Private 10 - Suspicion (8 page)

"Forget this crap," Upton said suddenly, leaning back to look into my face. "Who wants to talk about awkward, meaningless, stupid first times? All that really matters is our first time. Which, by the way, does not have to happen anytime soon. I'm just letting you know that that is the only time I care about."

I laughed at his rambling as a stiff wind blew my hair back from my face. I rested my palm on his chest and toyed with the button near his collar. He was right. The ishy encounter with this older woman...whatever I had with Thomas ... it didn't matter. Those moments had nothing to do with us. And neither did any of the other girls Upton had been with. They couldn't touch us. I took a deep breath and decided to live in the moment. To not think about the past. To concentrate on how I felt about Upton right now. And how I felt, lying there in his arms, was perfectly happy. I knew that he cared about me. He had done so much for me--telling off Poppy, putting together that insane Christmas gift, spending all this time with me over the last week when he could have been hanging out with his friends, not to mention saving my life that day Misty had been spooked. He wanted to be with me. His actions showed that. And I wanted to be with him. More than anything I just wanted to go on feeling this safe, this loved, this blissful.

I felt words bubble up inside of me. I thought about holding them back. But I was letting go.

"What about tomorrow night?" I asked, my voice thick. I looked up at him and wondered if he could feel my heart pounding through both our shirts.

"Tomorrow night?" He was, unsurprisingly, shocked.

"After Kiran's party," I said, sounding completely certain even to my own doubting ears.

"Areyou sure?" he asked.

"I figure if you're goingto be my long-distance boyfriend, we should probably seal the deal before we go home," I said faux-casually.

Upton's grin lit his entire face. The entire boat. The entire ocean. "I'm going to be your boyfriend, then?"

"If the offer is still on the table," I replied with a smile.

"Oh, it's still on. It's definitely still on," he said. He leaned in and gave me a brief, joyous kiss. "But if we're goingto do this, we're going to do it proper-like."

"What do you mean?" I asked, giggling.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything," he said, leaning back again. I cuddled into him, resting my cheek against his chest. He ran his hand over my hair and I sighed, feeling content in my decision. Feeling secure. And more than a little bit excited. Upton kissed the top of my head and I could hear the smile in his voice as he said, "I'm going to make sure that tomorrow is a night neither one of us ever forgets." 

"What' re you going to wear to the party tomorrow? " Kiran asked, taking a sip of her mango guava smoothie.

The two of us were sitting side by side on the stone patio at the Ryans' palatial estate along with Noelle and Taylor, our legs dangling in the crystal-clear infinity pool. Dash, Gage, Graham, and "West were all messing around in the water, splashing us occasionally, while Sawyer sat under a teal umbrella, his nose buried in Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit. Amberly and Tiffany were inside, having gone in search of more drinks a few minutes earlier. Paige, Poppy, and Sienna reposed on lounge chairs behind us, pretending to read magazines, even though I could feel them glaring at me over the tops of the pages. They'd invited us over after Upton and I had gotten back from our boat trip, pretending it was a sort of peace offering. But if they were going to launch some kind of attack, I wished they would just get it over with already. Constantly paranoid was not a state I liked to be in.

"I haven't really thought about it," I lied, lifting a shoulder. My New Year's Eve wardrobe had been one of the many things I'd been obsessing about ever since I'd decided that I was going to have my first time with Upton. I wanted to look sexy, but not trashy. Sophis -ticated, but not trying too hard. Part of me wanted to go shopping for something brand-new, but unlike my friends, I was completely broke. I'd probably just fall back on the dress Kiran had bought me that I hadn't worn yet--a red minidress with spaghetti straps and a straight neckline. It seemed like a solid choice.

"Bigmistake," Kiran said, lifting a hand near her shoulder. "Don't you know that whatever you're wearing when you ring in the New Year sets the tone for the entire year?"

"What is that, some kind of supermodel Zen? " Noelle asked, lifting her thick hair over her shoulder and leaning back on her elbows. She tipped her face toward the sun and let her hair dangle to the ground.

"No! It's a proven fact," Kiran replied, dead serious. "When I was twelve I wore Marchesa on New Year's Eve, and that's the year I signed my first modeling contract. But remember what I was wearing junior year?"

