Cat's Out...a Darla The Alpha Cat Novel

Chapter 4 - Jacqueline

Mom almost completes two sentences before we enjoy the rest of the drive in silence. Well, we haven't seen each other since Christmas. How much could she have to say? She pulls her black Expedition--which is so big she has to take up her entire street to make the turn--into her driveway.

I've only seen The Compound a couple of times before. I swear they've added on rooms, even though it's only her and the rich guy. I pull my suitcase out of the back and roll it up the driveway. The heat reflecting off the blacktop makes me feel like an egg in a skillet. How do people survive this far south?

I don't even make it to the front door when something with dark skin, darker hair, and way too much caffeine and sugar bounces in front of me. "Hey!" the bouncy thing says.

"Uhh...hey."

"I'm Jacquelyn." She grabs my suitcase handle. "Let me help you with that."

I let go and turn to Mom, an eyebrow raised. Did she hire servants? I immediately feel like a total racist for thinking it, but I'm pretty sure girls didn't normally pop out of the bushes, offering their assistance. Not even in Bloomfield Hills.

"Thank you, Jackie," Mom says. "Darla, this is our neighbor. Right next door." She points through the tall hedges, where a Jacquelyn shaped hole has clearly been worn through.

And then I understand. Mom set me up with an insta-friend. Easier to keep me out of her hair that way. "Oh" is all I say.

Jacqueline races through Mom's house and up the stairs as I try to keep up. In Cherry Hill, this girl would be a star on the track team. And very popular, seeing as how she'd make black student number six. She seems nice. Sweet. All rainbows and unicorns. Now to get rid of her.

I catch up to my suitcase and new insta-friend in the guest bedroom that has been redecorated with pink pillows and matching comforter. Somehow, my mother of thirteen years before she ditched us all had forgotten how much I loathed pink. Maybe I could conjure enough of my other self to shred the comforter into pink confetti.

"Nice room!" Jacquelyn spins, taking in the decor as if it were the Taj Mahal. She points to the window. "It's right across from mine!"

Could she be any perkier? "Uh, yeah. That's cool." I clap my hands together. "We can send coded messages and stuff, huh?"

She turns to me and the smile drains away. "Sorry. Just trying to be friendly."

"Mission accomplished." I take a step toward the door.

She takes the hint, strutting past me, then grabs the doorframe on her way out. "Listen," she turns and levels  a serious gaze on me, "I know this is total bullshit and you don't want to be here. But if you wanna talk, I'm heading down to the Frosty Freeze for a few thousand calories of forget-my-troubles in half an hour." She slips out before I can respond.

I think I'll like this girl.