by Nancy Holder
Hazel watched as Brandon walked across the street with Josh. They were dressed in the same outfits they’d had on at school. Thanks to the Diet Coke incident, Hazel had a good excuse for changing.
Her palms were wet and her cheeks were hot. She flicked on the dome light to check her makeup in the rearview mirror.
She gasped when she noticed a figure staring back at her.
“Hey, girlfriend!” Hazel laughed when she realized it was Trina Esposito waving through the rear window. They had gym together. Hazel unlocked her door and climbed out.
“What’s up?” Trina asked warmly, coming over to the driver’s side. She was dressed up too, in a leather jacket, silver heels, and black cropped pants. “Sorry if I scared you.”
“No problem,” Hazel answered. “I’m a total wimp. Sometimes I can’t believe I get spooked so easily.”
“I haven’t seen you at one of these before,” Trina observed. “Didn’t think this was your style.”
“Well, yeah,” Hazel said. “Sylvia invited me.”
“Cool,” Trina replied. “So, Breona. What an idiot, don’t you think?”
Hazel frowned. She wasn’t following. Trina raised a brow. “You do know she got expelled today, right? For drug possession?”
Hazel couldn’t contain her shock. “What?”
“It went down at lunch. Didn’t you see?”
Hazel tried to remember what she had seen—Jenna talking to Matty, Sylvia talking to her, then Breona gone. “No, actually,” she said.
“Got escorted out of the caf by Clancy,” Trina said. “Right after the bagpiper thing. Not that many people knew what was happening, so I guess that’s why it’s not all over the school.”
“Oh my God,” Hazel murmured. “She’s a senior. What’s she going to do?”
“Don’t know,” Trina replied. “Sucks for her.”
“Seriously.” What was Breona thinking? Hazel wondered. She knows Brookhaven has a zero-tolerance policy. Why would she risk bringing drugs into school?
Trina and Hazel crossed the street together. Like the other arrivals, Trina opened the door without ringing or knocking. She smiled and waved at the crowd in the living room. For a moment, the faces were a blur. Then Hazel got her bearings. There were probably a dozen kids in the room; for that many, the noise level was low.
Sylvia was sitting on Josh’s lap on one of the sofas. She wore a baby tee with the words MANGEZ-MOI written in sequins across the front and a pair of low-slung jeans. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a loose, sexy updo and she was drinking something amber-colored out of a square glass.
Beside her and Josh, a couple was making out like crazy. Hazel had no idea who they were.
“Hey, Sylvia,” Trina called.
Sylvia turned and waved at both of them. “Treeeeena, bon soir. Haze, hello! Mes amies, Hazel is here!”
As if on cue, Ellen, Carolyn, and Megan converged on her with friendly smiles. “Hazel,” Ellen said brightly, giving her a quick hug. “Welcome to my humble babysitting job.”
“As if,” Hazel replied, totally loving the warm reception. “Thanks.”
Sylvia rose off Josh’s lap. “Follow me. Let’s get you something to drink.”
Trina, Hazel, and the PLDs sailed through the room, Trina greeting other guests with hugs before everyone hung a left.
Their destination was obviously the kitchen. It was packed with kids sipping from paper cups. The only sign that this was a babysitting job and not some spring break party house was the refrigerator loaded with kid art. Among the crayon drawings Hazel noticed a photograph of a mother, a father, and a little boy holding a Siamese cat. He had a cute buzz cut and large, thick glasses.
“That’s Charlie, the kid I’m sitting,” Ellen said, pointing to the picture. “His mom died six months ago. Cancer.”
“Oh my God,” Hazel said. The woman looked far too young to have died of anything.
“Yeah. It sucks.” Megan sighed. “So, what do you want to drink? People bring stuff, and Charlie’s dad contributes to the cause without realizing it.”
Ellen giggled. “Some of the parents we sit for have so much booze lying around they don’t miss it if we take something here and there.”
Hazel gazed at the counter. It was a glittering row of liquor bottles. The stars of the school were pressed hip to hip, pouring drinks and carrying on. A heady mixture of perfume, cigarette smoke, and alcohol hung in the air.
