"I don't know Alex, she doesn't even have cable."
"No, but she's old and she goes to bed at like seven. Who said we're staying here all night?"
"Oh, okay. I gotcha. I'll go get some clothes together and I'll have my Mom bring me over."
Alex hung up the phone and leaned against the counter. Had she made a big mistake inviting Camryn over? If her Mom found out she was going to her Grandma's so she could hang out with her friends and not be grounded, she'd never let her come back. And Camryn was shady, what if she tried to burn her again? It was too late though; she couldn't call her back and tell her not to come.
She sat down at the kitchen table and pulled her books out of her school-bag. She might as well try to do some homework to kill time until she came over. In health class the guidance counselor had come in and talked to them about teen depression and suicide. They were supposed to make a list of things that would make them happy. Then one-by-one they were supposed to tackle each item on the list and theoretically after they fixed each thing on the list they would be happy. Alex glanced over the list she had made in class. She was scared they'd have to turn it in so she listed a bunch of typical problems like 'get better grades' and 'not fight with my parents'. At the time the list idea seemed corny, but now it kind of made sense. Her real 'Happy List' would have taken up front and back. She wasn't going to be happy again until she got some answers. She couldn't move on until she knew why Donavon’s and her DNA didn't match or what happened to Sandra's baby, her cousin. Karter and her didn't stand a chance of making it until she resolved all her baggage, and she was falling for him harder every time she seen him.
"Who was on the telephone?"
Alex jumped a little, her Grandma stood behind her in a nightgown.
"Umm, Camryn."
"From Leighton-Prep? I didn't know you two were still close."
"We weren't. But we're trying to work things out. I just want to try and put all this stuff behind me and get back into the swing of things." Alex lied. Her Grandma obviously wasn't going to be any help to her with her questions. Either she was really clueless or a really good liar. Either way, with her parents still giving her the silent treatment, her Grandma was the only family she had on her side. And she needed her to stay on her side.
Alex's Grandma nodded approvingly as she chased her medication with a glass of water, "I think that's a good idea Alex. You're just a kid, and you need to start doing kid stuff again."
"Do you mind if Cam comes over tonight, just like a little sleepover?"
"I think that's a great idea."
"Thanks Gram," Alex smiled back at her. No wonder Sandra got herself into so many crazy situations. Her Grandma was such a pushover. She nervously wiped down the marble countertop with a sponge, hoping her Grandma would retreat back upstairs before Cam showed up. Then she would realize she was already on her way when Alex asked if she could come over.
"Well, I'm going to head back upstairs. If I doze off and you girls need anything don't be scared to wake me up. There's a casserole in the fridge for dinner, just heat it up when you're ready for dinner."
Alex hugged her tight, "Good night Gram. Thank you for putting up with me. I promise after tonight everything is going to be better." She was banking on the box in the cellar, there had to be something in it that would help her figure out what happened to her family fifteen years ago.
Minutes after her Grandma made her way back upstairs, someone knocked on the front door. Alex inhaled deeply and swung the heavy oak door open. Cam rushed into her arms almost knocking her over, giggling hysterically.
"I missed you bestie!" she shrieked.
Alex couldn't help but laugh. She really had missed Cam a little. She helped her carry her bags into the kitchen and dropped them on the table.
"Look! I brought refreshments!" Cam held up a six pack of wine coolers, flashing a goofy-happy grin. Alex had to look away to hide her eye-roll. She'd been drinking rum with Kenzie, a couple wine coolers wasn't going to do anything for her. She faked some excitement as she took the bottle Cam offered her.
Alex led her through the den and out on the back deck, and they sat down on the porch swing.
"Besties back in action!" chirped Cam as she clanked bottles with her.
Alex laughed, “You’re corny, but cheers.” Alex couldn’t believe she had been so nervous before she got here. What was she scared of? This was Cam, her best friend since elementary school. They’d laughed together, cried together, gotten into trouble together, danced together, and now they’re fought over a boy together. They should have buried the hatchet weeks ago.
