Mixed Bags (15 page)

Finally, as if in a dream, she pushed him away from her and tried to catch her breath. “That’s enough,” she gasped. Harry and Eliza were coming back now, holding hands and singing a silly song. DJ pushed her rumpled clothes back into place as they got into the car.

“Looks like someone enjoyed their privacy,” said Eliza, turning to smile at them.

Conner sat up straighter, acting as if nothing whatsoever had just happened. And DJ was asking herself, what really had just happened? Everything had moved so quickly. One moment he was passionately kissing her, and then his hands were wandering all over her. And she hadn’t even stopped him.

“Well, if we’re going to make curfew, we better head home,” said Eliza.

“When’s curfew?” asked Harry.

“Eleven on weekends,” said Eliza. “Unless we have permission to stay out later.”

“Do you?” asked Harry hopefully.

“Not tonight.”

So Harry drove Eliza’s car home, and the boys walked them up to the porch were “proper” good-night kisses were exchanged, and then they went their separate ways.

“Wow, you guys were really getting into it in the backseat,” whispered Eliza after the front door was closed.

DJ glanced around the dimly let foyer, curious as to whether anyone was around to overhear, but all was quiet and most of the lights were off. It seemed everyone had gone to bed. Still, she didn’t say anything.

“You didn’t actually do it, did you?”

DJ looked at Eliza with a shocked expression. “You mean it, as in have sex?” she whispered.

Eliza giggled and nodded.

“No way.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

“How about you?” asked DJ with concern as she remembered the condoms in the Hermès bag that Eliza had given her. The same bag she was using tonight. Perhaps those really were Eliza’s.

“Are you kidding? On a first date?
Never.
”

DJ felt slightly relieved. But she still wondered what that meant. Did Eliza do it on a second date? Third? What were the rules about such things anyway? And who should DJ ask? Then, just as they started up the stairs, DJ heard a creak and noticed that library door was moving slightly. Perhaps it was just the shifting of old house, or perhaps something more. Whatever it was, DJ felt too drained to figure it out just now.

“EXcuse me,” SaID Mrs. Carrer
to the girls around the table as she set down her coffee cup with a clink. They were just finishing breakfast and DJ had noticed that her grandmother had been unusually quiet this morning.

“Desiree,” said Grandmother in a stern tone as she stood. “Come to my office, please.”

“Does anyone want to go to church with me?” offered Rhiannon as the others began to excuse themselves from the table. But the girls just said “no thanks” or made jokes.

As DJ left the dining room, she felt sorry for Rhiannon who was doing her best to befriend these girls. But at the same time, DJ didn’t want to go either. Not that she particularly wanted to go to her grandmother’s office. DJ had a feeling she’d done something wrong and was about to get into trouble, although she couldn’t remember doing anything too serious. As she followed her into her office, she wondered if perhaps church might be better than a lecture from her grandmother.

Grandmother closed the door to the office now. Not a good sign. “Please, sit down,
young lady
.” Using the term
young lady
was an even worse sign. Her grandmother definitely sounded irritated.

“What’s wrong?” asked DJ as she sat in the chair across from her grandmother.

Now Grandmother frowned so deeply that DJ was convinced that the Botox injections must’ve completely worn off. “I have been informed that you did not behave yourself in a respectable manner while on your date last night, Desiree.”

DJ was stunned. “What? How did you hear something like that?”

“Let us just say that a little bird told me.”

DJ remembered how Eliza and Harry had discovered her and Conner in a slightly compromising position—not that they’d actually done anything seriously wrong. Still, DJ wasn’t proud of herself. But, surely, Eliza wouldn’t report this to her grandmother. And if she had, DJ could easily accuse Eliza and Harry of as much and possibly more.

“What exactly did this little bird say?” asked DJ in a controlled voice.

Grandmother cleared her throat. “She said that she was worried that you might be engaging in…how do I put this delicately?”

“Why don’t you just spit it out?”

“She said she was concerned that you might be having unprotected sex.”

DJ blinked then stared at her grandmother. “Who said that?”

“Never mind about who said it, Desiree. The concern is whether or not you are behaving respectably and responsibly.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I do not want my granddaughter or any of the other Carter House girls to go about town having casual sex with their boyfriends. Nor do I want them to have unprotected sex.”

“What are you saying?” demanded DJ. “Are you saying that it’s okay to have sex as long as I do it in a respectable way? Like maybe get a hotel room and light candles and wear a—”

“That is not what I mean.” Grandmother narrowed her eyes. “I am only saying that I expect you to act like a lady, Desiree. And if you choose to engage in sexual activities, I expect you to be responsible and mature about it.”

“So, you don’t care if I have sex?”

“It is not my decision whether you have sex or not. I only ask that you not embarrass me or the other girls.”

