Friends Forever-Jeanna Small Jeanna Small furiously began throwing framed photographs of Jenny Plum and Lyla Beaty against the wall, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. “Why did you leave me? I’m doing miserably without you. Please come back to me. Come back!” Tears of pain and anguish streamed down her cheeks, and onto the soft fabric of her cotton bedspread. She threw herself against the bed in fury and in pain. When, she was still coped up in her room an hour later, her mother came up to find out what was wrong. “ Jeanna honey, I thought you were over this by now. It’s been eight years since this terrible tragedy. It’s time to move on. Make new friends. Enjoy your life, while it’s still yours. I mean, after you wrote that lovely note to the Plums'…” Jeanna retreated from the bed, and fixed herself to a sitting position. “Mom please, I want to be alone. Please.” But her mother hadn’t finished. “You should share what you’re feeling with me too, Jeanna. I know what you are feeling. I lost a husband that was very dear to me-” “But I lost a father! Plus two friends!” She shook her head sadly. “I don’t think I can take anymore of this. Who knows? I may lose you next, or Grandma Morris, or Aunt Celisa-” “That’s enough!” Her mother stated firmly. “I’m not going anywhere. Not yet anyway. Let’s not talk about this anymore. How ‘bout a trip to the mall? I’ll buy you that shirt you’ve always wanted, and we could have lunch, get our hair done-” “It would be way more fun with Lyla and Jenny.” Jeanna complained. “Please Jeanna? You can’t stay in here forever. Just because Lyla and Jenny lost their lives, doesn’t mean you can’t use yours.” Jeanna turned her back to her mother and grumbled aloud. “I’m not going.” Her mother took Jeanna’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “Just for Me?” she pleaded, tossing Jeanna one of her sad puppy looks. Jeanna whirled around to face her mother, and gave in, when she saw her mother’s face. “Alright. Guess there’s nothing to lose anyhow.” Fifteen minutes later, they sat at a table hungrily digging into the KFC meal, not bothering to use the plastic eating utensils that had come along with it. Although Jeanna still felt pretty miserable, she knew there was nothing like the taste of a delicious KFC king-size burger. Her mouth watered, and she gobbled it up with pleasure. Her mother smiled. “See? You’re feeling better already. And we haven’t even got our hair done yet.” With those words, a few girls from Jeanna’s public high school began to walk past Jeanna’s table, and when they laid their eyes on her, they started pointing and giggling despite themselves. Jeanna saw them laughing, and her face turned beet red. “Mom…Could we go now please?” Her mother who was too busy enjoying her food, hadn’t noticed the girls who had just came by. “Why? We just got here, and I’m not done eating.” Jeanna did not want to stay at the mall any longer. Those girls were just a few people who had begun to call Jeanna names, since she lost Jenny. Names such as a loner, jinx and bad penny were just a few of the names she got called everyday at school. People were beginning to spread rumours about her, and were saying that the reason why Jenny and Lyla had left her, was because she had been an awful friend. “Mom, Can we just go please?” Jeanna begged once again. “ No way. We still have to get our hair done. We’re going to have fun today, Jeanna. We’re not going home so you can mope and whine in her room all day long. That’s insanity. No, we’re staying put.” Jeanna knew better than to argue. She’d try her best to enjoy herself while she could, and hopefully they could go home soon. Soon, they were at a nice hair salon in the store, and the lady who doing Jeanna’s hair, was now spraying mousse and all sorts of hair products into her hair. Her mother smiled happily from where she was sitting while a lady with long red nails snipped at the loose ends of her mother’s cropped auburn hair. One hour later, Jeanna sat waiting impatiently for her mother’s hair to be finished. Jeanna’s hair had gotten done first, and she had to admit it looked pretty great, the way the lady had highlighted some parts with a darker brown, and gave it a bit of a much wavier natural style. But she still wanted to go home, and couldn’t afford to wait for her mother any longer. Then out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a