Sidelined by Kyra Lennon Page A

else would listen and not think me the most ungrateful, spoiled brat in the world?
    Just a few hours before, I’d started to feel like I’d found myself. Now, I’d never felt more alone.
    Too disheartened to walk anymore, I sank down into the sand, brushing away tears with the back of my hand, then tapped out a text message to Taylor, telling her sorry for leaving and I’d call her soon.
    So my priorities were messed up. I should have apologised to Will for yelling at him, but I was still pissed with him. Well, I was pissed with Jude, and Will took the brunt. Either way, I still couldn’t help thinking Taylor was the one who deserved an apology, true or not.
    My phone started to ring and I drew in a ragged breath, fully expecting to see Taylor’s name on the screen. When I saw Kayla’s name instead I wiped my eyes again and forced cheerfulness so she didn’t pick up on my misery.
    “Hey, beautiful,” I said, brightly. “How are you doing?”
    “Hey. Are you free to talk?”
    This was the first time she’d called me, and she sounded so cute and nervous, I chuckled. “I’m free to talk. You okay?”
    She let out a loud sigh of relief. “Yeah, I needed to talk to someone. Well, you.”
    And I had the nerve to think Leah and Freya had been lame friends lately . I should have called Kayla to check how things had been for her since the party incident. I’d been too busy freaking out about her brother, and basically becoming more self-involved than I ever intended to be.
    “What’s happening?” I asked. “Are your friends giving you a rough time?”
    “No. Well, yes. But that’s not why I’m calling. I didn’t know who else to talk to and-”
    “Kayla. Breathe.”
    At the other end of the line I heard her draw in a breath. “Taylor called me.”
    I almost dropped my phone in the sand.
    Taylor. Taylor called Kayla? Hey, that rhymes! I shook my head before my thoughts could gallop off into the land of ditz. But… Taylor was with me until a few minutes ago.
    “When did she call you?” I asked. “And what did she say?”
    “She called right after school. I’ve only just got to my room for some privacy. She asked if we can meet up.”
    “What did you tell her?”
    “I told her no way! God, does she actually think I’d go near her after the way she treated Jesse?”
    I closed my eyes, feeling like the world’s biggest idiot.
    “What do you think she wants?” Kayla asked.
    “I’ve no idea. She’s been calling me, too.”
    “Do you think she wants to get back with Jesse?”
    “No, I-”
    Wait. Was her trying to hook me up with him some twisted way of getting closer to him herself? Was she setting me up to screw me over again?
    “Bree, what is it?”
    Kayla’s voice shook me out of my stupor. “It’s nothing. Kayla, if she calls you again, let me know, okay?”
    “I will. As if I need any more drama. I get enough of that crap at school.”
    I let Kayla tell me about how things were going since her friends threw her aside, and the defeat in her voice made me ache.
    We were six years apart in age but I felt more connected to her than to anyone else in my life at that moment. We both needed to take our minds off our crap, and in a flash of inspiration, an idea came to me.
    What did Kayla and I enjoy? Clothes and make-up! I understood more than most that material things don’t bring happiness, but they can provide a great distraction. A plan formed in my head. All I needed to do was get Mr and Mrs Shaw’s approval.

Chapter 7 - Storm
     
    I stayed on the beach for more than an hour before heading home. I needed the time to think. Partly to keep mulling over my plan to give Kayla and me something fun to look forward to, and partly to stare out at the waves and try to figure out my next move with Jude, and work, and… Jesse. I couldn’t stop thinking about Jesse. Was Taylor right? Did I have options I hadn’t considered? I didn’t want to not be with Jude anymore, but Jesse was so much more on