by T. J. Dell
Her Best Friend’s Brother
By: TJ Dell
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter one
Chapter two
Chapter Three
Chapter four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen.
Epilogue
Prologue
“These are good” Tony Marchetti stuffed one chocolate chip cookie into his mouth and scooped the last two cookies off the plate and into the front pocket of his shirt. “’anks ‘ibbyy” he mumbled at her as he stroled out a sliding glass door with crumbs trailing behind him. Libby McKay’s whole face lit up and she beamed a grin after him for many long moments after she could no longer see him.
Libby knew the cookies were good. Chocolate chip was Tony’s favorite, and Libby’s mom owned a bakery. She had taught Libby the secret to making the very best chocolate chip cookies. Libby had loved Tony for more than two years. And two years is a long time when you are nine years old.
Libby met Melanie Marchetti on the first day of second grade. Four days later, on a Friday night, Libby and Melanie took turns braiding each other’s hair in front of the television with a big bowl of popcorn between them—in true slumber party fashion. The back door slammed, Libby turned around, and in walked a boy dressed head to toe in mud. Immediately he began to elbow out of his stained footbal jersey, and using the relatively clean underside of that jersey he swiped most of the mud and dirt from his face. Soft brown eyes appeared out from under the layer of dirt. Dark shaggy hair fel across his forehead. He toed off his shoes and carried them with him into the Marchetti laundry room. When he reappeared he was wearing fresh jeans, and soft white tee shirt. His face and hair were damp, and stil smeared as if al he had bothered to do as far as washing was splash a handful of water on his face. Al of this happened in about 45 seconds. And for 45 seconds Libby stared, with her mouth wide open, and without taking a breath.
“Who’s this Pigtails?” The boy rounded the couch, tugging on the ends of Melanie’s painstakingly braided and styled hair, and plopped into the recliner across from them.
Mel’s hair was exactly color Libby wished for herself—a pale silvery blond; Libby had carefuly gathered it into one pretty French braid for her friend. Libby’s own dark curls had been slightly more sloppily arranged in two braids. Not pigtails realy, but al the same Libby quietly puled them out suddenly hating the childish hairstyle.
“Don’t cal me that!” Mel tossed a handful of popcorn at him. Lunging forward he chomped at the air trying in vain to catch the kernels. “You would need two for pigtails! Libby that’s Tony— my brother. He always cals me that even though I haven’t had pigtails since KINDEGARTEN!” The last word was yeled in her brother’s direction.
“Every day of kindergarten.” Tony chuckled as he brushed the popcorn off his shirt and stroled out of the room.
And that was al it took. Libby was in love. Not that she told Mel. She did have some pride after al.
Besides, Tony was 11 years old – and in Middle School!
After that first week of school Mel and Libby were rarely apart. They ate their lunches together in school, and they did their homework together at Mel’s house after school. On Saturdays they alternated between playing in Mel’s big back yard and playing at the park across from Libby’s apartment building. The first week of January Mel and Libby celebrated their birthdays together at the ice skating rink. Mel’s birthday was actualy in December but she didn’t mind waiting for her party because no one wanted to go to a birthday party right before Christmas anyway. In June when the Marchetti family spent a week in the outer banks Libby was invited along, and in July when Libby and her mom took a long weekend in Wiliamsburg, VA Mel tagged along. Of course a week spent in the outer banks had the added benefit of Tony’s company.
Nothing much changed in the third grade except Mel and Libby were forced to endure being in separate classes. They stil traded sandwiches at lunch time, and they stil watched The Little Mermaid every weekend, and Libby was stil in love with Tony. And that’s how it was year after year; Libby and Melanie were best friends and closer than sisters.
Chapter one
“It’s red.” Libby stared into the three-way mirror in the dressing room. At sixteen she was beginning to like what she saw in the mirror. Her hair was stil a plain dark brown, but Mel had spent the last summer experimenting with home hair dyes, and Libby reaped al the benefits with her almost expertly done low lights. Also over the last year her figure had certainly blossomed. Mel’s tal wilowy frame was more stylish, but Libby secretly preferred her own curves. The red dress that hugged her ful breasts, and draped just so over the swel of her hips would have hung awkwardly on her friend. “Red is not appropriate for a wedding.” Libby twisted slightly admiring how the steep slit winked open displaying one long leg.
“It’s a Christmas wedding Lib. I don’t think those rules apply. Besides it isn’t realy red—it’s more of a wine.” Mel sighed dramaticaly and flounced into a chair. “You can’t realy be considering putting it back. This dress was made for you, if anyone else were to wear it you could sue!”
“It’s not exactly a one of a kind; there is a rack ful of identical dresses waiting to drain other walets of other girls.” Libby was used to Mel’s dramatics. But she stil felt it was her duty to bring her friend’s brain out of fashion magazines and back to earth every now and then. “And while it isn’t haute couture it also isn’t exactly priced to move.” Grimacing at the price tag Libby mentaly calculated how many batches of cookie dough she would need to slave over to cover the price of the dress. Not that working at her mom’s eat your heart out café and bakery was ever realy slaving. She loved baking and it sure beat the retail job Mel was stuck with. That reminded her that Mel’s lunch break was almost over and a decision must be made if she was going to take shameless advantage of her friend’s employee discount. “Maybe I should try the pink one again?” She reached for the cocktail length dress chosen from the clearance rack.
