Scene 6
Scene Six
We always take the corner booth near the windows and away from the fan. You get a good view of the parking lot and the coffee shop.
The waitress comes over, and Charlie orders for us. Charlie always orders.
“And sparkling waters, please,” she says when she’s through.
“You mean club soda?” the waitress asks. The waitress always asks this, but Charlie just keeps ordering the same way.
“Sure,” Charlie says, rolling her eyes. “Whatever.”
“It’s freezing in here.” Olivia snuggles up to Charlie and starts nudging her nose into her shoulder.
Olivia is always cold. We went skiing at Whistler last year, and she refused to even come outside.
She sat in the lounge the entire four days drinking hot chocolate and flirting with the ski instructors who were on break.
“Oh my God. Did you guys see Darcy Sugarman today?” Charlie asks. “She was, like, practically dry-humping Jake after third.” Charlie wiggles her shoulders to get Olivia to sit up.
“That’s disgusting,” Olivia says.
“It’s not disgusting, it’s embarrassing,” Charlie corrects.
Charlie says there’s a difference between wanting to hook up and being obviously thirsty.
She thinks Olivia was being too thirsty with the Belgian, but she’d never tell her.
Her theory is that the distinction between interested and thirsty is the difference between how you act and who you are.
Olivia’s was an action, whereas Darcy’s is a defining quality.
“Why does everyone want my boyfriend?” Charlie wails, putting her hands over her head like the ceiling is collapsing.
“So we’re using the term ‘boyfriend’ now?” I ask.
“I told you this morning that things were good. And don’t be jealous just because you guys have some catching up to do.”
“You’re gross,” I say.
“Better hop on it, pretty lady. Rob may not be around forever.”
Olivia is smiling with the corners of her mouth, and Charlie is gyrating her body like she’s trying to hump the table. I figure now is as good a time as any to tell them about the start of summer and this morning, except when I open my mouth, the only thing that comes out is a kind of gurgle.
I don’t know why I feel so hesitant about telling them.
They are my best friends. They should know this.
I mean, it is a big deal. Unless I completely dreamed up this morning.
Maybe he thought my leg was the edge of the chair?
Totally possible. He might not have even known we were touching.
Or what if he tried to move away but I didn’t move away and he didn’t want to be rude?
And that comment, about not seeing anyone this summer?
I completely read into it. He tells me everything.
Of course Rob would tell me if he dated anyone this summer.
I was the first one he told that he kissed Tracy Constance during a round of spin the bottle.
I remember him saying she tasted like newspaper.
“So are you going to tell us about my brother or not?” Charlie says.
She crosses her arms and raises her eyebrow at Olivia.
Olivia bites her lower lip. She’s nervous, it’s obvious.
She does ballet and gets this way before every dance recital.
Charlie and I usually sneak backstage to see her, and she’s always biting her nails and hopping around like she’s had too much caffeine.
“I already told you this morning. What else do you want to know?” She takes a small sip of water.
“Don’t be cute,” Charlie says. “You still haven’t said how this started.”
Olivia looks up at the ceiling and then back down at her glass. “Do you really want to know?”
“Yes. And I’m still not over this. Since when can you keep a secret? For two months?”
Olivia sends me a nervous glance, looking for support. “We weren’t sure it was going to be anything.”
I know that Charlie can be scary, and intimidating, but honestly I think it just comes out of how much she cares.
She’s tough on Olivia, though. Especially because this couldn’t have come as a total shock to her.
I mean, I all but saw them make out multiple times this summer.
It was clear they were getting closer. I don’t really buy that Charlie missed it.
“I can’t believe you make out with my brother,” Charlie says.
“He’s a good kisser.”
Charlie’s eyes go wide, and she holds up her hand, palm flat, like, Stop. “I lied. I have no interest in hearing about this.” Olivia smirks and elbows her, but Charlie doesn’t crack. “I’m still totally offended you lied to me, though.”
Olivia makes a puppy-dog face, which means she isn’t too concerned.
I’m not either. In fact, I’m remembering something from sophomore-year prom.
How Olivia went with Taylor and they got into this big fight when we were there because he wanted to smoke and she was pissed about it, and Charlie said—I remember this specifically—“My brother would never show up high.”
“I have a date with Rob tonight,” I say. Both of their heads spin to look at me. At once, like in one of those horror movies. “Umm, yeah,” I say. “We’re sorta going out.”
“Like, romantically?” Olivia asks.
“Sure, maybe. I don’t know.” And then it all comes tumbling out. This spring and our good-bye and his letters.
“I told you,” Charlie says. “He really missed you.” And then, our knees this morning. Olivia totally loses it.