weird looking shop just across from the salon she was at. Although there really was no great attraction, Jeanna found herself telling her mom she’d be back, and walking over to the shop. An old lady with bushy gray eyebrows and frizzled hair, greeted her, not exactly in the friendliest way possible, but enough to want to make Jeanna walk inside the store to uncover its secrets. Unlike other stores, there were no books, no clothes, no hair or beauty products or anything at all. It was completely bare. Jeanna decided to go back to the salon and started to walk in the other direction, but a strong hand griped her shoulder so hard, that Jeanna sank into the chair heavily. “Why’d you’d do that for?” she asked the lady directly, her voice filled with anger. “ I can see in your eyes, that you are suffering from a terrible loss, no?” Now Jeanna was frightened. Jenny had warned of mediums who claimed to be of God, but were really of the devil. She wanted to leave, but her feet didn’t seem to want to budge. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Yes you do.” The lady persisted. “You know. You have lost two friends, and you want them back, so I can help you.” “ I’m sorry. I’m not into that stuff.” Again, Jeanna tried to move, but her feet stood glued to the ground. “If you want to bring your friends back, say their names aloud in your room five times. They shall come back to you. And you will never be lonely again.” This time, when Jeanna tried to leave, with a miraculous effort, she got up from the chair, and raced out of the room. The lady watched her go, smiling corruptly, with a sinister look grazing the corners of her eyes. “There you are. I was done long time ago. Let’s go get that shirt!” “ No, Mom. Please, really, I just want to go home.” The enthusiasm spark that Jeanna had noted in her mother’s eyes dyed down with Jeanna’s words, till it was no longer there. Pulling on her ‘You’re no fun’ face, She followed Jeanna out of the mall, and they both proceeded home. When Jeanna had gone home, she went straight to her room, and shut the door, also deciding to lock it as well. She plopped onto the bed, and tried to fall asleep. But the lady’s words came clearly back to her memory, and she couldn’t seem to erase the thoughts. Jeanna frowned, and turned her gaze to the framed photograph of both Lyla and Jenny hanging on her bedroom wall. Well, there’s no harm in trying, is there? I want my friends back, so I will get them back. The lady had told her to say her friends’ names five times with the door locked. She glanced back at the doorknob just to make sure, and satisfied to see the lock pushed in, she began her chant. “Lyla Beaty and Jenny Plum, Lyla Beaty and Jenny Plum- No I can’t!” she yelled in a frustrated tone. There’s no way this is going to work.” But she slowly began the chant again, her fingers trembling in both fear and longing. She had soon repeated it five times and waited anxiously. Nothing happened for a minute or so, and she stared miserably out the window, then when she had turned back around, she found herself face to face with Lyla and Jenny, staring back at her with cold gloomy eyes. Jeanna screamed in fright, and hopped off of the bed, out of their reach. Lyla spoke. “Why are you scared, Jeanna? Aren’t you happy to see me?” “ Yes…but…you look different. Your eyes…they’re so black, and there’s no life in them…” Her voice trailed off. “ Well, we were dead…you know…It’s not like we have a life.” Jenny extended her hand out towards Jeanna’s face and stroked her cheeks. Her hands were frigid and terribly pale. “Jeanna, we’re still the same people…” Jeanna didn’t think so. “No you’re not. I don’t think you are who you say you are. You’re not my friends.” “Yes I am. I’m Jenny. I love Jesus, and I’m your friend. “Well then if you love Jesus, say his full name.” Jenny looked alarmed. “His full name? Why? You know what it is. I taught you.” “Oh yes, but I forgot, and I need to know what it is again.” Jenny refused, thinking of every possible excuse in the book, and Jeanna was certain that these two weren’t her friends. The Real Jenny would have had no problem in saying Jesus’ full name. She had to get rid of them. Fast. “Jenny, could you help me learn about Jesus Christ the Son of Nazareth, and all about how he died for our sins in the Bible?” Jenny and Lyla began to back away, looking terrified by the