Spring Breakdown (15 page)

“How’s Eliza doing?” Taylor asked DJ after she came out from her last visit with her for the evening. Things had finally quieted down in the house. The guys had returned to their place, and the general had arrived and was visiting with Grandmother, who seemed to be recovering from her stress as well.

“Not bad considering.” DJ sighed as she kicked off her flip-flops. “She actually said that she wants to go shopping on Saturday.”

“No way!” Taylor just shook her head.

“Casey even volunteered to go with her. They’re in there discussing it now.”

“It’s probably Eliza’s only form of therapy.”

“I told her she needs God more than she needs a new outfit.”

“What did she say?”

“Just that God probably wouldn’t mind if she got a new outfit too.”

Taylor laughed. “He probably wouldn’t.”

DJ went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and Taylor followed. “Hey, maybe we should all go shopping with Eliza
on Saturday. You know, as a show of our sisterhood and support.”

DJ spit and then grimaced at the thought of an Eliza-style shopping trip. “That’s more of a sacrifice for some of us than others.”

“But you’ll do it, won’t you?”

DJ nodded and dropped her toothbrush into the glass.

“Did Casey tell you she broke up with Seth?”

“Seriously?” DJ was shocked, but pleased.

“Yep. I had that little talk that I’d been meaning to have with her. I think she saw the light. Or sort of.”

“Well, as horrible as this whole ordeal with Eliza has been, I think it’s a sobering reminder to all of us…we need to make smarter choices.”

Taylor nodded. “And it’s weird because I’ve replayed some of the totally stupid things I’ve done the past couple of years. I mean, things that were way more dangerous than giving a guy my phone number. And I realize that I’ve been extremely lucky.”

“And God was watching out for you.”

“But not for Eliza?” Taylor fluffed her pillow.

“Hey, the way we found Eliza today was nothing short of a miracle. Even Marsha said as much.”

“That’s true.”

DJ yawned and leaned back onto her bed. “I think I could sleep for about a week now.”

“I’ll sleep a lot better knowing that Tom Jones isn’t about to kidnap one of us tonight.”

“Thanks for reminding me.” DJ sat up. “Did you lock the door?”

“Of course.”

Eliza wanted to keep a low profile on Friday. Despite Grandmother’s varied attempts to reach Eliza’s parents, they were still in the dark over what their daughter had just been through. Not that Eliza seemed to mind. In fact, at one point she begged Grandmother and the rest of them not to tell anyone about her ordeal. She just wanted to pretend that none of it had happened. Her escape was to hang in her room, watch TV, read fashion rags, eat real junk food, and visit with her “friends.” Just the girls and not the guys, however.

Eliza made it clear that her room was off limits to any and all males. Even the general, not that he was anxious to see her. But it was funny because suddenly Eliza was acting like all of the Carter House girls were her very best friends. Like they really were sisters and that she would always hold each of them near and dear in her heart. DJ knew that this change in Eliza was the direct result of the kidnapping—a horribly high price to pay for friendship. But at least something good had come out of what was truly evil.

By Saturday afternoon, when the girls went on their big shopping spree, Eliza resorted back to some of her old ways—like playing the princess—but then she’d catch herself and stop. Like she was actually trying. And she treated them all to lunch.

Finally, it was Sunday. The guys had already boarded the morning train to take them back to Connecticut, and the girls were getting ready to leave in a few hours too. DJ decide to hit the beach outside of the general’s house, wanting to enjoy one last barefoot walk through the warm sand and maybe find a shell for a keepsake.

She was surprised to find that Casey was out there too.

“Hey, great minds think alike,” DJ said as she sat next to Casey on the beach.

Casey jumped in surprise. “Oh, I didn’t even hear you.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle—” Suddenly DJ realized that Casey was crying. “Are you okay?”

Casey sniffed and nodded. But then she started to cry even harder.

“Do you want to be alone?” DJ asked.

Casey just shrugged and looked out over the water.

“Do you want to talk?”

Casey’s lower lip was quivering and DJ could tell something was really wrong.

