All the Days of Her Life (2 page)

She’d grabbed her purse and ducked out of his office, saying over her shoulder, “I come in for regular checkups with you. That’s enough.”

The ringing phone made Lacey start. The second she heard her father’s voice her stomach constricted. “How’s my girl?” he asked. “Are we still on for this weekend? I’ve gotten us tickets for
Cats
Saturday afternoon at the convention center.”

Ever since her parents had separated over the holidays and her father had taken an apartment, he’d been spending time with her by asking her to do things on the weekends. “Sure, Dad, that’ll be fine,”
she heard herself say mechanically. She really didn’t want to go. Pretending that she didn’t mind about their divorce took too much effort. And both her dad and her mother kept trying to tell her they were
all
better off now that the marriage was over. She didn’t understand how they expected her to be happy, but then, she didn’t understand her parents anyway.

“I’ll pick you up at eleven. We’ll have lunch first.” She heard him pause. “I—miss you, Lacey.”

“I’ll be ready,” she told him, unwilling to tell him she missed him too, unwilling to say “I love you, Daddy.”

Once she hung up, Lacey felt a lump rise in her throat. Late afternoon sun slanted through the curtains and lent the room an air of melancholia. Why couldn’t her parents get along? Why did she have to have diabetes? Why did she have to make friends with girls who up and died? Why? The questions swirled in her head like a dog chasing its tail.

She forced herself to think about other things. The world of Todd Larson and his friends was normal. Those kids didn’t really know about tough decisions. Normalcy was what she wanted for herself. Suddenly, she felt light-headed and realized that her blood sugar was dropping too rapidly. She went to the refrigerator to get orange juice and stave off the reaction fast descending on her.
Life’s not fair!
she thought.
It’s just not fair!

L
ACEY SHOULDERED HER
way through the crowd of kids swarming around Todd Larson’s pool deck area toward Terri, Sheila, and Monet, three other girls from school. “Glad you made it,” Terri said. “Are you feeling better today?”

“Perfect.” Lacey flashed a smile to prove it. “I had to park two blocks down the street. What a mob scene.”

“Todd throws good parties,” Monet said with a bored expression. She was a tall, willowy blonde who did some professional modeling. Monet wasn’t Lacey’s favorite person. Lacey considered her conceited and snobbish, totally unfriendly.

With a sly whisper, Sheila told Lacey, “Get a soda and I’ll pour a little something special in it.”

Lacey knew she meant something alcoholic because
it was obvious that many in the crowd had been drinking. She was tempted, but for diabetics alcohol wasn’t smart. It wreaked havoc with blood sugar levels. All she needed was to have a reaction and make a fool of herself in front of her friends. Especially Monet. “Maybe later,” she hedged.

“How about you, Terri?” Sheila asked.

“Too many empty calories,” Terri said with a grin. “I’d rather waste them on chocolate.”

Lacey admired Terri’s way of saying no. “So what’s happening?” Lacey asked.

The heated pool was thick with swimmers, the lounge chairs filled with couples. Rock music blared from speakers hung in surrounding palm trees. Colored lanterns and spotlights highlighting flower beds and tropical foliage glowed in the spacious, sloping backyard. A high wooden security fence ringed the yard, affording complete privacy from neighbors.

In one direction, Todd’s house rose, a two-story mansion of white stucco and red Spanish tile.

“Same old, same old,” Monet said. “No new faces. What a bore.”

“Then why’d you come?” Terri asked.

“She hopes Todd will give her a tumble,” Sheila said cattily.

Lacey didn’t like what she heard. She’d secretly been interested in Todd herself ever since school had started in September. Monet was formidable competition.

Monet arched an eyebrow. “I usually get what I go after.”

“Did you get that job modeling clothes for the catalogue that’s shooting on Miami Beach next week?” Terri asked.

“Of course. My agent called to confirm yesterday.”

Terri said, “I’d love to model, but I love food too much.” She patted her hips. “And every bite settles here.”

“I eat whatever I want,” Monet said.

“But you never seem to gain weight.”

“There’re ways around gaining.”

Lacey listened glumly. Her diabetes caused her to wage an endless war with weight gain. The only time she’d been truly thin was when she’d been first diagnosed. Diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition brought on by a need for insulin, had left her weak, gaunt, and dehydrated. She remembered feeling rotten, but at least she’d been thin.

“Why are the best-looking girls at my party standing with one another instead of mingling?” Todd asked, swooping into the foursome, encircling Monet’s and Lacey’s waists with broad, muscular arms.

Lacey felt her breath catch at the sight of him. Monet said, “We were drawing straws to see who gets you for the evening.”

Todd grinned. “Who won?”

“Don’t you mean ‘Who lost?’ ”

Todd nuzzled Monet’s neck. “I could make time for all of you.”

“Sorry, I don’t do crowd scenes,” Monet told him, eyeing the others. “And three is definitely a crowd.”

He pulled back. “If it’s privacy you want, come into the house with me.”

Lacey felt Todd’s arm leave her waist as he turned his full attention onto Monet. “Maybe I will,” Monet said coyly. “But you’d better make it worth my time.”

Todd took her hand and started up the sloping lawn toward the back patio and veranda of his home. “Don’t mind me,” Sheila called after Monet, her voice edged with sarcasm. “I’ll find another way home.” She whirled toward Terri and Lacey, looking miffed. “Monet never thinks of anybody but herself. Did you see how she hustled Todd off?”

“Big deal,” Terri said.

