by Jenni James
“Why would you feel stupid?”
“Why?” I stood up. “Because whatever poor guy you set me up with would be around me a total of fifteen minutes before he’d be wishing he was anywhere else. He’d know I’m weird within the first minute of meeting me. And then what?” I threw my hands in the air. “You want me to sit around like some wallflower and watch you and your friends dance? How does that sound fun? It doesn’t. Prom just isn’t my thing. And that’s cool. It doesn’t need to be. You can have a great time. I’d rather sit this one out at home, thanks.”
She shook her head. “If you don’t learn to let go, you’ll never learn to live.”
I was stunned into silence. I hated it when my sister was right.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
A couple of days later, Skyler approached me in the hall after school. “I’m throwing a party this weekend at my parents’ pool. Dress casual, and expect hamburgers, hot dogs, and soda, low key and easy. Would you and your family like to come?”
I wasn’t so sure. I’d seen teen pool parties in the movies, and they looked intimidating. “Will there be a lot of people?”
“No. It’ll be us and maybe a few of my parents’ friends or something to welcome your family to the neighborhood. Totally easygoing.”
Maralyn smiled as she walked by, but didn’t stop and say anything. Instead, she peered through the open doorway leading outside, close enough to eavesdrop, but not close enough to consider herself part of the conversation.
I watched Skyler glance in Mara’s direction a few times, but she didn’t look over. He spoke louder. “So, yeah, let your family know and we’ll get together. I think it’ll be something fun for everyone. You know how cool parties can be.”
Mara must’ve heard the word “party” because she asked, “What are you guys talking about?”
“A pool party my parents are hosting in their backyard. “
Maralyn seemed to perk up a bit knowing there was a swimming pool, but not enough to accept the offer. “Oh, sounds fun.” She looked away again, as if she was expecting someone.
I waited a few seconds, like I thought she was thinking it over. “Thanks. We’ll tell our mom.”
Skyler nodded and then walked over and touched Mara’s shoulder. “Harrison is invited too.”
All at once, Mara’s demeanor changed completely. She smiled. “That’s really sweet. I’ll let him know.”
I looked over at Skyler, but I couldn’t catch his eye.
His grin matched hers. “Cool. It’s this Saturday at four, casual barbecue. I’ll give you the address and details tomorrow at school.”
“Awesome,” Maralyn threw over her shoulder as she stepped outside. “We’ll be sure to come.”
I decided to follow her. “Thank you for thinking of us.”
He seemed happy enough, and not like my sister had nearly dismissed him until he had the insight to invite Harrison.
I really didn’t think much about it until Saturday when my family headed to the barbecue—all of us except Maralyn. She’d be riding with Harrison—and he still hadn’t shown up by time we left. We’d come wearing swimming suits under our shirts and shorts, flip-flops, and carrying a yummy garden salad my mom had whipped together that morning.
“Welcome! I’m Jeanine.” Skyler’s mom was a large, boisterous woman, all chuckles and soft rolls in elegant attire. Her jewelry and manicure matched the rest of her to a T. I liked her instantly.
“I’m so glad you’ve come.” She waved her arm, beckoning everyone into the finely decorated home.
“Wow,” Katelyn whispered as she crossed the threshold next to me. “Even we’ve never had a house this nice!”
“It is a lovely home,” Mom responded loudly to cover up her daughter’s faux pas.
“Thank you, dear. Now head on to the back and see the treat we’ve decided to surprise you with.” She bustled them through the house and out double doors that led to a back patio. The smells were wonderful.
“I hope you girls are hungry. Skyler has been cooking up a storm!”
“We’re starving!” Katelyn said. “I can’t wait to eat. When’s dinner?”
Just then, a cell phone went off.
“Oh, that’s mine.” Mrs. Brandon went to answer it, then bustled back out again. “On second thought, they can leave a message! I’ve got company.” She grinned and turned to my mom. “So, what’s your first name, Ms. Dashwood? I’ve heard so much about you and your girls, I feel like I know you already.”
