Most Ardently

by Susan Mesler-Evans

  She ignored her, instead opting to give Elisa a quick crash course in the rules of the game. She nodded along, trying her best to look like she understood. She didn’t. At all. Willow seemed pretty nice, but she wasn’t the best teacher—it seemed for every rule she gave her, she added, “Wait, no, actually…” and then proceeded to completely contradict herself. Christina and Keegan weren’t much better. Finally, they agreed to just start playing, and explain to Elisa as they want. This didn’t strike her as the best strategy, but she didn’t argue.

  Willow set down her first card. “Anyway,” she said, “I picked this college because of these two. Keegan’s moving here to be closer to the girlfriend. Christina’s here because we worked out that sharing the rent of an apartment with the two of us and attending a community college would be cheaper than going to OSU and living in the dorm.”

  Elisa snorted, setting down a card of her own. No one said anything, so she assumed that she was doing this right. “That sounds about right. I looked into OSU, but it was way too expensive. Better to just keep living at home, where the food and rent is free.”

  “It’s just as well,” Christina said. By now, they’d gone around the table once, and she felt like she sort of knew what to do. “My parents are having another kid. They’ll be glad to have one less person living there.”

  “Oh, you’re from a huge family, too? I’m the second of five.”

  Christina smiled. “I got you beat. First of seven, soon to be eight.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “Her parents are very ‘make love, not war,’” Keegan said. They set down a card, saying, “And that’s a trick for Christina and me.”

  “Enjoy it while it lasts,” Willow teased. “We’ll catch up, won’t we Elisa?”

  “Uh…no promises.”

  “I suppose having a big family is better than having parents that argue all the time,” Christina said, with a slight grimace.

  “I’m an only child,” Keegan said, “and I like it that way.”

  “I’m an only, too,” Willow added, “but, I mean, I was raised with Darcy and Gianna, so it’s almost like having sisters.”

  Elisa looked over at her, so surprised she forgot it was her turn to put down a card until Christina nudged her. “Darcy and Gianna?” she repeated.

  “Oh yeah, you wouldn’t know, would you?” Willow said, shuffling through her cards. “Darcy and Gi are my cousins. They live with my parents and me. Darcy’s been up here visiting Bobby, but Gi still lives with us—probably will until she finishes college. My parents don’t mind, though; they’re crazy about her.”

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Keegan said, poking Elisa on the arm with an amused smile.

  Elisa just stared at Willow. “Um…this is gonna sound weird, but is your last name Fitzgerald?”

  She nodded, not seeming to find the question odd at all. “Yeah,” she said. “I mean, Darcy’s family are like, the Fitzgeralds—I’m just the extended family.”

  “I know Darcy.”

  Willow looked up from her cards, then. “Oh, are you a friend of hers? What’s your name?”

  “‘Friends’ is probably the wrong word for it,” she snorted. “I’m Elisa.”

  Now it was Willow who forgot to put down a card. “Elisa Benitez?”

  “She’s mentioned me?”

  “Uh…once or twice.”

  Elisa groaned. “Please disregard everything she said. We don’t exactly get along.”

  She laughed. “It hasn’t been anything bad.”

  “Are you a friend of Bobby’s, too?” Elisa asked.

  “Eh.” She shrugged. “I like him, but we don’t see each other much. I think he just invited me because I’m new in town and he felt sorry for me. He hates the idea of someone being in town for more than a week without making a new friend.”

  “Well, see, we did okay,” Christina said, nodding toward Elisa.

  “How’s Gianna doing on that front?” Keegan asked. “Aaaand another trick for me and Chris…”

  Willow cringed. “Not so hot. Last time I saw her, she was talking to her internet friends on her phone in a coat closet. I was really hoping this party would encourage her to make some real friends, even just for one night.”

  “Internet friends are real friends,” Keegan said.

  “Well, yeah—but I’d hate for her to only be able to talk to someone through a computer screen. That’s not good for her.” Willow glanced at Elisa, and quickly explained. “Gianna’s super-shy. She’s always been like that—she’s the sweetest girl, but I don’t think she has any friends she didn’t meet online. Unless you count her music teacher. And she’s homeschooled, on top of everything else.”