Taylor narrowed her eyes behind her frameless Michael Kors sunglasses. "Wasn't that the year you were in the hospital getting your tonsils out?"

"Yes! Exactly! Poly-blend hospital nightgown and paper slippers. And, as we all know, that year sucked like no year has ever sucked before," Kiran said, taking a long, cheek-hollowing sip from her straw. Then she set her glass down and sat up, her posture model perfect. "Make sure you dress appropriately, Reed. If anyone needs a good year, it's you."

"Thanks," I replied, looking down at my feet as I circled them in the water. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Who had the banana mango?" Amberly asked as she and Tiffany returned from the house.

"That would be me," I said, lookingup at them. From the corner of my eye, I saw Poppy and Paige whispering again and my heart dropped like a stone. "You guys . . . can I ask you something? It's about Casino Night."

An uncomfortable silence descended. Guess they thought that was a night I wouldn't want to talk about anytime soon.

"What's up?" Tiffany asked finally, settling in next to Kiran.

"It's just ... I heard that Paige and Daniel mysteriously disappeared from the casino right around the time I was . . . you know." I paused, letting the wave of dread and fear crash over me and pass. "Do you guys remember that at all?"

"Why? I thought they already arrested Marquis," Amberly said. "I thought he confessed and everything."

"He did," Noelle replied. "You've gotta let this go, Reed."

"I know, I know. It's just, those three have been talking about me behind my back and it's starting to drive me crazy," I said, glancing over my shoulder at the evil triad. They saw me and quickly turned away from each other. "I was just wondering. . ."

"Actually, they did leave," Taylor said, putting her glass down.

"What?" Noelle said.

"They did?" My heart began to race.

"I remember it because Daniel was right in the middle of a winning streak at craps and Paige totally pulled him away. Remember?" Taylor said to Kiran. "You had to finish his roll."

"I remember crapping out," Kiran said bitterly.

"They were gone for a while," Taylor said, looking at the others. "I don't even remember seeing them again until we were all going out to search for Reed." Once again, my friends fell silent. I felt sick to my stomach and set my untouched smoothie aside. Where had Paige and Daniel gone? Had the police arrested the wrong man? But they had found the necklace. Then again, how hard would it have been to plant it there?

Suddenly I heard a shout from inside the house and everyone on the patio except the cavorting boys in the pool turned to look. Someone was yelling. Two someones. And I realized with a start that one of them was Upton. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but a sudden crash startled everyone to their feet.

"What the hell?" Paige blurted, jumping up from her chair. She raced across the patio area to the wall of glass doors that fronted her living room. The rest of us were right on her heels. As we walked inside, the frigid, air-conditioned air hit me like a slap to the face. On the floor was a hammered-metal vase, the big yellow flowers it used to hold strewn in an arcing pattern across the tile. Upton and Daniel were facing off in the middle of the living room, and Daniel was red with rage.

"Just give it to me and I might not kick your ass!" Daniel said, holding out his hand.

"Daniel, calm down," Upton replied calmly but firmly. In his hands was a bottle of wine, clearly the object of their contention.

"You guys, what's going on?" Paige demanded. They completely ignored her.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I flinched as Daniel kicked the metal vase clear across the room like a soccer ball. "You think you can just walk into someone's house and take whatever you want? You're so fucking entitled? "he shouted, the veins on his neck protruding. "Not everything belongs to you, man!"

Poppy looked around at us with an apologetic, but somehowproud, expression. We all knew that Daniel was talking about her more than the bottle of wine.

"I told you, I didn't take it," Upton replied, holding the bottle out to the side. "Your mother gave it to me."

"Yeah, right," Daniel shot back. "Mother would never part with that vintage. That bottle's worth two thousand dollars."

"What do you want me to tell you, mate?" Upton asked, with a shrug. "Ask her yourself." Daniel's jaw clenched. "Give me the bottle, Upton."

"No," Upton replied.

"This is the last time I'm going to ask. Give. Me. The bottle," Daniel said, advancing on him.

"What are you goingto do? Hit me?" Upton asked.

Daniel pulled his arm back and did just that. The crack of fist against jaw sounded like a baseball bat shattering into pieces off a fastball. An involuntary screech escaped my throat and was echoed by the surprised shrieks of every other girl in the room. Upton wheeled around but didn't fall, and somehow kept hold of the precious wine bottle. He was just straightening up when Mr. and Mrs. Ryan rushed in from the stairs in the center hall.

