Chapter 7 #2
Carolyn straightened off of the doorframe, coming into Jenna’s room.
Her dark outfit, dyed hair, and makeup were a sharp contrast to the bedroom’s décor.
Jenna had chosen lovely cornflower blue for her walls, white furniture, and a flax and beige accent, including her comforter and pillows.
Her mom had insisted Jenna change the style of her room now that they were living in the large home.
Jenna had agreed, but added the stipulation that her old furniture and décor would go to a family in need.
The personal designer her mom had hired to decorate Jenna’s bedroom had transformed the four hundred square foot room from the original nautical theme to a vibrant sunshine theme without being overbearingly bright.
Jenna could not deny the woman was very talented at her job.
Jenna’s ensuite bathroom made her think of sunflower fields every time she stepped inside.
The large walk-in closet was also filled with the latest fashions, though Jenna rarely went shopping.
Her mother’s personal shopper had Jenna’s sizes and also picked up clothing for her when she visited.
Jenna didn’t care for many of the styles the woman purchased, so her closet was filled with hundreds of thousands of dollars of unused clothing. It was such a waste in Jenna’s opinion, but her mother would never hear a protest from her lips. The battle was not worth it, because she wouldn’t win.
Unlike Carolyn.
In years past, Carolyn had been the stereotypical preppy girl.
Nothing was good enough and she couldn’t spend their father’s money fast enough.
Since being forced to move to Port Townsend, Carolyn had changed, not only her tune, but also her style.
Anything their mom’s personal shopper had purchased for her had either been destroyed or dyed black, or both.
The pentagram tattoo Carolyn had put on her neck was just the tip of the ways she was rebelling against their parents.
Numerous piercings had been added to her face, including both eyebrows, her nose, her lip, and the shells of her ears.
Black nail polish now covered her fingers and an upside down cross was tattooed to her right palm.
Black lipstick and heavy eyeliner made her skin appear paler than normal.
Carolyn had also started sleeping the days away and would only come out at night.
She was threatening to have fang implants put in her teeth if their parents didn’t change their minds about her trust fund.
In Jenna’s personal opinion, if their father would take away Carolyn’s current allowance, she wouldn’t have the money to continue to destroy her body because her sister didn’t know a thing about saving and spent her allowance in its entirety each month.
But Jenna had been staying out of it. She did not want to get between her parents and Carolyn.
Mostly because she did not want to risk being sent back to Seattle.
Jenna much preferred the small town life to big city living—and not just because of a dark-haired boy with gunmetal-gray eyes that had stolen her heart.
“You have a date tonight,” Carolyn said with accusation.
She’d barely spoken to Jenna since they moved to Port Townsend.
While Jenna wasn’t sure what the old Carolyn would say about Jenna dating a boy not of their financial class and social standing, this new Carolyn might have a very different opinion.
It seemed her new mission in life was to do everything in her power to piss off their parents.
But that new motto could work for or against Jenna. While she might support Jenna’s relationship with Jack to spite their parents, she could just as easily throw Jenna to the wolves because it would upset their parents more to have both daughters be disobedient.
Jenna wasn’t sure she could risk it. Right now, she was under her parents’ radar. If Carolyn brought Jack to their attention, she would not remain that way.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Whatever she was wearing was good enough. She needed to get going, anyway. Jenna grabbed her purse and headed towards the door, but Carolyn stepped in her path.
Her sister’s dark lined eyes narrowed. “Who is he?”
Jenna swallowed hard. “No one. I’m… I’m meeting some girlfriends.”
A snort was accompanied by a smirk. “You can’t lie for shit, Jen. Who is he?”
Jenna bit her lip, unsure what to say or do. She was already running late. Without getting a ride, she was going to miss dinner. Would Jack think she was standing him up?
“Look, I’m know I’m a bitch, but I do care about you. A lot of guys only see dollar signs when they look at us.” The change in her sister’s tone was completely unexpected. Carolyn almost sounded…nice. Like a protective big sister. “So I’m going to ask you again, who is he?”
