Chapter 12
“No,” I say to my Grandmother. She scowls at me. We are sitting in my room partaking in afternoon tea. I like raspberry tea, Grandmother likes green tea. We are also eating sugar cookies. She decided to have tea with me. I’m not sure why, since we hardly get along.
“Chelsea, it will be good for you. Olivia asks for you often,” Grandmother Betty says.
“Here’s the thing, I don’t want to run into Gladys again,” I confess.
“Chelsea, you are being unreasonable.”
“I feel like you’re not taking Tia with you to the country club because she's pregnant. She’s more into that scene. Why don’t you invite her?” Grandmother frowns at me.
“Chelsea, you need to get use to going to events like this. Your mother has not done well to keep you away.” I want to scream at the woman, but I keep my mouth shut. No good will come of me reminding her that she is the reason why I haven’t been to any high society parties.
“I don’t see why I have to get use to them. I’m going into the military next fall.” Grandmother glares at me.
“So you’re still on that kick?” She doesn’t understand. I’ve been raised to believe that either I get a scholarship to college or join the army. My parents can’t afford my college education.
“It’s what I’ve been planning since I was a kid. I want to be a detective,” I tell the Grinch. She frowns.
“You don’t have it in you. You’re too emotional,” she decides. That irks me to no end. The woman doesn’t even know me. I want to tell her as much but she’s already moved on to a new topic.
“I’m thinking we could spend some time in Florida when it gets cold,” she says. The thought of being away from Peter for the entire winter causes an ache in my chest. Then again, if I join the military, I will be away from him. Part of me is angry that I didn’t try harder in school.
“I want to stay here,” I tell her. Grandmother shakes her head.
“I’m too old to deal with the cold. The warm weather is good for my bones,” she decides. This bothers me. Both options that I have completely suck. If I beg my parents to let me stay in Minnesota with them, I wouldn’t have Peter. If I continue to live here, I’m stuck with her.
“What about my friends?” I protest. She looks down at their tea cup, as if the answer was swimming in the Tea.
“You will make more,” she says.
“Grandmother, no offense, I don’t want to be stuck in Florida with only you for company.” Grandmother Betty laughs.
“Eliza and Carmen are coming. And you will have interaction with other kids. I’m thinking of inviting Tia along. Maybe the good weather will be good for her pregnancy.” Her words were delivered flatly. So it is difficult to buy her true concern. It all makes perfect sense to me. Tia’s parents don’t want anything to do with her. They want her gone. Grandmother doesn’t want anyone outside the family knowing that she’s knocked up. This means hiding away in Florida is Grandmother’s best bet. Because she’s going with Tia, I can’t be left behind. All of this frustrates me. In truth, I have no desire to go to Florida. I’m perfectly content staying here.
“I have little interest in going to Florida. I’d much rather stay here,” I say right before shoving a sugar cookie in my mouth. Grandmother sighs.
“Well, then, it’s fortunate that you don’t have a choice in this matter. You will do as I say. And besides, the temporary move might keep you out of trouble. Now, let’s stop wasting time. What do you plan to wear to the ball?” Grandmother inquires.
“Nothing, because I’m not going.” My insistence makes her rub her forehead.
“You’ll need a date for it. I imagine you could ask Peter. I’ll have to get him a tuxedo appropriate for the event, of course. It won’t be a problem. Vince can school him on proper etiquette,” Grandmother tells me. This isn’t happening. Because my boyfriend is such a sweetheart, he would go to this lame party. If he agrees to go, I’m stuck going. Now there is no way out of this. My heart sinks at the prospect of being stuck with a ton of nosy women who have more money than everyone in Elmview combined.
“Did you already ask Peter to go to the ball?” I accuse.
“No. I’ll leave that to you. You two have a date tonight, don’t you?” We don’t have a date. Peter is at work. So I’ve decided to spend the night watching television and stuffing my face.
“No. He’s at work.” Grandmother frowns as if the prospect of me sitting around the house isn’t a good one. It’s clear that she hates how I’ve changed the dynamics.
