Penalty Points

by Bonnie Bryant

  But Lisa never gave her a chance to say a word. “I can’t believe you did this to me!” she shrieked. “Were you actually trying to ruin my life, or was it just some kind of stupid, idiotic mistake?”

  Carole was glad the music had started again, keeping most of the partyers from overhearing. She only wished she didn’t have to hear it, either.

  “Never mind,” Lisa went on bitterly before Carole could say a word. “I don’t even care. It doesn’t matter. All I know is that this is all your fault. Alex and I are through. I hope you’re happy.”

  That was too much for Carole to take. She wanted to explain, to apologize, to defend herself—it wasn’t her fault, how could it be?—but suddenly she knew that it was no use, she just couldn’t find the words right then. Lisa’s onslaught, her hurtful words, rolled over Carole and overcame her, crumbling all her strength, setting her roiled and guilty emotions free to bubble over. She couldn’t handle this confrontation right then, not when she felt like this.…

  Bursting into tears, Carole pushed past Lisa and ran blindly from the room.

  SIX

  Stevie knocked on her brother’s bedroom door. “Alex?” she called, testing the knob. The door was locked. “Alex, it’s me. Let me in.”

  “Go away,” said Alex’s muffled voice from the other side of the door.

  Stevie wasn’t giving up that easily. She didn’t think her brother should be alone at a time like this, and she certainly didn’t think that he and Lisa should just let things end as they were. She had to get in there to talk to him, help him figure out what to do. “Let me in!” she insisted, rattling the knob again. “Come on. Open the door.”

  After a moment he relented, opening the door a few inches and peering suspiciously through the crack. “Is it just you?”

  “Just me, myself, and I. Now let us all in.” Stevie pushed the door all the way open and entered, glancing at her brother’s haggard, blotchy face. Inside, the noise of the party faded to a dull, distant roar. “That was quite a scene down there,” she said carefully. “Are you okay?”

  “What do you think?” Alex closed and locked the door, then wandered aimlessly around his messy room for a moment, finally dropping onto his desk chair with a sigh.

  Stevie perched on the edge of the bed, not knowing what to say. She was rarely at a loss for words, but this was a situation she’d hoped never to face. Besides that, her mind was still reeling at what Carole had just told her. She’d known that Skye and Lisa had always been close, but she’d never even suspected that they might—but there was no time to think about that just then. “So …,” she said leadingly. “Pretty big shock, huh?”

  “Duh,” Alex said bitterly, scratching at some chipped paint on the arm of his chair and avoiding Stevie’s eyes. “I can’t believe she did this to me.”

  That makes two of us, Stevie thought, but she didn’t say it out loud. She was there to try to help her brother through this crisis, not worry about her own relationship with Lisa. “Well, look on the bright side,” she said, reaching for irony. “At least this makes her big confession about wanting to maybe stay in California seem pretty minor in comparison, huh?”

  “What?” Alex looked up quickly. “What are you talking about?”

  “You mean she didn’t tell you?” Stevie gulped, annoyed. She promised, she thought. She promised me weeks ago that she’d tell him about that. She knew how I felt about keeping secrets from my own twin!

  “Tell me,” Alex ordered.

  Even if she could have taken back her words, she wouldn’t have done it. Maybe this wasn’t the ideal time, but Alex needed to know the truth. And if Lisa hadn’t told him, Stevie was going to have to do it. “Okay, now remember I’m just the messenger, okay?” she said. “Just before she came back here at the end of the summer, Lisa got the idea that maybe she should stay on in California. Spend her senior year there, live with her dad and Evelyn, maybe continue with her job on the TV set. She thought it would, like, help expand her horizons more or something like that, I guess. You know how she gets about stuff like that sometimes.” She shrugged. “Obviously, she decided to come back here after all. But I guess she really stewed over it for a while.”

  “She never told me that.” Alex’s voice was low and nearly emotionless. “I had no idea.”

