“Just a house of fools,” added Eliza lightly.
Kriti was the only one not talking. She just sat there looking sad and staring at her untouched slice of whole-grain toast.
“You feeling okay, Kriti?” DJ asked.
“I’m fine.” Kriti sat up straighter now.
“Have you been sick?” asked Rhiannon. “You don’t seem like yourself.”
Kriti nodded. “Actually, I had the flu during the break.”
“Too bad,” said Rhiannon. “Hopefully, you’re over it now.”
“Hopefully.”
“So when does our beloved Taylor return?” Eliza opened her phone to check for messages.
No one said anything, and Eliza looked up from her phone and focused on DJ. “Don’t you know when she’s coming back?”
DJ shrugged. “Not really.”
“Eliza said that she joined you and Taylor in Las Vegas.” This was the most Kriti had said all morning.
“That’s right.” DJ reached for a second piece of toast.
“So why didn’t Taylor come back with you?” Eliza’s persistence suggested suspicion.
“I wanted to come home early.”
“So is she on her way now?”
“No, not yet.” DJ pretended to be absorbed in the spreading of some fake butter on her toast.
“When then?”
“I don’t really know.” DJ glanced at Rhiannon for help, but Rhiannon was sipping her coffee, and Casey looked totally blank.
“Okay, DJ,” said Eliza in a firm tone. “What’s up?”
“Nothing is up.” DJ just shrugged.
Now Kriti looked interested, or maybe Eliza had kicked her under the table. “I’m curious why you went to Vegas with Taylor.”
Eliza laughed. “I’m sure a lot of people are curious.”
DJ just shrugged. “To hang with Taylor.”
“Please, explain to the class,” teased Eliza. “We’d all like to know why Miss Goody-Goody went to Sin City to hang with the devil woman.”
“What about you?” countered Casey. “Why did you go, Eliza?”
“For fun.”
“First of all, I’m not Miss Goody-Goody.” DJ scowled at Eliza. “And Taylor is not the devil woman.”
“DJ said she went to keep Taylor company,” Rhiannon explained to Kriti. “Taylor was lonely.”
Kriti just nodded, but her eyes seemed sad. DJ wondered if Kriti was lonely too.
“DJ went to help keep Taylor out of trouble,” added Casey.
“But . . .” Eliza’s smile turned slightly sinister now. “DJ couldn’t do that. Isn’t that right, DJ? You couldn’t keep our wild child from getting into trouble.”
“What about you?” asked DJ.
“What?” Eliza looked innocent.
“You couldn’t keep Taylor or yourself out of trouble, could you?”
Eliza shook her head. “I didn’t get into trouble, DJ. I had a nice little visit and went on my happy way.”
DJ pressed her lips together to keep from saying anything more. Why should she play this stupid game?
“So . . . tell me.” Eliza’s eyes narrowed. “Did Taylor get caught at something? Arrested for underage gambling or drinking or — ”
“No.”
“Come on, DJ. Tell the truth — why didn’t Taylor come back with you? That’s what she said she was going to do.”
“She decided to spend some time in LA before coming back here.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” DJ looked directly at Eliza.
“She’s not coming back, is she?” Eliza looked triumphant. “She got into some serious trouble, didn’t she? I could tell she was out of control. Like an accident just waiting to happen. What really went down, DJ? Tell us.”
“Nothing went down, Eliza.”
“But she’s not here. And her cell phone is shut down. I know because I already tried to call her. What’s up?”
“She’s in LA.” DJ stood now.
“Why?” Eliza stood and faced her.
“Because she likes the weather down there.” DJ was seriously irked now. “Who doesn’t?”
“Like it’s any of your business,” added Casey.
“Like it’s not,” Eliza shot back at her. Then she smiled sweetly. “But don’t worry, I’ll get to the bottom of it. Thank you so much for your cooperation.” Then she gracefully turned around and walked out of the room like she was the queen of the ball — or maybe queen of the catwalk. DJ suspected that with Taylor’s absence, Eliza would attempt to usurp that crown permanently. Not that they were handing out crowns these days. And if memory served, the last crown given wound up on DJ’s head!
