Scene 2 #2
Olivia tucks her hair back behind her ears. “She threatened to kill herself.”
I make a sound somewhere between a cough and a sneeze, and Mr. Stetzler looks over, frowning.
“That’s a rumor,” I say. The senior class has been buzzing today about Juliet overdosing on pills or something. But since no one can pin down an actual time or reason, I’m finding it hard to believe. “What reason does she have to kill herself? Her life is perfect.”
“Her boyfriend is still in love with his ex?” Olivia raises her eyebrows at me and puckers up her lips. I jam her with my elbow and bend back down over our assignment. I wish I could believe that were at all true.
“You know what else?” Olivia whispers. “She stole my flats. The new Tory Burch ones. She went and got them on preorder.”
“Juliet?”
Olivia is giving me a look like, Please get there faster. “Obviously,” she says. “Who else would be able to do that at this school?” She looks at me and bites her lip. “You know what I mean.”
“I do,” I say.
Mr. Stetzler throws a pointed look in our direction, and we both make like we’re incredibly busy with a problem in our notebooks.
When he goes back to lecturing, Olivia leans over.
“I know I’m not supposed to be talking about her with you.
Charlie made me swear—” The Belgian lets out a burp, and everyone starts laughing.
Olivia scrunches up her nose and looks at me.
“Charlie made you promise what?”
“We just didn’t want to upset you,” Olivia says gently. “We just love you. And want you to be okay.”
“I am okay,” I say. “I’ve been okay for weeks.”
Olivia fiddles with the end of her pencil. It’s chewed down the same way her nails are. She likes to gnaw on things when she’s nervous.
“It’s still hard to lose a friend,” she says. She looks at me with her big blue eyes.
“You were telling me about Juliet,” I say, glancing away, because all of a sudden I think she’s talking about losing me. About the fact that I haven’t been around lately. Not really, anyway.
“Yeah,” she says, inhaling sharply. “I think she’s kind of sneaky. I mean, who goes to Barneys, looks up what I preordered, and then cuts in front of me on the list? Is that even legal?”
I’ve never really understood Olivia’s obsession with shopping.
I mean, I like clothes, I guess, but I’ve just never been the type of girl who wants to spend all day at the mall.
Not that I’m condemning her for it. High school is hard, and whatever it takes to get through is fine.
But for Olivia shopping is a profession.
She’s incredibly talented at it, so I can see how someone beating her at her own game would really piss her off.
“It’s like she’s trying to take everything away from us,” Olivia says. “Stealing Rob from you just isn’t enough anymore.”
Mr. Stetzler is handing around the homework assignment, and when he gets to me, I don’t recognize a single problem on the list. We always work through half in class so we have “some models” to go off of, but today I took no notes.
“I didn’t hear a word of this class,” I say.
“Whatever,” Olivia says, taking a handout. “Queso at Cal Block?”
“I can’t.” Everyone is filing out the back, and Olivia and I follow. “I have a study session.”
“For what?”
“Bio,” I say. “Len’s coming over to help me out. Unless Mr. Johnson has him in detention or something.”
“Len, huh?” Olivia raises her eyebrows and shimmies her shoulders. “You two have been spending a lot of time together.”
My cheeks flush pink. “We’re lab partners,” I say, glancing away. “If I fail, it makes him look pretty crappy too.”
“Since when has he cared about grades? And the play—” The Belgian walks by, and Olivia arches her back so you can see a small stretch of stomach.
I don’t think it’s lost on him. He glances back, but Olivia is immersed in our conversation.
Or at least she appears that way. It is impossible being a straight girl in high school.
Everything feels so predicated on making guys want you.
“I think thou doth protest too much,” Olivia says, giggling.
“You’re crazy.”
“I told you,” Olivia says as we make our way down the stairs. “I’ve always thought he was pretty cute.”
“He’s so sarcastic.”
“So?” Olivia says. “It’s kind of sexy. He’s like a rebel.”
“Well, you’re welcome to him.”
Olivia rolls her eyes. “I like Ben.” She bites her lip and stops walking. “Actually, I love him.”
I stop too. I figured as much, but I hadn’t actually expected Olivia to cop to it. But now she’s looking at me like there’s more.
“What’s up?” I ask, shifting my book bag.
“We sorta—” She exhales and kicks some dirt with her shoe. “We had sex.”
“Does Charlie know?” I’m not sure why that’s my first question, but it seems important.
“Yeah,” she says. “I told her this morning.”
“Well, how do you feel?” I’m not sure what to say. I figured when the time came, I’d know more about the whole sex issue. Wrong again.
Olivia shrugs. “Not much different, I guess.”
“Yeah.”
