The Secret of the Scarlet Stone (A Gabby Girls Adventure Novel, Book One) (7 page)

“Jeez! Jess, you’re driving me crazy with all this gobbledygook,” Gabrielle screamed as she snatched the lollipop out of her mouth.
“Okay, let’s get one thing straight; I don’t care how popular she is. Ashley is conceited and obnoxious
,
and who in the world would ever want to be friends with her anyway?”

Jessica stared wistfully into space
.
“Well
,
practically everyone at
Vineswell
Academy
,
that’s who
.
”

Gabrielle looked over at her with surprise
.
“And please don’t tell me that
‘
everyone
’
includes you
.
”

Jessica shifted from side
to
side guiltily
.
“Well
…
”

“You’ve got to be kidding me
!
You mean you actually want to be friends with her?
Even after she just made such a big point of being so rude to you?”

Jessica looked down at her shiny black shoes awkwardly
.
“Well, that’s just the way she is. I mean, she wasn’t always like that.”

Gabrielle looked at her curiously
.
“And exactly how would you know that?”

Jessica’s eyes clouded over with tears
.
“I know
…
because she was once my best friend
,
or at least I thought she was.”

Gabrielle’s eyebrows rose with surprise
.
“So, give me the low
-
down
.
W
hy can’t she stand you now?”

Jessica fought hard to blink back the tears that welled
up in her eyes
.
“I really wish I knew
. I
t all started when she didn’t invite me to her birthday party last year. Then
,
all of a sudden, she just stopped talking to me altogether with no explanation. So, one day I worked
up the nerve to ask her why and she just laughed at me and said that a girl like her could never be friends with a girl like me. I mean, what in the world was that suppose
d
to mean? After all, we were best friends
,
for goodness sake.”

Gabrielle looked over at her
.
“But
,
Jess
,
that
could have never been real friendship. I mean, come on
…
no real friend would have ever treated you like that. Besides, being in the popular crowd is not as fun as you think it is—believe me
,
I know. That’s why I turned down her invitation. Being an individual is so much cooler because you can make
up your own rules with no pressure at all.”

“But you can say that because you’re probably always in the popular crowd and I never have or ever will be,” Jessica said with sadness.

“Take my word for it
,
Jess
. B
eing in the popular crowd
ain’t
all that
…
besides, my mother always taught me to be an individual
,
not a follower.”

Jessica gave her an unconvinced look.

“Well, I can see by the crazy look you’re giving me that you don’t believe me
—
but
,
trust me
,
this year is going to rock. By the time we’re finished with
Vineswell
Academy, we’ll rock this old stuffy school by making our
own
rules,” Gabrielle boasted. “Now
,
Miss Tour Director
,
are you finished with your fabulous tour of
Vineswell
Academy?”

Jessica giggled, quickly covering her mouth to hide her braces
.
“Thanks
,
Gabi.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Gabrielle exclaimed as she popped her lollipop back into her mouth, smacking her lips with pure delight
.
“Now, let’s K.I.M
.,
shall we
?
”

“What does K.I.M
.
mean?” she
asked
.

Gabrielle p
r
opped her hands on her hips
.
“Where have you been?
Under a rock?
K.I.M
.: k
eep
i
t
m
oving!”

Jessica giggled
.
“I’ve never heard that before.”

“Well, don’t worry
. I’m
here
now
to school you on what’s really real. So, from now on
,
when I say
‘
let’s K.I.M
.,’
you say
, ‘
K.I.Ming
.
’
Got it?”

“Got it,” Jessica exclaimed happily.

“So, let’s start from the top and bring it on back. Let’s K.I.M
.
,” Gabrielle stated jokingly.

“
K.I.Ming
,
” Jessica
replied.

“That’s my girl!” Gabrielle chirped.

T
he cold
,
crisp air whirled around them tauntingly as they briskly walked across the manicured lawn
. W
ith each step, the crisp autumn leaves crunched softly under their shoes.

Jessica stopped hesitantly, pointing to the huge brick building that stood grandly before them
.
“This is Parker Hall
,
which was built in 1902. It’s the most gorgeous and largest building at
Vineswell
Academy.”

Gabrielle looked
up at the building in awe, her hazel eyes lighting
up with excitement. “Awesome
. I
t looks like some sort of mini
-
castle. Come on
,
Jess; let’s go in. I want to check things out.” She quickly grabbed Jessica’s arm as she ran up the weather-beaten stairs and shoved open the heavy wood door.
 

As they stepped into the building, they shivered from the cold air that brushed against their faces.

Gabrielle looked around with utter fascination; the room was very dark and was filled with beautiful burgundy velvet overstuffed chairs crammed against the walls. One section of the wallpapered walls was lined with large gold-framed paintings. She quickly walked over to the first large painting
;
with each step
,
the glossy wood floor groaned painfully in protest. Her eyes
squinted at
the large painting of a beautiful woman with piercing blue eyes and long golden hair.

Gabrielle leaned in curiously
.
“She looks very familiar. Who is she?”

Jessica cleared her throat
.
“That’s my mother; she died some years ago. She also went to
Vineswell
Academy.”

She smiled, gesturing toward the other paintings on the wall
.
“In fact, all of the
se
paintings are of all of the Parker women who attended
Vineswell
Academy at some point or other.” Jessica nervously twisted a long strand of blond hair around her finger
.
“My great
-
great
-g
randmother
,
Ruth Parker, built Parker Hall. But I don’t think anyone really uses this building anymore.”

Suddenly, a large burst of air swept through the room
,
causing their skirts to swoosh around their bodies. The front door slammed shut and Jessica jumped, looking around the room with startled eyes.

Casually, Gabrielle walked from one painting to another, examining each of them carefully. She squinted curiously when she noticed that all of the women had similar features, long blond hair
,
and piercing blue eyes. Her mouth dropped open with surprise when she saw something that was very familiar. She ran back to the first painting, looking at it carefully
;
a slow smile spread across her face as she walked from painting to painting. Her face flushed with excitement as she stood before the last
one.
“Jess!
Quick, come over here. You won’t believe this,” she screamed.

Jessica walked over to Gabrielle
.
“What’s wrong
,
Gabi?”

Gabrielle quickly pulled
out the scarlet pendant that was partially hidden by her blouse and pointed to the paintings
.
“Look, we have the same pendant,” she screamed with excitement.

Jessica smiled shyly as she slowly pulled
out the scarlet pendant that was partially hidden by her blouse
.
“Oh, you mean this?”

Gabrielle gently grabbed the pendant, laying
i
t
into the center of her palm
.
“Jess, where did you get this?”

“My Grandma Priscilla gave it to me last month for my birthday. She said that it once belonged to my mother,” Jessica s
aid.