Still, that was little consolation now. DJ knew that her answer had only temporarily satisfied Miss Nosey. Once school started up and Taylor was still missing, more questions would roll in. DJ would have to come up with better answers. She wished she knew how Taylor wanted these questions answered. Better yet, she wished Taylor would answer them herself!
“It’s probably a good thing Taylor’s not here,” whispered Rhiannon as she, Casey, and DJ went upstairs.
“Why?” Casey asked as they paused by DJ’s door.
“This New Year’s Eve party.”
“Meaning you think it’s going to get out of control?” As DJ said this, she knew it was likely.
“Don’t you?”
DJ nodded grimly. “And you know what, I don’t want to stick around and play cop this time.”
“Me neither,” admitted Rhiannon.
“I’m with you guys this time.” Casey glanced over her shoulder. “But what do we do?”
“Boycott?” suggested Rhiannon.
“How?” DJ asked. “I mean, this is my house too. Do I just let Eliza run me out?”
“You really want to stick around and pick up the pieces?”
DJ considered this. Not only could she get stuck trying to clean up someone else’s mess, she might even be blamed if things got out of hand. She was tired of trying to run herd on craziness. “I think you’re right. Maybe a boycott is in order.”
Rhiannon laughed. “It’s not like we’ve been invited anyway.”
“Yeah,” said Casey. “This is Harry and Eliza’s party, remember?”
“Do you think our rooms will be safe?” Rhiannon addressed this to DJ. “I mean, I’ve got all those retro clothes I’m working on. I’d hate to see someone go in there while we’re gone and mess with my stuff.”
Casey nodded. “That’s a real possibility if drinking is involved.”
“You know,” said DJ, “I’ve thought about asking Grandmother about getting locks for our doors. I mean, besides those wimpy locks that anyone can pick with a bobby pin.”
“Deadbolts,” said Casey firmly. “We need deadbolts.”
DJ considered this. “I wonder how hard it would be to get something like that installed today.”
“I know a locksmith,” said Rhiannon suddenly.
“Huh?” Casey frowned. “Why would you know — ”
“A friend of my mom’s. Mom was always losing keys or locking herself out. It kind of comes with the addiction territory.”
“Give him a call,” said DJ.
“It’s a her.”
“Even better.” DJ grinned. “Tell her to bill it to Grandmother. I’ll explain it later.”
“But what are we going to do tonight?” asked Casey. “Where can we go to lie low?”
“Hey, our church usually has some sort of an all-night party on New Year’s,” said Rhiannon suddenly. “Because I’ve been out of town, I kind of lost track. Last year it was at the bowling alley.”
“All night in a bowling alley?” Casey looked disappointed.
“It could be fun,” said DJ. “I haven’t bowled in ages.”
“We could invite friends,” said Rhiannon. “I might ask Bradford.”
“I already told Conner I’d do something with him. Maybe he’d like to go.”
“As dorky as it sounds .
. .” Casey made a face. “It could be kind of fun too. I’ll call Garrison and see if he’s up for it.”
“We better check with the church first,” said DJ.
“You do that,” commanded Rhiannon. “I’ll call the locksmith.”
“Do we tell Eliza what’s up?” asked Casey.
DJ shrugged. “It’s not like it’s a secret.”
“But it’s not like we need to report to her,” said Casey.
“We probably won’t be missed,” said Rhiannon.
“But I’d like to make absolutely sure that Grandmother knows where we are,” said DJ. And, okay, this was partly just to be responsible since they were supposed to report their whereabouts, but it was also to make it perfectly clear that this was Eliza’s party, not theirs. Just in case.
“You’re not staying for the party?” asked Grandmother in a disappointed tone.
“We already have plans,” said DJ. “I’m sure Eliza won’t even miss us.”
Grandmother frowned. “Well, it seems a bit rude not to participate. You girls are supposed to be like family to each other, Desiree.”