“Absolutely not. This is a grown up event, and that is a little girl’s party dress!” Mel took a deep breath and started again in what she obviously thought was a casual tone. “Tony is flying in tonight, did I mention that? He decided he could use a break after his finals after al. And he didn’t realy want to miss Olivia’s wedding anyway.” Libby’s stomach turned over. “I thought he got a job for the winter break.”
“He did. Some newspaper— something gazette or herald or … whatever. He doesn’t start until Monday and mom and dad paid for his plane tickets so he’l be here tonight, go to the wedding tomorrow, and fly back Sunday afternoon.”
Actualy it was The Examiner in Trenton. He had rented a cheap apartment in New Jersey for the next two months and his salary would only just cover the rent, but he was so excited about the job he didn’t care if he ended up losing money. That was why he hadn’t originaly planned on making it to his cousin’s wedding. He was worried he would run out of cash and was hesitant to buy the tickets home. Of course Libby couldn’t exactly correct Mel.
Because Melanie didn’t exactly know that Libby had been talking to her brother lately. Wel not talking realy, but they had been trading short emails, and there had been a few late night online chats.
It was mostly just sily stuff. It must be hard for him to b
e away from home and it wouldn’t be very macho of him to be talking to his baby sister al the time, so Libby figured this was just his way of staying plugged into Lindstown. It was such a smal town they didn’t even have their own Examiner. So it was hardly like he could get his home-sick-fix any other way.
Anyway, there realy wasn’t that much to say. A couple times a week she would get a thril when she checked her email and saw [email protected] pop up in her inbox. It was never more than 3 or 4 lines.
Usualy about something sily in his day or lately about how much more stressful exams were as a sophomore as opposed to last year. Sometimes he would ask her about her schoolwork, or about the bakery. Once, he had sent her text message with a picture of a guy using an electric razor on the subway and the caption ‘only in NY, gotta love it’. It was the only time he had ever texted her, and she shamelessly looked at that stupid photo approximately 12
times a day. It made her grin so uncontrolably that she was careful not to sneak any peaks when Mel was around.
Twice, when she’d been online later than was normal for her TMarchetti: had popped up in a chat window over her email account. Both times they chatted for over an hour.
Talking to him was so easy; especialy online because if she wasn’t fighting the urge to swoon every time he smiled the conversation didn’t have any awkward pauses.
Tony was in the middle of his sophomore year at Columbia in New York. Libby knew he had recently decided on a journalism major. It made sense to her; Tony had a way with words. He always told the most bone chiling scary stories when they were kids. “So wil he be going to the wedding … with us?” Libby felt her face heat up and began concentrating on the hem of the gown in question. It was too humiliating that she couldn’t even muster Mel’s level of false casual tone.
“He doesn’t have a date if that’s what you mean.” Mel’s grin split open behind her, but the mirror stil gave Libby three horrifying views of it. “It’s is about time he noticed you weren’t a little girl anymore, and that dress wil get the message across loud and clear.”
“Don’t be ridiculous Mel.” Libby blustered her denial even as she made the decision to buy the red gown.
A girl was only young once right? And she could put in some extra time at the bakery over Christmas break anyway.
“Please, you have been drooling over him for years.
Not that I know why – you have seen his bedroom right?
The whole room ought to be condemned!”
“I don’t make a habit of hanging out in your brother’s room.” Libby caled from inside the dressing room where she was hurrying into her own clothes. It wasn’t precisely true, but there were some things a girl couldn’t share even with her best friend—especialy if that girl was in love with her best friend’s brother. “The red dress. You’re right, it is perfect and with your discount I can afford it.”
“Good. I am pretty sure my lunch break was up like 4 minutes ago.” Mel held out her arms for the dress as Libby emerged from the dressing room, and the girls headed for a cash register. “I’m not exactly glad that things with Cory didn’t work out, but as far as dates go I could do worse than you.” Mel linked arms with her best friend. The only reason Libby even had to spring for the stupid-beautiful-look-how-grown-up-I-am dress in the first place was because Mel and her boyfriend, Cory, had split up after Mel had rsvp’d a plus one. “I am glad you are going you know. I don’t know what you see in my slob of a brother but you would be a way improvement over miss cat’s eye glasses and turtlenecks.”
“Sorry, what?” With many years of practice Libby was usualy good at keeping up with Mel’s flitting train of thought, but she was genuinely stumped now.
“Over thanksgiving when I went to visit Tony in New York, and I had the most amazing Christmas shopping trip. Got more for myself than anyone else on the list, but totaly worth it. I do wish I had gone back for those boots…”
“Mel!”
