“I’m sorry,” India said in her most sophisticated voice. “I’m looking for Vanity Laurent. She gave me this address.”
“We just moved in. She lives upstairs now,” the woman said shortly. She pursed her collagened lips and eyed India up and down disparagingly before exhaling a deep, dramatic sigh. “It’s a rather unique situation that I can certainly tell you I didn’t sign up for. Satchel can show you where she is, but in the future, I will remind Vanity and Vivienne to inform their guests of their proper address,” she said crisply.
“Okay, “ India agreed, confused. What other address could they possibly have?
“Satchel, baby, can you show this nice lady upstairs?” the woman asked, dropping to eye level with the girl and over-enunciating her words. Satchel nodded solemnly, as though she were used to her mother making everything sound like a press statement.
Satchel held out a tiny, sticky hand for India and led her through the apartment, bypassing a huge kitchen with two Sub-Zero refrigerators, an upscale dining room and living room with posh furniture, and past two mahogany staircases spiraling upward toward the back of the house. The townhouse certainly looked more put together than the Cartwrights’ new apartment had when they’d first moved in. They’d torn through all the boxes haphazardly on their first day, when no one could find Roko and Edie had been convinced someone had packed him by accident.
“I just started kindergarten,” Satchel said importantly as they walked through room after cavernous room. “It’s good but it’s hard. We only have one nap time and one snack, but I have seventeen friends!” she said proudly.
“Wow, that’s a lot,” India said, using her I really don’t talk to little kids very much but I’m going to try to sound enthusiastic voice. “I don’t have as many friends as you.” Admitting that made India feel instantly lame.
“How many do you have?” Satchel pressed.
India remembered back to kindergarten, when it was all so easy. There had only been twelve kids in their class, so she and Trey and Baby had pretty much ruled the social scene, despite the weird organic snacks their mother always packed for them. When had everything become so complicated?
“I have twenty-five friends,” India said, making up a number. She couldn’t believe she’d just lied to a five-year-old. Luckily, Satchel wasn’t even listening, and scampered ahead of her, sliding on her lacy pink socks.
“Here it is,” she said solemnly, opening a door and pointing to a rickety set of wooden stairs. “I would be scared to live in the attic,” she added in a whisper.
“Me too,” India agreed. She stared at the nondescript white door that was clearly some sort of servants’ entrance. This was where the infamous Vanity Laurent lived? Did her friends know? If it hadn’t all been so bizarre, India would have laughed.
“Can I go now?” Satchel asked.
India nodded, hand poised to knock on the door.
“Will you be my friend?” Satchel asked seriously, before leaving.
“Sure,” India smiled.
“Yay! I’m going to tell my mom I have eighteen friends!” Satchel yelled, carefully holding on to the railing as she walked down each step.
India started to knock on the door, slowly at first, then more incessantly. The door resounded hollowly. Finally it opened, and there was Vanity in pink sweats and a white t-shirt. Her mouth dropped open when she saw India.
Vanity started to close the door right in her face, but India held it firmly open. Vanity’s heart thudded in her chest, but she tried to maintain her poise. Perfect, perfect, perfect, she chanted to herself and tried stare India down with an ice princess glare. “What are you doing here?” she asked coldly.
“I wanted to drop by to let you know I’ve canceled my party,” India said very slowly, dripping with fake friendliness. “Since it’s silly for us both to have one on the same night.” She tried to peek beyond Vanity to get a sense of what the apartment looked like. A scratched hardwood hallway flanked by ugly blue bookcases led into a small, yellow-painted efficiency kitchen. Beyond that India could see a living room with dusty blue couches. A cracked umbrella stand holding a broken black umbrella stood by the entrance.
“Okay,” Vanity spat back, “I know you want to be my friend, but, honestly, this is a little bit pathetic.” Her voice rose nervously despite herself.
“So, this is where you live? It’s nice. You must hang out here all the time with Brittany and Draya.” India made her voice perky, because this was just too good. With its dim light and slanted ceilings, it would be a realtor’s nightmare to spin the space into anything other than what it was.