DJ felt like screaming just now. “Okay, in the first place I have never had sex. Not last night. Not ever. In the second place, whoever told you this is totally lying.”

“I didn’t expect you to admit to anything, Desiree. I’m only trying to make it perfectly clear what my expectations are.”

“You mean that I don’t embarrass you?”

“Or yourself.”

“And that’s what matters most?”

“You may not appreciate this now, but someday you will understand that a woman’s reputation can make or break her.”

“So, you’re saying it’s fine to sleep around, just don’t get caught…and don’t get a sexually transmitted disease?”

Grandmother pressed her lips together as she gave DJ a very disgusted and disappointed look. As if answering that question was far below her dignity.

“I’m just trying to get some clarity, Grandmother.” DJ stood now.

“It’s not easy taking on six girls,” said Grandmother. “It makes it even harder when my own granddaughter misbehaves.”

“I did
not
misbehave,” said DJ, although she wasn’t completely sure this was true. Mostly she felt confused.

“When I receive a complaint from one of the girls, I must take it seriously, Desiree.”

“Even if it’s untrue?”

“How will I know that it’s untrue until I investigate?”

“And what if the complaint comes from me? Would you investigate that?”

Grandmother looked somewhat uncertain now.

“Or perhaps my opinions and concerns don’t matter here.”

“What I’m trying to say is that I expect more from you, Desiree.”

“How fair is that?”

“Life is not fair, Desiree. The sooner you figure that out, the smarter you will be.”

“I think I already know that.” DJ frowned. “Is that all?”

“I believe I have made myself clear.”

“Crystal.” In fact, DJ felt she could see right through the old woman just now. All her grandmother cared about was looking good—that the Carter House girls looked good, and that DJ looked good and didn’t embarrass anyone. That was perfectly clear. As DJ left the office, she noticed Taylor going up the stairs. Of course, Taylor had to be the “little bird.” Who else would do something like that? Taylor was probably responsible for the creaking door last night. She must’ve been hiding in the shadows and eavesdropping when Eliza initiated the stupid sex conversation. And, naturally, it was Taylor who went whining to Grandmother this morning. It all made sense.

The question was, what should DJ do about it? Or perhaps she should do nothing. Maybe she should pretend that everything was perfectly fine. After all, it wasn’t as if DJ was being punished for something. Sure, it stung to be falsely accused and lectured like that, but then DJ knew her grandmother had on blinders when it came to girls who came from impressive or wealthy families. Girls like Taylor or Eliza, or even Kriti. DJ knew she should get used to favoritism in Carter House. Being a relative would not protect her from anything.

Casey hadn’t come down for breakfast this morning. DJ had tried to wake her, but Casey had simply growled and turned over. Still, DJ felt sorry for her. In some ways, she knew how Casey felt. Even so, she thought that Casey was going about everything in a very negative way—a way that would probably hurt Casey more than it would hurt anyone else. DJ decided to get something from the kitchen to take up to her.

“What are you doing in here?” demanded Clara when she caught DJ poking around in the oversized refrigerator.

“I’m getting Casey some breakfast.”

“If Casey is hungry, she should show up when it’s time to eat,” snapped Clara.

“Look, she’s having kind of a hard time,” said DJ. “It’s not going to make things better to starve her.”

Clara softened a bit now. “You’re probably right. There are some yogurts in the back there; she might like one of those.”

DJ thanked Clara, and then took an apple, a yogurt, and a muffin up to Casey, who was just getting up.

“Good morning,” said DJ as she set her bounty on Casey’s bedside table. “Thought you might be hungry since you missed breakfast.”

“Thanks,” said Casey as she ran her hands through her wild-looking hair. She still had on the same clothes she’d been wearing yesterday.

DJ sat down on the window seat now. “I just got lectured by my grandmother.”

Casey looked up with interest. “Why?”

“Someone told her that I’d been having unprotected sex.”

Casey looked surprised. “Have you?”

DJ shook her head. “No, of course not.”

“Have you been having
any
kind of sex?”

“No. Not at all.”

Casey looked relieved.

“I’m pretty sure it was Taylor who told her that,” said DJ.

Casey picked up the apple and took a big bite. “I hate Taylor.”

“She’s a real piece of work,” said DJ.

“I thought I was going to slug her last night when she came at me,” said Casey. “She was asking for it.”

“Have you ever been in a real fight?” asked DJ. “I mean like hitting and kicking and stuff.” DJ remembered seeing a girl fight at her old high school. It had been sort of fascinating, but sickening at the same time.

“I’ve been beat up.”

“Really?”

Casey nodded as she opened the yogurt.

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t fit in.”

“Oh…” DJ diverted her stare away from Casey’s strange hair and pierced eyebrows.