“I’ve got to go. Amy will be in here to clean this up. In the meantime, try to leave this house. A girl your age should be running about. Why don’t you invite Carmen on a shopping trip? Grandmother Betty takes off before I can respond. Carmen doesn’t want to go shopping. She’s in a book reading mood. Eliza is hanging with Nathan and Danny is with Malcolm. And although Tia and I get along, I’m not exactly joining her for company. Since my boyfriend is at work, I decide to call Tiller. We need to get the chat about Teresa over with. Tiller isn’t much of a talker. He briefly called yesterday to wish me a happy birthday. We text from time to time. But we only talk on the phone when something important needs to be discussed.
“Hi Chelsea,” Tiller answers, sounding agitated that I’m calling. This is going to be a very interesting conversation. I lay down in my bed and sigh.
“I heard you and Teresa are chatting it up.” He doesn’t respond at first. The silence is punctuated by the ticking of the clock mounted on my wall above the dresser.
“Oh, yeah, we’ve been talking on Facebook. And?” Tiller isn’t a direct person. He is the type to ask obvious questions in order to gauge what the other person knows. This habit infuriates me to no end.
“So you want to date her?” My brother sucks in a breath. He hates arguing with me mainly because it usually ends with me not talking to him for months.
“Chelsea, she’s a pretty cool chick,” Tiller begins.
“After all I told you about how her friends were horrible to me?” The anger and the tears catch me off guard. But once the tears start, they don’t stop. Sometimes I get so angry, I just start crying. That is so annoying.
“Chelsea, it isn’t a big deal. You have said yourself that Ivy causes most of the trouble. Besides, Teresa did stick up for you and your boyfriend last night. And she said that the both of you had gotten along. Teresa wants to be friends with you. Stop being difficult,” Tiller orders. So he wants difficult. I’ll show him difficult.
“Fine,” I say. Without a goodbye I hang up the phone.
“Who was that?” Carmen asks as she enters the room. I hadn’t even heard the girl enter. She flops down on the bed, a vampire novel in hand. She loves to read.
“Tiller. Let’s just say, our talk didn’t go well,” I say. Carmen frowns.
“You stole her boyfriend. Doesn’t Teresa have the right to be happy?” Carmen isn’t being malicious. There is curiosity lurking in her dark brown eyes. I’m too upset to answer her. After a while, Carmen sighs and changes the subject. “So grandma told me that you wanted to go shopping,” Carmen informs me. Judging by the look on her face, Carmen knows that the woman lied to her.
“I want to lay in bed,” I confess. Carmen chuckles.
“Oh dear, you want to lie in bed on a Saturday afternoon. What a travesty!” Carmen mimics Grandmother Betty well. When she isn’t snooping or sneaking up on people, I can see her care free side. Around Danny and Eliza, Carmen is content to shut up and go with the flow. With me, she talks and lets her opinions be heard.
“Why don’t you talk a lot when Danny and Eliza are around?” Carmen frowns, thinks for a moment, and answers.
“Why bother speaking when your thoughts aren’t really important? I love them, but they don’t truly care what I say. They are content to have me quiet. It isn’t worth the energy to talk,” Carmen responds. She is so much like Uncle Kenny. She speaks with logic, not emotion.
“Did y
ou ever tell them how you feel?” I ask.
“Would they care?” Carmen asks as she stretches her arm above her head.
“Have you ever had a boyfriend?” Carmen chuckles at the question.
“There is only one guy I’m interested in. At the moment, he isn’t interested.” Again, Carmen speaks with facts. It’s like she shuts her emotions off. Carmen likes guy. She and guy are compatible. Guy is unavailable. Will wait until guy is available. No point of dating anyone else because she only desires guy.
“Who is he?” She affectionately pushes my shoulder.
“Stop being so nosy,” Carmen says. I laugh and she does too. We both know that she is the nosiest person on the planet. My door opens and Otis swaggers in. He scowls down at us.
“You two need to leave the house. Your grandmother won’t stand for this.” And that’s our cue.
Carmen and I are in sundresses. Mine is blue and hers is pink. We wear swim suits underneath and since she doesn’t drive, we take my car. This prospect is attractive. My heart races at the thought of seeing Peter again.
