“
I’M NOT SURE THERE’S VERY MUCH WE CAN DO, DJ
,”
Grandmother told her Sunday afternoon. DJ had just replayed the prom restroom scene and Grandmother was still shaking her head in amazement.
“You mean because Mrs. Wilton and Eliza want it kept quiet?”
“Yes. Although I will certainly give Miss Dormont her walking papers when it comes to the fashion show.” She made a
tsk-tsk
sound. “Other than that, it feels that my hands are tied. You don’t have any actual evidence. Even if you did, we can’t get the law involved.”
“But I wish there was a way to make Madison suffer a little.” DJ was pacing in Grandmother’s suite. “It seems like she should at least learn a lesson. It’s not like this is the first time she’s gotten away with something either. We’re pretty sure she’s the one who slandered Eliza online, but we can’t prove it. Anyway, she just needs a little wake-up call.”
“Being excluded from the fashion show is—”
“Something more than that.” DJ sat down and looked at Grandmother. “Shouldn’t she have to pay for her crime? Do public service or something?”
“The Wiltons won’t be interested in any restitution…if that’s what you mean.”
“Maybe Madison should be forced to donate the amount of what she destroyed to charity? Don’t the fashion show proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Clubs?”
“Yes…” Grandmother grew thoughtful. “I know they’d happily take any donations. But I’m not sure that Madison could afford the value of Eliza’s clothes. Out of curiosity I did a quick inventory when I shot the photos. The total was rather staggering.”
“I can imagine.” DJ stood. “What if we got Eliza to agree to confront Madison, out of court…privately…and demand that Madison donate the amount of damage to the Boys and Girls Clubs—either in money or in
volunteer
work?”
Grandmother smiled. “Why DJ, that’s an excellent idea.”
“And it might do Madison some good to see how other people struggle,” DJ continued. “It might remind her that she’s got it pretty good even if she didn’t get crowned prom queen.”
Grandmother was writing something down. “Now, DJ, you don’t need to get into the middle of this little skirmish. I’ll speak to my attorney and Mrs. Wilton and I’ll handle the situation from here. The less involved you can be, the better it will probably go. And if I need you as a witness, I’ll let you know.”
“But you’ll let me know how it’s going?” DJ asked as she was leaving.
“If and when there is news, I will keep you apprised. But it may take some time. After all, this is a busy week with the fashion show preparations and all. But in due time, DJ, Madison will get her comeuppance.”
As she went downstairs, DJ hoped that she wasn’t being vengeful. It’s not like she wanted to punish Madison just to see her hurt. But she did want Madison to take responsibility for her actions. And maybe even to learn from her mistakes. What was wrong with that? Just the same, DJ was relieved to hand it over to Grandmother.
“Don’t you think you should tell the others?” Taylor asked DJ as they got ready for school on Monday morning. DJ had just disclosed the prom night bathroom incident without really meaning to, probably because she felt nervous about Madison and her friends.
“Why?” DJ did one last swipe of mascara.
“In case Madison has mafia ties and she’s put a hit on you?” Taylor’s words were sarcastic, but her eyes showed concern.
DJ laughed. “Yeah, right.”
“Well, the idea of Jolene barricading the door of the bathroom is a little creepy, don’t you think?”
DJ nodded. “Yeah, I’ll admit I was a little worried. I mean, I thought I had a good chance of getting out alive, but I didn’t want to ruin your dress.”
Taylor tossed her makeup sponge at DJ. “Okay, let’s just get serious for a moment. Madison knows that you know. You are like a witness. What if she attempts some crazy stunt to keep you from talking?”
“I already talked.”
“Yes, I know. But Madison isn’t the brightest porch light on the street. And besides that, she’s just plain mean.”
“Seriously, Taylor, what do you think she’d do?”
“Pay someone to beat you up when no one’s looking.”
DJ considered this. “Oh.”
“Or she might go after one of the other girls. You said it yourself, it sounds like she hates all of us.”
DJ frowned. “I just don’t understand how a person can be so filled with hate and have much of a life.”
“That’s her problem…Madison needs to get a life.”
“And she needs God.”
But Taylor had convinced DJ. When Grandmother excused herself early from the breakfast table to meet with Eliza’s mother, who had offered to help with the fashion show during her remaining week in Crescent Cove, DJ told the rest of the girls about Madison.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us during prom,” Casey said in an offended way.