I’m here, Hazel thought. These parties are for real and I’m here—as a guest of the PLDs.
“We have a rule that everyone must drink in the kitchen,” Sylvia explained. “It makes it easier to clean up. Spills, you know.”
I guess the rules just don’t apply to Sylvia, Hazel thought, glancing at the glass Sylvia had carried with her from the living room.
“Go ahead,” Megan urged. “Pick your poison.”
Hazel scanned the liquor bottles. She didn’t do much drinking, but there were a few things she knew she liked. She reached for the bottle of Amaretto and got herself a paper cup from a stack beside the stove.
“You’ll have to drink a lot of that to get a buzz on,” Megan said. “This does the job quicker.” She picked up a fifth of Jim Beam.
Hazel poured Amaretto into her cup. “That’s okay—I need to pace myself.”
“A girl who knows her limit,” Sylvia noted. “I like that.”
“Hey, who’s the new chick?” a low voice asked. Hazel felt a hand slide over her butt. She jerked. The Amaretto splashed around her cup.
“Don’t be fresh, Stephan,” Sylvia scolded. “This is Hazel.”
Hazel glanced over her shoulder at Stephan Nylund.
“Hey-zel. Lookin’ good.” His eyes scanned her up and down. “We’re going outside for a while,” he said, making quotation marks in the air. “Want to come?”
“Going outside?” What did that mean? Hazel looked to Sylvia for help, but she was pouring herself a drink. “Maybe later,” she told him. “I just got here.”
“Cool.” He gave her another long, lingering gaze before sliding open the glass door. “By the way, Meg, how’s it hangin’?” he shouted as he sauntered out.
Megan glared at his back and hissed, “Ignore him. He’s such an asshole.”
“You’d do well to follow your own advice, ma petite,” Sylvia put in.
Megan clamped her mouth shut.
Hazel’s eyes returned to the picture on the refrigerator. “So where’s the little boy?”
Sylvia gestured with her head. “Up in his room. He gets these really bad headaches. He has to lie down a lot. Ellen will check on him in a little while.” She threaded her arm through Hazel’s. “But don’t worry about him. Let me show you around. This is your first time at one of our parties. They’re not like the keggers you’re probably used to.”
Lowering her voice to a purr, she added, “We’re low-key, but we have a hell of a lot more fun.”
“So I’ve heard,” Hazel said.
Sylvia shrugged. “Gossip is so déclassé. People who have lives don’t bother chattering about people who do.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Hazel replied.
Sylvia gave her an appraising look. Hazel stayed cool.
“Tell me, how did you wind up with Lakshmi Sharma as your best friend?”
“She’s not my best friend,” Hazel shot back, the vehemence in her voice surprising even her. “I inherited those guys.”
Sylvia nodded. “From Joy. What the hell was she doing with them?”
“I don’t know,” Hazel admitted. “I wondered that myself.”
“Well, you need to move on, girlfriend,” Sylvia drawled. “They are going nowhere fast.”
“I know that.”
“And…so? What’s stopping you? Are they blackmailing you or something?”
“Yeah. They’re blackmailing me. Holding my pet goldfish hostage. Isn’t that how everyone keeps their friends nowadays?” Hazel bantered.
Sylvia laughed.
“You’re spunky.”
“And witty,” Hazel added.
“I like that.” Sylvia laughed harder. “I knew you were the right person to drench with Diet Coke.”
“Actually, I planned the whole thing,” Hazel continued, sensing she was on a roll. “It’s the next step in my plan to achieve world domination.”
“The world is a very big place. You’ll need help.” Sylvia winked. “Come with me—you can see how this half lives.”
Sylvia walked her out of the kitchen, waving her hand and saying a brisk “Excuse me” to anyone who stood in their way. They headed into a hallway behind the living room, where she pointed to the nearest door.
“That’s Mr. Pollins’s study. Anything illegal goes in there.” Illegal? Like drugs? Hazel covered her shock with a quick nod.
Sylvia chuckled. “You’ll see. People wander in and out of the room all night.”
Hazel shook her head. “How do you guys get away with all this?”
“We’re very careful about cleaning up after ourselves, and the people who party with us know they won’t get invited back if they’re careless.”
