FOR KENDRA JADE HALFORD, things never really came easily. Her parents got divorced when she was very young, resulting in her barely even knowing her father. Not that she cared much. From what her mother told her, he was kind of an asshole.
So, she stayed living with her mother in America, when her Father lived in Kendra's birthplace, Sydney, Australia. Due to this, Kendra's mother left her daughter's name to legally be Kendra Jade Halford, using her father's last name. But ever since, Kendra decided to go by Kenna (a nickname her best friend gave her) Jameson, with her mother's maiden name.
Now, Kenna was almost seventeen years old and she hadn't seen her best friend Zach for almost a year. Well, she had seen him at school and in her classes, but they didn't speak to each other. Zach Mitchell used to be somebody Kenna was around because he made her a better person. They trusted and loved each other to no end. But not anymore. Zach had become a generally aloof and apathetic idiot, to be short. The way they stopped being friends was sort of sad, at least for Kenna.
It all started when Kenna was invited to a party. She should probably have thought this was strange, as she was never much of the partying type. But she was excited. Kenna knew she wasn't ugly, far from it really. And she worked hard for what she wanted.
Only Zach had really paid any attention to her. Kenna had early admittance to Harvard and Yale, so she was able to choose between two of the most prestigious colleges in America when other people were still worrying about studying for their SATs. But Kenna decided to graduate along with the rest of her class, acting as if nothing was set in stone.
The party was something Kenna was nervous about. Her mum, of course, had made a monstrous deal about it and went out to buy Kenna a gorgeous, expensive dress. It was black with a halter-top fit at the top and came around upper to mid-thigh. There was a zip that went from her top left shoulder to her right hip and it made everything look even more expensive.
So, Kenna sorted out her naturally wavy/curly/messy brown hair and even put on some makeup before she went to the party. What happened still made Kenna's cheeks burn with embarrassment and anger. The moment she stepped through the door, a 1 litre can of paint fell from the door and dripped down her body, ruining the expensive dress her mother probably spent three months of her pay on. And then about twelve people all threw their drinks at her.
Kenna could have kept her dignity and just walked out. But the cherry on top of everything was that her best friend since she was seven, Zach Mitchell, was filming the whole thing as he laughed with the rest of the 'popular kids'. And so, Kenna left the party crying. She attempted to salvage the dress before her mother got home. No luck. Her mother came home to see the dress a complete mess, along with the person who wore it looking even worse.
The school was even worse than before. Without any friends to help her through the mockery people sent her at school, Kenna decided to throw herself into her studies even more so than before. And she hadn't spoken to Zach since.
Occasionally, she saw his little brother Gray around town, and he always hurtled towards her excitedly. Gray loved Kenna; she was like an older sister to him. But the moment Zach came into view, Kenna would disappear and Zach would never have known she was there if Gray hadn't ecstatically told him about their encounter.
But some months before the Christmas holidays, almost nine months later, Kenna had gotten a visit from Karen and Gray Mitchell about joining Gray and Zach to go to Jurassic World. As expected, Kenna immediately declined, but Karen was persistent. Her sister Claire worked at Jurassic World and her nephews hadn't seen her in seven years. But Zach refused to go unless Kenna came.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Kenna asked with a forced smile on her face. She had reminded herself that it was Zach who betrayed her. Zach who turned against her to befriend the popular crowd. But it was difficult. "Because if it is, I won't be angry with you. If this is Zach's doing, and his idea of-"
"Please, Kenna." Gray pleaded, stepping forwards. The three had been standing by the Jamesons' front door as Kenna sceptically eyed the two Mitchells. "Zach hasn't been the same since you stopped being friends."
"Stopped being friends?" Kenna echoed, crossing her arms as she furrowed her brows together. "What did Zach tell you happened between us?"
"Just that you fell out," Karen explained, confused as to why Kenna was even asking this. "Which is fine; that's what friends do sometimes."
