Homecoming Queen

by Melody Carlson

  “Glad my handicap comes in handy for something,” said DJ sarcastically.

  By the time DJ got herself situated in the passenger seat, Casey was already buckling up in the backseat. Just another reminder of how slow DJ had become. She wondered if going to school this soon was a mistake.

  But the morning went fairly smoothly. Sure, she was late to most of her classes and needed help carrying things, but everyone was surprisingly kind and encouraging. It was actually kind of sweet. By lunchtime she was even feeling slightly euphoric, if not sore. She’d gotten lots of pats on the back which, while physically painful, were also encouraging. Everyone seemed to think it was pretty cool that she’d risked life and limb to save Coach Jones’s little boy. Still, the sooner the hoopla died down, the happier she’d be.

  One benefit was that it seemed some of the prejudiced attitudes in regard to Coach Jones had also changed. Prior to the accident and the revelation of her little boy and boyfriend, a lot of kids had assumed she was gay — simply because she wore her hair short and dressed in athletic clothes and coached. To be fair, even DJ had wondered herself. Now she felt guilty about this — although she figured that Coach Jones would’ve forgiven her under the circumstances.

  “Sit here, DJ.” Eliza nudged Kriti to make room at their table, and DJ slowly eased herself down next to Eliza.

  “I’ll get your crutches,” said Kriti, hopping up.

  “And here’s your lunch tray,” said Casey as she set it down in front of her.

  “Do you think you’re going to gain some votes by having DJ sit next to you?” asked Taylor from the other end of the table.

  Eliza gave her a surprised look. “I was just trying to make sure DJ was comfortable. That’s all.”

  Of course, as DJ thought about it, she suspected that Taylor was right. Still, she wasn’t about to move.

  “How are you feeling?” Eliza asked DJ with what seemed like genuine concern.

  “Surprisingly well.” DJ stuck her straw in her soda.

  “Are you on pain meds?” asked Taylor.

  “Not the heavy-duty ones during school,” DJ told her. “They make me too loopy. My physical therapist suggested Advil.”

  Talk drifted to the homecoming queen campaign. Kriti was ticked that Madison had copied them by giving away chocolates.

  “But they’re not Godiva,” pointed out Rhiannon.

  Eliza laughed. “Yes, they’re just little Hershey Kisses.”

  “Maybe you should try giving out some real kisses,” Harry teased Eliza.

  “We can leave that to Taylor,” said Kriti.

  “As a matter of fact, Taylor has a kissing scene with Bradford today,” said Eliza.

  DJ glanced over to where Rhiannon was quietly eating lunch. Everyone knew this was still a sore spot for her. Although Bradford had been keeping a low profile lately, rumor was that he wanted to get back with Rhiannon. She wasn’t saying much about it, and she pretended not to listen as the group bantered back and forth — stirring things up even more between Eliza and Taylor.

  “I think I’m going to get a head start to drama,” said DJ. “Rhiannon, would you help me with my bag?”

  “I can help,” offered Eliza eagerly.

  “No, that’s okay,” said Rhiannon, quickly grabbing DJ’s Hermès bag. “I’ve got it.”

  “Thanks,” said DJ as Rhiannon handed her the crutches and they both started making a path for the door.

  “Thank you,” said Rhiannon. “That’s the first time this week that I’ve sat with them during lunch. I should’ve known that someone would say something.”

  “So, how are you doing with that?” DJ waited for Rhiannon to push open the door to the courtyard.

  Rhiannon shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

  “Casey said that Bradford wants to get back together with you.”

  “I don’t know if I feel the same way.”

  “Yeah, that would be hard.”

  “I mean, I really do like him, and I’ve even forgiven him. But how do you forget something like that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “So, anyway, he might as well keep his distance,” said Rhiannon.

  “How do you feel about his love scene with Taylor?”

  Rhiannon actually laughed now. “I think I’m relieved that it’s not with me. I mean, how awkward would that have been. As it is, he’s been treating Taylor like a piranha.”

  “The boy’s learning.” Then DJ told Rhiannon about the deal Taylor made with Casey.

