Immediately she regretted announcing that last part. Did it sound like an invitation for him to change her single status? It was, of course, but she didn’t want him to think she was desperate.
All of the women’s magazines Rory had read recommended acting coy and playing a bit hard-to-get. She wasn’t sure that was the way to snag a guy but what did she know? She hadn’t dated much before – at least not seriously, and never anyone she truly liked. She was willing to try anything if it meant having a chance with Carson.
“I see,” Carson said, his blue eyes twinkling. He reached out and brushed his hand over the top of Rory’s head and she looked up at him in surprise. Immediately, he looked embarrassed. “Sorry,” he chuckled sheepishly. “Your hair was sticking up and I have this weird thing about wanting to fix everything.”
“Oh.” She reached up and self-consciously touched her hair.
“You look great,” he assured her, his eyes locking with hers for longer than necessary.
She blushed and averted her eyes. She never knew how to respond to compliments, especially considering how critical she was of herself. She reflexively always wanted to argue, pointing out her flaws. She knew that was just plain weird so instead she tried to bite her tongue.
“So I hear that new girl, Grace, is having a party on Friday. Are you going to be there?”
People were already talking about Grace Myers’ upcoming party. Hilary worked fast. Rory wondered if Grace herself even knew she was having a party yet. It would be so like Hilary to not even bother running it past Grace until the wheels had already been set in motion.
The pretty seventeen year old tugged at the bottom of her pink t-shirt, cursing herself for not wearing black instead. Black was slimming and she felt like she needed all the slimming she could get. As she tried to subtly suck in her stomach she nodded dumbly, not trusting herself to say anything lest it come out wrong again. She’d already embarrassed herself enough for one day.
“Good. I’ll see you there. Anyway, I’d better get to football practice. Bye, Rory.” Carson gave her a long, lingering, not-so-subtle look before he shut his locker and casually strolled away.
Rory’s legs nearly gave out. Carson not only knew her name, but had flirted with her!
Rory actually had a shot with him, despite her pasty complexion and inability to stick with the stupid diet her infuriatingly skinny friends raved about! Suddenly she felt much, much more excited about the party! Rory had a feeling that Hilary was right: it was going to be an unforgettable night!
* * * * *
Dinner at the O’Neil house was a strange affair. In the past, the family would always eat dinner together every single night. Sheck would often join them as he was at the house so much that he practically lived there. Everyone would talk about their day and joke around. Sometimes Rory thought it felt like she lived in a cheesy 1950s sitcom, at least at mealtime.
She’d complained about it at the time but now she missed it.
In recent years, the dinnertime ritual had changed. There wasn’t much of a ritual these days, actually. It had started when Rory’s brother went away to college three years ago. Rory’s mother Nancy had taken it hard even though the university was only a few hours away.
Rory figured her mother couldn’t handle staring at Justin’s empty place at the table, so before long, she started finding excuses to miss dinner. Pretty soon Rory’s father, Tom, began working longer hours, often getting home late in the evening.
Rory and her sister, Rebecca, found that they didn’t have much to say to each other anymore. They hadn’t since…well, since the beginning of high school. It was sad but true. They took to eating in the living room with the TV blaring, drowning out the deafening, awkward silence.
It bothered Rory that she and Rebecca weren’t close anymore, though she’d never told Rebecca that. Rory was not quite a year older than her sister and because they were so close in age, they’d done everything together as children. It had been like having a built in best friend.
In fact, when Rebecca was in grade one it became apparent that she was more advanced than her peers so she was skipped ahead a grade. As a result, the girls had ended up in the same grade at school. Sheck, an only child, enviously told Rory she practically had a twin.
When they were younger, Rory and Rebecca had been inseparable. They rode the bus to school together, sat beside each other in class and ate lunch together every day. Although they’d had very different personalities right from birth – Rebecca was a content, easy baby while Rory was fussy and demanding – their differences had never been an issue between them. They’d complemented each other. In a way, they almost were like twins, their bond was that strong.