  Stevie leaned toward him, examining his face closely. “You’re not mad because I didn’t tell you about this before, are you?” she asked anxiously. “I mean, I would have, but Lisa promised that she’d—”

  “It’s okay.” Alex cut her off with a weary wave of his hand. “Whatever. I wish you’d told me sooner. But it’s okay. It’s not like it’s even that big a deal compared with … that other thing.” He shrugged. “It’s just like the icing on the cake, you know?”

  “What do you mean?” Stevie asked cautiously.

  Alex shrugged, a shadow of pain flickering across his angry face. “It proves I can’t trust her—not about the big stuff, or even the little stuff. So what’s the point?” He scowled. “For all I care, she can rush back to California right now and start dating Skye. Or maybe I should say dating him again—who knows what else she hasn’t told me about?” He shook his head. “We are so over it’s not even funny.”

  Stevie certainly didn’t feel like laughing. “Well, okay,” she said helplessly. Once again, she didn’t know what to say. She certainly wasn’t about to defend what Lisa had done. She was sure that Lisa hadn’t actually cheated on Alex that summer—well, 99.9 percent sure, anyway—but that was hardly the point. Their relationship had always been built on honesty, and now …

  Stevie took a deep breath. So far she wasn’t being much help to Alex. She certainly wasn’t making him feel any better. Maybe she shouldn’t even try. He didn’t have much to be cheerful about at the moment. The only one who could fix this situation, if anyone could, was Lisa herself. And there was no chance of that while Alex was locked up in his room.

  “Come on,” Stevie said, standing and walking toward her brother. “You can’t hide in here all night.”

  “Why not?” he asked sullenly.

  Stevie shoved at him, trying to push him off his chair onto his feet. “Because,” she replied firmly, “you can’t let her see how much this is bothering you. Right? So buck up and get back out there.”

  Alex reluctantly stood. “I guess.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Stevie hid her smile of satisfaction. Now maybe they were getting somewhere. She couldn’t remember how many times she and Phil had stormed off after some stupid argument or other, then made up as soon as they set eyes on each other again, remembering how much they loved each other and how little anything else mattered when you got right down to it. Surely the same thing would happen here. Wouldn’t it?

  It has to, Stevie told herself as she followed her brother out of the bedroom. It just has to.…

  A few minutes later Callie was standing in the hallway in front of a small table full of food, spreading soft cheese on a cracker, when Alex appeared at her side. “Hi,” she said, a little surprised to see him so soon after his knock-down-drag-out, very public breakup with Lisa. Not certain what to say to someone in such a situation, Callie held out her cracker. “Want one?”

  “Thanks.” Alex accepted the cracker and stuffed it into his mouth. “I’m starved. Stevie barely let us stop for lunch while we were setting up for this party earlier. And as for dinner, forget it.” He laughed briefly.

  Callie smiled along, wondering what his behavior meant. Did he and Lisa make up already? she wondered. But looking at his closed-off and wary expression, she somehow didn’t think so. Maybe he just wants to take his mind off it all. He could probably use some help. I wish Scott were here. He’s so good at this sort of stuff.…

  She glanced through the living room doorway to where her brother was holding court in the center of another group of eager voters. As usual, Veronica was glued to his side, smiling proudly as he talked. Her brother, her father, her mother—they were all so good at talk
ing to people, making them feel comfortable no matter what the situation. Callie had often wondered how she had managed to be born without that particular talent.

  But there was no time to worry about that now. She could either make an excuse and ditch Alex immediately, or she could do her best to help. After quickly fixing herself another cracker, Callie turned back to Alex with a smile. “So,” she said brightly. “Look at Emily over there. She’s really having a great time, I think.”

  Alex glanced at Emily, who was perched on the stairs a few yards away, talking animatedly to a large group of friends. “That’s great,” he said. “I can hardly believe she’s moving so soon.”

  “I know,” Callie agreed. “I’m really going to miss her. She’s been an incredible help with my therapeutic riding. Still, I think she’ll do great in Australia.”

