ILYSE:

"Ilyse! Here, it's not much but I think this week you need it more than I do." I looked down at the twenty dollars that aunt B was offering me. To me it was more than just twenty dollars, it was aunt B's 'splash out' money that she used after work to buy a cup of coffee or a cake or something. I couldn't and wouldn't take it.

"Aunt B, I can't take that. It's your relax money, don't worry about me. I've got a bit saved from odd jobs, you know how Mrs. Henley is about paying me to do odd jobs for her." I could see the hesitation in aunt B's eyes as she continued to hold the money out, I took it with a roll of my eyes because I knew she wasn't going to put it back into her pocked.

"Thank you aunt B, I'll pay you back." She hated when I said that but I didn't give her much time to respond. Instead I flung my arms around her neck, gave her the biggest kiss on the cheek and headed out to wait on the sidewalk for Natty and her brother to pick me up.

It wasn't long before a black car pulled up beside me, for a few moments I thought I was about to be kidnapped but Natty thankfully jumped out of the car and motioned for me to get in. "Come on Ilyse! Lets go get ready, this is my brother Keelan...I'm not sure if you've met each other yet. But yah, anyone. Come on Keelan, lets go!"

I could tell that Natty was excited about tonight, she'd spoken non stop since latching on to me and even through the entire ride back to her home Natty kept jabbering. Keelan didn't say a word to me, he didn't even acknowledge that I was in the car, which made me think he was either rude or sick to death of Natty talking.

"Mom! Come meet my friend," I was mortified at Natty for yelling that as soon as we came through the front door, her brother was behind us so it meant I couldn't turn and run out the door back to the car so instead stood my ground as I watched Mrs. Poller come gliding towards us.

"Mom, this is Ilyse Thorlan...one of my friends." Natty faltered a little in her introduction. I held my hand out towards Mrs. Poller.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Poller, I'm Ilyse." Mrs. Poller wasn't really what I'd been expecting. I don't really know what I was expecting of Natty's mom but Mrs. Poller wasn't it, she was dressed neatly and held herself with...I don't know. She looked stiff, like she was holding herself back from having fun or something.

"Natalia has told me so much about you, please have fun tonight and keep Keelan in line. He's already in enough trouble as it is." Keelan and Natty both made noises of displeasure as Mrs. Poller offered me a polite smile before leaving us there.

Natty dragged me up the stairs to her bedroom, her room was huge! Looking around at everything in the room I realized that her parents must have been wealthy. It was ridiculous how big her room was, it was larger than the lounge and kitchen at aunt B's home, it was so odd to experience for the first time.

Before I had wound up at aunt B's home I had a home...with siblings and parents, our home hadn't been as big as the Poller's home but it had been close. Of course I shared a room with my younger sister, we'd been pretty much inseparable since she was born.

"Come on Ilyse, here we're about the same size, put this on." I was going to protest what Natty had held out towards me but in that moment I realized that she expected me to be as dressed up as she was. For all I knew I was going to blend into the background and watch from a distance, I didn't realize I was going to be hanging around Natty and Seth the entire time.

"Nat I can't just put your clothes on!" Part of me was fine wearing someone elses clothes, but only if we had been getting changed at my home around people who didn't know who's clothing I was wearing.

"Don't be silly, I went shopping the other week with my mom and saw that and had to get it. But not for me, I thought of you right away when I saw it." Natty had brought this dress for me? Instinct told me to give it back to her but Natty was already standing in front of me when I looked up, was I that easy to read?

"No way am I taking it back, besides I think you'd look cute in it! Come on, I swear it'll suit you." I held the blue and white summer dress up to look at it a little more closely, it wasn't something I would wear but..it kind of was at the same time, if I'd been given the chance.

"Natty, I can't just take this from you." Even as I protested Natty was already getting ready to respond to my protests, I could see the words forming on her lips as she pushed the dress towards me.

"Yes you can, besides...you've helped me out so much, just let me give you this one thing. Please Ilyse?" I sighed in resignation, Natty seemed pleased with my response so turned back to continue doing whatever it was that she was doing.

I'd already put on a little bit of makeup, it was a rarity for me so I never usually wore it. My shoes were my 'good' sandals, they were only ever brought out on the rare occasion that I went to a formal gathering. Aside from my 'good' shoes they were the only other thing that I owned that looked new. I'd worn them a grand total of three times I think, so they were still relatively new.

Once Natty and I were dressed we went back downstairs, I think we were going to meet Seth at the fair so Mrs. Poller let us go without much fuss or bother, which was the complete opposite to how she had reacted when I had first arrive.

KEELAN:

This day couldn't get any worse, I had drawn that conclusion as soon as we had pulled up to pick up Nat's 'friend.' Who I was now convinced was hanging around her for her money and not much else, I mean I could totally understand Nat taking on a charity case..which this screamed out.

The place we picked her up from was the size of a shoe box, but Nat had been...well nattering on about this girl like the sun shone out of her a$$.

I thought that at least when we'd picked her up that she would distract Nat, but she hadn't. All she'd done was nod and smile at a few things that Nat had said but hadn't really told Nat to chill or anything. I don't know, there were a few things that made me dislike Ilyse from the get go.

Like the way she didn't really engage with Nat, or the way she averted her gaze whenever you tried to catch her eye, she seemed like she was hiding something and I was curious to know what it was. Not because I genuinely wanted to know what was up with her but more because I didn't want Nat getting hurt. She was pretty naive and thought everyone had a good heart, I had thought the same stupid thing too up until a certain point.

Now I was weary of everyone and would protect Nat at all costs, even if it meant this so called friend of hers suddenly stopped talking to her.

When Nat and Ilyse finally came down the stairs after what felt like an eternity, my decision was firmly set. She was even wearing things that Nat had brought for herself, the blue and white dress did look nice on Ilyse but I knew that Nat had been saving that for something special.

"Come on Kee, lets go! Seth is going to meet us there, by mom!" I merely followed the girls out the front door, closing it soundly behind me before heading to the car. Nat could drive, I don't know why she never wanted to. But at least, with me driving we'd get there on time and in one piece too.

Fair's were never my thing but growing up in a small-ish town it meant that most everyone who was 'cool' went to these sorts of things. Seeing as I was 'cool' in most teens eyes I had to make an appearance while it was in town, it just helped that Nat absolutely insisted on going to this stupid thing.

That's right, I was cool but considered this fair stupid.

"Okay, remember where we parked!" I yelled to Nat and Ilyse as I locked the car up, Ilyse turned to me with her phone held up like she was taking a photo. When I heard that noise I realized that she had and cringed a little, where was my warning?

"It's easier to take a picture than to remember." I wanted to argue with her, give some sort of retort because she had said it in such a condescending way. But my brain stalled when I saw none other than Brock Jamis walking towards the fair as well, could this day really get any worse than it currently was?

When I first asked myself the question I thought that it couldn't, but the powers that be had other ideas.