Swimming in Sparkles

by Debra Anastasia

Taylor flipped her phone around to show me an image. “Check it. This is top secret. But still.”

  A Fairy Tale Night was the theme.

  “Perfection. We’ve got little Betty’s wish night prospect then. I’ll email her parents and see what they can do with that date.” I looked at Ruffian again. Still, he was waiting for me. Did he look the whole time or did he just keep checking?

  One of the junior girls came over and handed me a small snack bag. It was gummy bears. I fought the smile and rolled my eyes, but when Ruffian stood up, he was smiling, too.

  Tasker stepped between us, even though we were so far apart. I didn’t like the look in his eyes at all but managed to look away so Ruffian wouldn’t get mad again.

  Taylor and Peaches drove me home and came to hang out inside while we figured out some of the details for Betty’s big day. It was a squeeze because the dance was in a month. Luckily, I heard back from her mom and the Winter Formal seemed like a good fit. And also good timing. Betty had some upsetting news at the doctor, and they weren’t sure how long her treatment would continue to work. So it’d be a very special Me Party.

  When the girls and I were kicking it around the kitchen table eating popcorn, I had my laptop open for notes. Mom was with us, and the more we talked the more we realized we needed to face the Winter Formal like a wedding.

  Taylor threw popcorn at Rocket who scarfed it up. “So we need to maybe find out Betty’s favorite fairy tale? She’d be the princess and maybe we could all be her court?”

  I typed ideas in the document. “I like that. And I love you guys for always being willing to freaking help with this stuff. You’re amazing.”

  Peaches gave me the finger and Taylor stuck out her tongue. They were in it no matter what. But this year, we had some really big milestones that would cement our senior year. They were willing to share those moments with our Me Party guests.

  Mom pulled out her old binder.

  Peaches pretended to be shocked. “Mrs. B out here doing a time jump to 1992!”

  Mom gave Peaches a look. “Listen. It still works, and I can find people’s contact info even if the internet’s down.”

  She started flipping through it. “So let’s call the two limo companies we’ve dealt with before, the local theater group and maybe the one at school for props and stuff.”

  Taylor sent a few text messages while my mom dialed her phone.

  “So we’ve got a dress shop that wants to donate Betty’s dress. I’ve got a cousin that will make a cake, because cake is cake and we love cake.” Taylor showed us images from the Facebook page. They specialized in kids’ cakes and they looked more like art than food.

  “Sounds good.” I crafted a Me Party schedule and started to match up the game schedules so I knew who I could tap for volunteering.

  I got another text. Betty’s favorite fairy tale was Rapunzel, so we were off to the races with that information. We googled party ideas and Halloween costumes for a few more hours. When it was almost time to make dinner, Ruffian came in the front door. I had no idea where he’d been, but I was pretty sure he’d been with the junior girls. I felt a possessive growl in the back of my throat.

  Taylor stood when Ruffian came up the stairs and made a frame with her fingers and held them up to his face when he was at the top stair. “Who does he look like? I mean, he needs a touch of guyliner, but…”

  I saw it immediately. Ruffian could cosplay as the prince from Rapunzel in a hot second. “Oh yeah. Totally perfect. They would hire his ass at Disney World.”

  Peaches pulled up a picture and held it next to Ruffian’s face. It was uncanny.

  Taylor’s phone alarm went off and she silenced it. “Well, let’s put a pin in this. Teddi, do you think we can make this happen?” She made circles in front of Ruffian’s face. “And now we have to go.”

  Both girls kissed my mom on the cheek before getting their stuff on. Ruffian looked flummoxed as they called him Flynn Rider.

  Mom closed her binder and put it back in the pantry. “Tonight we’re having chicken wraps and broccoli. If you kids have homework, maybe get started on it.”

  I stood up with my laptop and brought it upstairs. Ruffian tapped his knuckles on the doorframe. “Can I come in?”

  “Sure, Flynn. Thanks for the gummy bears today. Looks like you can get your minions to do anything you want.” Why was I giving him the business? Okay, fine. I was jealous. And I wanted him to kiss me again.