“Right, sorry. When I went to visit him this Stephanie girl was always hanging around. They have a bunch of English classes together I guess. She wore turtlenecks al the time. It isn’t that cold in New York, and she wears cat’s eye glasses. We are not talking retro look how cute I am sun glasses. Oh no. These were ful-on 1950’s everyday eye-wear cat’s eye glasses. They might as wel have been on a lanyard!” Okay so the glasses thing was al Mel. Personaly it mattered very little to Libby what sort of eye-wear a person preferred, but a girl? Hanging around with Tony? And he hadn’t mentioned her… she would certainly have remembered that.
“So they are dating, but not go to a wedding with me dating, or not fly to North Carolina for a weekend with me or…” Libby couldn’t go on. It was too awful. Tony.
Girl. Cat’s eye glasses. Suddenly she completely agreed with Mel that 1950’s eye glasses were obviously tacky.
“I don’t know. I got the impression they had gone out a few times but it isn’t like I found her name scrawled next to his on his school books or anything. He is going to love the dress. You know he and Olivia have never been very close. I didn’t realy think he minded missing out on the wedding, and then the other day I told him about Cory
—and that you were my new date. Voila, home for the weekend. Makes you think.”
But al Libby was thinking of as she walked to her car with her bags was little miss turtlenecks and her cat’s eye glasses. Stephanie. She even had a stupid name.
Actualy Libby had an aunt named Stephanie, and the name had never bothered her before. But she hadn’t been thinking objectively then, and of course now she was al about objectiveness—right. It shouldn’t matter. She knew about objectiveness—right. It shouldn’t matter. She knew Tony dated, she knew he had had girlfriends. Some of those girlfriends had been to the Marchetti’s for dinner on nights when Libby was also there. But now, wel was it her imagination that she and Tony had gotten closer lately?
Certainly he hadn’t ever emailed her last year while he was away at school, and then there had been al those late nights in his bedroom.
Last summer when Libby’s mom had been invited to teach a two week workshop at some pastry school in Pennsylvania Libby spent 14 perfect days at the Marchetti’s home. Not that she was glad when Mel caught a nasty stomach bug the last 5 days of her visit, but she hadn’t been in a hurry to turn Tony down when he offered to take the couch and give Libby his bed so she would stay germ free.
Tony had made a smal attempt to clean up, and of course Mrs. Marchetti had changed the sheets, but it was stil his room. His bed. His space. Just remembering gave her goose bumps. The Tuesday that Mel started feeling il the new sleeping arrangements were finalized and her things were moved to Tony’s room by 7:00. It had been too early for bed realy, but for the first time in eight years she had felt awkward and out of place in the Marchetti home. With the family room transformed into Tony’s temporary bedroom, there weren’t a lot of options. So she had changed into her pjs, borrowed a book from the family library, and settled nervously on top of Tony’s twin bed to read and wait for sleepiness to claim her.
At first she almost didn’t hear the knock at the door. But then came a louder knock. “Libby? You aren’t asleep already are you?” Tony’s voice always gave her heart flutters but Libby had forced herself to sound calm.
“No. Come on in. Is this okay?” Libby gestured indicating where she was sitting on his bed.
“Of course.” Tony puled a face and shook his head at her. “We told you it was fine a milion times. I don’t mind the couch realy – Mom never let me have a TV
in here anyway, and in the dorm I got used to faling asleep to Letterman’s top ten. I just thought it was pretty early. In al the years I’ve known you I don’t think I have ever seen you hit the sack before midnight.”
“Wel I usualy have very important and secret slumber party rituals to complete” Libby was relaxing more and finding that talking to Tony in her pjs, in his bedroom wasn’t al that different from talking to Tony anywhere else.
Except that now she wasn’t wearing a bra, and that had realy started to matter lately. Shivering nervously Libby looked around for a discreet way to cover herself.
Tony must have seen her shiver because he grabbed a blue hoodie off a hook on the back of the door, and tossed it to her. “Here … it can get chily in here.” He made himself a little busy straightening the frame holding his high school diploma on the wal for several seconds.
“Thanks.” Libby shrugged into his sweatshirt inhaling deeply the mix of his cologne and laundry detergent
–a smel that was distinctly his.
When she looked up Tony was looking at her a little strangely. “It is clean. I wore it for a few minutes yesterday, but only out to the mailbox and back, it’s clean.”
“Okay. It’s clean.” Now Libby almost thought Tony might have been the nervous one, but that was probably just her over active imagination Shaking off the weird moment Tony produced a very battered monopoly box from under his arm. “I thought we could play. Maybe it’s time we had our own slumber party rituals.” The last part was said with a teasing grin and despite the fact that her heart was desperately trying to pound its way out of her chest an easiness settled back over them. Tony sat cross legged at the foot of the bed and set up the board between them.
They played for hours, and talked the whole time.
It was the first time Libby could remember having any lengthy conversation with Tony that didn’t also include another member of the Marchetti clan. And they talked about a lot of stuff. First they debated the strategy behind great monopoly players: green properties vs. blue (green obviously), and utilities vs. railroads (railroads if you could get al four of them were the better deal by far). Eventualy the topics spun off and they were discussing life, and classes, and coleges. When Libby admitted she had tried out for cheerleading at the end of the school year Tony laughed.
“You would make a terrible cheerleader.”