  “Casey did seem a little stressed last night,” admitted Rhiannon. “Despite her tough girl act, I think that girl is very tenderhearted. She just holds most of her feelings inside.”

  “She’s always been like that.”

  “She needs the Lord,” said Rhiannon.

  “Yep.”

  “And, even though I hate to agree with Taylor on anything, I think it’s only fair that Casey does straighten that whole thing out with her.”

  “I know. I wouldn’t tell Casey this, but I do think she got off a little too easily. Taylor could’ve taken her to court.”

  At the end of the day, DJ wasn’t feeling quite as on top of things as she had earlier. The fun and newness slowly wore off and now she felt mostly tired and sore. Still, she had promised Conner that she’d go to his soccer match.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go home now?” asked Taylor as she jingled DJ’s car keys in front of her.

  “I do want to go home,” admitted DJ. “But I told Conner I’d watch his game.”

  “How about if we just watch half of it?” suggested Taylor.

  DJ wanted to ask about the “we” part, since she hadn’t exactly invited Taylor to join her, but maybe Taylor was just trying to be helpful.

  “Okay,” agreed DJ. “Unless it’s a really good game or I get my second wind. In that case, I might want to stay for the whole thing.”

  “Sure,” said Taylor. “Whatever.”

  But as soon as they got to the game, DJ didn’t know if she wanted to stay at all.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Taylor when DJ stopped part way through the stands. “Is your leg hurting?”

  DJ shook her head and just stared down at the field where Conner and Haley were standing and talking. Okay, that shouldn’t have been a big deal, but something about the way Conner was looking at Haley, something about the distance between them — like two inches — well, it made DJ’s stomach twist into a tight knot.

  “Oh.” Taylor nodded. “I think I see the problem.”

  “It’s probably nothing.” But DJ just kept standing there, unsure whether to continue on or not.

  “Do you want to leave?”

  DJ pressed her lips together as she continued watching Conner talking to Haley. He was totally oblivious to her. And why wouldn’t he be? There before him was a beautiful little pixie girl, her head tilted up, her eyes all sparkling. She adored him. And he was eating it up!

  “We can just turn and leave, DJ,” said Taylor quietly.

  “Okay.” Of course, that was easier said than done. Pivoting herself in the narrow walkway between bleachers required careful coordination, but finally DJ was turned around and going as quickly as her crutches would carry her away from there. She didn’t pause until they were safely hidden in the stairway that led into the stadium.

  Taylor didn’t say anything as they continued out and toward the parking lot. All DJ could think was, why not? Why wouldn’t Conner prefer Haley to her? Besides the fact that Haley was pretty and nice and smart — wasn’t that how Conner had first described her to DJ — she was ambulatory!

  “I’m sorry,” said Taylor once they were in the car.

  DJ turned and looked at her with surprise. “Oh. Yeah. Thanks.”

  “If that was what it looked like, I think Conner is an idiot and a jerk.”

  “Maybe.” DJ felt tears burning now, but she was determined not to cry. At least not here. Not now. “But to be fair, I’m not a lot of fun these days. And C
onner is an active guy. He likes sports. He needs a girlfriend who can keep up.”

  Taylor said a foul word.

  “Anyway,” DJ tried to sound more positive. “It might be nothing.”

  “If it was nothing, why did we leave?”

  “Because I really am tired,” said DJ. “Going to the soccer match was probably a dumb idea.”

  “Works for me.” Taylor started the car and pulled out a little quickly from the parking lot.

  “Hey,” yelled DJ. “Take it easy, will ya?”

  Taylor slowed down now. “Sorry. I guess I tend to be an emotional driver.”

  “Then you should be careful on your Vespa,” warned DJ as she turned on her CD player. She was trying not to think about Conner and Haley.

  “Hey, turn that one up,” said Taylor.

  So DJ cranked it up and Taylor started singing along. To her own surprise, DJ did too. And they actually sounded pretty good together. Well, as long as the volume was up. But it did help DJ to forget, at least for now.

