Goth Kids Posing

The next day, I slope down to The Bell Jar. The Bell Jar is a cool art shop in town, owned by Mr and Mrs Bell i.e Trixie's parents. They are both artists, and sell their work on through the shop. It is seriously cool.
I go in and through to the back. It's a big workshop, full of sculptures and canvases and pallettes. Trixie is sitting on a turned-up bucket in the corner, scribbling away on a sketch pad. She looks up, shocked, when she sees me.
" Fliss..." she starts, her blue eyes wide and a little bit scared. " What are you doing here?"
" I've come to say...let's be friends again. Please. I miss you."
" I miss you too," she whispers, gets up and gives me a petunia-oil-scented hug. It smells familiar, comforting, as is the rustle of net and pencil poking out at me. I pull away and pick up her sketch book. It's a good manga sketch, of a sad-eyed girl with scruffy hair, trailing along , a crowd of kids following her. The gang are mean and evil, slits for eyes, hurling rocks. One girl in the crowd is hanging back, hanging her dark head, looking uncomfortable.
" Oh, Trix," I sigh. " It's so good."
" Nah," she blushes. " Are the other's your mates yet?"
" No. I need your help. Come on!"
We go down to the park, up to the monument. A girl is sitting on the steps below it, writing in a slim black book. Her dark brown hair hangs forward, chesnut in the sunlight. Her legs are streched out in front of her, displaying black skinny jeans and black starry Converse.
" Hey. Belle," I call out, and she looks up.
" Fliss. What the Hell?"
"I've come to make friends again," I say. " Please. I really miss you all."
Belle looks amprehensive.
" Belle, please. I've been depressed. I need cheering up."
She bites her lip.
" Okay," she agrees, stands up and gives me a big cuddle. I find myself in tears. It feels so good.
" Now Stocker," I say, wiping my eyes. " Any guess to where he is?"
We find Stocker coming out of the swimming pool, his hair wet,his glasses steamed up.
" Belle, Trixie, Hi," he says. " Fliss...?"
I don't say anything-I just hug him. He hugs me back.
" Thanks," I grin. " Really. Now...why did you ditch me?"
Belle toes the ground like a nervous horse.
" Well...we needed to stay with Hunter. We need the respect, otherwise we're stuffed."
" Why?"
" Oh, Fliss," she laughs. " Can't you tell? We're goth kids posing. We need her to get us approval.Pathetic, I know."
" I guess she'll never be my friend again," I shrug. " Oh well. It doesn't matter."
I link arms with them and we walk back to the boat. I feel sad though.
They need approval, because they're goth kids posing.
I hate Hunter.
No, I don't. I love her. She's my best friend.
She was my best friend.