by Debbie Civil
Chapter 37
Jake
Carmen sits across from me, devouring her chocolate sundae. It’s been two days since the wedding. That night will be remembered as the time when I acted like a pansy. But I guess it couldn’t be helped. I allowed Adriana’s presence to influence my choices. Now that she has been confronted, it’s a little easier to breathe. But I’m not going to turn into a sensitive Nancy who talks about feelings.
“What’s your favorite color?” I ask Carmen. I think I know what to get her for her nineteenth birthday.
“Turquoise.” That’s a random answer. Honestly, don’t all girls like pink?
“What’s yours?”
“Red.” She dips her spoon into the bowl and takes another bite. I opted not to have ice cream. I hadn’t been craving some at the time. And for the most part, that’s still true. But I want a bite out of her dessert because it’s the closest that I’ll come to kissing her. She hasn’t requested a kiss from me yet.
She’s really serious about getting to know me.
“What’s your favorite movie?” she asks.
“I don’t have one,” I answer.
“The Princess Bride. You’ve got to watch it. It’s a wonderful movie!” I have the distinct impression that “The Princess Bride” is another chick flick. But I could be wrong.
“What’s your favorite song?” She screws up her face in thought.
“I’m not sure. I think it’s I called to say I Love You by Stevie Wonder.”
“What’s yours?”
“In the rain by Kenny G,” I respond and she smiles.
“What was the first concert you ever been too?”
“Hannah Montana,” I grudgingly answer. That had been the worse experience of my life. Danny is a huge Miley Cyrus fan so Dad bought her tickets. Mom was supposed to take her but she got sick. Since I had a license, it was up to me to go. Carmen starts laughing.
“Really? How did you get roped into that?”
“Danny.”
“Okay, my first concert was to see Parliament.”
“What are you, fifty?” Carmen likes old school music, that’s for sure. She laughs so hard that she slaps the table.
“No. My grandparents dragged me to their concert when I was a kid.”
“What was the first concert you went to that you actually wanted to attend?”
“Lady Gaga.”
“The Boston Pops,” I respond and Carmen smiles. She’s on the verge of asking me another question when Chelsea walks onto the patio, a pan of brownies in her clutches.
“Want some?” Carmen squeals and Chelsea places the pan on the table. She looks around as if deciding if we want to be alone and as much as I want to say yes, I know that Carmen hasn’t gotten to spend much time with her friend.
“Sit,” I tell her and she pulls up a chair beside Carmen.
“What are you two talking about,” Chelsea asks as she picks up the brownie with a spatula and drops it on the picnic table. She scowls at the thing before tossing the piece into a nearby trash can.
“Concerts that we’ve been to,” I replied.
“I’ve never been to a concert. I’ve always wanted to see Bruno Mars live,” Chelsea confesses.
“I’ve always wanted to see Etta Fitzgerald,” Carmen says wistfully.
“She’s dead,” I argue as Chelsea looks confused. Apparently, she doesn’t know much about anything before N Sync.
“She’s a singer. Okay, dead or alive, who would you want to see Chelsea?” Carmen asks.
“Justin Timberlake,” Chelsea says before dropping a brownie into Carmen’s half-finished Sunday.
“Jake, what about you?” Carmen asks.
“I’d love a brownie,” I respond and Chelsea gestures for me to holdout my hand. I of course disinfect my hand first before holding it out. Chelsea drops a warm brownie in my palm and I’m salivating at the thought of eating it. Jill rushes onto the Patio, a wide smile on her face. When she spots the pan of brownies, she frowns.
“Chelsea, you are holding out on me,” Jill teases. I haven’t spoken to her since the wedding. I feel badly for abruptly ditching her. I hope that she doesn’t harbor any hard feelings.
“Come and get some,” Chelsea tells Jill. Jill sits beside me and she looks as friendly as ever. In fact, she’s practically glowing with happiness.
“What’s the good news?” I ask Jill and she claps happily.
“I got the part on a new TV show. I don’t know what it’s called. But it’s stable work! I’m so excited! And you haven’t heard the best part,” Jill tells us.
“What is it?” Chelsea asks.
“The filming is in Gately. I get to be around you lovely people. Isn’t that great?” Everyone including myself cheers. Jill is a wonderful person and I hope that we can be friends. What I like about her most is that she gets along well with Carmen.
“How’s Derrick?” Carmen asks Jill who blushes uncontrollably.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t seem…” She pauses and glares at my girlfriend.
“How did you know that I have a crush on Derrick?” Chelsea smirks.
“I saw the way you looked at him while we went to Clintons. You like him,” Chelsea cheers.
“What isn’t there to like about a hero?” Jill asks defensively.
“Hero?” I ask Jill.
“He’s going into the academy to become a cop. Isn’t that amazing?” It’s refreshing to hang out with someone that isn’t concerned with designer shoes. even though Jill has been living the good life since she was a toddler, I think that Chelsea’s friend may be a good match for her.
“Has anyone heard from the newlyweds?” Carmen asks. Her dark eyes are filled with concern.
“No, but that’s normal,” Chelsea reasons. “They are on their honeymoon.” My friend says this without conviction. I’m worried as well. Those two went to Minnesota to visit virtual strangers. They were supposed to wait, but something changed between the bachelorette party and now. Either way, they haven’t checked in with us like they were supposed to. It’s typically a bad idea to visit virtual strangers and not check in with friends. How else would we know if they’re alive?
“Maybe. But they were supposed to call us,” Jill says, before biting into her brownie. Evidently, she was told about the master plan. She didn’t agree with it and thought that Dana Johnson was being deceitful. She was the one who made Eli promise to check in. Jill understood that Eli couldn’t post on social media, but the texts would allow us to know that she is all right.
“If she doesn’t text soon, I’ll call the lady,” Carmen tells us and Chelsea changes the subject. Because there’s honestly nothing we can do about it.
“Chelsea!” Tia shrieks as she speeds out onto the patio. Her blue eyes are dark and wild. Chelsea had been talking about a terrible Query letter she read when Tia stormed out here.
“What?” Chelsea asks, her eyes going wide.
“You need to come with me. You have to see this. Come,” Tia whines. Tears are beginning to fill her eyes. Without thought, Chelsea stands and follows Tia inside. Carmen sighs, grabs the pan of brownies and trails after the two of them. Since neither Jill nor I want to be left out of things, we grudgingly chase after our companions. As we walk through the large house, I have a bad feeling about what we’re about to see. All of the servants have stopped working.