High school had changed everything.
Rory didn’t know exactly when things had changed, but it soon became apparent that she and Rebecca ran in completely different cliques.
Rory was friends with the popular kids. She wasn’t sure how that had happened, but it was a great thing because it meant she was invited to sleepovers and house parties and got to sit at the “cool” table in the cafeteria. It sounded foolish when Rory tried to explain it, but there was a certain social status that made putting up with Hilary’s cutting remarks and Jeremy’s boorishness worthwhile.
Besides, popularity was all Rory had going for her. She wasn’t smart like Rebecca.
Rebecca was good at everything she did. She was a huge bookworm and an excellent student, getting nearly perfect grades without much effort. Between Justin’s athletic talents and Rebecca’s academic achievements, sometimes Rory felt like a big fat failure.
But at least she ran with the cool kids. Popularity was the one thing that Rebecca didn’t have.
It wasn’t that Rebecca was unpopular…it was just that she was kind of a nerd. Being annoyingly smart and painfully shy, it wasn’t long before she earned herself geek status. She wasn’t really picked on, maybe because Rory was her sister, but some of the kids she hung around with were bullied pretty regularly.
Rory felt bad about it but wasn’t sure why her sister would choose to associate with those people in the first place. They may as well have been walking around with big red bulls eyes on their backs. Hanging around with them was practically like asking to be bullied and Rory was constantly in fear of that happening to her sister.
Even though they weren’t close anymore, Rebecca was still Rory’s sister. Rory didn’t want to see her get hurt. If someone like Jeremy Beal was to harass Rory’s sister, Rory didn’t know what she’d do. It would put her in the awkward position of no longer being able to ignore his boorishness…but calling him out on his behavior could cause a rift in Rory’s clique.
Thankfully, Rebecca didn’t seem to be on Jeremy or anyone else’s radar. Rory just hoped it would stay that way.
The only thing Rory knew for sure was that she couldn’t risk being lumped in with the nerds. It would be social suicide. Maybe that was superficial, but to Rory, it was a matter of survival. So, she did what she had to.
If Rebecca had been hurt when Rory stopped eating lunch with her in the school cafeteria, she hadn’t let on. The thought of taking the bus made Rory cringe. Despite the strong family resemblance, Rory suspected a fair number of the self-absorbed high school students didn’t know Rebecca was her sister. She preferred to keep it that way.
Her cover would be blown if they saw her get off at the same stop as Rebecca.
At first, Rory started getting off a stop early so as to avoid being found out. The look of confusion on her sister’s face the first time she did it killed Rory. Rory wasn’t heartless; she really did feel bad. In fact, she’d had trouble getting the expression on her sister’s face out of her head after that.
Rebecca was smart. It would only be a matter of time before she figured out that Rory was embarrassed to be seen with her.
Rory had been relieved when Sheck got his driver’s license and offered to drive her to and from school, thereby saving her from the horror of the
bus and the cruel task of ditching her sister. Technically Sheck had offered to drive both girls to school, but following a stern look from Rory, Rebecca had politely declined.
The girls’ relationship hadn’t just changed at school. It had also changed at home.
Rebecca began spending more time in her room reading and writing in her journal. Rory began spending more time out with her new friends. By the time Rory noticed the distance between her and Rebecca, it felt like they were light years apart.
When the sisters did spend time together it was just...weird. It didn’t feel like they were confidantes anymore. Now they were strangers who just happened to live in the same house. Rory didn’t like it one bit, but didn’t know how to fix it.
She wished her brother would come home for the summer to help ease the tension.
“Hey,” Rory greeted her sister as she traipsed through the kitchen to see what her mother had left for them in the slow cooker. She lifted the lid gingerly and inhaled the delicious aroma of beef stew approvingly.
“Hey.” Rebecca was sitting at the kitchen table reading a book. She barely even glanced up.