“Please call me Alice,” my mom said as they walked outside.
The backyard was completely transformed into a landscaper’s dream, a beautiful party haven with a full, gorgeous backyard kitchen. The counters were made of brick and stone, with artfully scattered potted herbs for decoration.
Skyler waved from the barbecue grill. He stood on lush grass right in front of a large created pond with a waterfall and a little bridge. His mom wasn’t kidding. He had been cooking. There was a large mound of steaks, burgers, and hot dogs near his elbow, much more than any of us could eat during a party.
The backyard went on for quite a ways. “You have some very beautiful landscaping out here,” my mom said as she walked over to the countertop and placed her salad next to the several bowls already there.
“Thank you. Make yourself at home. The Benallys—Stephanie and Daniel—will be here soon, and I’m sure you’ll love them. They have girls around the same age as your daughters. We thought all the girls would have fun together.”
“How nice!” Mom gave me a tight smile—of one of her, “You’d better be polite and enjoy yourself” smiles.
“What are their names?” I asked. There. That sounded like I was interested, right?
“Lauren, Alexis, and Lilly.” She waved toward a little walking path. “If we follow these stones around the corner, you’ll find the swimming pool. You’re more than welcome to dive right in, if you’d like.”
Skyler’s phone went off loudly. He jumped and reached into his pocket as we all turned around. “It’s Aunt Linda,” he said. “You’d better answer it.”
“Aunt Linda?” Jeanine looked surprised as she walked over to her son’s outstretched hand. “Was she the one who tried to call earlier?” She placed the phone against her ear. “What’s up? Are you okay?” She gasped. “What? Al? Are you sure it was him? We’ll be there right away!”
We waited a few more minutes while Jeanine spoke in hushed tones. Then she passed the phone back over to Skyler. I watched his face turn green as he listened on the other end. His mom looked positively ill too. After he hung up, the two hugged, and then approached us. “Sorry, but we’ve just received some awful news. We have to leave right now.” She wiped at her eyes, flustered. “Sorry. I know we’re supposed to have a party, but I can’t think right now. We need to hurry.”
“Come on, Mom. It’s okay.” Skyler put his arm around her and turned to leave.
“What?” Katelyn was upset. “Can’t you wait until after the party?”
My mom touched her arm to quiet her.
Skyler shook his head. “No. Sorry. We have to leave now. You’re welcome to stay and enjoy the meal and pool, if you’d like.” He helped his mom up the porch toward the house.
I couldn’t believe they’d just leave like that. It was so odd.
“That’s fine,” Mom said. “We completely understand. I hope everything is okay.”
“So do we!” Jeanine looked like she was going to cry. “Where’s my purse? Hurry!”
We watched in bewilderment as they took off, bustling through the house.
“Who’s Al?” I asked, not fully processing what had just happened.
“I’m going to guess that he’s either Jeanine’s husband or brother. But with the way Skyler was acting, it was most likely Jeanine’s husband—Skyler’s dad.”
“Oh.” I glanced around the empty yard. The barbecue grill was still smoking. “I guess he isn’t here—is he?”
Mom must’ve notic
ed the grill at the same time I did. She turned it off, then walked over to the patio kitchen and shook her head. There were marinating steaks and burgers sitting out, and all the toppings, sauces, salads . . . “This stuff is going to go bad. Let’s clean it up, and then we’ll head home.”
My chest started tightening. “But we don’t know where anything is or where it goes.”
Mom’s eyebrows rose. “Then we’ll figure it out.”
“You want me to go through other people’s stuff?”
She took a deep breath. “Ellyn, I want you to stop stressing about this, okay? We’re going to do a service project now. This family needs our help. Something tragic just happened, and we will not leave the place looking like it does. So I need you to go into the house, rummage through their kitchen and pantry—I’m sure there’s a pantry. Find it—and bring back any Ziploc bags and plastic wrap or foil you can find. We’re going to put this all away.”