Um, an attic?
“Not like it’s any of your business,” Vanity said haughtily, “but my mother and I are currently in the process of redecorating. We want to make sure everything is handled correctly, so we’re staying here rather than at a hotel. It’s temporary.” Vanity emphasized the last word, wishing it were true. She saw that India didn’t look convinced. “One of the workers must have let you in.”
“A little girl let me in. She said she lived here,” India said slowly, wanting to corner Vanity and force her to admit her lie.
“Well, I guess she was trying to pretend to be someone she wasn’t. Just like some people I know.” Vanity refused to open the door any further. They were both standing precariously on the top step. India could feel a splinter from the unfinished stair railing try to wedge itself into her pinky.
“That’s funny, because I spoke with her mother too....” India let her voice trail off leadingly. Vanity opened the door a crack and leaned against the wooden doorframe, unable to believe this was happening to her. India knew everything, and unless Vanity wanted her to run her self-important mouth off to all of Willard and beyond, she would have to cave. A little.
The way the floors are caving?
She sighed. “I was just talking with my boyfriend and we agreed it would be much more convenient for us if we had our party in October.” Vanity sniffed. “So if you still wanted to have your thing tomorrow night, that would be fine.”
India nodded noncommittally, even though her heart already felt like it was doing a victory dance in her chest.
“I’ll tell my people to come,” Vanity continued. “Does that sound okay?”
“Okay,” India agreed, trying hard not to smile. She wondered if they would hug and make up.
Kiss, kiss, kiss!
“See you tomorrow?” Vanity narrowed her eyes, hoping it sounded more like a threat than an affirmation. The last thing she needed was India Cartwright suddenly thinking they were friends. Already, an idea was beginning to form in her head. India could have her amateur house party. Maybe everyone would come and it would be totally out of control. They’d trash old Miss India’s spectacular townhouse!
“Of course.” India smiled sunnily. Now she could really get started with her plans. “See you tomorrow!” she trilled, and trotted down the stairs and out the side entrance. She breathed deeply as she emerged onto Madison Avenue, letting the crisp fall breeze whip through her glossy hair. She couldn’t help smiling. Grandmother would be so proud. By next week, she’d be the new toast of New York. Just what she’d always wished for!
You know what they say: be careful what you wish for...
27
Baby stepped off the ferry on Friday night and inhaled the scent of the sea-salt air, the wind tousling her wavy black hair as she made her way up the dock. She pulled off her itchy Willard blazer and threw it into the ocean, where it bobbed on top of the water for a few moments, then sank out of sight.
Baby stood next to the tollbooth that led to the line for the ferry and waited for someone to ask her where she was going. On the island, everyone hitched, and she felt much more at home flagging down a random car than a New York City cab. Within two minutes a rusty red Dodge pickup with a missing headlight stopped and a cute twenty-something guy wordlessly opened the passenger door, motioning for her to get in. This was what she loved about Nantucket: it w
as a real community, and when you needed something, people were friendly.
“Coming from Boston, huh?” the guy asked as she closed the heavy truck door. He was wearing a faded gray T-shirt, and his light skin was ruddy pink from the sun. He looked like a lobster.
Watch out for the claws.
“Not really,” Baby replied, looking down and realizing how absurd she must look in her uniform skirt.
“Okay, so where are you off to?”
Her phone beeped, and she looked down with annoyance. Marcelo. He’d called three times since she’d been on the bus. Couldn’t he just find another dog walker? Or maybe his girlfriend could take the dogs out for him? No, that would mean changing out of her bitch suit for five minutes, which was impossible. She picked up the phone and answered in annoyance.
“Hey, I’m done with the New York experiment,” she began, not waiting for him to speak. “I’m back in Nantucket, so you should just find a new dog walker, someone who can accommodate you better with cheaper rates.” She hung up before she could hear him say anything. What would be the point?
“Ex-boyfriend?” the driver asked.
