The story of Crystal Lakes, Part One

Everyone was there. All Crystal’s friends, all Jackson’s friends. Jackson had been waiting for months for this- the night he named his new town. 1

Oliver and Alice Gannaway were there (starting to look that little bit older), his friend Elysha was there- practically everyone he knew, excluding his mom and dad, who were living in Indiana at that moment.2

“Before I tell you all the name of this town,” Jackson started, his heart going super fast, “firstly let me tell you why I named it the way I did.”3

“I named it after something very important to me, and that’s going to become apparent once you hear it.”4

“Just tell us, Jackson,” somebody called from the back of the room- Adam Depp, Jackson’s best friend and his girlfriend Crystal’s brother.5

“I named it Crystal Lakes, after my beautiful girlfriend, Crystal Depp,” Jackson announced. 6

Crystal was stunned, and she knew what was coming next. Just knew it. And she prayed silently, oh Jackson, please don’t ask. 7

“Crystal,” Jackson said, “will you marry me?”8

Crystal stood there, feeling numb and staring at him and the ring in its box. The ring was beautiful, and the look on Jackson’s face nearly killed her, but she just couldn’t possibly say yes. She felt shocked. “Oh God, no, Jackson! I can’t! I’m sorry, I just… can’t!”9

And with that she ran out of the room to her convertible, leaving the room buzzing and a heartbroken Jackson on his knees, slowly realizing what had just happened.10

Seven Years Later11

Crystal felt insanely nervous as she and her best friend Donna drove through the hills toward Crystal Lakes. She had honestly never felt this scared and nervous before. 12

“Are you ok?” asked Donna, checking her reflection in the mirror. 13

Crystal gave her friend a sarcastic look. “Never felt better in my life, why shouldn’t I?”14

Donna laughed. “You’re freaking out over nothing. It was seven years ago, Crystal. The chances that any of them will still be living in Crystal Lakes are like nil.”15

Crystal felt an electric shock run through her spine when Donna said that. Crystal Lakes, the town named after her. Yikes.16

Crystal checked her own reflection in the mirror. Her lovely auburn hair was glistening, and Crystal guessed that today was one of her better days when it came to how she looked. Her grey eyes conveyed just how frightened she was. 17

“I would so laugh if Elysha was still there,” Crystal said, trying to think about something funny. “I wonder if she’s still hitting on Jackson after all these years. It never worked during high school and it won’t now.”18

“For someone twenty eight years old and counting you are almost as catty as a high school girl,” laughed Donna, adjusting her enormous sunglasses. “Elysha wasn’t that bad, she just lacked the pulling power you and me have.”19

“And managed to avoid getting any at all,” Crystal said. “She’ll probably have married a bank robber or something, divorced him, gotten pregnant and tried to move to Las Vegas.”20

Donna rolled her eyes, making her blonde side fringe fall across her face the way it was meant to- at least, when she wasn’t driving.21

“So, whats your house going to be like, then?” Crystal asked. “You’ve seen mine but I haven’t seen the one you bought.”22

Donna grinned at her friend. “It’s small. Cozy, two bedrooms, a bathroom, small kitchen, small dining room, living room, and a pool. Plus a garage. One story. It’s all I need, and it’s all I want. Unlike you. You always liked the glamour and the fortune and you always thought you needed like a two story house with five bedrooms to make yourself happy, which is why I will never understand why you didn’t marry Jackson. You could’ve had all that if you had.”23

I had my reasons, Crystal said to herself. She did like glitz and glamour and the good life, but not the sort that marrying Jackson would have given her. Not at the time, anyway. 24

“Maybe,” Crystal replied inconclusively. Then she gasped as they came down a hill and Crystal Lakes was revealed to them.25

It looked very upper class to the two of them, incredibly beautiful and obviously the place to come to if you wanted to hit the V.I.P nightclub scene. It looked like the kind of neighborhood from a Disney fairytale, clean, beautiful, and like a Disney fairytale Crystal had a lot of uneasy feelings about it.26

