Playing with Fire (9 page)

Kelly slammed the door to her bedroom, half wishing it would crack the plaster. The ride back to her house in the limo was awkward, and Chad had seemed…irritated. Kelly had insisted on being dropped off first, just to get it over with.

Once she got inside, things got even worse. Her mother was sitting like a statue on the sofa while her father paced back and forth in his sheepskin slippers.

“This is the last straw,” her father said, his voice kind of shaky. He never was good at discipline.

“Your grandmother was very upset,” her
mother added. “She thought she was being robbed!”

“She thought we were robbing the hot tub? I wasn't the first one there,” Kelly said. “And the midnight swim was Alison's idea!”

“Really,” Phoebe said, raising an eyebrow. “And did Alison bring boys to the pool?” she asked pointedly. “I understand she's staying the weekend at Mother's, so of course she was the first one there. Honestly, Kelly. The way you insist on blaming everything on Alison when you know she is having a tough time…”

Kelly had stood there saying nothing while her mother waited for an apology that would never come. Finally she'd been dismissed.

Faceup and arms crossed, Kelly flopped onto her down duvet. The last straw was Alison waving good-bye like a cheerleader. Not to mention the simpering look on her face when she was weaseling up to Her Highness. It was disgusting. It was shameless. And Kelly knew the show was all for her. Alison loved to rub her nose in the fact that she was their grandmother's favorite—Tamara's little lap dog. It made Kelly sick.

Ugh! Kelly rolled over. She hated pouting. It
was useless. She much preferred to turn her hurt into anger. Being mad helped her focus.

Only in this case Kelly wasn't sure she had the power to change anything. No matter how far under Kelly pulled her, Alison bobbed right back to the surface like Ivory soap. It really burned Kelly up. Apparently she and her aunt Christine were the only people in the world who could see past Alison's goody-goody charms.

Even Chad was still susceptible. Kelly could have sworn she saw the word “sorry” starting to form on her boy's lips in the hot tub. He had nothing to be sorry for! Was he sorry he was with her, the most popular girl at Stafford? Was he sorry Alison was so pathetic? Chad was weak. She was going to have to watch him—to make sure he didn't go astray.

Kelly stood up and grabbed her purse off the floor. “If you wanted to make me mad, Al, you did,” she said under her breath. “And if you're wondering how much it's going to cost you…” Kelly grimaced as she flipped open her phone and looked at the hideous picture she had taken of poor little Alison curled up in her unicorn-covered sleeping bag, hugging her
stuffed puppy. Kelly scrolled down and selected “send.” If a picture spoke a thousand words, how many words did hundreds of pictures speak? Alison would know soon enough. The photo would spread like wildfire.

Feeling a little bit satisfied, Kelly moved on to the other person who was getting on her nerves. She turned her computer on and quickly searched for a phone number online. A few seconds later she was dialing the number. “Oh, hello?” she said sweetly, watching her face in the mirror and sharing the joke with her reflection. “Sorry to call so late. I'm trying to reach Zoey. Yeah. Zoey Ramirez.” The voice on the other end of the line was groggy. “She's not in your dorm anymore? Is she still at the school? She's not? What happened?” Groggy voice was all too willing to fill her in. “She was kicked out for
what
? Oh my gosh.”

Kelly had to hold back a laugh as Grog spilled all the details. This was going to be way better than she'd ever thought possible.

Reaching for another photo album from the stack on the coffee table, Alison stifled a yawn. It was almost two in the morning, but she couldn't sleep. She flipped the album open. She and Kelly were on almost every page, as babies, girls on horseback, at birthdays…-Pressing on her stomach to stop the dull ache that had been growing there, she turned the page. More little Kellys and Alisons with their hair in braids smiled up at her.

She smiled back at the pictures. She missed that Kelly—the one she'd grown up with. They were like sisters. They had shared everything. Until they shared Chad.

Alison wondered if things would ever be like they were before. If she would ever get
her
Kelly back. The dull ache tightened into a sharper pain. Probably not. Not after everything that had happened. Alison certainly was not ready to forgive her. She shoved aside that album and picked up an older one. She didn't need those memories right now. Flipping open the album, Alison stopped abruptly and stared.