“In that case, isn’t it rude for you to go to out with the general to celebrate New Year’s, Grandmother? After all, this is your house. You’re supposed to be like the parent or guardian here, right?”
Grandmother’s brows arched slightly as she pressed her lips together. She was obviously trying to come up with an appropriate answer. “Well, I have arranged for Inez and Clara to be here, Desiree. I see nothing wrong with that.”
“And we have arranged not to be here,” said DJ lightly. “And we see nothing wrong with that.”
Grandmother nodded, and that seemed to end that conversation. DJ grinned and wished her a happy New Year. “See you in the morning,” she said as she exited her grandmother’s bedroom.
By that afternoon, their plans were secured. DJ put their names on the list for the church’s all-night party, which would be at the bowling alley again. Rhiannon’s locksmith friend came and put deadbolts on their doors. By five thirty, amidst the chaos of caterers and party preparations, the three girls slipped out the back door and hopped into DJ’s car — destination: diner.
“Bradford invited us to stop by his mom’s gallery before the bowling alley,” said Rhiannon as they entered the restaurant.
DJ laughed as they sat down at a table. “That’s kind of bizarre, isn’t it? First we go and experience a bit of culture in an art gallery, then end up at the greasy bowling alley.”
“It’s diverse anyway.”
“Hey, that looks like Haley and her friends,” said Casey in a slightly hushed tone.
DJ looked up in time to see Haley, Amy, and Bethany coming into the diner. DJ hadn’t seen Haley since she’d visited her in the hospital in November — after Haley had tried to end her life with an aspirin overdose. Everyone at school had pretty much heard about it, and most of them assumed it was because of Conner breaking up with her. And it was no secret that Haley’s parents had sent Haley to some kind of treatment center for help.
“I heard she was supposed to be back in school after the New Year,” said Rhiannon.
“Do you want to go someplace else, DJ?” asked Casey. “I mean, is this going to be weird?”
“No, of course not. I told you guys that Haley and I are okay now.” To prove it, DJ called out to Haley.
“Hey, DJ,” said Haley with a smile. “How’s it going?”
DJ hurried toward Haley now and actually hugged her. “Great. And it’s really good to see you. How are you?”
“I’m okay. I’ve been home a couple of weeks now.”
“You look good,” said DJ nervously. “And it really is great to see you.” Okay, DJ knew she was repeating herself now. But she didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t really expected to see Haley tonight. “I’ve been praying for you.”
“Thanks.” Haley sighed. “I can use all the help I can get.”
As usual, Haley’s protective friends were studying DJ closely, almost as if they still blamed DJ for all of Haley’s troubles. To be honest, DJ still sometimes blamed herself. But she knew that wasn’t the real reason behind Haley’s problem. “Are you guys doing anything special for New Year’s?” asked DJ as they all waited for the hostess.
Haley just shook her head.
“There’s an all-night party at the bowling alley,” said DJ suddenly. “It’s hosted by the church, but they told me today that any local teens are welcome. We’re going.”
“At the bowling alley?” Haley looked dubious.
“Yeah, pretty corny,” said Casey. “But we’re going to make the best of it.”
“You should come too,” urged Rhiannon.
“Yeah,” agreed DJ, glancing at Amy and Bethany. “All of you.”
“Well, we’ll think about it,” said Haley as the hostess motioned for them to follow her.
“The doors get locked at nine o’clock sharp,” warned DJ.
“Do you think they’ll come?” asked Casey.
“I hope so,” said DJ. “I think it would be good for Haley to be around her friends again.”
“What about Conner?” asked Casey. “Will Haley get jealous if she sees you two together?”
“No.” DJ shook her head. “Haley assured me when she was in the hospital that she was over that.”
“But what if that was then . . .”
“I’m not concerned.” DJ forced a smile.
“Well, I’m praying that she comes,” said Rhiannon as the waitress came to take their order. DJ decided she’d be praying the same thing. The truth was, it did worry her a little. It would be the first time that Haley had been around them — with DJ and Conner together. Still, that might be good for Haley to see. Maybe it would help her to deal with it and keep moving on. At least DJ hoped that would be the case.