Rory paused, trying to think of something to say. Anything would do. She just wanted to somehow fill the awkward silence. But try as she might, she had nothing. Thankfully, she was saved by her mother bursting in the front door.
“Hi girls, how was your day?” Nancy kicked off her high heels and winced, rubbing her left foot. “I have to dash – pottery class tonight,” Nancy continued before either girl had a chance to answer. “Your dad said he’ll be home late, so go ahead and eat without him.”
Nancy slipped her feet into a pair of ballet flats and then hesitated before running out the door. “How about we go into the city after school on Friday? Dad will have to work, but the three of us could stay over and go to the spa and have a girls’ day. Then on Saturday we can surprise Justin at college.”
“Sure,” Rebecca replied, tearing her gaze away from her book momentarily.
Rory froze. “This Friday?” she asked, looking panic-stricken. “I can’t. There’s a party.”
“Oh? Whose party is it?” Nancy asked innocently with all the cluelessness one might expect from one’s mother. “Is it someone’s birthday?”
“No,” Rory hesitated, trying to decide how much information to give her mom. “It’s a party at Grace Myers’ house. You know, that new girl who transferred from Stoneybrooke High? Yeah, well she’s...trying to make new friends...so she’s having a party to get to know everyone.”
“Is she the one whose parents are going to be out of town?” Rebecca piped up, nose still in her book. “I overheard some of those idiot football players talking about what an ‘epic party’ it’s going to be, whatever that means.”
Rory spun around and glared at her sister, but it was too late. The damage was done.
“Parents out of town,” Nancy repeated worriedly. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“It will be fine, Mom,” Rory quickly tried to assure her, but it was no use.
“No, I don’t want you going to a party that doesn’t have parental supervision,” Nancy replied. “It’s just not a good idea. I’m sorry honey, but there will be other parties. Anyway, I’m going to be late for pottery class – have a good evening you two!”
As soon as Nancy shut the door, Rory turned on her sister. “I can’t believe you said that!” she shouted, her face flushing. “If you’d just kept your big mouth shut it would have been fine, but noooo, you just had to butt in! You’re such a bitch!”
With that, Rory spun on her heel and ran upstairs, slamming her bedroom door as loudly as she could. She’d always been the high strung sister, but she wasn’t normally prone to calling Rebecca names.
It wasn’t until much later when she’d begun to calm down that Rory felt a twinge of guilt.
CHAPTER 02
All day Tuesday, the high school was abuzz with excited whispers about the party at Grace Myers’ house. It didn’t matter that Grace, having transferred mid-semester from another high school, wasn’t very well known. No one cared who she was. All they cared about was that she was giving them a place to party.
Grace was an unremarkable girl. She had mid-length brown hair, brown eyes and an average figure. She wore all the right clothes and listened to the right music, which gave her a bit of credibility with the popular clique. Even so, Grace wasn’t particularly memorable and had yet to become a real part of the group.
Rory couldn’t recall Grace ever being invited to sit at her cheerleaders’ lunch table until news of the available house surfaced. Then, suddenly, Hilary and the others were fawning all over her, acting like they were best buddies. Rory wasn’t sure what to make of it.
Sometimes Hilary could be self-serving...superficial, even. She certainly had her flaws and in fact, they seemed to make an appearance on a fairly regular basis. During those times, Rory was a little ashamed to be friends with Hilary. But what could she do? When Grace joined the girls at lunch on Tuesday afternoon, Rory simply smiled and offered her a carrot stick.
“I love carrots,” Grace said shyly as she accepted one and took a bite of it.
Rory smiled wryly. “Please, take them all.”
“So I’m really excited. I’ve sent out like a hundred invites to the party,” Hilary announced proudly, flipping her hair as she stared at her phone. “It’s going to be so crazy! Mark my words: people are going to be talking about this party forever.”
Grace paled a little. “A hundred invites? You’re joking, right?” she asked, sounding apprehensive. “I mean, we’re just keeping this thing small, right? I don’t think my parents’ house can even hold a hundred people!”