  “Just wanted to check on you and make sure Tasker isn’t a problem.” He waited in my doorway like a knight waiting for his queen to make a decision. He was confusing. He treated me like gold, but he didn’t seem to want to touch me with a ten-foot pole.

  “He’s fine. Thank you, though. I didn’t realize how much I hated that until you made him stop doing it, you know? He’s always trying to be more handsy than I want.” I plugged my laptop back in.

  “I could tell you weren’t having a great time there. I just realized I kind of threatened a guy in your friend group. I didn’t want to make it awkward for you.” He put his arms over his chest.

  “You didn’t. Everyone knows Tasker is a pain in the ass. I appreciated it. But I also don’t want you to get in trouble. I can handle Tasker.” I sat down on the edge of my bed, very, very aware that Ruffian was large in this room. Scanning it like he was collecting evidence.

  “Noted.” He shuffled his feet back.

  “Hey, do you have plans for the Winter Formal?” I tried to picture what kind of outfit we would have to get or make to complete his transition to Flynn Rider.

  “Um. I don’t plan on going, if that’s what you’re wondering.” He unfolded his arms and picked up a teddy bear knickknack. It was my mom’s habit to get me little figurines of teddy bears from anywhere she traveled.

  And then I felt the shame bubbling up. Oh. He thought I wanted him to ask me to the dance on a date. Of course. I waved both of my hands at him. “No. No. Nothing like a date or anything. We have a Me Party and the little girl’s favorite fairy tale is Rapunzel. You look just like the guy from Tangled. Would you be willing to be her escort to the dance?”

  I tried to make eye contact but fell somewhere on his chest.

  “I guess. I mean, I have to see what I have going on schedule wise. I wouldn’t want to stand up the little lady due to obligations.” He set the teddy bear down. “So we just finished Larissa’s day and now we are on to the next one? That’s a lot to take on.” He sat down on the wooden chair by my desk.

  I flipped through my phone and found a picture of Betty. I forwarded it to him and watched him as he pulled his phone out. After he swiped across the screen, I got to see his reaction to the picture in real time.

  “She is absolutely adorable.” He was genuine, not just saying she was cute to get brownie points.

  “She’s a fighter and a really spiritual kid. It’s really sad how much time this diagnosis has taken from her. She doesn’t even go to school anymore. She’s lonely and has a steep battle in front of her. I will have to plan an A level operation and a B and a C for if she doesn’t feel well or if she is on bedrest.” I really hoped we had time to give her something that resembled a happy day for her and her family.

  “I’ll do my best.” He pushed himself up to his feet. “I’ll leave you to it.”

  And then he was out my door. His absence was too loud. My feelings for him were a problem.

  RUFFIAN

  WHEN I GOT back to my room, I kicked myself mentally. The night before the dance was when I was slated to rob Meg’s house. They would be leaving for Vail in two weeks. I had done my research and would continue to do so. Today I had returned to Four Brothers Pawn Shop and met with Mr. Sherlock again. He told me they would be ready to turn the art and jewels around for me. He also said they would work with any cops that came sniffing, so I had to keep my tracks clean.

  I won’t lie and say my hands weren’t clenched at night. And that I wasn’t second-guessing the whole damn thing over and over. I decid
ed to see if I would get some inspiration from Lucas. I called Seasons and he was able to come to the phone.

  “Ruff! I need to tell you something.”

  That was unlike him. He usually had some jokes and tales about what he did for his day.

  “What’s going on?”

  Lucas was breathing quickly. “Grandma/Mom is in the hospital again. But this time for real. She fell on her way to the craft room. I got her a pillow, but the guys took her in the ambulance.”

  “Was she talking to you?” I tried to think about who I could get in contact with to figure out what they needed.

  “Oh yeah. She was cursing up a storm. She didn’t want to go at all. But they said she had to. Is she going to come back, Ruff?”

  The seeking tone of his voice sliced into me. He wanted answers.

  “Wait. Here’s Rena. She’s my friend.”

