Chapter 23 - A Lying Tongue

Nicole Vaughn.

Puke.

Her last name was as vile as her sudden importance. The next two days tortured me like one of the horrible operas Aunt Constance dragged Bailey and me to. The entire tragedy had reached a crescendo. After school, Daniel asked nasty Nicole Vaughn to the Harvest Costume Ball.

I stormed into the house wanting to be left alone, but the stupid landline started to ring right as I closed the door.

"I don't want to talk to him," I told Nanny Bella as she paddled over to pick up the daily call from my Father. I'd rather have a bowl of tofu pudding than deal with him right now.   

"Don’t be like that, mi hija." Her Mexican accent was soft but firm. She picked up the phone while I dropped my coat on a chair.

“Manchester residence.” Nanny Bella pointed to my coat and at the closet.

Whatever. I rolled my eyes, picked up the coat and hung it in the closet. She was the only person on earth who could get me to do anything on a day like today.

“Si, Mr. Manchester. The girls are here.” She pushed one of our five cordless phones into my hand. “He’s your father,” she whispered.

“And?" She made it sound important. It wasn’t. In fact, she knew it wasn’t. She raised me not him. She deserved my respect, not him.

"Don't be so hard." The plump nanny patted my cheek. I faked a grin at her. She raised her eyebrows. After a five-second stare fest, the older woman shrugged. "Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes.” The only person in the world who could have successfully walked away leaving the stupid phone with me.

I wasn’t about to speak into it. I’d had enough drama for one day. The last thing I wanted to hear was the cold tone in my father’s voice once he knew it was me and not Kat. Without putting the phone to my ear, I hustled up to my sister’s room and tossed the receiver at the brat. “It’s for you.” I exited without waiting for her to respond. Besides, I planned on grabbing the extension and listening in my room. While I hated talking to him, I loved to eavesdrop. At eight years old, I caught him in a sex talk with a woman from work. The smell of strange perfume covered him after long weeks of travel. I often followed him to the garage during the five-month affair he had with a female chauffeur. Mother never said anything. Mother never did anything. She was either locked in her office engrossed in the telling of someone else’s story, or out of town researching one.

Behind my closed bedroom door, I pushed the talk button followed by mute before putting the receiver to my ear.

Kat's voice bounced through the phone line with excitement. "And we all sat on the floor and painted the entire universe on a great big piece of paper." I wanted to slug the little snot.

"That sounds wonderful, Kitty-Kat."

My jaw tightened. Good thing they couldn't hear my heavy sighs or the suppressed primordial scream that tore against my soul. Kat the brat was born the year I turned ten. She completely messed up my life.

"Daddy when are you coming home?" Kat's whiny voice scratched against my nerves.

"Soon as I can, sweetheart."

Liar.

“Excuse me?” My father asked.

I pulled the phone away. Great! Not only had the thought slipped out, the mute button failed to engage. I stuffed the phone under a pillow, my heart pounding.

After a couple deep breaths, I retrieved the phone and carefully pressed the mute button. I didn’t put it to my ear until I saw the speaker icon had an X over it.

Nothing in the communication had changed, my sister continued to ramble about her day. Kat was stupid enough to believe the ton of excuses father dumped out. Words about being sorry he wasn’t here and how it couldn't be avoided. I shook my head in disappointment as he used tender words to tell her how much he missed her. He never spoke to me like that. No one ever did. I clicked the end button.

The mattress accepted my body's dead weight. It didn't matter. Even if my father loved me, even if my sister evaporated, my life would still bite. My world had bigger problems. Daniel-and-Nicole-sized problems. I pressed my thumbs into both temples to stop the images that raged at my nerves.

Kylie pointing out Nicole's car in the parking lot.

Rolls and Rolls of toilet paper mummified the lame Volkswagen.

A sign dripping in red paint said, "Daniel is dying to take you to the Ball."

Gag me.

I kicked the bed as hard as I could. It wasn't fair. Daniel and Nicole? It wasn't right. He couldn’t choose her over me. What we had was real. Grown-up real, not school-crush stupid. I grabbed a pillow and muffled my frustrated scream. "She's such a LOSER!" Nothing ever worked out the way I wanted it.

Two soft knocks interrupted my thoughts.

"Go away!" I screamed. Nanny Bella could forget about dinner. I refused to eat with the world imploding around me. "Leave me alone!"

My words didn't stop the door from creeping open. I grabbed the cordless phone and chucked it at the door.

"Whoa!" Bailey yanked her head back just in time.

I pulled a pillow over my face and screamed again. Life sucks!

"Kylie told me Daniel asked Nicole to the dance."