  “Were you and Darcy homeschooled, too?” Elisa asked, as she set down a card that she somehow knew wasn’t going to help them win.

  Willow shook her head. “Nah. We both went to Columbus School for Girls. Gianna went there up until eighth grade, but after that…” She let out a small sigh. “Being around crowds got really hard for her. It was stressing her out just to get to class each morning, so eventually, my mom decided to teach her at home.”

  “That’s not just shyness,” Christina said. “That’s diagnosable.”

  Willow nodded, setting down a card. “Honestly, if she even speaks to someone besides me and Darcy at this party, I’ll be happy. Even if it’s just to say, ‘pass me that hors d’oeuvre, please.’”

  “You can’t force her to socialize. I think that’d just make matters worse,” Keegan said.

  “Yeah,” Elisa said. “I don’t know Gianna, but in my experience, forcing socially awkward people into situations with a lot of people usually doesn’t end well.”

  “Exhibit A: every party Darcy’s ever gone to,” Willow sighed. She glanced at her. “I can’t promise she’ll actually talk to you, but I think Gianna would like to meet you.”

  “Me? Why?” she asked, tilting her head.

  “She’s heard Darcy talk about you a lot for the past few months. She’s curious.” Willow smiled. “So was I.”

  She rolled her eyes with a small grimace. “Wanted to see if the horror stories were true, huh?”

  Willow smiled. “Not horror stories. Just stories. Anyway—after this game, I’ll introduce you to Gianna.”

  “From what you’ve said, she’s not much like her sister.”

  “Oh, absolutely nothing.”

  …

  After the euchre game was finished—Keegan and Christina won; Willow and Elisa crashed and burned—Willow led Elisa away from the table, saying, “Now, if I know Gianna, she’ll be hiding out someplace until me and Darcy are ready to go.”

  “Looks like being an introvert runs in the family,” she said, weaving her way through the maze of people. “Besides you, anyway.”

  “Darcy’s kind of shy and awkward, but she can usually manage,” she said. “Gianna’s been better in the past year or so, but it’s still a work-in-progress. Just don’t comment on it, okay?”

  “Don’t worry—I won’t say a word.”

  “Knew I could count on you.”

  They found Gianna in another sitting room—how many did one house need? She was by herself on a couch, texting someone. The second she saw her, Elisa knew she had to be Darcy’s sister—they looked almost exactly alike. Gianna was tall and slender, with long, wiry, dark brown hair and an angular face. Seeing the two of them together also made her realize why Willow’s face had seemed so familiar—they had the exact same nose and eye shape. She was darker skinned than either Gianna or Darcy, but she could’ve passed herself off as a sibling, easily.

  Gianna’s only company was a couple on the other couch in the room making out, clearly not noticing that she was there. To be fair, she didn’t seem to notice them, either—her eyes were glued to her phone.

  “Hey, Gi,” Willow said, sitting down next to her. She pulled Elisa with her. “Look who I found.”

  Gianna glanced up. Her dark eyes widened a bit when she saw
them, but she still offered a quick, nervous smile and wave. Elisa smiled back.

  “This is Elisa,” Willow continued. “You know, Darcy’s classmate?”

  “It’s great to meet you,” Elisa said.

  “Y-you, too.” Her voice was so quiet, if she hadn’t been listening for it, she almost certainly would’ve missed it. Gianna hesitated before forcing something else out. “Are—are you enjoying the party?”

  Elisa nodded. “Yeah. Once I met Willow, anyway. What about you?”

  She gave a wordless shrug.

  “I’m gonna go see if I can find something to eat,” Willow said, hopping up. “You two have fun.”

  Elisa turned around to stare at her. “Wait, wh—aaaaaand she’s gone.”

  Judging from the look on Gianna’s face, she hadn’t been expecting to be set up on an impromptu playdate, either. But she didn’t move, and neither did Elisa. Willow left the room, leaving the two of them alone except for the couple on the opposite couch, who were starting to run the bases without a hint of shame.