“You know what, though?” she says, her voice bulking up a little. “I really liked it.”
“Well, that’s good, right? That’s sorta the point?”
“No, not that. That’s not what I mean.” She frowns and crosses her arms. “I mean, I really liked being that close to someone. I really liked being that close to him.”
I know we give Olivia a hard time about being silly and careless, but I think deep down she has some fears too. That she takes some things seriously. I know she wanted this, and in a way, I think, I’m kind of proud of her for going for it. And making the decision on her own.
“Anyway,” she says, “back to Len. I’m just saying I support it. That’s all.”
“Well, I appreciate your vote,” I say. “Thanks.”
Charlie is waiting in upper for us, leaning against Big Red. She’s got her sunglasses on, and her hair is picking up the sunlight so it looks like an impossible color of orange. Translucent, somehow. Like a butterfly’s wings. “We need to talk,” she says when she sees us. “Cal Block?”
“Actually,” Olivia says, “I think I’m gonna go have a hot date with your brother.” She winks at me and climbs into her car.
“I knew they were doing it,” Charlie says, staring after her. “She’s been unnaturally happy.”
We climb inside. “How about you?” she asks. “Ben told me a little bit about the fight, but I need more details. And you heard about the suicide story?”
“I have a study session with Len,” I say. “Assuming he shows, I have to be home.”
Charlie eyes me as we pull out of the parking lot and onto the highway. “What’s going on there, anyway?”
“Where?”
“Come on. Don’t play coy with me. Two guys break into a fistfight at school, and you want to tell me Rob wasn’t jealous?”
“Jealous? Even if Len and I were dating, which we’re not, Rob has no reason to care. Need I remind you, he has a girlfriend?”
“Something’s up,” Charlie says, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Things just feel weird.”
“That’s because things are weird. Rob’s turned all green hornet, and Juliet’s suicidal, apparently, and I’ve just found out we’re some scandal of a political family.”
“Explain, please,” Charlie says, sliding her sunglasses down her nose.
I tell Charlie about my discovery today, with Len.
“Well, it sort of makes sense,” she says. “Why she has it out for you.”
“I guess. I still can’t understand really why she would hate me like that. And I just can’t believe my dad would hurt his brother for no reason, you know? It’s so out of character.”
Charlie shrugs. “Maybe Rob’s dad really was the better candidate. I mean, your parents were always close with Rob’s parents. Maybe it was just politics, not personal.”
Charlie pulls into my driveway, and Rob’s mom’s car is parked next to my mom’s. Usually she just walks over, but I guess she was coming from somewhere. She has the SAN BELLARO SOCIAL CHAIR bumper sticker on the back window that Rob and I had made for her birthday two years ago.
I heave my book bag out of the car.
“Good luck with…” Charlie waves her hand around in the air like she’s looking for a word.
“Len,” I say.
“Right, bio.” She flips her sunglasses down and dots the air with a kiss. “Call me tomorrow. I think we may have to stalk Jake this weekend.”
“I completely forgot it was Friday.”
“Yeah. Sorta makes this study session seem like a date, huh?” She swings out of the driveway, calling, “Ciao, bella,” on her way out.
I wave and head into the house. Rob’s mom and mine are in the kitchen at the counter, talking.
It reminds me of the millions of times I’ve come home and seen the same thing.
Of baking Christmas cookies together in our kitchen.
Of summer dinners on the patio. Of the one time Rob’s mom and mine let us share a glass of wine with them at the counter. It makes me miss Rob so much.
“Hey,” I say, making my way into the kitchen. “Secret convention?”
Rob’s mom smiles. She’s got the same liquid chocolate eyes as Rob, and for a second I have to stifle something kind of hot in my throat. She motions me over with her hand. “Hey, cutie,” she says. “How are you?”
“Good,” I say.
“School going well?”
I nod. “Bio is killing me.” The urge to ask her about Rob is suddenly overwhelming. The impulse is so strong, I have to bite down on my tongue to keep from talking.
I don’t need to, though, because in the next breath my mom says, “Jackie was just telling me about Rob. You know he got suspended today?”
“Yeah,” I mumble. “I mean, I didn’t know he got suspended, but I figured something was up.”
Rob’s mom shakes her head. “It’s that girl. Juliet. I’m sorry,” she says, looking at my mom, “but he’s not the same person since she’s been around. All of a sudden he’s getting in fights and applying to USC. His father thinks we should forbid him from seeing her, but…”
“He didn’t apply early to Stanford?” My voice cracks, and my mom and Rob’s exchange a glance.
“I’m sorry, honey,” Rob’s mom says, but it’s quiet. “I don’t know what happened.”