But Lacey thought it was a big deal. In one smooth movement, Monet had staked her claim on Todd and wrapped him up like a package. “There’s no accounting for taste,” Lacey said to the others.

Sheila studied her. “At least you’ll be doing his makeup for the play. That’ll put you in his face every night for two weeks.”

“It’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it,” Lacey said sweetly, knowing Sheila’s observation was true. The senior play was in March. Rehearsals had already started and soon, full makeup would be required. In the meantime, Lacey painted sets and did backstage work. “I’ll mention your name when I’m ‘in his face.’ ”

Sheila stalked off. Lacey watched her clear a path through the crowds and asked, “Gee, was it something I said?”

Terri smiled. “Poor Sheila. Two strikes against her in less than fifteen minutes.”

“Are you feeling sorry for her?”

“Are you kidding? She’s the biggest mouth in school. She deserves to be hassled.” Terri tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Do
you
like Todd?”

“He’s all right. Aren’t you interested in him?”

“No way. The only person Todd cares about is Todd. He’s too good-looking. He has too much money. He thinks he can have anything he wants. Don’t waste your time on him, Lacey.”

“Nothing else is happening.”

“Boredom’s no reason to go after a guy.”

Terri’s words brought back Katie’s from the previous summer at Jenny House when Katie had accused Lacey of leading on Jeff McKensie simply because she didn’t have anything better to do. Lacey told Terri, “Todd’s cute. I’m interested.”

“Poor girl. I’m telling you, Todd’s no catch.”

“Even for Monet?”

“Especially Monet. They’re probably up there fighting right now over who gets to use the mirror first.”

Lacey chuckled. “So who makes your pulse race from our school?”

“Dakota.”

Lacey searched her memory for a face to put with the name. “Do I know a Dakota?”

“Sure. He’s my white rat in psychology lab. He’s warm and fuzzy and totally dependent on me. He’s a cheap date, and when I’m with him, he has eyes
only for me. Little beady red eyes full of adoration. Yes, Dakota loves me truly.”

“You’re silly,” Lacey said with a grin. She looked around at the party crowd again. The music had grown louder, the shrieking and laughter louder still. The pool water had sloshed all over the deck, filling the air with the scent of chlorine. Several lounge chairs were sitting on the bottom of the pool and the colored lights, which earlier had seemed so pretty, made things look garish and distorted. All at once she didn’t want to be there. “Would you like to come back to my house, make some popcorn, and watch TV? Friday is Fright Night on channel four.”

“I’d like that better than staying here,” Terri said. “My car’s parked someplace out front.”

“You can follow me.” Lacey led the way out of the party, wondering why she’d never developed a closer friendship with Terri, who seemed nice and fun to be with. She thought fleetingly about Todd and Monet. Perhaps Terri was right. Maybe Todd was too used to getting whatever he wanted. Ruefully, she told herself that tonight, at least, what he wanted wasn’t her.

She found her car, waited until Terri drove up behind her, then led the way out of Todd’s neighborhood toward her own home miles away. In the rearview mirror, the lights from the party glowed against the night sky while the house where Todd lived reminded her of an amusement park.

*   *   *

Lacey awoke Saturday morning feeling sluggish and cranky. She blinked at the clock beside her headboard and saw that it was nine-thirty. Her father was picking her up for lunch and the matinee in ninety minutes. She groaned, cross with herself for sleeping so late. Why hadn’t her mother called her? Why hadn’t she remembered to set her alarm?

Terri had stayed until after midnight, and they’d had fun watching old horror movies and eating popcorn together. When Terri went home, Lacey continued to stay up watching an all-night movie channel. She’d eaten more than she should have and that’s why she’d not awakened shaky from an insulin reaction. However, now it was too late for breakfast, since she’d be eating lunch soon. Worst of all, she’d missed her morning injection time.

The regimentation of her diabetes was almost as bad as the shots. The only time in recent memory she’d stuck to a decent schedule had been over the summer at Jenny House. Which reminded her that she’d told Katie she would call today. Feeling overwhelmed, Lacey covered her head with her pillow and screamed. The sound was muffled, but it did make her feel better.

She rolled out of bed, only to hear the doorbell ringing. “Now what?” Where was her mother anyway? As the bell sounded once more, she recalled her mother telling her something about working overtime in order to prepare a presentation for a new client the ad agency she worked for was wooing.

“Terrific!” Lacey muttered under her breath. She
pulled a filmy bathrobe around herself, raked her hand through her tangled blond hair, and ran for the door, shouting, “Hold on! I’m coming!”

She yanked open the door and blinked against the glare of the bright morning sun. “What is it—?” She stopped midsentence.

“I like your outfit.” Jeff McKensie said, eyeing her up and down. He reached out and touched her cheek. “So, Lacey, have you got a minute for an old friend? Or do I have to stand on your doorstep while you stare me down?”

U
NABLE TO DO
much except stare, Lacey obediently stepped aside and let him into the foyer of her house.

“Nice place,” Jeff said, peering into the living room. “Why don’t you close the door? You’re letting the warm air out.”

Lacey shut the door, for although the sun was shining brightly, the January day had dawned cool and seemed destined to remain so. Recovering from the shock of seeing Jeff on her doorstep, she asked, “What are you doing in Miami? I thought you were in Colorado.”

“I transferred to the University of Miami for winter term. It has a top-notch program for my major—architecture. If you’d written me back instead of ignoring my Christmas card, I’d have told you.”