“Are you kidding me!?” Jade exclaimed. Olivia put a calming hand on Jade’s arm as she gave Ryan her contact information before he headed out.
Jade fumed. “It’s bad enough you’re going to date a Rad—a freaking Rad! But now, you’re going to go to ‘Queen Rad-A-Lot’s’ birthday party?! You going to bring her a present, too?”
“Yeah,” Olivia answered with an impish smile. “I’m going to bring Emma with me.”
Jade paused with her mouth agape in mid tirade.
“Wait, what?” Emma sputtered.
“Livs, you’re awesome!” Jade exclaimed.
“Oh, I know I am!” Olivia beamed.
“Hang on, what!?” Emma repeated.
12
REFLECTION
“Since when are you friends with Kendra Radcliff?” It was a fair but uncomfortable question. It was also the first thing out of her mother’s mouth when Emma announced her weekend plans.
“I’m not,” Emma answered honestly. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be allowed to go and could bypass the entire ordeal. “Livs is going and wants me to go with her.”
“I’m surprised you’d agree to that.” Cassandra said while handing Emma a dish to rinse. “I thought you hated that girl. You’re always complaining about her.”
“Yeah, I can’t stand her, but she’s not the reason I’d go.”
“Where’s this party taking place? Some upscale banquet hall or country club, I presume?” Cassandra asked.
“Nothing that big,” Emma replied as she washed the silverware. “Livs says it’s at Kendra’s house.”
Her mother paused with a strange expression. “Absolutely not!”
“Wow! what’s with the yelling?” Emma said, taken aback. “Is there something wrong with the place?”
“No, you’re right. I’m sorry,” Cassandra said, shaking her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go to this thing.”
“I’m not thrilled about it either, but it’s Livs. She’d do the same for me.” Emma hopped onto one of the kitchen barstools and motioned for her mother to join her. “So, tell me why Kendra’s giant house on the hill freaks you out. Have you been there?”
Her mother put the last plate away before she sat down. “Yes.”
“Just a ‘yes,’ that’s it? No comments about their décor or how many bathrooms are too many?”
“You should know by now, you can never have too many bathrooms.” Cassandra shrugged.
Emma frowned at her.
“Yes, I’ve been in their house,” she finally said. “It’s been a long time though.”
“And?” Emma urged.
“There’s nothing wrong with the house itself. I’m not overly fond of the people who live there.”
“I didn’t know you even knew the Radcliffs.” Emma said. “I think I’ve only seen Kendra’s parents one time. Aren’t they from Europe or something?”
“Chris is originally from Britain,” Cassandra began. “Leah’s a local girl. We used to be good friends until she started dating him.”
“So, it’s Kendra’s dad you have a problem with?”
“He’s a lot older than Leah.”
“Seniors date freshman all the time, Mom. Was it really that big a deal?”
“Leah was seventeen, and Chris looked at least forty. Yes, I had a problem with it.”
“No way!” Emma replied doing some quick calculations. “He’d have to be close to seventy now. There’s no way he’s that old.”
“He’s older than he looks.” Cassandra nodded. “But Leah married Chris right after graduation, and other than a few awkward lunches, we disconnected soon after.”
“He was a rich older guy, and she was barely legal. There’s a lot to go Eww! at. I get it. But it’s been like twenty years, Mom. You’re still not talking?”
“Oh, it wasn’t just Chris. He was never anything but polite to me.” Cassandra admitted. “It was Leah. I didn’t like who she was becoming after she moved into that house.”
“I’m sorry you lost your friend, Mom,” Emma said sincerely. “As much as I’d like not to go, I have to do this uncomfortable thing because Livs needs me. I hope you’re going to be okay with that.”
“Home by ten,” Cassandra said.
“Midnight?” Emma countered.
“Eleven, then,” Cassandra offered. “But that’s home at eleven, not ‘on the way’.”
“Deal.”