Hilary laughed, unconcerned. “A hundred might be a bit of an exaggeration,” she conceded, stifling a yawn. The expensive-looking silver bracelet she wore on her delicate wrist caught the light and shimmered brilliantly. “Don’t worry, it will be great.”
Hilary pursed her lips when she saw Rory’s face. “What’s with you?”
Rory scowled. “I might not be able to make it to the party. My mom’s being ridiculous.”
Hilary gasped. “But you have to come to the party! Everyone’s going to be there. Carson is going to be there! Seriously, Rory, if you miss this you’re going to regret it forever. Can’t you just, like, sneak out or something?”
Rory considered the suggestion. “I guess,” she replied uncertainly. “I mean...I’ll try.”
Even as Rory was talking, the wheels were turning. As shitty as she felt when she did things she knew she wasn’t supposed to, desperate times called for desperate measures. Could she sneak out and get away with it?
* * * * *
Rory arrived home after school with a plan. She was going to guilt her sister into helping her sneak out on Friday night. She had her speech all planned out. First, she was going to apologize for calling Rebecca a bitch. Then she was going to explain why this party was so important to her. She wasn’t sure Rebecca would understand why it was so imperative Rory see Carson on Friday night as Rebecca didn’t seem to have much interest in dating herself, but it was worth a shot.
Rory figured that with enough gentle prodding (some would call it manipulation), Rebecca would eventually come around and agree to help.
As Rory slipped in the front door, she heard voices coming from the kitchen. It was her mother and sister. Rory was about to burst into the kitchen to survey the meal options as she did every day, but something made her stop. Rebecca’s tone sounded distressed, and then Rory heard her name. She quietly shut the front door behind her and crept toward the kitchen.
Nancy stood at the island chopping vegetables for a salad. Rebecca was sitting on a stool holding a vegetable peeler in one hand. “Mom, you don’t get it,” she said sadly. “Rory pretty much hates me for ruining this for her. She really, really wants to go to the party. All the kids at school are talking about it. I think you should let her go – it kind of sounds like it’s going to be a bi
g deal.”
Nancy contemplated Rebecca’s plea as she scooped diced peppers and sliced mushrooms into a large glass bowl. “If this party is such a big deal, why aren’t you going?”
Rebecca hesitated, and Rory knew why. Her sister hated parties – or claimed to hate them, anyway. Rory wasn’t sure how Rebecca could know that she didn’t like them since she never went to any. “I’m not really interested,” Rebecca answered quietly.
Nancy looked concerned. “I think you need to make more of an effort to socialize,” she said gently. “I know it’s been tough since Mya moved away, but you need to make new friends.”
Mya Baker, Rebecca’s best friend, had moved away over the summer. Because Rebecca was the type of person who had a few close friends rather than a bunch of acquaintances, it had been a big loss. Now, Rebecca was sort of floundering socially, unable to find her place. That much was plain to see.
“I also think,” Nancy continued, “that it would be good for you and Rory to do more together. You two haven’t seemed as close lately...maybe you ought to spend some time together.”
Rory’s breath caught in her throat. Her mom just didn’t get it. Rory couldn’t hang out with her sister at the party – Rory’s friends and her sister were like night and day. She didn’t know how to reconcile those two worlds, probably because it wasn’t possible.
Besides, Rebecca didn’t like Hilary. There was no way things could end well. It would be an absolute, complete disaster.
Steeling herself, Rory walked into the kitchen. “Hey,” she said, trying to sound casual, like she hadn’t been eavesdropping in the next room for the past several minutes. “What’s to eat?”
“Good news, honey!” Nancy chirped. “Dad and I have decided you can go to that party on Friday night after all, since it apparently means so much to you. Besides,” she said, looking pointedly at Rebecca, “your sister needs to get out of the house more. It will be good for the two of you to spend some time together.”
Catalyst (The Best Days #1) Page 3