“Stalker,” Carmen accuses. She’s right. But who cares. I’m bored and really don’t have much of a life. It isn’t like we can stalk Carmen’s crush. She won’t even tell me who he is. My cousin rests her head against the window, her face relaxing. She’s utterly at peace.
“Why does Grandma want us out so badly?” I inquire as I turn into the beach’s parking lot. It feels strange to refer to Grandmother Betty as Grandma. But maybe I will from now on. I tell myself that saying Grandmother all of the time is a mouth full. But I’m beginning to realize that I don’t want to punish the woman for casting aside my parents anymore. I just want to be with Peter and enjoy life.
“Because something else has gone missing. She wants the opportunity to search all of our rooms,” she explains. Panic fills me. Another item has gone missing? This servant is pretty bold for doing such a thing.
“What happened to Dean?” I ask.
“He left days ago. He left early,” she tells me.
“Who do you think the thief is?” Carmen considers the question.
“I’m not sure. No one seems to be suspicious. No one is talking about stealing anything. That means this crime is organized. Every day, something expensive goes missing. You would have to wonder what the thief is doing with the stuff,” she says. Carmen would make a good detective. She is so unobtrusive. I on the other hand may be too emotional for the job. I had been messing with Grandma when I told her that I wanted to be a detective. I would be happy being a police officer. It would be nice to keep the streets safe.
We both exit the car with our blankets, beach towels, and bags. Since its eighty degrees, the beach is crowded. I smile when I think of yesterday and how Peter and I had been having a water fight at this very beach. Being here somehow makes me feel close to him. The thought of seeing Peter in just an hour fills me with anticipation.
“What do you want to do?” Carmen asks as she eyes the beach.
“Swim!” Carmen nods and strips out of her sun dress and I follow suit.
The beach is packed with people. It is difficult not to bump into someone. We walk around and enjoy the scenery. Some people from school stare at me. But for the first time in a long time it doesn’t matter. I notice with a wink that a guy sitting alone is eying Carmen with interest. He’s cute with dark hair and bronzed skin. My cousin doesn’t notice him due to the fact that she’s more interested in keeping a distance with people.
“Carmen,” I call.
“What?” she asks after seeing the expression on my face.
“A hot guy is checking you out!” She sighs.
“The dude with the beer?” she asks. I’m about to say know when I notice a bottle of beer by his hip. No detail escapes her. Carmen smirks.
“He is pretty cute. But I’m not sure.” The suspicion in her voice makes me laugh. Poor girl. She’s always so cautious.
“What’s wrong with him?” The girl doesn’t answer me at first. She simply touches the water with her finger tips as if the contact is soothing.
“He’s looking at me. Think about it, Chelsea. I’m not wearing a skimpy bathing suit, and there are plenty of girls that are. No other guy is checking me out. But I managed to catch his eye?” Her excuse is delivered with little emotion. It’s as if Carmen has accepted that she isn’t good enough. This is really irrational. I know that. But anger bubbles to the surface. Grandma Betty. This is all of her doing. My poor cousin probably thinks that she isn’t good enough. It occurs to me that Grandma must have bragged about Tia to everyone.
“Maybe, you’re his type,” I suggest.
“I’m not interested. Like I told you, I know who I want. Dominic Oliver just has to realize that I’m the one for him,” Carmen tells me. I sigh heavily. She is apparently going to waste her time waiting around for a guy who clearly doesn’t care about her. At this moment, Danny’s no nonsense personality is needed.
“Carmen, what if Dominic doesn’t feel the same way you do?” Carmen doesn’t flinch.
“He will. And if he doesn’t, then, I don’t want anyone else.” Her admission scares me. Is she serious? Carmen is willing to be a spinster because of some teenage guy? That’s ridiculous!
“I…” My cousin’s face lighting up halts my words. Her dark brown eyes are filled with excitement.