“Absolutely not,” Baby said, jamming her phone into her faded green bag so she wouldn’t even have to think about it. She gazed out the window at the sprawling farms and tidy New England colonials in muted shades of white and gray. Home. She was finally back home again. “Well, I’m getting off around here, so thanks for the ride!” she chirped as they rounded a familiar corner.
The driver pulled over and she hopped out of the car on one of the side streets near Ace’s house. It led directly to the beach, and she half sprinted down the uneven wooden steps to the sand, her messenger bag thumping against her back. She could already see the bonfire near the water and paused for a second at the sight of all her NHS classmates stumbling around in various stages of undressed drunkenness.
She made her way down the beach and recognized Lucas Anderson, one of Ace’s friends, before she heard Ace’s familiar half snort, half chuckle that sounded like a guinea pig being squeezed. He only made that noise when he was really high. Ace and Lucas were sitting on a damp piece of driftwood, apparently unaware that the tide had risen up to their ankles. A three-foot-high bong constructed of plastic soda bottles sat between them like an old friend.
Baby walked quietly over to them, stepping over the driftwood and shivering in her unform skit as she sat next to Ace. “Baby?” He blinked a couple of times as he tried to determine if she was real or just a stoned illusion.
“I’m here,” she said simply. She leaned back into his arms and let his fingers tickle her gently. He took her face and guided her mouth to meet his. He smelled like Tide and the ocean and a little bit of weed. His pupils were huge, but Baby wasn’t annoyed. She felt a little high too, just from being around him. It just felt so good to finally be back in the only place she wanted to be.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Ace said incredulously in his stoner voice. Lucas just stared at them, his mouth agape.
“Let’s go for a walk,” she suggested, half dragging Ace away from the log. The sky was pitch-black, but the moon created a path of light across the inky water. She took Ace’s hand in hers, her whole body tingling with excitement.
“So, are you here for the weekend?” he asked, taking a joint out of his pocket and lighting it.
“For this weekend and the foreseeable future!” Baby smiled at him, swinging his arm giddily with hers.
“Okay,” Ace said slowly. He stopped and ran his fingers through her tangled hair. “So where are you going to stay?” he asked, in between kisses.
“The guest cottage,” Baby said, as if it were obvious. She and Ace would live together, happily ever after.
Aren’t fairy tales grand?
“What about school?”
“It’s only been a week. I’m sure I can get caught up,” she said playfully, though she was sort of annoyed. Why couldn’t he just enjoy having her here?
“Okay,” he said again. “What do you want to do?”
Did she need to spell it out? She squeezed his hand as they half ran back to the small weather-beaten cottage where Ace lived with his brother, and climbed up the rickety stairs to his bedroom. He set his iPod to Al Green, and Baby wrapped her thin arms around him, feeling like nothing in the world could be more perfect.
Let’s get it on...ooh baby, let’s get it on...
“Hey,” she said as she pulled Ace into her.
“Hey.” Ace nuzzled her hair and Baby’s heart leaped as he pulled her down onto the bed. His arms felt warm and strong around her, and she felt like she might burst with happiness. She was home, back with Ace, after what felt like an eternity of being so far away from everything she knew and loved.
“I love you,” she said simply, because there was nothing else to say.
“You too.” Ace muzzled her neck sleepily. He giggled, and then his giggles turned into those annoying guinea-pig noises.
Baby sighed. Maybe he’d gotten so high with Lucas because he missed her so much and had to do something to drown his sorrows?
Or maybe he’s just a typical stoner boy who has a very special relationship with his bong.
They lay back in the bed and she pulled the cover over them. Ace immediately collapsed into the pillow, his eyes closed.
“Do you want to take a nap or something?” Baby asked, even though his breathing had already evened out into deep snores. She sighed again and snuggled into his back, listening to the gentle lapping of the waves in the distance.
* * *
The next morning, Baby woke up to the sound of her phone ringing.
“Ugh,” she murmured sleepily, seeing her sister’s name on the display. She silenced the phone and sat up, looking around Ace’s room. Why wasn’t Ace in bed with her? She threw on his sweatshirt and padded downstairs. The sweatshirt was warm and soft and smelled like him.