  “Definitely. Knowing Emily, she’ll be bronco-busting kangaroos before you know it.” Alex smiled briefly, his expression lightening slightly.

  Callie took that as encouragement that she was helping to improve his mood. “All I can say is it’s a good thing she doesn’t go to Fenton Hall,” she joked. “If she did, there’s no way Scott and Stevie would let her move before that election. And if they did let her, they’d be looking into absentee voting! They’re taking their campaign pretty seriously.”

  “You’re right about that. Check it out.” This time Alex actually chuckled. He nodded toward Scott’s group.

  Callie turned and saw that Stevie had just barged in on the group, knocking Veronica aside and planting herself next to Scott. Callie grinned. “Hey, maybe after this election is over, Stevie could get a job with Dad,” she commented. “He could use her help chasing away some of the more annoying reporters that are always following him around.”

  “Sounds good,” Alex agreed. “I always knew that Stevie’s unique personality must have some useful purpose.”

  Callie felt proud of herself as she observed his bemused expression. There was still a shadow—sadness, anger, or maybe both—on his face. But he definitely looked more relaxed than he had when he’d first come over to her. Maybe she actually had inherited some of her parents’ people skills after all.

  “How’s it going, A.J.?” Alex said, snapping Callie out of her own self-satisfied thoughts.

  Looking up, she saw that A.J. was hurrying toward them. His face was flushed and sweaty under his reddish brown hair, and he looked weary.

  He blinked at Alex and Callie as he stopped in front of the food table. “Oh, hi,” he said distractedly before grabbing a large handful of crackers and stuffing them into his mouth. “I’m starved,” he mumbled through a mouthful of crumbs.

  Callie was feeling so pumped up by her success with Alex that she decided to give it another try. She’d noticed that A.J. had been trying really hard all evening to seem like he was having the time of his life, but it was obvious to anyone with two eyes in their head that it was all an act. She guessed that he was still too upset about his adoption to think about much else, even in the middle of a party.

  “Listen, A.J.,” she said gently as he reached for another handful of crackers. “I just wanted to tell you. We don’t really know each other that well or anything, but if you ever need someone to talk to about the whole adoption thing, I’m here for you, okay?”

  A.J. stopped short with his hand halfway to his mouth. He stared at Callie. “Oh, really?” he snapped, his voice bitter and harsh. “Great. Didn’t anyone ever think that I might be sick of talking about that? That it’s not the only thing I know how to talk about?”

  He turned and rushed toward the front door before Callie or Alex could react.

  Callie felt like kicking herself. So much for her sudden great understanding of human nature. Why couldn’t she just have minded her own business as usual? She knew A.J. couldn’t just leave, since Phil had driven him there, but she didn’t want him to hide outside by himself and sulk.

  She watched anxiously as his girlfriend cut him off before he reached the door. Julianna’s pretty face was distraught, and she held out her arms to him beseechingly. A.J. only spun around and raced back down the hall in the opposite direction. His face was grim as he passed Callie and Alex. He veered to the right and disappeared into the narrow hallway leading to the laundry room.

  SEVEN

  Lisa was locked in the first-floor powder room, trying to get her emotions back under control. It had been a good fifteen or twenty minutes since she and Alex had broken up in front of practically everyone they knew, and she still couldn’t quite believe it had really happened.

  Why? she wondered as she dabbed at her dripping mascara with a piece of toilet paper. Why did this have to happen to us?

  She knew at least part of the answer to that—she had kept secrets from Alex, and now she was paying the price. Still, she couldn’t help thinking that the price was much too high. Hadn’t she kept the secret about Skye precisely because she had known that he might react—or, rather, overreact—this way? What else could she have done?

