New York Debut (5 page)

“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.”

“They don’t know?”

“Not yet. They are on a business trip.”

“Oh . . .” DJ nodded. “But you weren’t charged with anything, Kriti. You shouldn’t get into trouble.”

“Where were you guys?” asked Kriti sadly.

They explained, and Kriti just nodded.

“Maybe we should’ve invited you too,” said Rhiannon. “I’m sorry.”

Kriti just shook her head. “I wouldn’t have gone.”

“Why not?” demanded DJ. “Was it better to get in trouble?”

“No, but it’s better not to get Eliza mad. She’s my only friend.”

“We’re your friends too,” insisted DJ.

But Kriti didn’t look convinced. “I’m tired,” she said. “Please, excuse me.”

“Poor Kriti,” Rhiannon said quietly after the door closed.

“It’s like she’s Eliza’s puppet,” said DJ.

“Or slave.”

“Well, maybe we should emancipate her,” suggested DJ.

“It won’t work unless she wants it.” Rhiannon sadly shook her head.

The girls got out their keys now, letting themselves into their rooms to catch up on some much-needed rest. But, once inside her room, DJ couldn’t help but notice how it seemed strangely quiet . . . as if something . . . rather someone was missing. She had just emerged from the shower and was about to hop into bed for a long winter nap when she heard someone loudly knocking on her door. She hurried over to unlock it, desperately hoping that it was Taylor.

“Grandmother?”

“I wish to speak to you, Desiree.”

“Here?”

“Here is fine.” Grandmother stepped into the room, then before closing the door, she paused to examine the deadbolt.

“First of all, when did you get that lock put on your door?”

“Yesterday.”

“Why?”

“Because I knew that Eliza’s party might get out of control, and I didn’t want my room trashed. As it turned out, I’m glad that I got it in time. Rhiannon and Casey got one too. You’ll receive a bill next week.”

Grandmother sighed and sadly shook her head as she sat down in the window seat. She looked very tired and much older than usual. “I don’t know what to do, Desiree.”

“What do you mean?”

She held up her hands in a hopeless gesture. “Everything is falling apart.”

DJ frowned. “You mean because you let Eliza have her stupid party and she brought in alcohol?”

“Yes . . . yes. Then there’s this business with Taylor. I’m afraid I’ll have to cancel Fashion Week with Dylan. I just don’t know what to do.”

Okay, the truth was that nothing else would make DJ happier. But, at the same time, she knew how much her grandmother had wanted this. She also knew that Rhiannon was looking forward to seeing the fashion industry up close.

“I don’t see why you need to cancel everything, Grandmother.”

Grandmother looked up with a surprised expression. “How can I not cancel everything? The truth is, I’m afraid I will have to shut down Carter House altogether. I will have to send all the girls home.”

“Even me?” Now DJ was slightly worried. The last thing she wanted was to end up back with her dad, the twins, and her stepmom. Nothing could be worse. Suddenly, the stakes were rising.

“I don’t know what else to do, Desiree. I’m afraid I’m just too old for this sort of thing. I thought I could handle it at first, but now I’m not sure. The general even questioned my sensibilities last night when I was called to the police station.”

“I’m sure that was hard.”

“And humiliating.” Grandmother was actually wringing her hands now. “The sergeant at the station even suggested that I was in over my head. Actually those were his exact words. Oh, dear . . . I feel like such a failure.”

“Well, you are partly to blame, Grandmother. You allowed Eliza to have that party.”

“Yes . . . but she promised — ”

“Eliza is a teenager,” pointed out DJ. “She doesn’t always tell the truth.”

“But I trusted her.”

“I don’t see why.”

Grandmother looked up and studied DJ now. “Did you and the other girls know what was going on here?”

“We had our suspicions. And I’ve tried to tell you about this before, Grandmother. But, you have to admit that Eliza and Taylor have been your favorites and — ”

“I don’t have favorites.”

“Yes, you do. We all know it. Eliza and Taylor have the most model potential, and, because of that, you seem to turn your head to their problems. Right from the very start, both those girls brought alcohol into the picture. I tried to warn you, and you gave me your ‘girls will be girls
’
spiel.”

“Well, it seems you were right, Desiree. It seems I have failed.”

“Meaning you’re going to quit?” DJ stood up now. “I never thought of you as a quitter, Grandmother. That surprises me.”

“I am not a quitter.” Grandmother used a lace-trimmed handkerchief to daub at her eyes, although DJ wasn’t sure if she was actually crying or just being dramatic.

“But you’re going to give up just because Eliza did something stupid?”

“I was stupid to trust the girl.”

DJ pointed her finger in the air. “Exactly!”

“So, I suppose you are saying I shouldn’t trust any of you . . . about anything . . . ever?”

“Something like that. I mean, you don’t need to be like the Gestapo, but you should realize that we are still teenagers and we need some supervision.”

“But you, Rhiannon, and Casey . . . you girls made the choice not to be here last night.”

“That’s right.”

Grandmother brightened now. “That shows that at least three of my girls have some sense.”

“Just not your favorite three.”

“As I said, I do not have favorites.”

DJ shrugged.

“And there is hope for Taylor. After all, she is getting help,” said Grandmother with fresh optimism.

“Yes. And if it’s any consolation, Kriti is not like Eliza. She doesn’t like to drink or party. It’s just that Eliza seems to have Kriti under her thumb.”

Grandmother pressed her lips together, as if in deep thought.

“Another thing, Grandmother. Kriti seems to be very unhappy. In fact, I’m a little worried about her.”

Grandmother seemed to consider this.

“I don’t think that Eliza is a good influence on her and — ”

“I know just the answer!”

“What?”

“Kriti will move in with you.”

“Me?” Suddenly DJ wasn’t so sure.

“With Taylor gone, Kriti can share — ”

“But Taylor will be coming back and — ”

“If Taylor desires to room with you, that’s fine. But we don’t know for sure when Taylor is returning. In the meantime, Kriti shall be your new roommate, Desiree. It’s settled.”

Okay, DJ knew that she shouldn’t be so selfish. But she did not want to share a room with Kriti. The truth was, she would rather have Taylor, wildness and all, for a roommate. And DJ knew that was wrong. Plus it made no sense. Why would DJ rather have Taylor with all her problems? Maybe because, on some levels, she could relate to her. But DJ didn’t really get Kriti. For one thing, she was so studious and quiet. It’s like she was a shadow. Or like Rhiannon said, a puppet. She always seemed so needy. Like she had to have someone to lead her around and tell her what to do, how to act, what to think. DJ wasn’t sure she wanted that someone to be her.

“No arguments, please,” insisted Grandmother as she reached for the door. “I will inform Kriti immediately. She can transfer her things while Eliza is performing her cleaning duties. You may take Taylor’s things over to Eliza’s room.”

DJ couldn’t tell if Kriti was unhappy with the room change or just unhappy in general. She said very little as they transferred Taylor’s things for hers. This was a challenge in itself since Eliza had already hogged most of the closet space, and now DJ was forced to divide it equally, which meant that Eliza would soon discover a heap of her own clothes, bags, and shoes on her bed. Probably about ten thousand dollars’ worth of merchandise, maybe more. Of course, DJ had no doubts that Eliza would take full advantage of Taylor’s side of the room until Taylor returned. What would happen then was anyone’s guess.