  Once they were home, Taylor sat down on the porch and shook out a cigarette. “Care to join me?” she asked DJ.

  DJ made a face. “Yeah, right.” Then she looked around and realized that it was really a nice day — one of those last days in September when it felt almost like summer. Sitting on the sunny porch sounded kind of tempting. “I’d join you,” she told Taylor, “not for a cigarette, but just for the sunshine. But I need to take a pain pill.”

  “Want me to get one for you?” asked Taylor.

  DJ considered this. It was actually very tempting. But, on the other hand, she didn’t really want Taylor to know she’d hidden them. “That’s okay,” she said slowly. “I need to use the bathroom anyway.”

  “Want something cool to drink?” Taylor took a slow drag.

  “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

  “Okay, let me finish this up, and I’ll go get us something.”

  DJ knew that Taylor was being nice to her because she felt sorry about the deal with Conner. Still, DJ appreciated it. She used the bathroom and went for her sock drawer, but when she opened up the sock, she noticed that — once again — there seemed to be pills missing. She shook them out into her hand to see that there were eight pills. That meant about ten had been taken! Someone had found her secret stash. She took two with water and put the remaining six pills in a Kleenex and stuck them in her jeans pocket. She went back downstairs where Taylor was already setting out a couple of sodas as well as a small bowl of pretzels on the table.

  “Taylor,” said DJ in a firm voice. “Do you happen to know where I put my Vicodin?”

  “Huh?” Taylor looked up.

  “My Vicodin pills — have you seen them?”

  “Not since you were staying in Inez’s room downstairs. Why? Did someone take them again?” Taylor shook out another cigarette.

  DJ just stared at Taylor, trying to determine if she was telling the truth or not. She certainly looked unconcerned enough. But she was also a good actress.

  “I thought you were going to hide them really well this time,” said Taylor as she popped open a can.

  “I did.”

  “Apparently not. Where did you hide them anyway?”

  DJ sat down and folded her arms across her chest.

  “Look,” Taylor said, “it doesn’t matter if you tell me since that spot obviously didn’t work.”

  “In my sock drawer.”

  Taylor laughed. “In your sock drawer? That’s almost as bad as in your underwear drawer.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That’s where people always go looking for valuable things, DJ. It’s always the underwear drawer first — you know, way in the back behind a lacy bra. Then the sock drawer. Then the jewelry box. Then under the mattress. The obvious places.”

  “Oh.” DJ reached for a soda and frowned. “I guess that makes sense.”

  “Did she take all of them?”

  “No, I have eight left.”

  Taylor shook her head. “So, what are you going to do? I’m sure your doctor is going to wonder why you’re using so much Vicodin.”

  “Fortunately, I think I can get by just using it at bedtime.”

  “So that gives you four nights?”

  “Actually three. I just took two.”

  “Oh.” Taylor scowled. “Well, that just sucks, DJ. Someone in the house is taking your pills, and you’re the one who will suffer.”

  “I know.”

  “I know you don’t want me to say this, but I bet it’s Casey.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of a conversation I had with her when she first moved here.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She admitted that she’d had a little substance abuse problem before.”

  “Really?” DJ considered this. “She didn’t tell me.”

  “I don’t think she was exactly proud of it.” Taylor blew out a puff of smoke. “But she caught me smoking and I think that made her feel like she could trust me.” Taylor laughed now. “Not that she does anymore.”

  Somehow this made sense. Casey had told DJ a few things, and she’d also left out a few things. Still, DJ hated to think . . .

  “Casey was in your room last night,” pointed out Taylor. “Helping you get ready for bed.”

  “Yes, but she was in the bathroom when I took my pills.”

  “Did she know you were taking your pills?”

  DJ tried to remember. “Well, yeah, because she was getting me a glass of water. But she wasn’t in the room when I got them.”

  “Think about it,” said Taylor. “All she’d need to do is peek through the crack in the bathroom door. She could plainly see the bedside table from there.”

  DJ looked suspiciously at Taylor now. “How would you know?”