“So he legitimately said go out to dinner?”
“Yes,” I say. “He was very specific about that part.”
“What time?”
“Oh. I guess he’ll just come over?”
“He can’t just show up,” Charlie says. “If it’s a date, he should pick you up.
In a car. Not just crawl through the grass and come knocking on your window.
” She looks at me and raises her eyebrow, tapping her finger once on her nose.
It’s this thing we do when we’re both thinking the same thing.
Right now I know she’s thinking about the time in the sixth grade when Rob hacked a hole through the wire fence separating our houses so we wouldn’t have to go all the way up and down each other’s driveways.
It was Halloween, and he came dressed in this psycho mask.
He showed up at the side of the house, and Charlie and I screamed our heads off. He legitimately looked dead.
Our food comes, and Olivia starts setting chips onto her napkin. She always does this. Like she’s afraid we’re going to eat them all without her or something. In her defense, she does eat really slowly.
“Are we going to Malibu this weekend?” I ask, trying to change the subject.
I’m not sure how to keep talking about this.
It’s not like discussing a date with a normal boy.
It’s Rob. Luckily, Charlie and Olivia are easily distracted today.
I suspect they’re both still thinking a little bit about Ben.
I wipe my fingertips on the corner of a napkin. The cooks make their chips in-house, and they are always deliciously greasy.
“Yes!” Olivia says. “Let’s do it.”
Olivia has a beach house in Malibu that her parents never use.
It’s about forty-five minutes away, but we always have parties there.
Olivia’s been bribing her housekeeper since we were fifteen and used to drive down illegally with just permits.
There was a very complicated round-robin phone tree in place then to ensure our parents never found out we had left San Bellaro.
“We can’t this weekend,” Charlie says, slipping a queso-ed chip into her mouth.
“Why?” Olivia asks.
“Hello? Fall Back? Honestly, was anyone paying attention in there?” She puffs out her lip and looks up at the ceiling. She even closes her eyes briefly, for effect.
“What about the weekend after?” Olivia asks, ignoring her.
“Let’s see.”
“You have other plans?” I poke her, and she shrugs.
“Maybe.” Charlie really likes being the one to suggest things.
Last year we had a New Year’s Eve party at Olivia’s, and Charlie almost didn’t come because she hadn’t been consulted about it beforehand.
Even though she was, technically, visiting relatives in Oregon until the thirtieth.
But of course she’ll come around. Charlie loves Malibu.
“Why don’t we say yes and we’ll see how it goes. The guys will come, won’t they?” Olivia turns to me.
“I guess.” I try to make it sound as casual as I possibly can. The truth is, the prospect of an entire weekend in Malibu with Rob has sent my spine tingling.
“Sure,” Charlie says, “if Jake decides to behave for another week.” She takes out her phone, looks at it, and then tosses it away in a huff.
“Are you okay?” I ask. “You seem super on edge.”
“I’m fine.” She sighs. “Just tired.”
“It’s only the first day,” I say. “Things will even out.”
“That is exactly what Ben said to me today,” Olivia says. “I was superupset because we didn’t get calc together, and…”
But I’m looking at Charlie, who has stopped listening and is pointing to a newspaper on the table next to ours. She makes a move to get up.
“Watch it,” Olivia says. “These are new. Hello.” She points to her shoes. Burberry flats with the print on the underside. Charlie ignores her and grabs the newspaper. She sets it down on our table, knocking over Olivia’s neatly stacked chips.
It’s the local paper, and Charlie flicks her pointer finger over the words. SENATOR CAPLET RETURNS. And there, right below the headline, is a picture of my uncle, his wife, and a girl I haven’t seen in ten years.
“Is that your family?” Charlie asks.
“Yes,” I say, peering closer.
“ ‘The senator and family return to San Bellaro after almost a decade away,’ ” Charlie reads.
She has her elbows on the table and she’s leaning over the paper, like a little kid at the library.
“ ‘The Caplets’ move to Beverly Hills nine years ago caused much rumor and speculation. This will mark their first return to our town since their departure.’ ”
Charlie looks up. Olivia is looking at me too.
“Strange,” I say, because I’m not sure what to say. Does my dad know? Is he upset about it? And where will she be going to school? With me?
“ ‘The senator’s only daughter,’ ” Charlie continues, “ ‘is delighted about the move. “I can’t wait to spend my senior year in a new place,” she says. “I’m truly looking forward to making San Bellaro my home.” ’ ”
“What’s her name?” Olivia asks.
“Juliet,” I answer. Charlie squints at the paper and then back up at me. “Her name is Juliet.”
What’s in a name, Shakespeare? I’ll tell you: everything.