Was it an act? What if her sister just wanted information so she could run to tell Mom and Dad? But she also needed to end this conversation so she could leave. “His name is Jack.”
Jack was a generic name. There were millions of ‘Jack’s in the world.
Carolyn, though, wasn’t fooled. She snapped her fingers like a command. “Come on, Jenna. I need to know more than that. Who is he, where does he live, does he actually like you or is he just using you…?”
Jenna’s eyes narrowed. “If he’s just using me, how would I know?”
“Trust me,” Carolyn rolled her eyes. “You’re a smart cookie. Even if a bit naive. There’d be something in your gut telling you that it’s too good to be true or that he’s playing you. Something you’re choosing to ignore because he’s the ‘hottest guy in school’,” she mocked.
In her opinion, Jack was the hottest guy in school. But she knew a lot of girls would disagree with that because he wasn’t on the hockey team or the swim team. Especially with the rumors around town about his family. People could be so vindictive. It was pathetic and sad.
While girls like Mindy cared about appearance over anything else, Jenna saw who Jack was at his core. The protector.
“He’s not playing me,” Jenna assured her sister. Others would think so. Hell, she was sure half the school thought Jack was duping her out of her family’s money, but she knew differently. She trusted him.
Carolyn raised a pierced eyebrow. “How do you know?”
“Because he refuses to accept anything from me,” Jenna explained. “He cares for me, Carolyn. Not for my wallet.”
“And who pays for your dates?”
Since this was their first one and neither was paying, Jenna didn’t know how to answer that question.
Jack had been upfront and honest about where he’d gotten the movie tickets from, as well as the dinner invitation.
As weird as Jenna thought it was that Lilly’s first grade teacher had invited them for dinner before giving them movie tickets for their first date, she was also very grateful.
No doubt, there were a lot of people who were going to be disappointed when the movie sold out numerous times this weekend.
Yet, she and Jack were getting in because of the generosity of a stranger. Or a stranger to her.
The reversal was not lost on her. For once, she was not the only one with the connection or being asked to use the family name. Not that she did that often, but occasionally she couldn’t ignore the benefits. Like getting Jack out of detention on their first day of school.
Carolyn, though, misunderstood Jenna’s nonanswer as confirmation that her assumption about Jenna’s date was correct. “See? Greed’s a powerful motivator.” She waved her hand up and down her own body as if to give Jenna a prime example.
“You admit you’re greedy?” Her shock over Carolyn’s hand motion made the question spring from her mouth before Jenna could think better of it.
“Of course,” Carolyn answered without hesitation.
“But I’m also a grown woman who should be able to do with my money what I want and when I want.
That’s beside the point, though,” she added when Jenna made to speak.
“I don’t want you turning out like me, Jen.
You’re better than me. I don’t want you getting your heart broken by some selfish douche. ”
The sincerity in her voice made Jenna’s defenses fall. She rushed towards her sister and threw her arms around her. Carolyn stood there in shock, her arms pinned to her sides by Jenna’s tight grip. Still, Jenna felt an awkward pat on her side, like it was all Carolyn could reach.
Jenna hadn’t realized just how lonely she felt in her own family until this moment. Carolyn and her parents had been at each other’s throats for so long that Jenna had just been…there. A silent observer in the background.
Stepping back, Jenna took Carolyn’s hands. “Come with me?”
Carolyn, who still looked shocked by Jenna’s spontaneous hug, asked, “Where?”
“You got your car?”
“Of course.”
Jenna started to pull her sister after her. “Then come on!”
Jack was starting to get nervous about Jenna’s absence when a sleek black Porsche pulled into the Zarins’ driveway.
Unsure what to expect—maybe her father?—Jack watched in surprise as a young woman got out of the driver’s seat.
He knew immediately who she was too. Despite the makeup and dyed hair, there was no mistaking the similarities in the sisters.
He didn’t know what to think of Carolyn’s presence.
Jenna had told him all about her older sister and the trouble she’d been causing in her family.
Dressed in platform boots, black pants, and a heavy black coat, Carolyn was following Jenna up the path to the front door.
Uncaring why her sister was there, Jack opened the front door to greet Jenna.