“Is this about Seth?” DJ asked quietly. “I know you guys broke up and everything. Are you feeling sad about it?”

“Kinda, but not exactly.”

“So…do you miss him, Case? Like maybe you knew a side to him that we didn’t, maybe he was actually really nice to—”

“That’s not it.” Casey turned and looked at DJ with frightened eyes. “I think I might be pregnant.”

DJ didn’t know what to say.

“I know what you must be thinking. That I’m stupid and irresponsible and a totally moronic idiot and why would I let—”

“No, of course, not, Casey. It’s just that I’m…well, I’m kind of in shock.”

“Me too.”

“Are you sure about this?” DJ asked hesitantly. “I mean, that you might be pregnant.”

“If you’re asking have I done a pregnancy test, the answer is no.”

“Then how do you know…I mean, what makes you think you really are?”

“You mean how did I get this way?” Casey looked sadly at DJ. “Even you have to know
that
answer.”

“I know. That’s not what I meant.” DJ struggled to think. “I mean, have you missed a period?”

“No.”

DJ brightened. “Okay, then you don’t really know.”

But Casey just shook her head.

“Okay, but you think you could be.” DJ decided to back up. “What makes you think you could be? Other than the fact that you’ve obviously had sex?”

“Because things feel different—something inside of me has changed. I can just feel it.”

“But maybe it’s just because you’re sad about breaking up. Or maybe, like me, you’re emotionally wiped out from the crud we went through with the kidnapping and—”

“No, it’s more than that.”

DJ shook her head. “I just don’t understand how you can be so sure you’re pregnant, Casey. Not just because you
feel
different.”

“Because I did some calculating,” she said quietly. “And it was the wrong time of the month to have
unprotected
sex. Does that answer your question?”

“Unprotected?” DJ frowned. “Casey, why would you—”

“See, I knew you’d think I was the stupidest girl on the planet.”

“No, I don’t think that. I’m just surprised.”

“If it makes you feel better, it wasn’t my idea.”

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”

“Seth pushed me—and I gave in.”

DJ just nodded.

“It didn’t help that I’d been drinking.”

She nodded again. She so didn’t want to say something cold and harsh like “I told you so.” Instead, she literally bit her tongue.

“How could I have been so dumb?” Casey sobbed as she threw her arms around DJ. “What am I going to do? My life is ruined! My parents will kill me!”

DJ hugged Casey. “Well, first of all, you’re going to remember that you have good friends, Casey. Friends who really love you. And next you are going to hear a good friend telling you something very important.”

Casey pulled back and looked at DJ. “What?”

“That you need God in your life. You really, really do, Casey. I’m sorry if it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth. You need God’s help more than ever right now.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

Casey nodded. “Not that it changes anything.”

“It might not change the fact that you’re pregnant—if you really are—but it will change what happens next in your life. I mean, if you let God in, if you ask him to help you, Casey, I know that he will. But I also know he won’t force himself on you.”

Casey nodded and slowly stood. “I probably shouldn’t have told you that, DJ. I mean I could be wrong. Like you said, I haven’t even done a test. Maybe I’m just imagining this whole thing. So don’t take it too seriously, okay? And please don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t.” DJ stood and looked Casey in the eyes. “But you better take what I told you seriously.”

“Yeah…” Casey nodded and backed away. “I’ll be thinking about it.” And then she took off running toward the house.

DJ just sat there slowly shaking her head.
Why? Why? Why?
It seemed like some people had to be whacked around and beaten practically into a bloody pulp before they got the sense to ask God for help.
Why was that?
Was it that some people simply enjoyed pain? Or were they really that thick-headed? Or just plain hopeless? But why did some people have to hit rock bottom before they realized they needed to look up?

Yet even as she asked these frustrating questions, she knew that God already knew all the answers…and in the same way she knew that she could be part of some answers. Because, more than ever, she knew that God was using her and that he would continue to use her to reach into her friends’ lives. And that was okay. In fact, it was better than okay. It was actually pretty cool.