"Zach and I didn't fall out," Kenna confirmed, shaking her head as her arms dropped down to her sides. "He betrayed me in order to take on his 'I'm better than everyone else' persona." She looked down into Gray's big, blue eyes, before crouching down to look at him. Kenna carefully took Gray's hands and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry but this isn't a good idea."
"He won't go if you don't come." Gray blurted out, and then his eyes widened along with Kenna's. "Zach doesn't want to come unless you do." Kenna sighed, dropping Gray's hands and standing up again. "Please," Gray latched onto Kenna's left arm, his eyes seeming even bigger and sadder than she remembered. "Come with us. If not for Zach then at least for the dinosaurs."
Kenna cracked a smile at Gray's words before she let out a quiet laugh. "How's he been?" she asked Gray in particular. "As a brother, I mean."
"Not fantastic," Gray admitted. "Come on, Kenna. Please." Kenna sighed. She couldn't even imagine the amount of things that could go wrong if Zach was left with Gray in Jurassic World. Even though she resented Zach for what she did through her, Kenna really cared about Gray.
Kenna sighed. "When do we leave for Isla Nublar?" she questioned. Gray and Karen shared a look before grinning excitedly.
"Christmas vacation," Gray informed Kenna, before reaching forwards and hugging her. "Thank you, Kenna."
"Yes, thank you." Karen agreed, placing her hand on Gray's shoulder when he pulled away from Kenna. "So much. He's just been in such a mood recently." Karen frowned. "I keep telling myself it's just because he's a teenager but he's been different recently."
"It's because he's upset," Gray informed his mother matter-of-factly. "He misses you." Now Gray was looking at Kenna. "Whatever he did, he regrets what he did to you."
"I hope so," Kenna commented, lifting an eyebrow. "It's the cruellest and most awful thing anybody has ever done to me." Karen looked sad now, and Gray confused. "Maybe I can't come." Kenna realised after a moment. "I mean, there's no way I can afford a trip to Jurassic World. Let alone the cost of me going there. You know my mother doesn't earn all too much." Kenna took a deep breath. "I've been helping her pay the rent with the money from my jobs." She whispered in shame, rubbing her arms.
"All costs covered by Claire," Karen promised. Her eyes were pleading and her dark blonde hair was neat as always. Kenna could tell that something had changed in the dynamic of the Mitchell family. Gray seemed sadder and less vehement than usual. And as stated before, Karen was, again, different.
"If I do this," Kenna began quietly, fearing that her voice would break if she didn't speak clearly. "I'm going to sacrifice any dignity I had left when it came to Zach." She looked over to Karen. "You understand this, don't you?" Karen nodded grimly.
"I swear to you; he won't come unless you do." Karen's voice was pleading and desperate. A tone Kenna would never have associated with Zach and Gray's mother. She was always strong and beautiful; someone she could look up to, like Kenna's mother.
"Okay." Kenna agreed, nodding her head curtly once. "Um, thank you."
"Thank you." Gray corrected and wrapped his arms around her torso, burying his face in her stomach as he hugged her. Kenna smiled and gently rubbed his back.
"Just don't go running off by yourself if you see an Ankylosaurs, okay?" Kenna teased. "I mean, although they are herbivores, they might scare your brother with the armour plating."
"Not to mention their armament to ward off predators." Gray chimed weakly. Kenna laughed at his words and Gray looked up into her green eyes. He remembered when Zach used to go on about how beautiful Kenna's eyes were, and wanted to roll his eyes. Then he remembered how his brother had been acting for the past half year and frowned. "Thank you, Kenna," Gray repeated before stepping back to his mother.
"I'll send your mum all the details," Karen added, bidding Kenna goodbye before leading her son back to her car. Sighing, Kenna walked back inside with her arms wrapped around her. Once she returned to her room, Kenna kicked off her Converse and sat on her bed with her legs crossed.
What did she get herself into?
