a toy train. Bouquets of blue carnations filled the vases on either side. A miniature, red engine stood under the chiseled dates.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Seth looked at Bianca, his face serious.

  “It’s time for me to be ready,” she said. Seth reached for his door handle, but she stopped him, leaning to slide her hand over his. “I’ll open my own door today, Dad.”

  She slid from the jeep and held the seat forward. Lenni and I stepped carefully onto the concrete border surrounding Sam’s grave.

  “Text me when you’re ready,” Seth said.

  Bianca nodded. He pulled onto the path and drove away.

  “Molly, help me spread Sam’s quilt.” She grasped the corner and we shook it open, spreading it over the little patch of grass. Bianca knelt. Lenni and I sat beside her.

  “I’m not good with sharing my feelings, as you both know. So I’m just going to get this out best I can.” She took a ragged breath. “My life has changed drastically this past week. Before, I couldn’t bear to think of Sam’s death. I knew I’d never be among those angels in the clouds, never be in heaven, never see him again. Why should I, after what I’d done? If not for me, Sam would be alive, playing with this toy train, instead of lying underneath it.” She ran a finger over the small, red boxcars. “And Mom would be home, instead of crazy.”

  “Bianc—”

  “Let me finish.” She rattled the little train, silencing Lenni. “Sam was gone and Mom wasn’t getting better. What was I supposed to do with all the pain? I couldn’t drink it like Dad, so I handled it a different way. I controlled it, used it up, instead of it using me up. I turned into a witch’be and decided it was true. I told myself the mother in Sugar Creek Manor was a decoy, and that’s why she couldn’t speak or walk. She was an empty shell my real mother created to trick everyone when she left to become a full-blown witch. Later, she would send for me to join her.” Bianca sat tall, chin lifted, eyes flickering across the sky. “But it was all a lie.”

  She removed the lid from the urn and pulled out the doll Boo dug from the backyard. “Molly, I’ve been horrible, and you didn’t deserve it.” She dropped the doll into my palm. It was clean, its hair styled like mine, cupped under its tiny chin. All traces of nail polish were gone. I gazed into the warm brown eyes fringed with dark lashes. Even the outfit looked like mine—the plum t-shirt and black leggings I’d worn to the concert. A tiny golden cross shimmered from its chest.

  “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done. Especially at the concert.”

  My eyebrows tugged together. Was she being sarcastic?

  “You shocked me into facing the truth. Your words hurt, but I needed to hear them. Owning up to my circumstances released me from the weight of lies I’d dragged around most of my life. For the first time since Sam’s death, I’m free.”

  I clasped the doll gently between my palms and silently thanked God.


  “And Lenni, here’s your polish back.” She passed her the bottle of Sensuous Skin.

  “No way! I’ve been looking everywhere for this.” She wiggled, the flowers teetering between her knees.

  “Pastor Greg said to make things right with others before making them right with God, so I guess I’m covered. Lenni, will you please take a bloodberry flower and pass the bottle to Molly?”

  Lenni picked out a flower then handed the bottle to me.

  “Now you, Molly.”

  I chose one and then placed the bottle in Bianca’s hand. She removed the last bloom.

  “Please, give your flowers to my brother.”

  We each placed a flower before Sam’s headstone, in front of the little red engine.

  “I’ve forgiven my father, my mother, my brother, myself, and Molly. Maybe now I can picture myself in the clouds with the angels someday. With Sam and with Jesus. I know God heard at least one of my prayers. I knew it the night I asked him to change my life. The same night Dad poured all of his liquor down the drain.” Bianca stretched her hands out to us. We prayed.

  * * *

  We waited on the bench beside the bell tower until the jeep arrived. “How’d it go?” Seth asked Bianca as we climbed in.

  “Pretty intense,” she said. “How was your visit with Mom?”

  “Great. Your mother squeezed my hand.”

  Bianca leaned over and hugged him.

  “Dad, do you think you could stop by the store? I want something special for lunch.”

  “You’re hungry, after that lumberjack breakfast I made?”

  “Yep.”

  Bianca turned on the radio and sang along as Lenni danced. Seth swung into the parking lot of the local grocery store. “I’ll run in. I know exactly what I need,” Bianca said.

  “Does it cost more than ten bucks?” he asked.

  “Nope.” Seth handed her the money and she jumped from the jeep, jogging toward the store, skirt flowing behind her.

  “What’s she getting?” Seth asked.

  We shrugged.

  Bianca climbed back into the jeep with a single bag. “Let’s go home.”

  * * *

  Bianca slid the jar of peanut butter from the bag. “I hope you like grape,” she said, assembling four sandwiches. “Grab your milk. Let’s have a toast.” We raised our glasses. “Molly, will you do the honors?”