  I heard the clatter of the passing of the phone.

  “Hey? Ruffian? I’m Rena and I’m on staff here at Seasons. Lucas said you and he have been friends for years.” She seemed like she was calm and measured, which was good.

  “Yeah. We go way back. How’s Grandma/Mom?” I tapped my foot out of nerves.

  “She’s getting a few tests. You wouldn’t happen to know where their insurance card is?”

  I could only hear my own breathing. I wanted a sign, not a slap. “No ma’am. I’m sure it’s somewhere. Grandma/Mom took care of that kind of thing.” That was a lie. I knew they didn’t have anything like that. I wanted to buy her time. Get her the tests that she needed before money could get involved. “Will you be able to keep a watch on Lucas?”

  “Oh yes, of course. It’s part of what we do here. Would you like to talk to Lucas again?”

  We spoke for a few more minutes before ending the call. I wanted a sign and I got one. I needed to do the job. Do it well. And get money to the people.

  I slept on the floor as usual, but that night I left my window open to remind myself of my roots.

  Chapter 37

  RUFFIAN

  TODAY WAS THE day. Thursday, the morning of the robbery. It was the day I changed everything. Made my mother proud. Made a legacy. Helped the community in one last grandiose way.

  I drove Teddi to school and walked in the front door, only to bow back out, claiming I had forgotten my homework.

  I wasn’t stupid. I was pretty sure they were going to figure out it was me. I was the new guy. I would look at me as a suspect.

  I had future regrets and they kept bubbling up to the surface. I felt bad about the workers that were trusted to do their jobs while Meg and her family were in Vail. While their staff got a well-deserved vacation. The guys that were in charge of working the renovation rooms were hard-working guys. And what I was about to do would get them all looked at closely. Maybe even falsely accused. I wouldn’t let it stick; I’d confess to doing it. But I would never tell them what happened to the property.

  I put on my painter’s coveralls with the name of the local place written on the back. I’d used Ronna’s ever-present vinyl cutting machine to replicate the logo. “Paul’s Painting” looked legit.

  I also knew they hired pieceworkers. As long as I had a uniform on, didn’t talk much, and got some work done, I would be good. And all I needed was to get in and out before lunch. I knew my way around.

  I parked in the woods and walked through. At eight-thirty, I simply walked onto the job and grabbed a paint bucket and a tarp.

  Brisco was the site manager. He was counting off people to go to certain rooms. “You four are the study, cover everything. I want the cleanest corners ever. Make sure you double check the Clorox with me. Everyone has more than enough holes to fill. Wash the walls, make sure you don’t get a drop of anything on anything. I guarantee a turd they flush in the morning is worth far more than any of us make in a year. We don’t want to have any insurance claims. Wear booties. Use the potty crapper out here in the damn cold. Meatfark, that means you.”

  We slipped on paper booties and masks. As long as I didn’t stand out, I was doing great. Well, in theory. In actuality, I was sweating and I felt like I was walking around like a jerky horror movie villain. Be cool. Be normal. Be regular.

  The workers with me were low-key. A few sipped on Monster energy drinks outside before securing their booties. And just before we entered, Hawk’s Electrical pulled up with their three guys.

  Perfect. Meg had talked about how all the outlets were getting rewired to have USB ports and some foreign plugs as well because some of her favorite beauty appliances came from Europe and she didn’t want to worry about adapters.

  They also had to put on booties and started hollering out the quadrants that would be shut off first. They were wild cards. I wasn’t sure which rooms would be down first. One of the first things I had to do when I started the robbery was find the fuse box and throw it. The camera system needed to be down for me to make some headway.

  Next, the flooring crew rolled up in a side-paneled truck. And behind them a minivan wrapped in rainbow colors declaring themselves organization gurus.

  Today would be like a damn circus in there. I picked the right day, and I was heartened to see all the confusion that would be part of this day.

  Sweating still. The elevator was out of service for us, but the two other guys and I were assigned the second-floor hallway. Another sign. That’s where I needed to be.