  “It’s geometry. Think about it.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Oh, and remember when Casey suddenly needed to get something upstairs when we were all heading to school this morning. What was up with that?”

  DJ took a sip of soda and considered this. “I suppose it’s possible.”

  “She had motive and opportunity.”

  DJ rolled her eyes. “What are you, Nancy Drew?”

  Taylor laughed.

  “So what should I do about it?” asked DJ.

  “Confront her.”

  “You mean accuse her?”

  “Accuse, confront, whatever trips your trigger.” Taylor picked up a pretzel. “As I recall, you accused me, didn’t you?”

  DJ sighed. “Yeah, but you make it so easy. Everyone wants to accuse you of everything.”

  “So I’ve noticed.”

  “I think you enjoy being the bad girl, Taylor. It’s like an addiction, or you need the attention or something.”

  “Or maybe it’s just easier than being good.”

  16

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU,” said Casey hotly.

  DJ took in a slow breath. “I’m just asking.”

  “If I took your Vicodin?”

  “That’s what I said.” DJ watched Casey’s expression go from angry to hurt and back to angry again.

  “I thought you were my friend.”

  “I am your friend, Casey. But I think you might have a problem.”

  “Me?” Her voice was getting pretty loud now. DJ got worried that the other girls might overhear them. She’d asked Casey to meet her in the library and then even closed the door. For Casey’s sake, she wanted to keep this private.

  DJ just nodded. “Can’t we just talk in a civilized manner?”

  “Why would I want to talk to you?” Casey stood and went to the door.

  “If you have a problem — ”

  “You’re the one with the problem,” said Casey. “To go around accusing your friends of stealing your drugs. Sheesh!”

  “I just asked you, and — ”

  “Asked, accused — what’s the difference?” Casey turned and looked at DJ with a wounded expression. “And why me an
yway? Why wouldn’t you have accused someone else? For instance, Taylor? Now that at least makes sense. Or how about the housekeeper or the cook? Or even your grandmother — we all know she’s a little loopy sometimes.”

  DJ watched as Casey reached for the doorknob, as if getting ready to leave. “If it makes you feel better, I did accuse Taylor.”

  “And, naturally, she denied it.”

  “Quite believably too.”

  “Meaning you don’t believe me?” Casey glared at DJ now.

  DJ didn’t want to admit it, but she was a little stunned by Casey’s angry reaction. She had tried to do this very gently, just mentioning that some pills were gone, and suddenly Casey had gone ballistic.

  “Well, think what you want to, DJ. I think this whole hero business has gone straight to your head. Or maybe you’ve been overdosing on your stupid pills. But you are flipping nuts!” Casey stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

  “What’s going on between you and Casey?” Rhiannon asked DJ as the two of them met at the foot of the stairs.

  “Nothing,” muttered DJ. She wished she hadn’t mentioned this to anyone. What a mess.

  “Well, it looked like more than nothing to me. She was enraged, and she told me you’d lost your mind.”

  “I just asked her about something, and she got offended.”

  “Anything serious?”

  DJ shrugged.

  “Anything I can help you with?”

  DJ knew she could trust Rhiannon. She also knew that she needed some help — and some perspective. It was one thing to listen to Taylor, but Taylor didn’t always show the best judgment, or morals. DJ tipped her head toward the library, and Rhiannon led the way. DJ followed her in, gently closing the door behind her. “You can’t tell anyone, okay?”

  Rhiannon nodded. “What’s up?”

  So DJ quietly retold the story from the beginning, and Rhiannon thoughtfully listened.

  “So you really don’t think it’s Taylor then?”

  “I really don’t. I mean, I realize that Taylor would be the usual suspect and that she’s been known to lie, but I think I can sort of read her. And, I’m almost beginning to understand her a little.”

  Rhiannon frowned like she wasn’t so sure. “And what makes you so certain that it’s really Casey?”

  “I’m not, actually,” DJ said. “But her reaction makes me wonder. It was so abrupt. I mean, she wasn’t even rational. She wouldn’t even discuss it with me. And when Taylor told me about Casey’s confession, well, it sort of rang true to me.”