She looked over at my little sister. “Katelyn, your job is to collect all the clean silverware and paper plates and napkins. Let’s get them put back in their packaging and find out where they need to go. Okay?”
I glanced around the yard. There was so much here, so much they had done to make the place look festive, and now they couldn’t enjoy it. My heart grew a little. Mom was right—this was a service project. The good karma that would come from helping them far outweighed my need not to go through their things. “Okay.” I smiled. “I’ll see what I can find.”
As I headed into the house, I saw a family walking in. “Hello,” they called out. “Jeanine? Al? Are you out back?” There was a beautiful light-haired woman, a handsome Native American man, three girls, and a cute guy. I didn’t recognize any of the girls. They looked a bit older than me. They must be the Benallys.
“Hi,” I answered a tad awkwardly. “They had to leave just now. The party is canceled.”
“What?” The mom looked worried. “Is everything okay? Are you sure they canceled the party? That doesn’t seem like them.” She pulled out her phone and began to text.
“Yes. We’re just cleaning up so the food doesn’t go bad, and then we’ll be leaving.”
Two of the girls were totally appraising my clothes—they didn’t seem to be the nicest of people. But the other one—she had darker coloring and beautiful, thick black hair—was smiling. I really didn’t want to be answering their questions. “Would you like to head out back and meet my mom? She probably knows more than I do. And she’d love to say hello.”
“Yes, thanks.” The family brushed past me and headed straight for the patio doors. They’d obviously been here many times and knew the Brandon’ house well.
I began my search in the large gourmet kitchen. There were several drawers, so I started with the closest one.
“That’s for the silverware.” I jumped a bit at the voice behind me. It was the pretty dark-haired girl. We were the only ones in the kitchen. “Which drawer are you looking for? I could probably help you.”
“I . . . uh . . . I’m trying to find something to cover the food with. And Ziploc stuff. You know, those things.” Great. I was totally sounding like a dork.
She giggled, but not mockingly—more friendly. “Yeah, this place is tough for finding stuff. Hang on. I think they’re in here.” She turned around and walked over to a pantry door. Mounted on the inside of the door was a large bracket of shelves that held all of the foil, plastic, and Ziploc boxes anyone could ask for.
“Wow. That’s a lot.”
She grinned and pulled out a few boxes, and then walked back over. “The Brandons love to cook, so she always has everything on hand.”
“Thank you. You guys must be really close friends. You’ve obviously been here a lot.”
“They’re some of my parents’ favorite people in the world. They’re really sweet. Have you met Skyler yet?”
“Yes! He’s awesome.”
She nodded. “He’s definitely a wonderful guy. They all are. Just a great family.”
“Who’s wonderful? Are you replacing me already?” The cute guy who’d come with the Bennallys walked back into the kitchen.
“This is Sean Benally,” the girl said. “Don’t ever fall for his drama.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m Lilly Price.”
“Hi.” Her smile was so contagious. “I’m Ellyn Dashwood. One of the Dashwood twins.”
“Ah.” Sean laughed as he wrapped an arm around Lilly’s waist. “I’ve heard about you two.”
“You have?”
“Yep. Seems like more than one girl is jealous that you’ve captured the heart of Harrison Crawford.”
Lilly visibly shuddered. “Ugh. Don’t mention his name in my presence.”
Now here was a girl with information. “Why?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Sorry. Are you the one dating him?”
“No, but something seems off with the guy. I mean, he’s nice enough, but I’m worried about my sister.”
She and Sean glanced at each other. He shook his head a bit as if to tell her not to say anything.
“What?” I asked. “What have you heard?”
Lilly growled. “What have I heard? Ha! More like, what have I experienced?”
“Experienced? How long have you known him?”
“Too long! He and his sister moved here at the beginning of their senior year last year.”
“Wait. As in, this past September?”
“No, the one before that.”
“But he’s a senior now.” I looked from one to the other. “I’m confused.”
Lilly’s jaw dropped.
Sean chuckled. “That’s something I didn’t know.”