Cam took a long sip of her wine cooler then asked, “So what are we doing tonight?”
“Well I was thinking we could probably find a party or something later. But before we go out I have a mission for us.”
“Oh, I miss our missions! Where are we going?”
“Into the basement.”
Cam wrinkled her house, “Eww. Why?”
“I need to find a fire-proof box. It used to be my Grandpa’s.”
“Why do we need to find your Grandpa’s box?”
“I don’t need the box; I need what’s inside it.”
Cam batted her mascara heavy lashes and whispered, “Is it money?”
“Nope. Secrets,” teased Alex.
A strange expression crossed over Cam’s flushed face as she twisted open another wine cooler. “Well they better be some damn good secrets, if that’s how I’m going to be spending my Friday night.”
Alex ignored her sarcasm and changed the subject, “Whoa party-animal, save a few for me.”
Cam smirked, “Sorry. Honestly I was drunk before I got here. My mom made some daiquiris.”
“Must be nice to be Camryn Rollins!” Alex batted her lashes and wrinkled her nose like Cam always did and mocked her, ‘Hi I’m Cam, after school I’m going to have some daiquiris with my Mom, and then get drove wherever I want to go.’
Cam pinched her arm through her Boho denim jacket, “Knock it off! My Mom just wants me to be happy!” Then she lowered her voice and added, “You make me sound like a spoiled brat, trust me my life isn’t perfect.”
Alex rolled her eyes and laughed. Cam was an only child, and her parents had catered to her since she had met her. Anything she wanted, they made sure she got. If she wanted ice cream at two in the morning, they would get dressed and go out and find her some ice cream.
Cam jumped to her feet and stumbled a little, “All right let’s go find this mysterious box, so we can get the hell out of here!” Alex stood much more gracefully than her and headed back inside. Cam really wasn’t going to be much help to her, she was already slurring her words and swaying from side to side as they walked down the hallway. Alex handed her a flashlight and headed down the stairs into the basement.
When you saw her Grandma’s mini mansion you would expect a fancy renovated basement with a bar and big screen TV. It was the exact opposite though. They called it the cellar, because the only thing in it was a dusty wine rack, and shelves and boxes full of old tools and car parts. There was one chair in the middle of the cracked cement floor where her Grandpa used to sit and smoke cigars. There were no lights or windows, so the only way they could see was from their flashlights.
Cam flailed her arms as she made her way down the stairs batting away cobwebs. “This is so gross!” she shrieked.
Alex sucked her breath in, trying to calm down and fight her irritation. She inhaled so much damp dust she had to stop and cough. She pointed her flashlight around the cellar looking for the box. It had to be on the shelves that lined the back wall.
“Come on, let’s just find the box and get outta here. You check those shelves and I’ll check these ones.”
Cam shuffled over to the shelves and started rummaging through stuff as she whined, “I feel like I’m in a torture chamber on a scary movie.”
Alex ignored her as she scanned the shelves unsuccessfully. On a hunch she started clearing away the r
ows of antique liquor bottles. Stashed against the wall behind a dusty Jack Daniels bottle, she caught a glimpse of the old red metal box.
“Cam,” she hissed motioning for her to join her. “Come hold this chair so I can climb up here, I found it.”
“Thank God,” she grumbled as she held the back of the old rickety chair so Alex could reach the box. She pulled it down from the shelf and began brushing off the layers of damp dust.
“Is it safe to assume you don’t have the key?” Camryn asked.
Alex smiled, “Actually I might.” She pulled the key out of her back pocket that she swiped before she left her Grandpa’s study. She pushed it into the keyhole and it was a perfect fit. She paused for a moment to try to prepare for what was inside, but Camryn was in no mood for the dramatization. “Come on...open it already. I want to get out of this torture chamber.”