4
AS IT TURNED OUT, Haley and her friends did come to the all-night party — and everything went fine. To DJ’s surprise, it was actually fun and not simply an easy escape from Eliza and Harry’s party. Of course, there were moments when DJ wondered what might be going on at Carter House. Chances are it would be a quiet party where alcohol was served and no one got too crazy or out of control. DJ supposed it was possible. Even so, she was glad not to be part of it. She was equally glad that Taylor wasn’t around to be part of it either. That alone might keep things calmer.
Still, as she drove Casey and Rhiannon back home the next morning, she was thankful they’d had the forethought to get locks on their doors. At least they could be assured that their rooms would still be intact.
“Hey, look, Harry’s Jeep is still here,” pointed out Rhiannon.
“A couple of other cars too,” noticed Casey.
“Don’t tell me they let the guys spend the night.” DJ groaned and pulled into the driveway, blocking the car that belonged to Seth Keller, Taylor’s most recent boyfriend. DJ wasn’t terribly surprised that Seth had come even though Taylor wasn’t there. For all DJ knew, he might even have a new girlfriend by now. He was like that.
But when they got inside, the house was surprisingly quiet. And trashed — totally and thoroughly trashed.
“Hello?” called DJ, suddenly feeling very uneasy. What on earth had gone on here? And where was everyone?
“Maybe we should go back outside,” said Casey quietly.
“Why?” asked Rhiannon as she cautiously approached the stairway.
“Because it looks like a crime scene,” whispered Casey.
“It is a crime scene!” Inez popped out of the dining room wearing yellow rubber gloves and a very grim expression.
“What happened?” asked DJ with wide eyes.
Inez scowled. “Crazy kids . . . alcohol . . . madness . . .” Then she resorted to Spanish, ranting in a way that suggested she was more than just a little fed up with adolescents.
“That’s too bad,” said DJ. “Do you want us to help clean up?”
“No!” Inez held up her hands. “Miss Eliza is
going to clean up.”
“You mean she hired a cleaning ser vice.”
“No. Your grandmother says that Miss Eliza will clean this up herself. No help. No cleaning ser vice. Miss Eliza will be paying her debt to society.”
DJ wasn’t so sure. “But how can Grandmother force Eliza to do this?”
“Don’t worry. Your grandmother has it all worked out with the police.”
“The police?”
“Yes. They came here late last night. They took most of the kids with them.”
“Who called the police?”
Inez got a sly look. “I’m not saying.”
DJ smiled grimly. “I don’t blame anyone for calling the police.”
“Your grandmother had to go and get Eliza and Kriti out of the slammer. Lucky for Kriti, she was not drinking. Eliza was charged as a minor.”
“Do her parents know?”
“Mrs. Carter is dealing with it.” Inez lowered her voice. “Clara and I will supervise Miss Eliza to make sure she does all the work. She’s in the kitchen now.” Inez smiled wickedly. “She is learning to scrub floors. Toilets are next.”
Imagining a hung-over Eliza cleaning a toilet, DJ couldn’t help but giggle. Soon all three of them were giggling, covering their mouths as they raced up the stairs to avoid being heard, then laughing so hard that there were tears streaking down their faces.
“I am so glad we didn’t stick around here,” said Casey as she wiped her cheeks. “I almost changed my mind at the last minute when Garrison started making fun of the whole bowling thing.”
“So, do you think Harry and Seth got arrested?” asked Rhiannon.
“That’s my guess,” said DJ. “Since their cars are still here.”
Now Kriti emerged from the room she and Eliza shared. She nodded glumly, as if she’d been listening. “It was a mess.”
“But you weren’t drinking?” DJ studied Kriti, noticing that there were dark circles beneath her eyes. Probably from lack of sleep.
“No, I told Eliza that after getting so sick at the ski weekend, I had given up alcohol altogether.”
“Good for you.”
“But I still had to go to the police station.” Kriti had tears in her eyes now. “It was so scary. My parents would be so angry if they knew.”
New York Debut Page 3