“Because I didn’t want to ruin things,” DJ told her.
“So why are you telling us now?” Eliza sounded slightly irritated.
“Because I told her to,” Taylor admitted. “We all know Madison is a loose cannon, and she seems to hate us all equally. Think about it. If she had no concerns about locking DJ in the bathroom and using force to take her cell phone—at the prom—what else do you think she might do?”
“Or get someone to do for her,” DJ added.
“Plus, she’s probably still mad that she didn’t win prom queen,” Kriti pointed out.
“But I didn’t take that from her,” Eliza protested.
“That’s not all,” DJ said. “Grandmother knows about all this and she’s removing Madison from the fashion show this week.”
“So Madison won’t be a very happy camper.” Taylor refilled her coffee.
“I feel kind of sorry for her,” Rhiannon said.
“I sort of do too,” DJ admitted. “I mean, I don’t like what she’s done, but I do feel sorry for her. It’s so desperate and pathetic…like she’s on a path to self-destruct.”
“I don’t feel sorry for her,” Kriti said firmly. “She’s
evil.’“
“I agree.” Casey pounded her fist on the table. “And if she comes after me, I’ll be ready.”
“How?” Taylor asked her.
Casey shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’ll be looking over my shoulder this week.”
“Speaking of this week,” Eliza directed this to DJ. “Why don’t we drive over to New Haven in the next few days?”
“To check out Yale?” asked Taylor. “Or to play hooky?”
“Both,” Eliza told her slyly.
“I guess we could do that.” DJ reached for her second blueberry muffin, thankful that Grandmother wasn’t around to frown at her caloric consumption.
“I can drive if you want,” Eliza offered. “And Lane can be our guide.”
DJ thought about her unfortunate ordeal with Madison and the possible repercussions, and figured one day out of harm’s way might be a nice little break. “How about tomorrow or Wednesday?”
“Great. I’ll check with Lane and we’ll nail it at lunchtime. We’ll need to get excused from school.” Eliza frowned. “And I’ll need to go shopping.”
“Shopping?” DJ looked confused.
“Ninety percent of my clothes are toast, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Plus, I’ll need something
extra cool
to wear on campus.”
“Right…”
“Have you seen Casey?” Taylor asked DJ in an urgent voice when they met in the cafeteria.
“No. What’s up?”
“She must’ve made Madison’s hit list.”
“What? Why? Is she okay?” DJ remembered Casey’s words about being ready to take Madison on. What if it had really happened?
“Apparently Seth got drunk on prom night and spilled the beans to Jolene that Casey is pregnant.”
“Andjolene told Madison.”
“And now Madison is telling everyone. She’s ecstatic that one of the Carter House girls is pregnant.” Taylor scowled. “If Madison had more brains, she could’ve used it as blackmail to keep the heat off of her.”
“Do you think Casey knows?”
“That’s my guess. She wasn’t in my economics class.”
DJ pulled out her phone and hit speed dial. After a couple of rings, Casey answered in a dejected tone. “Hi, DJ.”
“Case? Are you okay?”
“How do you define okay?”
“I heard what happened.”
“Yeah…I guess I should’ve known it would slip out. But I didn’t think it would come from Seth.”
“Taylor said he was drunk.”
“Figures.”
“So where are you?”
Casey sighed loudly. “Sitting in the town park with the pigeons and other losers.”
“Oh, Casey you’re not a loser.”
“I just can’t—can’t do this, DJ.” Casey’s voice broke.
“Do what?”
“I can’t
face
everyone—not with them knowing. I can’t come back to school.”
“But what’ll you do?”
“I don’t—don’t know.” She sniffed loudly.
“How can I help you, Casey?”
“You can’t.” There was a pause. “It’s like I almost…almost made myself believe it wasn’t true. This past weekend I pretended I wasn’t pregnant, and it seemed real. And then I came to school and reality slapped me across the face.” Now she was crying really hard.
“I’m coming to get you,” DJ said. “Stay where you are.” DJ closed her phone and turned to Taylor. “She sounds desperate.”
“Do you want me to come?”
“I don’t think so. But could you go talk to Mrs. Seibert? Go ahead and tell her what’s going on. We can trust her. And she might have some advice.”