Alex pulled the lid open and shone her flashlight over the contents. Her heart sunk into her stomach. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she was sure this wasn’t it. Inside the dusty box was a bunch of letters on old lined paper with a rubber band around them, and a few old stale cigars with a book of matches. She didn’t have time to be disappointed because Cam had already mumbled something about a waste of time and started stumbling up the dark stairs. Alex grabbed the bundle of letters and slammed the box shut, and rushed to follow her up the stairs in case she fell.
Camryn collapsed on the sofa in the den and Alex sunk down beside her. She carefully removed the rubber band from the letters, and took the first one off the pile. Cam moved close to her and began reading over her should out loud, “When I feel your breath on my skin I lose all control? Eww, are these love letters from your Grandma? Gross!”
Alex scanned the page and flipped it over. She shook her head, “No. It’s signed by my Mom.”
“Why did your Grandpa keep your parents’ love letters? That’s creepy.”
“No, it is right up his alley. He was probably blackmailing one or both of them.” Alex let her guard down and decided to spill a little information to Camryn. Before she got there she promised herself she wasn’t going to give her any ammunition in case she turned on her again, but she needed to vent a little. And she felt like she owed her, after all she did spend her Friday night going on a “mission” to find corny love letters between her parents. Besides, she was so bombed in the morning she probably wouldn’t remember anyways,
“I think, well actually I’m positive my Mom had an affair. Our doctor did some blood work and said Donavon and I have different fathers.”
Camryn nodded, “So you were hoping there was something in this box that would tell you who your real father was?”
“No. I was hoping there was something in this box that would tell me what my Grandpa did with my Aunt’s baby before she died.”
She looked over at Camryn expecting her to jump up in shock, or say something along the lines of “What baby! Fill me in!” She was lying on her side resting her head on the armrest staring off into space. Just when Alex assumed she must not have heard her or comprehended what she said, she spoke. “You mean like a birth certificate or adoption papers signing her over?”
Alex nodded, and then she froze. “How did you know the baby was a “her”?” she demanded in a squeaky voice.
Camryn squirmed a little on the sofa, trying to get comfortable. “Because those papers are at my house,” she said nonchalantly.
Alex felt the color drain from her face; she stared at her drunken friend waiting for her to continue. “Why would they be at your house?”
Camryn seemed to sober up for a moment, and she sat up and stared into Alex’s eyes.
“I’ve had suspicions for a few years now that I wasn’t my Mom’s child. Let’s be real we look nothing alike. She slipped up a few times throughout my life mentioning that she couldn’t have children. Which is strange considering she somehow had me? The more I poked and prodded my parents about it, the weirder they got. So, I went on my own mission about a year ago. And I found the adoption papers. Afterwards my parents came clean, they really had no choice.”
She paused and waited for Alex to say something, but she just stared back at her in awe. The idea that Sandra’s baby may still be in Leighton had never dawned on her. She was too overwhelmed to speak.
“Don’t be angry Alex I wanted to tell you when I found out, but I couldn’t.”
“Why? You didn’t think I had a right to know that a piece of my Aunt Sandra was still alive and well? What about my Grandma, OUR Grandma? And Omar? Do you know what kind of hell he has gone through? He thinks he lost the love of his life and his only daughter.”
Camryn rubbed her blood-shot eyes, and sunk back down. “I know you’re mad right now because I didn’t tell you, but please don’t stay mad forever. It’s really complicated. I don’t hate you anymore,” she mumbled.
Alex jumped up and stood in front of the couch so she could see Cam’s face.
“You don’t hate me anymore! Are you kidding me? Why would you hate me? I’m not the one that lied to your face!”
“I never lied to you Alex, I just didn’t tell you. And yeah I hated you. I was so angry and bitter when I found out who I really was. Do you know what it’s like to know your real family didn’t want you? Then you have to hang out with the one they did want every day.” The last sentence was more of a sob than words but she managed to make it out. Cam closed her eyes and began breathing heavy indicating she was passing out. Alex grabbed the bundle of her parents’ letters and stormed out of the room. She knew in her heart Camryn was telling the truth. The timing was right, she had those clear green eyes every member of the James family was blessed with, and this explained why her Mom was so weird about them hanging out together.