moment. “Jenny, why are you frightened? Help me learn about Jesus Christ. I want to know about Jesus’ wonderful love for us!” With that comment, the girls morphed themselves into one creature, which she assumed was the devil, and then disappeared. When it had gone, Jeanna rushed downstairs, and told her mother everything right from the beginning upon seeing the lady in the store, to now. “Oh Jeanna, you should have never tried that. That is a dangerous thing to do. But I’m glad you knew what to do in the end. Then suddenly bewildered, Jeanna’s mother asked, “You say, there’s a store across from the salon we were at today? Are you sure? Because I didn’t see it.” “Well I did, and it was still there when we were leaving today too.” Jeanna’s mother gave her a puzzled look and left the room for a minute, coming back a few seconds later with ‘The Yellow Pages’ tucked securely under her armpit. Placing it gently on the table, she flipped through it, till her finger came across the number to the mall Jeanna and her mother had been at just today. She quietly dialed the number, and after a short discussion on the telephone, her mother hung up the phone and looked at Jeanna with a troubled expression. “That store doesn’t exist, Jeanna.” Jeanna was afraid. She had let the devil play her like a fool. Would Jesus forgive her now? Would her life ever be the same again? “Mom…I need…help.” Her mother nodded in understanding, and they both sank down to their knees in holy matrimony. “My name is Erica Kellings. I lost my mother in a car crash, and my two best friends. One from AIDS, and one from leukemia. I wanted them back so badly, so I went to a bookstore that sold books dealing with bringing people back from the dead, until I found out later it did not exist. I’m here today, after such a shattering encounter with the devil.” After Jeanna’s mother had finished praying with her, Jeanna had decided that the best way for her to start to put her life back together was to join a support group for kids her own age, who had gone through the same difficulties she had. The girl who spoke reminded Jeanna of Lyla in many ways. She had a bright smile, long silky black hair, and glowing brown eyes. She was wearing a tank top with ‘Angel’ printed in the center in sparkling silver glitter. She also wore blue jeans, and Jeanna found herself admiring Erica Kellings for the many traits she had seen in Lyla when they had just met. Jeanna stood up next, and told them her story. All about losing her father from lung cancer, Lyla from leukemia, and Jenny when she had been hit by a car. She told them all about how Jenny had witnessed to Lyla and Jeanna, and told them all about the love of Jesus, and how she had helped them stop smoking. Eventually. Then all about the lady in the stop, and about seeing Lyla and Jenny come back, and being so very frightened about it overall. It became easier for her when she could tell others about everything she had been through her through the past years. It felt as if a heavy burden that had been weighing her down for years, finally could be lifted off. After the support group session in the church was over, and everyone began to pile out of the room, Erica walked over to where Jeanna was sitting. “Hey, your story almost sounded like mine.” “Yeah, I guess it did.” Jeanna replied. She found her eyes landing on Erica’s shoulder, and she noticed the big horrid bruise located on her left shoulder. “ What happened?” she asked pointing to the bruise. “ I was in the car crash with my mother. We were going home. I survived. She didn’t.” “That’s dreadful.” Jeanna told her. Erica just nodded slowly and it was pretty silent for a while, until Jeanna finally broke the silence. “Nice hair.” She said observing the way her hair bounced about with her every word. “Thanks. You too.” Erica complimented back. Jeanna fingered her own hair, and they both laughed. Jeanna didn’t remember when she had done that in a long time. It felt good. Then almost skeptical at first Erica added, “What do you say? Should we try it?” Right away, Jeanna caught on to what she was saying, and grinned. “Yeah we should. Let’s just hope it lasts.” Erica held out her hand, and Jeanna held out her own hand. “Friends?” Erica looked at Jeanna expectantly, and Jeanna held onto Erica’s hand tightly, surprised at the strong hold she got back. “Friends. Forever.”
Copyright © 2006 Alexandra Rose |