DJ met Conner on her way out. “Hey, where’s the fire?” he said.
“Ask Taylor to fill you in,” she said quickly. “And pray for Casey.”
He nodded and DJ ran toward the parking lot. She drove straight to the park, but when she looked around she didn’t see
Casey. Finally she spotted her sitting on the ground beneath a tree with her head tucked into her knees. DJ ran over and threw her arms around her. “Casey it’s going to be okay.”
“How can it be okay?” Casey looked up with a tear-streaked face. “My life is over.”
“No, it’s not. Lots of girls have lived through—”
“I’m not lots of girls.” Casey stood with a defiant expression. “And I know what I have to do.”
“Call your mom?”
She shook her head and began walking away. “No. My parents are not going to find out about this because it’s over with.”
DJ walked with her. “Meaning?”
“I’m ending this pregnancy.”
“But Casey…” DJ reached out to stop her from walking.
“It’s my life, DJ. My choice.”
“But are you making this choice because it’s what
you
want? Or are you making it because of Madison’s interference?”
“I’m not strong enough to do this.”
“You have friends, Case, and family.”
“You offered to help me, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then drive me to the women’s clinic.”
DJ bit her lip.
“If you don’t drive me, I’ll just walk.”
“I’ll drive you on one condition.”
“What?”
“That you let me call my grandmother.”
“Your grandmother already knows what’s up.”
“She knows you’re pregnant. She does not know you’re on your way to get an abortion.”
“Fine,” Casey snapped. “Call her.”
While DJ called Grandmother, quickly giving her this news, Casey called the women’s clinic and asked if she could come in. They both hung up simultaneously.
“Ready?” Casey asked with a hard look in her eyes.
“I guess.” DJ walked slowly back to her car. She had no idea what, if anything, Grandmother could do to help, but at least she knew.
“Can you move any slower?” Casey asked as DJ dug through her bag for her car keys.
“I’m sorry,” DJ said indignantly. “I guess this is a little upsetting.”
“Tell me about it.”
Of course, the truth was, DJ was trying to stall. And when she took the wrong street to the clinic, Casey pointed it out.
“Sorry…I feel like I’m in a fog.”
“Whatever…” Casey fidgeted in the passenger seat. “And you don’t have to stay with me when we get there.”
“Right…” DJ shook her head. “I’ll just dump you there, leave you by yourself, and go back to school.”
“Whatever.”
Finally they were at the women’s clinic. Thankfully, the receptionist wasn’t moving any faster than DJ had been. It took her several minutes to find the paperwork Casey had completed during her last visit.
“Lucky for you it’s a slow day. If you’re willing to wait, the doctor can see you in about an hour or so.”
“An hour or so?” Casey let out an exasperated sigh.
“Unless you’d rather make an appointment for another day.” The receptionist smiled. “Then you wouldn’t have to wait.”
“No thanks. I’d rather wait.” Casey turned and marched over to the waiting area and picked up a ratty-looking magazine and began flipping through it.
DJ followed her, thanking God for this short reprieve and praying for a miracle. They’d only been there about ten minutes when DJ’s phone rang. She stood to answer it, slowly moving outside when she heard her grandmother’s excited voice on the phone. Grandmother wanted to know what was happening and whether or not Casey was “undergoing treatment” yet.
DJ explained the hour-long wait. “But Casey seems determined.”
“I just called Casey’s mother and told her what was going on,” Grandmother said. “Naturally she was extremely agitated and very concerned.”
“And?”
“And she wanted to call Casey and tell her not to do this.”
“So is she going to?”
“She’s worried that she and Casey might get into a fight and that Casey will proceed with the abortion just to show her she can.”
DJ thought for a moment. “That sounds about right.”
“So Mrs. Atwood asked if we would do what we can to dissuade Casey while she attempts to book a flight.”
“She’s coming here?”
“Yes.”
DJ sighed. “Good.”
“You say Casey has an hour-long wait?”
“Around that.”
“I’m leaving the house now.”
“To come here?”
“Of course.”
Relief washed over DJ as she thanked her grandmother and hung up. She looked up at the clear blue sky and the few puffy white clouds floating overhead, and wondered why anyone would want to extinguish the life of anything. Then she asked God to do a miracle and to prevent Casey from going through with the abortion.