“Right.” Hazel glanced down and realized she had carried her cup of Amaretto out of the kitchen. “Oh. Sorry!” she blurted.
Sylvia smiled kindly. “That’s okay. You’re new.” She took the cup from Hazel’s hand and sipped. “Our philosophy is basically maintain and don’t leave a mess. Use your manners and don’t cause problems and you can do pretty much anything you want here.” Sylvia stopped in front of another doorway on the hall. “This is the guest bedroom.” She turned the knob and strode into the darkened room. “You can probably guess what goes on in here.”
“Hey! Occupied!” came a girl’s voice. Hazel heard the sound of another girl stifling a laugh. She did a double take and then squinted at the two figures entangled on the bed.
“Carolyn?” she blurted.
“Out!” Carolyn snapped. “Haven’t you two ever heard of knocking?”
“Come on,” Sylvia said. She pulled Hazel out of the room, laughing as she slammed the door behind them.
“Wait a minute,” Hazel said, confused. “If that was Carolyn, is she…I mean, was that—”
“Was Carolyn fooling around with another girl?” Sylvia finished. “Yes. Carolyn is gay. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, not at all. I just didn’t—”
“Good. It’s not information we spread around, because it’s none of anybody’s business. You know what they say: what happens here stays here.”
“Cool,” Hazel said, taking a minute to absorb the information. “So, what about Charlie? The kid you’re sitting?”
Sylvia shrugged. “He’s this little science geek. He has weird electronics stuff all over his room. He stays in there and works on his projects,” she said. “He would never tell his father about us. We’ve been his sitters forever. Before his mother got sick, even.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. So he just doesn’t mention it. And we all go home happy.” Sylvia spread her arms. “Now you know the lay of the land, so to speak.”
“Thanks,” Hazel said. She craned her neck, peering into the crowded kitchen.
Sylvia crossed her arms and tilted her head. “Looking for anyone in particular?” she asked.
“Maybe,” Hazel replied coyly.
“He’ll be here,” Sylvia murmured, “I invited him—just for you.”
Someone cranked up Gwen Stefani on the stereo. The bass thumped so loudly that paintings shook against the wall. Sylvia rolled her eyes. “Gotta go check on that. We keep things quiet for the neighbors so we don’t get busted.” She air-kissed Hazel and said, “Mingle, ma cherie. Go on, have some fun.”
Hazel worked her way into the kitchen, back toward the counter where she had spotted a bowl of guacamole and tortilla chips. She was about to scoop up some guacamole when someone bumped into her from behind. She dropped the chip into the bowl.
“Hey!” She laughed and whirled around. It was Brandon.
“Hey, yourself,” he said. “Do you know where Ellen is?”
Hazel looked over his shoulder. “There,” she said nodding toward the doorway. Ellen caught her eye and came up beside them. She was frowning. Upset.
“What’s wrong?” Hazel asked.
“Charlie’s worried because we can’t find his cat, Isotope,” she said, her brow creased with concern. “Hazel, have you seen him?”
She shook her head. “No. Did he forget to shut his door or something?”
“He says he didn’t. He’s always so careful.” Ellen sighed. “I’ve looked everywhere for that cat.”
“You’re such a good sitter,” Brandon said. He wrapped his fingers around Ellen’s tiny wrist. “Come on. Maybe he’s out back. I can help you look for him.”
Ellen gave him a pained look, but her cheeks went pink. “He doesn’t like strangers.”
“I’m not a stranger,” Brandon insisted. “I’m here all the time.”
Hazel took in Ellen’s slightly embarrassed expression.
Whoa. Is something going on between Brandon and Ellen? she wondered. Everyone knows Brandon is bad news.
Ignoring Brandon’s hand, which was still on her arm, Ellen turned to Hazel. “Isotope is an indoor cat. If he got out…” She made a little face. “Charlie doesn’t need any more grief. He just lost his mom.”
“Yeah, I heard.” Hazel shook her head. “It’s a Siamese, right?”
“Seal point. But yeah. Same look.”
“If I see him, I’ll grab him for you.”
Ellen smiled gratefully.
Brandon searched inside his letter jacket for a pack of Marlboros. He slid one out and put it to his lips.