"What is going on in here?" Mr. Ryan thundered.

Mrs. Ryan stooped to retrieve her battered vase and held it in front of her at waist level with both hands, almost like a shield. She regarded the flowers on the floor with distaste, as if their fate was upsetting her more than the fight her son was having.

"Upton stole a bottle of wine from the cellar," Daniel replied, spittle flying from his mouth and showering the floor. "I'm just trying to get it back."

"Daniel, Upton did no such thing," Mrs. Ryan said calmly, but in a scolding tone. "I gave him that bottle."

"What?" Daniel asked, his eyes going glassy. "No. You couldn't have.. .." Mrs. Ryan stepped up next to Upton like a protective mother hen. "He was down in the cellar looking for ideas for a special occasion he's planning, and I told him to take the bottle." I felt a hot blush climbing up my neck and onto my face as Noelle glanced at me with a question in her eyes. I knew exactly what the special occasion was, and, as always, it seemed Noelle had figured it out too.

"Now, Daniel, apologize to Upton," Mrs. Ryan said.

Daniel turned and looked at Upton, who merely stood there. To his credit, Upton didn't appear triumphant at all. He merely looked like he wanted this whole ordeal to be over already. Daniel, however, was still the color of tomato sauce.

"It'll be a cold day in hell," he spat.

"Daniel!" his father shouted.

For the first time since I'd met him, Daniel ignored his father completely. He took a step toward Upton, his expression full of ire. "The next time I see you, you'd better be prepared."

"Daniel," his mother said with a gasp, "what is the matter with you?" But Daniel had already turned on his heel and was striding away. He shoved through a door at the far end of the room and disappeared from sight.

"All right! That's it!" Kiran said, breaking the silence. She stepped away from the group and turned to face us. "That guy is not coming to my party."

"What?" Paige blurted. "You've got to be kidding me."

"It's just too much drama," Kiran replied, holding up both hands. "I will not ring in the New Year with a fight. Daniel is out."

"I don't believe this. You're disinivitingpeople now? What is this, seventh grade?" Paige said with a laugh.

"It might as well be," Kiran said.

Paige crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. If Daniel's not coming, I'm not coming."

"Me as well," Sienna added, lifting her chin haughtily.

"Fine. All of you stay home," Kiran said, waving a hand in Poppy's direction. "I'm sick of you and your negative vibes anyway."

"Us!?" Poppy screeched, bringing a hand to her chest. "If anyone's brought negative energy to this island it's her!" She pointed a finger at me, leaning forward for emphasis.

"We've so heard this riff already, and I am beyond over it. It's Kiran's party, and if she says you're out, you're out," Noelle told them. "And I, for one, say brava on the decision." She turned to Paige and Daniel's parents while looping her arm around my back. "Mr. and Mrs. Ryan, thanks for a lovely afternoon, but I think you'll agree we should be going now." Mrs. Ryan pursed her lips. Her curly auburn hair trembled ever so slightly. "Yes. I believe that would be best," she said, glancing at Upton and his bottle of wine.

"Happy New Year, ladies," Noelle said over her shoulder. "Maybe your resolutions should be to quit being such whiny bitches."

Then she tugged me toward the center hall, getting us out of there before either of Paige's parents could react to the fact that their daughter had just been insulted right in front of them in their own home. The other girls, as well as Dash, Gage, West, and the Hathaways, trailed behind us. I suppose they figured they'd better take our side if they wanted in on the party. I heard Upton murmur a few words to the Ryans, then he jogged to catch up with us.

"That went well," he said facetiously.

"Whatever. I'm sick of their crap," Noelle replied. "If they're gonna dish it, they better be ready to take it."

Then she shoved open the heavy door and we all stepped out into the sunshine.

"All right, people! We have business to discuss!"

Kiran and Taylor emerged on the patio outside the great room at Noelle's house, several flutes of champagne in hand. Amberly rushed forward in her slinky pink dress to relieve them of a couple of the glasses and passed one to Tiffany. Kiran handed one to me and left one on a glass-topped side table next to Noelle, who was checking her eyebrows in a compact mirror as the sun set over the ocean.