As they drove through the town Crystal was acutely aware of the people staring at them. Apparently red convertibles and moving trucks were not a common sight in this town. Donna waved out the window to somebody.27

“Do you know them?” panicked Crystal.28

“No, I was just being friendly,” Donna said, rolling her eyes. 29

They reached Crystal’s house in about five minutes once they got into town- on a street called The Falls Boulevard. This was an odd name, but whatever. She could get over it. Donna helped her move all her stuff into her new house, and whistled loudly once she saw the finished effect. Crystal’s favourite part was the loungeroom, with its 50 inch HD TV that was a gift from a previous boyfriend Crystal had had, its beautiful piano (which was technically Donna’s, but she didn’t want it) and the couch she and Donna had shared. It had been a long debate over who would get the couch, but eventually they reached a deal. Crystal would have it for a year, then Donna would, and so on. But Crystal wasn’t going to remind her if she forgot.30

Crystal’s new home was stunning all by itself without furniture. The living room was massive, as was the dining room and kitchen. The downstairs guest bedroom would have been big enough to make Crystal happy, and the bathroom was big and clean and spacious.31

Then there was a amazingly beautiful spiraling staircase that lead up to the en suite, Crystal’s bedroom, which was connected to another bathroom with a spa, and then there was the study, and lots of room in between, and then there was a staircase that would take you up to the roof, where Crystal had placed two deckchairs.32

“God, I wish I was still your roommate,” said Donna longingly.33

Then she looked sad. “Well, I’d better get going to mine.” She hugged Crystal.34

“Bye, Donna,” whispered Crystal, tears in her eyes. This would be the first time in a long time she and Donna hadn’t lived together, and the first time in her life Crystal had ever lived on her own. She’d lived with her family till she was eighteen, then she’d gone to college (which was where she had met Donna, her college roommate.) Then she and Donna had lived together...35

Until now.36

And as Donna drove off, Crystal knew from now on she would have to organize her own life, as she couldn’t depend on anyone else to do it for her.37

So Crystal went through her house. She was just considering making lunch when the doorbell rung.38

Crystal rolled her eyes. The moving guys probably forgot something, she decided. Typical. She went and opened the front door…39

And there was Jackson and Elysha.40

Crystal jumped. She was shaking all over. 41

“Hi, my name’s Jackson Clear, and this is my wife Elysha. Nice to meet you. You just moved in here, right?” 42

Jackson wasn’t even looking at her, so he probably didn’t realize who it was he was talking to, and Elysha was looking at the outside of Crystal’s house.43

“Jackson?” Crystal said in a tiny voice.44

Jackson looked at her, and his face was shocked. “C-Crystal?”45

She nodded. Elysha apparently hadn’t heard the exchange. “It’s, um, strange to be seeing you… again.”46

“It is, isn’t it?” Jackson said uneasily. Then he grinned at her. “So, how are you?”47

“I’m alright. Just, you know, living my life.”48

Elysha looked at her. She looked even more shocked than Jackson had. “Crystal!” she screamed. “What are you doing here?”49

“Um, living here? I bought a house, I heard it was a good neighbourhood to be living in.”50

“I’ll bet you did,” Elysha muttered through clenched teeth.51

“So, we’re married now,” smiled Jackson, and although he was talking about Elysha, his eyes were on Crystal the whole time. And Elysha knew it.52

“You got any kids?” Crystal asked, feeling slightly uneasy after being screamed at.53

“Eighteen year old. She’s just about to head off to college in a few weeks,” gushed Elysha.54

“Eighteen?” Crystal said, confused. “It’s only been seven years.”55

Jackson laughed at her confusion. “We adopted Kari when she was eleven. We got married just after you left.”56

“Ah,” said Crystal. Adopted. 57

Elysha nudged Jackson. “I’ll see you later, okay? I told Kari I’d be back to help her get her stuff ready for university.” She kissed him, gave Crystal a searing look, and walked off.58