  Even though there were two guys with me, the place was so big, that the three of us managed to be going in different directions. Most guys had a pair of earphones in their ears while they worked. I did not. I was listening. Listening and scrubbing. The electrical crew was popping off fuses. I looked down at my bucket of dirty water and decided that now was a good moment to wander with my water to dump.

  I carefully went down the stairs until I reached Brisco.

  “Where we dumping? Upstairs toilet?” I tilted the water toward him.

  “No. Jesus. They don’t want their crap all jacked up with the dirty water. Give a crap, kid. Dump it outside. But not near the plants. And then get more from the basement. No tubs. No bathrooms. The clients want us to be like ghosts. Is this your first day on the fucking crew?”

  Brisco looked like he ate Tums for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every anxiety rage episode seemed to make him redder throughout the morning. On the third dump of water, I was able to get near the fuse box when the electricians went for their smoke break. I heard some of the floor guys complaining that they had to drive off the property to smoke. The family was very conscientious about secondhand smoke. They even claimed Meg had asthma, which she did not.

  I’d even seen Meg’s dad smoking a cigar in his office on some nights, so they were hypocrites. I got a text message from Meg just as I thought about her. She was sitting in a hot tub, carefully placing suds.

  Change your mind. I miss you.

  I could text back I’m closer than you think. But I didn’t. I also had a call from Ronna and then Gaze. They were figuring out that I wasn’t in school, I assumed. I guess the school notified the next of kin or whatever to tell on you for playing hooky. I had an excuse. Visiting Lucas because of his grandma.

  It felt a little wrong to use his tragedy, but the end game would be getting her health care that would be paid off.

  Once the electricity was off, it was time to actually do what I came here to do. I set the new bucket of water outside Meg’s mom’s bedroom wing. I used my mother’s arrow lock pick to smoothly enter the room. It was not part of the reno and as such had been locked. I slipped in and made my way to the safe. It still had a steady red light. It wasn’t hardwired to the electricity or it had a backup. I knew this was likely because I had researched the company. I used the code that I had watched Meg enter.

  The red light switched from red to green, and I was able to lift the handle on the safe.

  Inside was much of Meg’s mom’s collection of jewels. Some were laid out on velvet stands, others in slots just for the type of jewelry it was. I
took three handfuls and filled my cargo pants pockets in the uniform.

  I closed the safe and took a breath. A few things could happen right now. There could be an alarm I wasn’t aware of. The police could get a notification that the safe was opened. Or maybe Meg’s parents got text messages when the safe was opened. I slipped out of the room, locking the door behind me.

  That’s when I should have left. Anything more was just asking for trouble. But this was it. This was my last job. It had to be big. So big it changed lives.

  I slipped through the house down to Meg’s room. Again, I had to break in. Her room was not slated for any of the renovations either and I had no business being in there. But I was in. I went to her dresser and scooped out handfuls of her jewelry. It was lighter than her mother’s, but still worth more than anything else I’d ever been in the presence of. I grabbed her black messenger bag from her closet. I transferred the robbed items to that and left it open. It was just big enough for the two small ridiculously famous paintings. I had to sneak past two decorators, but they were lost in their work, peeking at the parts of the house that maybe they were supposed to be in. I walked past the art gallery set up in the hall. This one was not due to be painted, but when I lifted the two paintings off the wall, they each had an outline of the brighter paint that had not been touched by the light streaming in from the French windows.

  And then it was done. As easy as it was. The hardest thing about it was getting over my guilt. Walking out, I held a cigarette and pointed at the door when Brisco noticed me.

  “Suck like a vacuum there, water dumper. We don’t have time for your poison sucking.”

  I lifted my chin. He didn’t mention Meg’s bag with the sharp corners easily outlined on the black cotton.

  When I was outside, I slid the cigarette behind my ear and walked straight through the woods to the truck. This was it. I’d done it now. I had God knows how much money’s worth of stuff sitting in the passenger seat.

  My fate was sealed. Now I had to move quickly before they caught up with me. I had some lives to change.