“I could use one of those,” Carolyn said, coming up from behind. She snatched the cigarette from his mouth and then put out her hand. Brandon sighed, handing over the lighter, and pulled out another cigarette for himself. Carolyn gave Hazel a mischievous grin while she lit hers.
“You’ll have to excuse me for snapping at you back there,” she said with an exhale of smoke. “You guys just took me by surprise.”
“Oh, um, yeah. No problem.” Hazel waved her hand like it was nothing. “Sorry we burst in like that.”
Brandon squinted at Hazel, trying to place her. “Are you new?” he guessed.
Hazel blinked. Maybe she wasn’t popular, but she hadn’t been completely invisible for the past two years…had she?
“No, I’m not new. Are you blind?” she shot back.
Brandon gaped, surprised, and waited for her to continue.
“She’s Hazel,” Ellen filled in the blanks. “Hazel Stone.”
“I’m in your geometry class,” Hazel reminded him. “We see each other every day.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Brandon sounded almost apologetic. Then he turned to Ellen. “Listen, I do want to help look for the cat.”
Carolyn snickered. “I bet you do.”
“No, I’m serious,” he insisted. “Charlie’s a good kid.”
Ellen sighed. “Fine. Come and help me.” She looked at Hazel and Carolyn. “You coming too?”
“Sure.” Carolyn linked arms with Hazel and they went out the back door. One whiff and Hazel understood the allure of “going outside”: this was where everyone went to smoke, probably so there wouldn’t be any telltale odor in the house. Hazel had to hand it to the PLDs. They partied, but they were very careful about it.
Brandon and Ellen moved on ahead, greeting a group beside a barbecue. Stephan offered Brandon a joint, but he shook his head.
“Come on. You don’t want any, man?” Stephan asked.
“Naw, I’m cool,” Brandon insisted. Stephan glanced at Ellen, who had her arms crossed and was peering into the bushes against the house.
“Aw, I see how it is,” he said. He giggled and making a whipping sound.
“Shut up, man,” Brandon said weakly before steering Ellen away to look for the cat.
Beside Hazel, Carolyn g
roaned. “God, I wish Stephan would just go home.” They sat down on a bench, just out of range of the group. Carolyn glanced around. “Where’s Megan, anyway?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“I want to tell her to stay away from Stephan. He’s getting loaded and she’s got PMS and they do not get along.”
“Why not?” Hazel asked.
“Long story. Too long for tonight.” Carolyn grinned at her—a slightly tipsy grin. “You having fun?”
“Yeah. A lot.” Hazel smiled back. They were silent for a moment, then Hazel said, “Did you hear Breona got expelled for possession today?”
Carolyn smirked. “Hear about it? Who do you think called it in?”
Hazel’s astonishment must have been obvious. Carolyn laughed and nudged her with her elbow. “Hey, zero tolerance. She was the one who brought them to school. You can’t blame us for reporting her.”
“Wow,” Hazel said. “That’s…harsh.”
“I know, but she deserved it. She’s a total dork.” She shot Hazel a look of warning. “Just don’t tell anyone it was us.”
“Of course not,” Hazel said.
Carolyn exhaled. “All I can say is thank God she’s gone. She has been a total pain forever.”
Ellen and Brandon emerged from the side yard, still hunting around the bushes and calling for the cat. Carolyn shook her head. “And those two…those two are trouble waiting to happen. Brandon is such a user. And Ellen’s so sweet.”
No kidding, Hazel thought.
She was about to say as much when she saw Ellen’s face crumple. It looked like she was about to cry. Brandon pulled her close, stroking her back and whispering something. Reassuring her.
“Maybe he’s not all bad,” Hazel ventured.
“Pfffft!” Carolyn rolled her eyes at the thought. “Well, enough about them. Let’s have some fun.” She pulled Hazel over to the group still huddled by the barbecue. She extended her hand and Stephan passed her a tightly rolled joint. She took a long drag, then offered it to Hazel.
Hazel froze. The others were smiling—rosily, expectantly.
She wanted to fit in, but she didn’t want to smoke. Would they bounce her from the party just because she didn’t indulge?