“Danny and Malcolm are here!” I follow where she is staring and see the two of them making out on a blanket. It doesn’t look like they want to be interrupted. Carmen doesn’t have my qualms. She rushes out of the water and weaves through the crowd. I sigh and follow her. But unfortunately, I’m not so graceful. I face plant after tripping on a stray sneaker. After spitting sand out of my mouth, I stand and pause. Ivy and Adam are together not twenty feet away. They are joking about something. The laughter stops after Adam’s blue eyes land on me. His beautiful girlfriend sees where he is looking and glares. He looks apologetic while she seems as though I’m a tick. It’s apparently difficult to get rid of me. To be honest, moving is a challenge. The shock roots my feet in place. Adam lied when he had said that I was the only girl he needed. He really couldn’t have chosen which girl he wanted. So he just told one at random that he wanted to try. My pride smacks me in the face. “Don’t just stand there. Act like this doesn’t bother you.” So I lift my head up high, smile brightly, and walk over to Carmen.
“What are you two doing here?” Danny demands. Her eyes are filled with agitation. Carmen seems unimpressed by her display.
“We are actually leaving. I decided to surprise Peter at work,” I say because Danny’s tirade can’t be good for Carmen’s self-esteem. Malcolm seems irritated by the spectacle. He stands.
“Danny, since your friends are here, I think I should leave.” His attitude is what pisses me off. I stand in his path and glare.
“We didn’t follow you here. I had no idea you were going to be here. We were actually just leaving. Sit your butt down and spend some time with Danny.” My words are said with aggression. Malcolm looks as if he’s going to protest. But I don’t give him a choice. I yank Carmen and we walk to the car in silence.
Eliza is waiting for us when we reach my car. She’s sitting on the hood, swinging her sneakered feet back and forth. Her relieved face makes me smile. I’m about to ask her what’s wrong when Malcolm and Danny approach. He looks less irritated but Danny’s temper is at the breaking point.
“I told you that Malcolm and I wanted alone time,” Danny slowly says through clenched teeth. Carmen’s face is blank. She gives nothing away.
“I’m not going to argue with you, Danny,” Carmen replies with little emotion. Apparently, that isn’t the reaction that Danny wanted because she punches Carmen in the eye. Malcolm looks surprised by the move and Eliza’s mouth is wide open. Something happens to me in that moment. I’m not in the parking lot of the beach. Its gym class and I’m arguing in the corner with Ivy and a few of her friends.
“You’re a stupid slut,”
Ivy hisses, her green eyes narrowing.
“Takes one to know one,” I spit back. Her face fills with fury and before anyone knows her hard fist collides with my eye. Back then, I was weaker. I just stood there, not understanding why someone who sold Girl Scout cookies with me could cause me harm. Her words were just that, words. Over the years, we had called each other plenty of things. But never had we hit one another. Back then, the football coach demanded that Adam Smith take me to the nurse. That had been the day that we met. This time, I rush forward and stand in between the two girls, my eyes narrowing.
“Danny, you need to calm down. It was my idea to go to the stupid beach. Why don’t you stop blaming Carmen?” My words are slow and stern. Danny is shocked. Her dark eyes are filled with regret. Malcolm has recovered.
“Why don’t we call it a night?” he asks.
“You’re driving her home,” I say. He nods and they disappear in the Toyota. No one moves until they drive away. I glance at Eliza who finally snaps out of it. She rushes over to Carmen who’s covering her left eye with her hand. Eliza gently removes her hand and inspects the damage.
“Come on. Let’s by some ice to minimize the damage,” Eliza suggests.
After stopping to buy an ice pack at O’Malley’s, Carmen and I slide back into our sun dresses. No one says a word until I’m on the road toward home. I guess meeting Peter is a bust.
“I want to go to the restaurant,” Carmen insists. “I don’t want to go home.”
“Are you sure, Carmen?” Eliza asks, worry in her voice. You would think that Carmen got shot. When Carmen hopped in the back, so did Eliza. The act, ever dramatic, really shows me that she really cares.
“I got punched. It’s no big deal,” Carmen groans. She apparently doesn’t think much of the situation. That’s strange.”
“Carmen I…” My phone rings and Carmen reaches into the front seat to answer it.
“She’s driving,” Carmen says to whoever called.
“Put it on speaker phone,” I insist. She does what I say and places the phone on the passenger seat.