The photo that had caught her eye showed three young women posing by the side of the pool. They were squinting into the sun, but it was easy for Alison to recognize her mother and her aunts. She wondered why she had never seen the photo before. Grandmother Diamond had removed all the pictures of Helen from the Diamond family archives long ago. But there was Alison's mom, hugely pregnant, standing with her sisters. And Helen was not the only pregnant sister, either. Beside her, Aunt Christine looked like she was smuggling a watermelon under her dress.

Alison did a double take. She could feel her blood rushing faster in her veins. It did not make any sense. Aunt Christine did not have any children. Or did she?

The next morning at breakfast, Alison poked the yolk of her egg and watched it bleed onto the white china plate. Next to her, tucked under her butter knife, lay the tuition letter from Stafford. She had tested her acting skills last night by the pool—but that was just the rehearsal for this morning's performance.

“Seeing her at the jail…” Alison waited until her grandmother's mouth was full before she spoke. She wanted to make sure she was not interrupted too quickly. “It was just awful. I hope I never have to see her like that again—in that place. I mean…” Twisting her napkin into a pretzel for effect, Alison counted to five
before she continued. She wanted to make sure her grandmother was listening. “She used to be so strong. Like you. She built herself up from nothing.”

Taking a bite of dry toast, Alison chewed delicately and washed it down with a sip of juice. She'd been rehearsing this little speech since she'd woken up and was pleased to finally be able to recite it. Normally Alison did not dare bring up her mother at her grandmother's house. But things had not been normal for a long time. And she was quite certain that there was a bit of pride attached to all of Tamara's anger.

“First of all,” Grandmother Diamond began, “Honey did not build herself up from nothing. She began as a Diamond. Your mother had a fine upbringing and could have had anything she wanted if she had not been too proud to ask.” Tamara picked up her coffee cup and set it down without taking a drink. Her spoon clattered off the saucer onto the polished table. Alison held her breath waiting for her grandmother to say more. She had to say more.

“Secondly…” Grandmother Diamond leaned closer. Alison could have counted the
gems in her encrusted earrings if she wanted to. “I want you to tell me what good her money is doing her now. Hmmm? What good is it doing any of you?”

“No good at all.” Alison shook her head.

“Not like my money,” Tamara said, straightening. “And I would rather be buried with it than see it in ungrateful hands.” Grandmother Diamond narrowed her eyes. “Your mother took a gamble, Alison. A foolish gamble. She bet that she didn't need her family, didn't need her mother's support. She thought she could build her own fortune, her own fortress, her own reputation. She was wrong. Your family is your foundation, Alison—without it, you will crumble.”

“Yes, Grandmother,” Alison said. “You know how grateful I am for all you have done for me.”

Grandmother Diamond patted Alison's hand. “Don't you worry. The Diamonds have always been well respected. With your mother out of the picture we may be able to save your reputation yet.”

Alison let her eyes well up. Grandmother Diamond hated crying. But a well-timed tear
could work wonders. “Not if I get kicked out of school,” she sniffed. “Daddy showed me this yesterday.” She slid the envelope across the table to her grandmother, who opened it and read the letter. If there was a change in her expression it was too minute for Alison to see. Asking Her Highness for money was something Alison had never done before. She knew it was risky. The strings attached were liable to get tangled—they could even strangle you. She had seen other family members get wrapped up in them before. But she had no choice. She could not give Kelly the satisfaction of seeing her get kicked out of school.

Grandmother Diamond was silent.

“Do you think you could help?” Alison asked. She was careful with the tone of her voice. It couldn't be too bold or too meek.

Tamara Diamond looked at Alison—the only child of her oldest daughter. Her smile was smug. She probably thought she had an ace in the hole. “Of course, dear,” she replied, setting her silver fork down next to her plate. “Say no more.”

Drying her tears with her napkin, Alison smiled back. It had gone as well as she had dared to hope. For the moment, Grandmother Diamond was holding all of the cash, but she was not holding all of the cards.

Kelly felt tingly as she strolled down the Stafford halls Monday morning. The school was buzzing.
Everyone
was talking about the photo, which
everyone
had seen. Half the student body was using the pic as wallpaper on their cell phones. Alison Rose was the joke of the day.