***
Two days later, Emma frowned at herself in the mirror. She hadn’t realized the birthday party needed semi-formal wear. Her wardrobe consisted of pants, tee shirts, and the occasional button-down blouse. She had to borrow a dress from her mother— her annoyingly petite mother. The dress was a beautiful, dark-maroon color, and with some adjustments, it fit. Sort of. It was more form-fitting than Emma was comfortable with. On her, it was also a bit short. She tugged at it, trying to bring the skirt down to knee-level, which resulted in her nearly falling out of the strapless top.
“I can’t win.” Emma sighed, settling for a marginally uncomfortable balance of leg verses cleavage exposure. She felt ridiculous. “If Jordan could only see me now,” she chided herself. As Emma looked back up to check her adjustments, she gasped. Jordan stared back at her from within the mirror.
***
Jordan Reilly didn’t care for ties. It wasn’t that he couldn’t tie one properly, after the second or third attempt, it was the feeling that he was fastening a stylish noose around his neck. He was supposed to wear the bright red one that Kendra gave him to match the dress she was going to wear. The tie still sat in its fancy box.
He wasn’t sure how best to handle the whole situation with Kendra. Was he being stupid and overthinking the whole thing? Ryan certainly thought he was. Kendra Radcliff was very beautiful, and he had always admired her personality strength and confidence. After the few times they’d gone out, that admiration hadn’t evolved into anything deeper for him. Kendra considered him her boyfriend. He knew it. Everyone knew it. She had gone out of her way to make it clear to all. That bothered him. He felt like a piece of land she planted a flag on rather than someone she cared about. The tie was just another reminder to him of that.
He was going to have to set her straight on his feelings—or lack of them for her. But not tonight. Tonight, was her birthday party, and although he was far from in love with Kendra, he had no intention of being cruel either. He’d get through the evening, and then talk it out with her in a few days. He had to. He knew who he really wanted to date. Known it for years. He’d never summoned the nerve to ask her out until the other day. That had been a rash move, and Emma had even called him on it.
“I can’t believe I did that,” he said aloud to his reflection in the bathroom mirror and laughed. “Connor was right. That was a shameless move.” He couldn’t bring himself to regret doing it though. She had agreed to go out with him. Sort of. He smiled widely at himself in the mirror as he thought about Emma Vanora. He wondered what she was doing at that moment. The oddest sensation of pressure behind his ears came at him, and then he could see her standing right in front of him, tucking herself into a tight evening dress. What the heck?! He really should have looked away. He wasn’t sure what was happening or how, but he knew he shouldn’t be watching. Then she looked up, right at him, and screamed.
“I’m sorry!” he shouted the apology. But the mirror held only his reflection again.
***
Emma fell back against her bed, eyeballing her dressing mirror as her door banged open.
“Are you okay!?” Olivia hollered. “I heard a scream. Why was there a scream?”
“Sorry,” Emma replied, still looking at the mirror like it betrayed her. “I thought I saw something.”
“Wow,” Olivia said. “What was it? It wasn’t a spider was it?” She scanned the room before stepping inside.
“No, it was nothing,” Emma answered, straightening up. “I’m being silly.”
“Okay,” Olivia said, looking at h
er relieved. “We’ve got about an hour before we head out. And we’re going to need every minute of it.”
“What’re you talking about?” Emma replied. “I’m ready.”
“No, you’re not!” Olivia chided, pulling out a compact makeup kit. “You need a serious intervention.”
“I did my makeup!” Emma protested.
“You’re admitting responsibility for this mess?” Olivia laughed. “I’d have more respect if you claimed you’d slipped and fell into an Easter basket.”
“Har har!” Emma complained but allowed herself to be led to the vanity. Olivia went right to work by first scouring with cleaning pads hard enough to remove tile flooring. “Hey! Ow!”
“Stop being a baby! I need a clean canvas if I’m going to manage this Cinderella makeover on you.”
“Did you bring new skin in that bag?” Emma asked. “I think some of mine is missing now.”
“Yeah! Beauty hurts,” Olivia replied as she mixed items together on a small pallet.
“Is this makeup or art class?”