Alex rubbed her eyes, looking around waiting for her surroundings to come into focus. She saw the bundles of old letters on the night-stand next to her and shook her head. This wasn’t all a bad dream. Her head pounded. She had barely drunk any alcohol last night, but she was suffering from a drama hangover. Your brain can only handle so much shocking information and emotions before it stops functioning properly and begins to throb.
She jumped out of bed and rushed out of the guest-room and down the stairs to the den. Her Grandma was sitting on the sofa where she had left Camryn passed out, reading the TV Guide. Her Grandma raised an eyebrow at her in her underwear and tank top.
“Where’s Cam?”
“Her mother picked her up about an hour ago,” she answered as she turned back to her magazine.
“Did she say anything to you before she left?” Alex asked cautiously.
“No, just that she had to leave she had plans with her Mom today.”
Alex let out a small sigh. Her Grandma didn’t even know Sandra was pregnant. The last thing she needed was Cam sitting on the sofa with her and mentioning she was her long-lost grand-daughter. That would put her over the deep end.
Alex padded out to the kitchen in her bare feet and grabbed the cordless phone and headed back upstairs. She dialed Camryn’s number as she pulled the bedroom door shut behind her.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Alex.”
“I know. What’s up bestie?”
Alex rolled her eyes, “We’re not going to pretend last night didn’t happen.”
There was a long pause on the other end. Alex began to wonder if she had hung up on her.
“Look, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry. I was drunk and I slipped up.”
“Well you did say something. And I can’t pretend I didn’t hear you. Don’t you want our Grandma to know who you really are? Don’t you want to meet your father?”
“I can’t tell anyone. It’s complicated.”
“How is it complicated? Lying about it is complicated, telling the truth will make everything simple. Your life may be perfect, but a lot of people I care about lives aren’t perfect because you’re keeping this secret.”
“What about the people I care about Alex
? What about my Mom and Dad? They may not be my blood family, but they’re MY family. It would crush my Mom if I just ditched them because all of a sudden the Rakers want to acknowledge that I exist.”
“That’s not fair Cam. We weren’t not acknowledging you, we didn’t know.”
“You’re Grandfather threatened my parents’ lives if they ever let out the truth.”
“That’s ridiculous, my Grandfather is dead. He was an asshole, not in the mafia.”
“What about your Dad?”
“My Dad doesn’t know.”
“Your Mom does. She was the witness on the adoption papers.”
Alex stopped, “What?”
“Hold on.” Alex waited while she heard muffled noises, and then a door slam. It sounded like Camryn was going outside so she could talk without whispering.
“Alex, your Mom was there when the lawyer drew up the adoption papers. Sandra was underage so your Grandpa had parental rights. He signed the adoption papers as my legal guardian, and your Mom was the witness.”
“Why was my Mom at the hospital when you were born?”
“She wasn’t. I was born in my house. The night Sandra went into labor your Mom and Grandpa brought her to my parent’s house. Part of the agreement they had with your Grandpa was to have the baby born in their house so word didn’t get out that Sandra was pregnant. After I was born the midwife stitched Sandra up, a lawyer came and had them sign the papers, and the three of them left.”
“Okay, so my Mom isn’t going to kill your parents either.”
“Alex, this isn’t ‘The Bold and The Beautiful,’ this is real life. Think about what your Grandpa has done. He covered up a pregnancy, had my father thrown in jail, was blackmailing your parents, and sold a human baby and got away with it. Then within twenty-four hours my birth-mom was sitting upside down in Lost Creek, that’s not a coincidence. You have to be a pretty screwed up and powerful family to pull all that off. I’m sorry but I’m not ready to jump into that inferno.”
The Wrong Side Of The Tracks (Leighton) Page 10