"Uuuuugghhh." Every stinking person on the planet must know by now. I rubbed my forehead with both hands. There had to be a way out of this mess. There had to be something I could do. I tossed the pillow aside. Kat had stolen Father's love, I couldn’t let it happen again. Nicole couldn't come into my life and take everything. The witch had to be stopped.

"I'm so sorry." Bailey approached the bed. "Look, forget about Daniel. He's a worthless flirt. Sam's crazy about you. He's always checking you out. I don't think he's asked anyone to the dance yet."

"What and take second place?" I punched my fist into the mattress.

"Nobody knows you like Daniel. You could go with Sam and prove to the world you're the best."

"No, no, no, no." I couldn't let that nobody win. "No, Bay, this Nicole thing is very temporary. It has to be. “

Bailey plopped into the chair opposite the bed. "Let it go."

"I can still get him if I want to."

"No doubt." Bailey raised her hands. "I'm just saying Sam's right there. Date him. My mom says it's better to look wanted than desperate."

What did she just say?

"Do I look desperate?"

"No. It's just a figure of speech." She puffed out a frustrated sigh. "I just want us all to go to the dance together."

"I know." The whole thing’s so lame. I couldn't give up. Not yet. I stared at the ornately carved ceiling. I had to do something. I couldn't wait around for things to work out, because they wouldn't work out in my favor. They never did. I needed a plan to make Daniel drop that loser. But how?

I faced the wall and made shadow figures with my fingers. Maybe if Nicole messed around on him, that would make him dump her. Then again, she didn't actually have to do anything, Daniel only needed to think she had. A simple rumor about her reputation could pull them apart. That was it. I overlapped my fingers making the shadow of a cross on the wall.

"Didn't you say he was a Christian?"

"Yes. He and Alex."

Right in this room sat the biggest gossip in the world. She provided all the news at school. In fact, gossip was the reason she'd come to my house today. She wanted to make sure I'd heard about how Daniel invited Nicole to the dance. I repressed the need to gag.

"Bailey, this is not about Daniel." I rolled over again as words formed in my head. I'd never made up a rumor before. I mean, I’ve lied, of course, everyone does. But a rumor had to sound real or people wouldn’t spread it. I cleared my throat. "It's about doing what's right."

"What is?" Bailey had to be convinced. I needed to pull her in.

"I've been keeping a secret from you."

"Excuse me?" The cushion of Bailey's chair groaned.

"I like Daniel.” I rolled over and made eye contact. “Not just as someone to date, but as a person."

"That's not a secret." She pulled her chin into her neck.

It was hard not to laugh. I did my best to mimic Nanny Bella’s serious face. "This girl isn't so innocent.”  I turned toward the wall again. “I heard something about her." The words had to come out the right way. If Bailey guessed the truth, my plan wouldn't work. In fact, it could actually backfire. My cousin could be trusted with anything except a secret.

"What are you talking about?"

I waited.

This decision proved harder than I thought. After a full two seconds I got up and walked over to the window. With a pillow embraced in my arms, I turned to watch Bailey's face. Her reaction would tell me if she bought the story. No matter what words came out of this room, Bailey would most assuredly blab to Kylie.

"If Daniel knew what I found out . . ."

Bailey sat on the edge of her seat. The computer in her head clicked. With a dramatic pause, I looked to the ground and turned my foot inward. I'd seen that on an old episode of Gossip Girl. "If Daniel found out, he wouldn't want someone like her."

"If Daniel found out what? What'd you hear?"

"Something."

"About her?" Bailey's curiosity didn't guarantee commitment. I needed to be very careful. I bit my lip, part of me wanted to stop, to walk away and like Sam. The other part needed to win. And winning required sacrifice.

"Do you know why I was so upset when you came in just now?"

"Because Daniel asked Nicole to the dance."

"That did bother me, but not for the reason you think." I studied my pedicured feet. "You know I care a lot about Daniel."

"You said that already."

"Well..." My foot drummed against the plush carpet. This could work. It really could. The thought of such power ran through me like electricity. I had the ability to decimate Nicole’s entire high-school experience.

"Well, what?"

"It's hard to say." It really was. You’d think pulling the trigger on an enemy was simple, but the permanentness of it caused a natural hesitation. After this moment I would always have this as part of my history. As part of me. I exhaled.

“Just tell me.” Bailey's eyes focused so hard that I turned around. The sun shone fuzzily through a thick layer of clouds. An airplane made a left turn in the sky and pointed its nose toward National airport. The moment of truth. I needed to decide. Could I actually destroy this girl's reputation just to win Daniel? I pictured the two of them touching. The memory soaked through me until it ignited the fire again. That girl should have never entered my turf. She should never have gone after Daniel.

"Nicole's not a virgin." The words escaped and ran around the room happy to be free. "She sleeps around."

"What?"