“How many classes is he making up?” Lilly tossed her hair over her shoulder and leaned on the kitchen counter.
I shrugged. “No clue. I assumed this was his first time as a senior—so, wait. Why wouldn’t he just do night school and GED out? Why go back to high school at all? How embarrassing.”
One dark eyebrow rose to match Lilly’s wry grin. “Honestly, ten bucks says he came back to chase new meat.”
“New meat?” What? “Oh! You mean the girls.”
“Yep.” Sean coughed.
“Right.” It was all beginning to make sense. “So he’s clearly stuck in an immature reality.”
“And he’s older than he appears to be.” Sean was beginning to look concerned. “So, what does he do on his dates with your sister?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Harrison said as he and Maralyn walked into the room.
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Break It Up
Maralyn looked mad. With her hand on her hip and her mouth in a straight line, she was barely holding in her rage. “Do you always talk about people when they’re not around?” Her eyes clashed with mine.
“Sometimes,” I admitted truthfully. My elbow began to itch.
She glanced over at Sean and Lilly, but reserved the brunt of her anger for me. “Well, it’s rude.” Folding her arms, she continued, “And for the record, I already knew Harrison was repeating his senior year. So if there’s anything else you’d like to add, let’s go ahead and throw it on the table now.”
Harrison placed an arm around her shoulder. “Shh… it’s okay. We really should be flattered that they took time out of their lives to discuss ours. It’s the only way to look at it.”
Sean and Lilly fidgeted next to me.
I rolled my eyes and pushed away from the counter. “Heaven forbid we care about you.” Shaking my head, I collected the Ziplocs and plastic wrap and walked outside. I was done. There was no way Mara was going to get me into an argument at someone else’s house. Besides, Mom would kill us both. I had to leave.
“Just walk away!” Maralyn hollered behind me.
I almost turned back around, but didn’t. However, I did hear Lilly say, “It wasn’t Ellyn’s fault. Let’s just say that some of us know Harrison much better than you do, and we’ll be worried about any heart he has wrapped around his finger this week…”
“That’s enough, Lilly.” Harrison’s deep voice was louder than hers.
“This week?” Mara sounded mad. “What do you mean by that?”
I was having a hard time breathing. It sounded like there was some bad blood between Harrison and Lilly, and she wasn’t afraid to call him on it. Too many questions, without enough answers. Why didn’t Maralyn see the truth?
“There you are, Ellyn.” Mom waved me over as she folded a blue-checkered tablecloth. “What took you so long?”
I blinked and took a deep breath. Right. We’re helping Skyler’s family clean up. “Sorry. Maralyn showed up, and I was talking to Sean and Lilly.”
“Lilly! Sean!” Mr. Benally was cleaning up the grill. “Come out and help us put everything away.”
Mom set the tablecloth down as Mrs. Benally approached with another one. “Well, it’s about time Mara and Harrison showed up. What took them so long?” Mom got the tablecloth from the other woman. “Thank you.” Then she turned back to me. “Where are they now?”
“In the kitchen.”
She sighed and cupped her mouth as Sean and Lilly opened the back door. “Maralyn, come out here and help too!”
I felt a rush of panic. The last thing I wanted to do was get caught standing next to Mom when my sister walked out. “Where do you want me to begin with the food?” I asked quickly.
Mrs. Benally whisked the last cloth off the nearby table and answered for my mom. “Why don’t you have Lilly and Sean help you too? The girls are already collecting the unused dishes, so if you can start putting away the food on the porch, that’d be great.” She then seemed to remember my mom. “Er, is that all right?”
Mom glanced at me and said, “Of course.”
“What do you need?” Maralyn asked from the doorway. Harrison came up behind her.
I went to the patio and didn’t make eye contact with Mara. Instead, I began to rip off sheets of plastic wrap and covered the different salads and condiments. I didn’t know if Lilly and Sean heard Mrs. Benally, but they had no problem picking up Ziploc bags and going to work.