She looked out the window and spotted him, standing next to Kendra’s beat-up white Jeep. Kendra was in his arms, and his right hand, with the thick silver ring Baby had given him, was clasped around her hip. Baby felt a cold shot of fear rush through her. Ace was speaking earnestly to Kendra, and a flash of anger crossed Kendra’s face. Baby opened the door slightly. The rusty hinges creaked.
“She’s back,” she heard him say defensively. Baby sat down on the concrete steps and hugged her knees to her chest. She had chills, even though it was warm outside.
“What? For the weekend?” Kendra sounded like she had snapped out of the stoner haze she had been in for the past two years. Her voice was sharp and clear and incredibly angry. Baby felt like she couldn’t breathe.
“I don’t know for how long. But I love her.” Ace’s voice rang out in the early morning air. Somehow, even those three words weren’t enough to warm Baby up.
“What about us?” Kendra asked accusingly.
Us? The last Baby had heard, Kendra had been sleeping around with some college dropout who was working as a crab shack cook.
“You’re my friend, but Baby is my girl,” Ace insisted. Baby could see Ace’s arm circling Kendra’s narrow hip, as if he was going to pull her into a kiss. “Just give me time to sort this out,” he pleaded.
With that, Baby stood. Tripping over her feet, she stormed back inside, slamming the door behind her. “Shit!” she heard Ace call out.
“Baby!” Ace’s older brother, Jay, was standing bleary-eyed by the sink as she came hurtling inside. “You’re back!”
Baby grimaced. The room was filthy, with clothes lying untouched in a pile and a half-eaten slice of pizza sitting in its own grease on the counter. Ace appeared in the doorway, panting from sprinting after her.
“Oh man, you guys are going to have it out.” Jay opened the fridge, pulled out a gallon of Tropicana, and drank it straight out of the container. Then he sat down at the table, looking up at them expectantly.
“What the hell was that?” Baby said evenly, her eyes locked on Ace.
“It was nothing,” he said, shooting a pleading look at Jay. “It was just...Kendra. Baby...Baby, just listen to me.” He grabbed her wrist, andshe pulled away, feeling his stupid ring against her skin. She didn’t want him to touch her. “Nothing happened,” he whispered urgently.
“Yeah, right,” Baby spat. “How could you do this to me?” she demanded plainly. This type of stuff happened in New York to people like Vanity Laurent and Marcelo. Not to her, and not in Nantucket.
Ace bit his lower lip with his front teeth, but didn’t say anything.
“I’m going,” she said finally, breaking free from his grasp.
“See, you’re always leaving me,” Ace said accusingly. “I was lonely, okay? I missed you, and Kendra was there. If you hadn’t left, this wouldn’t have happened,” he finished.
She glared at him once more and stormed out. The back door slammed behind her. She ran toward the beach and hurtled herself into the ocean, where her tears mingled with the salt water. At least she wasn’t in Manhattan. At least she was home.
And home is where the heart is...not.
* * *
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: Friday, September 12, 3:00 p.m
Subject: Re: Now?
Kat,
Come to my sister’s party. Can’t wait to see you...
Love,
T
28
“We really did it!” India squealed, throwing her arms around Trey in a drunken, sisterly hug.
Trey ruffled her hair and grinned drunkenly back at her. “Yeah, we did,” he agreed with a grin. He glanced around the party, searching for someone. “Hey, I’m gonna grab another beer. You want anything?”
“I’m fine.” India waved a hand. She’d had four drinks already, and everything was bathed in a happy, golden haze. She couldn’t believe how well the party was going. Grandmother India’s sunroom was a blaze of twinkling lights that reflected off the marble floor. The small glass-enclosed pool was filled with bikini-clad L’École girls, the kitchen with St. Jude’s and Riverside Prep boys doing shots, and the dining room with Willard girls eyeing the guys. India didn’t know everyone’s names yet but she couldn’t have been happier. Trey ruffled her hair one last time and disappeared into the frenetic mass of bodies.
Fifth Avenue #1 Page 15