“It’s both, Em.” Olivia beamed. “Just you wait and see.”
13
IT’S HER PARTY
The Radcliff mansion was enormous. The estate sat on a hilltop that overlooked the entire town, and its driveway wound around the elevation like a spiral that ended in a massive parking lot.
“Wow! There must be over a hundred cars here,” Emma said. “Is this a birthday party or an Imagine Dragons concert?”
“Ooh! Do you think there’ll be a live band?” Olivia managed to nose Flower into a non-space between two cars. It was such a tight fit that she had to lower the top, so they could get out. Emma and Olivia navigated the walk toward the stone steps that lead to the mansion.
“Who are all these people?” Emma asked.
“At least half the school must be here,” Olivia said as they joined the crowd making their way up. “I’m going to guess that most of these other people are from TSU.”
“My mom’s not going to be happy when she finds out this was a college party,” Emma sighed.
“We’ll be fine.” Olivia nodded and pointed ahead of them. Ryan was waiting, looking uncomfortable in a suit coat and jeans. When he noticed them, he produced a pink crystalline rose from behind his back and flashed a smile to Olivia.
“What did you do to Ryan, Livs?” Emma commented.
“I told you he was secretly a sweety.”
“I’ll never doubt you again.” Emma laughed.
It turned out Ryan had another magic trick—one prepared just for Emma. Connor Connors materialized beside him as suddenly as the pink rose. Connor had a wide grin and a strong smell of Jolly Ranchers as he leaned close to Emma.
“‘Lo, Em. How you doing tonight? Naw, don’t answer that. I can see you’re doing fiiine.”
“You owe me so much for this!” Emma leaned to mutter at Olivia.
“I know!” she quickly replied, taking Ryan’s offered hand.
“When Olivia said you were coming, I invited Connor to sort of round out our group.” Ryan said to Emma.
“Very,” Emma said, managing to smile “—thoughtful.”
Together, the couples made their way inside the mansion greeted by the thrum of DJ music washing over them. The entry hall was wide and fancy. Actual velvet ropes, strung along both sides of the hallway, guided party-goers through the main part of the house toward the back.
The main party was in the crescent-shaped ballroom that took up the entire back of the mansion with floors inlaid with expensive Parquet tiles. Two-story tall banks of windows and French doors looked out over the pool, multi-level garden, and the spreading hill country beyond. It was breathtaking.
“How rich are these people?” Emma couldn’t help but ask.
“Pretty nice spread, right?” Ryan commented.
Emma wasn’t invited and came as an addon. She had concerns. But the worry that she’d stand out at this party to Kendra’s friends and followers vanished. Although she did see many familiar “Rads” faces in the crowd, everyone seemed focused on having a good time, not on her being there. It was also possible no one recognized her because of Olivia’s makeover. After scanning the dance hall, Emma noticed no sign of Kendra. She assumed the birthday-girl planned to make a grand entrance at some point.
After Ryan settled their group at one of the many tables along the perimeter, he declared that he “did not dance and would not be doing anything resembling dancing for the entirety of the event.”
At the moment, he was out on the floor with Olivia doing something that very much resembled dancing. All her friend had to do was pout about how much she wanted to dance “but only with him” and Ryan yielded.
“Babe,” Connor said, leaning in, and interrupting her thoughts. “You want some pigs-in-a-blanket or anything?”
“Emma.”
“Sorry?” He asked.
“It’s Emma,” she said. “I prefer being called by my name.”
“Hey, that’s cool, Em. I can do that.” He was a very close talker. “I’m gonna hit the food table. Want me to bring you anything?” She looked at her full cup and considered for a moment.
“I’m good for now. But thanks, Connor.” He nodded and headed for the buffet. Emma exhaled and relaxed a bit. Connor was Connor, but apart from his total disregard for personal space, he was funny. She had to admit, she was enjoying the party a lot more than expected. Then the DJ queued up Vince Gill and shouted for the “Ladies! Head to the floor for a line dance.” Emma spotted Olivia breaking through the crowd toward her.