“I know what you’re thinking,” said Casey. “You think I didn’t fit in because I look like this. But the truth is I looked totally normal when I got beat up. I didn’t fit in because I was trying to act like a nice Christian. I was trying to be a good little girl.”

DJ didn’t know what to say. “You got beat up for that?”

“Most of my algebra class had been caught cheating on a final. I was one of the few who didn’t cheat, and when the guidance counselor asked me some questions about what had happened, I told her the truth.”

“So you got beat up for telling the truth?”

“Everyone assumed that I’d given names, but I hadn’t. Some girls in that class were really ticked, and they started to take their aggressions out on me when no one was looking.”

“Why didn’t you tell?”

“I did. Things just got worse.” Casey scowled. “My parents kept saying things like ‘turn the other cheek’ or to ‘love my enemies.’ Sometimes they even insinuated that I was part of the problem. Eventually I got fed up.”

“That would be tough.”

“So, I decided to change. I was tired of being picked on, especially for something I wasn’t really into. I mean I only went to church and stuff because my parents made me. It wasn’t my choice.”

“So that’s when you started to dress differently?”

“Yep.” Casey took a bite of muffin and crumbs spilled all over her bed, but she just let them.

“Didn’t your parents care?”

“Of course, they cared. Man, we had some wild fights. Then I would sneak clothes out of the house and change when I got to school. Finally, my mom talked to a friend who told her to lighten up on me. They thought if they acted like they didn’t care, I would quit dressing like this.”

“But that didn’t work.”

“Nope. I pushed things even harder. It was kind of fun watching them acting like it was no big deal. It’s like you could see them actually biting their tongues. Then I’d hear them discussing me behind closed doors. They even got into fights about it.” She frowned. “I did feel kinda bad about that.”

“But not bad enough to go back to normal.”

“I was sick of normal. And when I started dressing like this, I began to make a completely different set of friends. And the girls who had been bullying me quit. Oh, they’d still say mean things, but no one picked a fight with me. I think they were scared.”

DJ could imagine that. Even though she’d known Casey for years and had been good friends with her, she found her appearance a little frightening now. “But do you like looking like that?” she asked.

Casey just shrugged.

“Does it make you feel good?”

“I’ve given up on feeling good.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a crock.” Casey pointed at DJ now. “Does the way you look make you feel good?”

DJ considered this. “I don’t know…”

“Because I think you’ve compromised yourself. I think you’re becoming like Eliza and the others just to fit in. And that’s a sellout.”

Just then someone knocked on the door, and DJ was relieved to jump up and get it. “Hey, Eliza,” said DJ. “Wanna come in?”

“No. I was just going to town. I noticed there was a Starbucks there yesterday. I thought I’d get a mocha. Do you want to join me?”

“Sure,” said DJ eagerly. She turned to Casey now. “Do you want to come too?”

“To Starbucks?” Casey looked as if they’d just invited her to go to the local sewage-treatment plant. “I don’t think so.”

DJ wanted to ask her why, but figured that might only open up a new can of worms. Instead she just grabbed her bag and told Casey she’d see her later. Mostly she was glad to escape from her. Casey was not a happy camper.

“I thought we’d walk,” said Eliza when they were outside. “I need some exercise.”

“Sounds great,” said DJ. “I usually walk to town.”

“So what was up with Mrs. Carter this morning? She sounded a little irate.”

DJ gave her the lowdown, and Eliza agreed that it was probably Taylor’s doing. “We should think of a way to shut that girl down before she does some real damage.”

DJ nodded. “She’s definitely out to get me.”

“She’s a loose cannon, DJ. I think she’s out to get anybody who doesn’t bow down and worship her.”

“Well, if you have any brilliant ideas for stopping her, I’m in,” said DJ as they went into Starbucks.

Eliza ordered a sugar-free, nonfat mocha, and although DJ wondered what the point was, she did likewise. Then they sat down and talked about last night’s date and whether or not Harry and Conner were serious about them. Eliza was just assuring DJ that she thought Conner was smitten by her when Eliza’s cell phone rang. DJ could tell that it was Harry, and then Eliza said, “We’d love to come. It sounds like fun.” Then she hung up.

“What?” asked DJ curiously.

“Harry is having a party at his beach house tomorrow.”

“I thought he said someone was using it over Labor Day weekend.”

“Sounds like they’re leaving in the morning. He’s inviting a bunch of friends from school. He wants us to meet everyone before school starts on Tuesday.”

“Oh…” DJ didn’t admit that she already knew some of them, or that some of them hadn’t been very nice to her. Maybe that was about to change.

“I told him we’d come,” said Eliza. “I hope that was okay.”

“Of course,” said DJ. “Can I assume Conner will be there?”

“Naturally.”

“Cool.” Maybe this would give DJ a chance to really talk to him. She felt like they’d sort of been hung out to dry last night, and now she wanted to make sure everything was okay between them.