"Someone told me." What had I been so worried about? I hurried over to my cousin and knelt in front of her. A strange intoxication tingled through me.

"Who?"

"I can't tell you." I examined Bailey's face. "I was sworn to secrecy. But I know there are at least two people on the basketball team that she's been with."

"No way." Bailey's eyes narrowed. "The girl only moved here a couple of months ago."

"I know." I crinkled my face. "Gross."

The furrows on Bailey's forehead tightened. I knew my cousin. If something could be true, that was enough to make her share it with the world.

She nodded.

I smiled. It was done. Fiction had become fact. A chill came over me. I feigned a look of concern. "So what do I do?"

"Daniel's a Christian." Bailey shifted her position in the chair. "He doesn't like fast girls."

"I know." I made my tone as helpless as possible. I pushed back the insecurity Bailey’s words brought on. Did Daniel think I was “fast”?

"And now that I think about it, Kylie told me that Alex is a virgin."

"Really?" I didn't believe it. Boys our age weren't virgins. At least, not boys that looked like Alex.

"I think Daniel is too."

I turned toward the window, masking my disgust at that ridiculous comment. One thing became very obvious. I could never tell Bailey about Daniel and me. She was too naïve and judgemental.

"Poor Daniel," she sighed.

I returned to my bed. That information shouldn't have changed things, but it did. Without any theatrics, I curled up into a ball. Something inside didn't feel right, but it was too late to take back what I said. And why would I want to? It was just a rumor. Emotions churned inside of me like bad food. "Remember, Bailey, I promised not to say anything. There's no way we can tell anyone what I heard." I suddenly didn't care about the rumor anymore. The truth was, my cousin had the power to destroy me if she knew my real past. She could tell the world that I was fast.

"Who told you? Maybe he was lying."

"It wasn't a he." I shocked myself. The words tumbled so easily over each other. The new lie felt more like self-protection. "It was a she."

"What?" Bailey continued to fish.

"It was somebody's sister." More lies.

"Wow. Then it must be true."

I fingered a white ruffled pillow. My hand trembled. I drew it close to my heart. What does it take for someone to get what they want in life? If the girl was innocent, nothing really bad would happen. Besides, nobody's truly innocent anyway.

"Courtney, I just had a horrible thought. What if she has a venereal disease?"

I sat up. "What?!?”

"Yeah." Bailey climbed onto the bed next to me. "She could, you know."

"No." I couldn't let this thing explode. "I don't think so. Come on, Bay, let's just drop the whole thing. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"But what about Daniel? We've got to tell someone."

"No. No we don't." My heart thumped in my throat. The monster I let out prowled around the room and now it looked in my direction. The words were reproducing on their own like cancer. Maybe I could still escape them. What if I denied it? I could say Bailey misunderstood. Come on, it was only a rumor, only something I said I'd heard. By the time it got to Daniel it would have passed through so many hands no one would be able to distinguish my fingerprints.

Bailey stood up and paced the floor. Then the most insane words in the world dropped from my cousin’s mouth. "Nicole might have AIDS."

"Are you crazy?" This was too much. "I never said that." Suddenly I knew how Dr. Frankenstein felt. "Look, forget about it. Forget I ever told you."      

"I think we've got to tell someone."

"I think you need to get a grip."

"But we need to at least tell Kylie or Alex."

"No, we don't." I jumped off the bed and stopped the maniac in full stride. "We don't need to do anything. Daniel's a big boy. He can take care of himself. Plus if he really is a virgin, then he won't have sex with her anyway."

My cousin had fallen so deeply into the story it would be hard to fish her out. I needed to pull her from the looking glass. "Bailey, listen to me." I made eye contact. "You were right. I'll just go to the dance with Sam. He's better looking than Daniel anyway."

She nodded, but her eyes didn't focus on mine.

"Let's forget about this whole thing. Daniel's a jerk and not worth the thought. We don't know if what I heard is true."

She turned her head to the side. I kept a firm grasp on her shoulders until her passion faded.

"They aren't worth the time or the words. Okay, Bay?"

She twisted her mouth to the side then finally said, "You're right."

"Of course I'm right." I released her and began damage control. "Now, help me think of a way to let Sam know I'm interested, alright? The Harvest Ball is next week and I don't want to be stuck home alone on Halloween."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm very sure." But I wasn’t. I couldn't be. Bailey wouldn't stay silent unless I told her I'd made up the whole thing. But I couldn't confess. If a rumor could spread from Bailey about Nicole, one could just as easily spread about me. What a mess. What a stinking, worthless, horrible mess. 

Reviews

[annalysiar]

Wow interesting it pulls you in and I like that. Bay grabs you and pulls you in. Its good I like it though I'm not really one for stories like that. You got me