“Not a chance!” Emma said, waving her away.
“Oh. Yes. We. Are!” Olivia had a death grip on Emma’s wrists and pulled her toward the dance floor before Ryan even sat down. “You will not deny me this!”
At least fifty female guests started forming lines as Olivia and Emma found spots among them. She had never been much of a dancer but knew the “Cowgirl Twist.” Everyone she could think of knew those steps. But most importantly, everyone crowded onto that huge floor knew the steps. The entire group moved along the floor as one twisting, clapping, and laughing along with the familiar song. Emma laughed as well by the end as Olivia whooped and hugged her along with some other short, blond girl she didn’t know.
“Admit it,” Olivia said as they made their way back to the table.
“Admit what?” Emma asked.
“You’re glad you came.”
“I admit nothing!” Emma said with a giggle.
“You’re just being stubborn,” Olivia said as she dropped gracelessly into a chair beside Ryan. “Hey, did we lose Connor?”
“He’s still raiding the food trays,” Ryan said and nodded in that direction. “Seriously, I’ve never seen anyone that size pack away so much food. He must have a tapeworm the size of my—” Olivia raised an eyebrow at Ryan, and he paused before finishing his sentence “—leg.” She nodded her approval and Ryan shrugged with a small grin of resignation.
“Well, I’m going to freshen up,” Emma announced.
“Need me to go with?” Olivia offered.
“I’m fine,” Emma assured her. “I’ll be right back.”
Emma got up, weaved through the tables, making her way along the edge of the ballroom. She didn’t need to go to the bathroom, but she did want to look around and paused beside one of the large windows. Multicolored lights strung over the pool area and twinkled above groups of people socializing. A flood of activity through a set of double doors off to the right caught her eye. Caterers in proper skirts and tailcoats kept a steady supply of plates and pans of food going. Emma imagined there was a fully-appointed kitchen back in that area for such events.
She turned to her left to see a dark, wooden- framed passage with a velvet rope cutting it off from the rest of the room. Emma had to stroll over to it for a better look. Beyond the rope was polished wooden stairs that wound upward to the second floor. Shallow, dimly lit alcoves, spaced evenly along both sides, were the only so
urce of light. From the ropes, Emma could make out paintings and other art objects on display within the alcoves. Glancing around and not seeing anyone looking her direction, Emma ducked under the rope and made her way up.
The contents in each recess caused Emma to pause and inspect. It was an impressive collection. To her surprise, several of the paintings were obvious reproductions, including a few famously “missing” paintings and statuary. The Radcliffs either had a fondness for lost and plundered art or had an odd sense of humor about it. Emma reached the second-floor landing and stopped to regard a reproduction of “The Just Judges” by Jan van Eyck. The original was stolen from a Belgium cathedral back in 1934, and she had to marvel at the detail the copyist put into the work.
“You know you’re not supposed to be up here, Miss,” a baritone voice came from behind her. Startled, Emma turned to see Jordan. He was wearing a suit—a less than a perfect fit around his shoulders—with an untied crimson, silk tie draped around his shirt collar.
He was completely surprised when she turned turned around. “Emma? You look… Oh, wow… You’re here,” he stammered. “How are you here? Are you really here?”
“What do you mean, ‘am I here’?” Emma asked. “I’m standing right in front of you.”
“I’m sorry,” he looked like he was trying to collect himself. “Of course, you’re here. I’m surprised to see you is all. You know, in Kendra’s house, a few feet away from her bedroom.”
“I’m here with Ryan,” Emma said.
“You and Ryan?” Jordan frowned.
“Ryan and Olivia,” Emma corrected. “Livs dragged me in.”
“What are you doing up here then?”
“I was looking for the bathroom.” Emma shrugged. “At least that’s the excuse I’m going with for snooping around the place.”
“Ah.” Jordan nodded. “Yeah, there’s a lot of cool stuff here.”
“I saw the art crammed along the stairs and couldn’t help myself,” she admitted. “I’m going to assume Kendra’s not going to be far behind you?”
Red Page 7