“Hello?” I’m unsure of who this person is.
“Chelsea, hey!” It’s Tia. How charming!
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Otis dropped me off at the beach that you normally go to. Can you pick me up?” Her voice sounds hopeful.
“Fine,” I say, deciding that if I’m going through this personal hell, seeing Peter will be my prize.
After picking up Tia, who looks exhausted, we park at Clinton’s, a small diner by the beach. We exit and my smile brightens as we enter. It’s packed with families and screaming children. Carmen, who is wearing a pair of designer sunglasses, breaks into a wide grin. The atmosphere encourages happiness. The hostess leads us to a table tucked in the back. Tia immediately sits beside me while Eliza sits across from me. Carmen sighs and sits beside Eliza.
“Here are your menus, Peter will be with you shortly,” the blond woman says before taking off. The waiter after my heart walks over to the table with a forced smile on his face.
“Welcome to Clinton’s. I’m Peter, I will be your server, and would you like anything to drink?”
“Peter?” Tia squeaks. He blinks and really looks at us. When he spots me he walks over and gives me a tender kiss on the cheek before straightening.
“Chelsea, it’s good to see you,’ he warmly says as he squeezes my shoulder. I grin up at him. He looks adorable with his white button down shirt, black jeans, and white sneakers. His shirt says “Clinton’s” in black bold letters over the breast area.
“I want a gingerale,” Tia whines. Seriously, she says everything in that voice.
“Water,” Eliza says.
“Same,” Carmen pipes up.
“Strawberry lemonade,” I tell him. Peter nods, gives me a kiss on the forehead and leaves.
“How cute!” Eliza squeaks. “He’s so nice to you.” Her eyes are filled with happiness.
“How is Nathan?” I ask. Eliza sighs.
“We got into a fight. He apparently thinks I’m reckless and immature. Can you believe that?” Everyone at the table tries not to laugh.
“Oh, how, um, shocking. That’s ridiculous!” I say before giggling.
“I know. Shocking right? I overreacted and stormed off. I walked to the beach because Danny told me that she was going to be there. But when I saw your car, Chelsea, I was relieved,” Eliza admits.
“Malcolm hates that we interfere in their relationship. That’s why Danny was so mad to see me. I didn’t know she would punch me though,” Carmen says. Tia’s face turns red and her blue eyes fill with menace. Apparently, she cares about someone other than herself. Oh, I have misread her.
“Are you all right?” The concern is in her eyes.
“I’m fine,” Carmen says as Peter brings back our drinks. He smiles then asks us what we want to order. Everyone orders cheeseburgers and fries. Okay, well, I order the double cheese burger with bacon with an extra order of fries. I just can’t help myself.
“Are you going to eat all of that?” Tia asks as my plate is put in front of me. My mouth waters at the smell.
“Probably. I’ve eaten more.” Peter chuckles when he sees Tia’s response to my answer and he walks away. We dig in after that. Eliza is the only one who doesn’t finish her food. She leaves a handful of fries that Tia gobbles up. Peter walks over and steals some of mine. I laugh and pretend to keep his hands away. He is an attentive waiter not just to us but to all of his customers. I watch him make small talk and refill glasses. Everyone seems at ease with him. Peter would make the perfect dentist.
“This has been a lovely night,” Carmen says after taking a bite out of her apple pie. I can hardly fit another bite of the brownie sundae in my stomach. In ten minutes, that might change. Eliza and Tia are both working on apple crisp and vanilla ice cream.
“Definitely. Let’s try the chicken fingers next time,” Tia suggests. I nod.
What next?” Eliza asks. I frown. Normally, I would suggest going back to my house. However, Mom sold it two weeks ago.
“How about a spontaneous trip?” “Eliza suggests, looking devious.
“Where?” I ask.
“Somewhere that requires us to rent hotels!? Judging by the pleased looks on Tia and Carmen’s faces, this has been done before.
“Where?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” Carmen admits.
“What about Connecticut?” I grin. Everyone stares at me, wondering why we would bother.
“Sounds fun,” Peter says as he puts down the check.
“Am I invited?” Danny asks as she walks over to our table.
“