You can always count on good gossip to spread
, Kelly thought. Three minutes of her time had produced hours of payback. Everyone was laughing about Alison and her best friends, the rainbow unicorns. Kelly's work was done and now she could just sit back and watch the damage.

Kelly was still smiling about it on her way to lunch when Unicorn Girl herself came around
the corner. Kelly ignored her. She couldn't be seen talking to lowlife. The daggers shooting from Alison's eyes were all the thanks she needed.

At that moment Keith Jared appeared out of nowhere and whinnied, making his finger into a horn and prancing around. In an instant Alison dropped her eyes and trotted down the hall.

Kelly laughed as she headed into the lunchroom. She hit the salad bar and loaded up her tray with greens and cucumbers. She even allowed herself a couple of California rolls. She felt like celebrating.

Carrying her tray to her table, she looked around to see if her cousin had arrived. She hoped to see her huddled in the corner with her loyal shadow, Zoey, looking utterly defeated. But Zoey was sitting at their usual table by herself, eating a grilled veggie sandwich and drinking a Dr Pepper. Alison was nowhere in sight.

She must be hiding,
Kelly thought. The unicorn imitation must have really gotten to her. Kelly shook her head. What a loser.

Just then Chad set his tray down beside Kelly's, and Tom settled into the chair across from her.

“Hey, boys,” Kelly said, straightening the collar on Chad's blue polo. She hadn't seen him all morning. Kelly leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek and felt him stiffen slightly. She pulled back. What was his deal? This had better not be related to Alison and the stupid pool party.

“What's up?” she asked, wishing she could see inside his head.

Chad turned to face her, his eyes full of frustration. “You really don't know?” he asked quietly.

“No, I don't,” Kelly said, feeling annoyed.

“The photo?” he said in a low voice. “Of Alison? That was a low blow. Don't you think she has enough to deal with?”

“Why do you care?” Kelly asked. “It's just a prank,” she said defensively. “Besides, you can't seriously feel sorry for Alison after the way she blamed us for the trouble at the pool the other night—”

“I don't know, Kelly,” Chad interrupted. Kelly blinked in surprise. Boys never interrupted her. “Seemed like she helped us get out of there pretty unscathed.”

“Maybe from where you were standing,” Kelly said. “But we still had to leave dripping wet while she got to go inside and have cocoa in the kitchen.”

“That's true,” Tom agreed with a laugh. “That was a pretty wet ride home. I thought the driver was going to flip when he saw how drenched we were.”

Kelly rewarded Tom with a smile, then slipped her hand into Chad's. She had to keep him firmly on her side. “C'mon, don't be mad at me. It was just a joke. If I'd really wanted to be mean to Alison I could have done much worse. Trust me, I know
all
of her secrets.”

Chad took a big bite of spaghetti and washed it down with some milk. “I guess you're right,” he told Kelly, giving her hand a little squeeze.

Kelly felt relief wash over her. Then anger. She couldn't believe Chad had even
thought
about taking Alison's side in all this. Didn't he realize what a total loser she had become?

“Man, the stuff I could tell you about her if I wanted to…” Kelly said coyly. “But then, I guess every family has its deep, dark secrets to hide. Right, Tom?”

Tom's fork clattered down on his tray and he looked up at Kelly. “What are you getting at?” he demanded.

Kelly leaned forward and put on her most sympathetic face. “It's just, I heard about what happened at Zoey's last school. It's so sad. I hope she is getting some help. I never would have pegged her as the type that likes to play with matches.”

Tom was speechless. He looked completely taken aback. Chad looked confused. Inside, Kelly was turning cartwheels. She'd obviously scored an even bigger secret than she had realized.
Thank you, Grog!

“Are you saying my sister is a pyro?” Tom finally asked. His voice was quiet but steely.

“Oh, sorry.” Kelly put her hand on Tom's arm across the table. “I thought…I thought you knew.”

“Knew what?” Tom looked incredulous now.

“That your sister got kicked out of boarding school for setting it on fire,” Kelly said, unable to hide the triumph in her voice.

Tom stared at her as if she had just told him his mother had come back to life. He looked across the lunchroom at his sister. Before Kelly could say another word, he was gone.