  “Uh…” She grasped for a topic. The only thing she knew for sure they had in common was Darcy—and she couldn’t exactly speak her mind there. Gianna was her sister, after all. “Darcy mentioned you take music lessons. How’s that going?”

  “V-very well. Thank you. I, um, I’m… I’m learning Chopin’s number one in C Minor.” She smiled suddenly, looking down at her lap. “Darcy pre-ordered a new piano for my Christmas gift. I’m not… I’m not supposed to know yet. I found the receipt by mistake.”

  “I won’t tell,” Elisa said. She couldn’t quite picture Darcy giving anyone such a nice, extravagant gift, but somehow, the thought made her smile—just a little. “You and your sister are close, then?”

  She nodded. “Ev-ever since Mom and Dad died, she’s been half-sister, half-parent. I mean… Aunt Lila and Uncle Freddie are great, and I’m—I’m close to them, but without Darcy…”

  “I can’t imagine what that’d even be like. Especially as young as you guys were. How old are you, anyway?”

  “Fif-fifteen.”

  Elisa tilted her head as she looked at her. “I have a sister a little younger than that,” she said. “She’s nothing like you.”

  “I-is that good, or…or…or bad?”

  “Neither, I guess. I love Lucia, she’s just exhausting.”

  She smiled slightly. “I’m pretty low maintenance, I guess.”

  “There are worse things to be.”

  There was a pause, Gianna nervously fidgeting with the hem of her sweater, not quite meeting her eyes. Finally, Elisa said something.

  “We don’t have to talk, if you don’t want. I am perfectly fine with just sitting here texting in silence and watching the lovebirds over there.”

  Gianna glanced up at her. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to be rude.”

  “Trust me, it’s no problem,” she said. “I’ve been social for almost a full hour. I need a break, anyway.”

  Gianna gave an uneasy grin before reaching for her phone again. Elisa followed suit. They sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence, now that the burden of conversation had been lifted. Although she looked just like her sister, Elisa was stunned at how different she seemed in personality.

  While Darcy came off as exceedingly proud, it was clear that Gianna was just exceedingly, painfully shy. But she liked her. She seemed like a sweet girl, and she sort of reminded her of Maria when she was younger. And, hey, Willow seemed pretty nice, too. Between the two of them and what little she knew of Darcy’s parents, it seemed more and more like Darcy was an anomaly in the Fitzgerald family. A snide, haughty, aloof anomaly.

  After a little while, during which the couple finally decided to find someplace more private, much to her relief, Elisa said, “I’m gonna grab a drink. Do you want to go with me?”

  Gianna hesitated then nodded, getting to her feet. She didn’t say anything; she just trailed after her. They followed the noise back to the huge room where most of the party was being held. Elisa led her back toward the bar, which wasn’t quite as packed as it had been before.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  “Coke is fine.” Glancing at the bar, Gianna nudged her. “Th-that’s your sister, right…?”

  Elisa turned to look where she was gesturing. Julieta sat on a barstool, talking to a man she recognized as one of Bobby’s coworkers. He was obviously rather drunk, and Julieta’s eyes were darting around the room, trying to find an escape route.

  “Y-you are…you are soooo pretty,” the man was saying. “I’ve—I’ve ne’er met a girl as pretty as you.”

  “Thank you. You’re very kind,” she said. She was smiling, but the corners of her mouth were shaking.

  “You know—you know, I have a boat. I have a boat, Julia.”

  “Julieta.”

  “I have a boat, Julieta.”

  “That’s nice,” she said, turning away, curling in on herself a little bit.

  Even though she was flashing every possible nonverbal I am not interested sign, the man kept talking. “I should totally take you out on my boat sometime. Y-you’d love it.”

  “Yeah,” was all she said in response.

  “Can I get your numberrrrr?”

  This was Elisa’s cue to intervene. Muttering to Gianna, “Give me a minute,” she hurried over to the bar, grabbing Julieta’s arm. “Oh my gosh, I’ve been searching for you everywhere,” she said, faking concern. “Mom called, she said she needs to talk to you right now.”

  Looking very grateful for her sister’s arrival, Julieta quickly threw up a mask of worry. “Is something wrong?”

  “I dunno, but she sounded pretty upset.”

  Julieta turned to the drunk guy, who looked like he was two shots away from passing out. “I am so sorry,” she lied, hurrying away. Elisa watched as she dashed across the room and out into the hallway, where she’d probably hide for a few minutes to keep up the ruse.

  Julieta had gotten stuck in similar situations countless times before. Where Elisa was more likely to tell a guy to piss off when he wouldn’t take a hint, Julieta would wind up humoring them for hours if no one swooped in to rescue her. She was living proof that one could, in fact, be too nice. She hated turning anyone down, even if she really, really wanted to.

  With Julieta having escaped, Elisa sat down on the barstool that her sister had just occupied. Gianna took the empty one next to her, barely managing to whisper, “Coke, please,” when the bartender asked what she wanted. When he left to get their drinks, she turned to Elisa again. “Th-thanks for sitting with me,” Gianna said. “I’m trying to work on—on the whole—the whole…social interaction thing. But I’m not very good at it.”

  “That’s okay,” she said. “I don’t mind hanging out with you at all.”

  “You don’t?”

  “Of course not. I like you.”

  Gianna smiled. “I like you, too.”

  “Are you and Darcy close to Willow?”

  She nodded. “Willow likes to get under Darcy’s skin—not that it’s hard, I guess—but we’re all really good friends on top of being cousins. And Willow’s parents have been really good to us ever since we moved in.”

  “She said you were homeschooled.”

  “Yeah—yeah, regular school was, uh…not working out…” She twiddled with a button on her sweater. “Homeschooling is nice, but I know Darcy doesn’t think I get out enough.”

  Elisa had to laugh. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your sister’s not the most social person herself.”

  She laughed, too. “No. But she apparently still thinks there’s hope for me.”

  “Talking about me?” a voice said.

  They both turned and were surprised to see Darcy sitting a few stools away. She’d apparently been there a while—Elisa wondered how they’d missed her. She then wondered if she’d witnessed the whole fiasco with Julieta and the drunk guy, and why she hadn’t tried to intervene herself.

  “Darcy, h
i,” Gianna said, her face brightening. “I was starting to wonder if you’d gone up to your room for the night.”

  “I wouldn’t have left without saying good night,” she said, sipping at her drink.

  “I met Elisa.”

  “I see that. Are you having fun?”

  Gianna nodded.

  “Good.” Darcy then addressed Elisa directly. “I suppose I don’t need to tell you that this is my sister.”

  “No, Willow already covered that when she introduced us,” Elisa said.

  “Where is Willow, anyway?”

  She shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. After she introduced me to Gianna, she sort of took off.”

  Gianna spoke up. “Prob-probably playing cards with Keegan and Christina again.”

  Darcy rolled her eyes. “I wish she wouldn’t. She always wants to gamble.”

  “It’s not like she can’t afford it,” Gianna pointed out.

  “I know, but it’s not proper.”

  Gianna slid off the stool. “I—I can go look for her, if you want.”

  “You want me to come with you?” Darcy asked.

  She shook her head. “I’ll be okay.”

  “Okay. I’ll be here.”

  Gianna turned to Elisa. “It was great to meet you,” she said. “Can I message you on Twitter or something?”

  Elisa smiled, nodding. “Please do. It was great to meet you, too.”

  She grinned then scampered off.

  Elisa took a sip of her drink before glancing at Darcy. “She’s a really sweet girl.”

  She nodded. “I know. Too sweet for her own good sometimes.”

  She sighed, thinking of Julieta. “I know what you mean.” There was a pause before she suddenly remembered what Wick had told her about Darcy. Feeling her chest tighten, she was unable to resist asking. “So—I had dinner with George Sedgwick a few weeks ago.”

  Darcy’s grip on her own glass tightened. “I really, really wish you hadn’t done that,” she muttered.

  “Does the phrase ‘Winchester Academy’ ring a bell?” she asked.

  She glared at her. “I don’t know what he told you, but rest assured, it wasn’t the truth.”

  “Why should I believe you? It’s your word against his.”