  She felt a flush of intense anger as she thought about the way Alex had jumped to conclusions, flown off the handle, acted like a total jerk in front of everyone. But her fury passed as quickly as it had come. Tossing the bit of tissue into the wastebasket under the sink, she sank onto the toilet lid and buried her face in her hands. She wasn’t ready to forgive Alex for the way he had acted out there, but the overwhelming finality of what they’d said to each other was just starting to sink in. Could it really be true? Could their relationship—the romance that Lisa had been so sure was the love of her life—truly be over?

  I can’t believe it, she thought desolately. It hardly seems possible that my whole life could change just like that, almost in the blink of an eye. That the two of us could just stop caring for each other. Forever.

  The more she thought about it, the more depressed she was. Her feelings were still too raw for her to know quite how she felt about Alex now, but she found herself already mourning the life they’d shared, all the stupid little things she’d taken for granted until she’d realized she’d lost them. Sharing sundaes after school. Tickle fights on the sofa. Stolen underwater kisses in the Lakes’ backyard pool. Foot rubs after a long trail ride in tight boots. Always knowing she had the perfect date for every school dance, every Saturday night … Even her Thanksgiving plans were ruined now.

  Not to mention my friendship with Stevie, she thought, more upset than ever when that occurred to her. She shook her head, feeling as though she might never be able to handle it all.

  There was only one thing she knew for sure. If Carole hadn’t opened her big mouth, this wouldn’t have been happening. Lisa rubbed her eyes angrily as the tears started to come again. How could one of her best friends have betrayed her this way?

  Carole was feeling sad and angry herself at that moment. She was sitting on the cold cement floor of the garage, hidden away between the spare refrigerator and the lawn mower, wiping away a few final tears. She had been sobbing her eyes out ever since Lisa had yelled at her, until finally she couldn’t cry anymore.

  That didn’t mean she felt much better, though. She was tempted to stay right where she was for the foreseeable future, hiding and avoiding the consequences of her own thoughtless words. How could one little comment, one secret, have sparked such a huge disaster? She had no idea, and she didn’t really want to think about it. She just wanted it all to go away.

  She was startled out of her thoughts when the garage door suddenly flew open with a bang and then slammed shut again. A.J. rushed in, his face flushed, but he stopped short when he saw her sitting there.

  “Oh,” he said flatly. “I didn’t know anyone was here.” He turned as if to go but then hesitated. “What are you doing out here, anyway?”

  “Hiding,” she admitted. “Didn’t you see what happened in there before?” She brushed at a damp spot on her left cheek and blinked at him.

  “Oh. Right,” he said as if a lightbulb had just gone on in his head. “
Well, okay then.” He shot her a cautious glance. “So you’re probably not going to start in on me with some sensible discussion of the psychological ramifications of adoption, huh?”

  Carole shook her head and sniffled loudly. “I don’t think so.”

  “Cool.” A.J. lowered himself to the floor, squatting a few feet in front of her with his arms on his knees. He gazed at her somberly. “So can I hide out here with you?”

  Carole gave him a tiny smile, suddenly glad for the company. “Sure. As long as you don’t start lecturing me about how I should think before I speak.”

  A.J. shook his head vigorously. “No way,” he declared. “I’m a big believer in blurting. I try never to think before I speak. When I accidentally do, I just ignore my brain and blurt out whatever I was going to say anyway.”

  Carole giggled. For once the old A.J. seemed to be back, silly and likable as ever, and she was happy about that. She scooted forward a little, out from the shadow of her hiding place. “Okay, then,” she said. “We know what we don’t want to talk about. So what do you want to talk about instead?”

  “How about how thirsty I am? I just ate about a thousand dry, salty crackers, and I’m totally parched.” A.J. clutched at his throat and pretended to gag by way of illustration. Then he glanced at the refrigerator beside Carole. “D’you think they stashed any sodas in there?”

  “Um …” Carole’s mind flashed back to the beer she and Alex had found. But before she could respond, A.J. had opened the refrigerator door.

  His eyes widened. “Yow,” he commented. “Not just sodas.”

  He shrugged and reached toward the lower shelf, tossing Carole a cola and then reaching for another.

  He hesitated. “You know,” he said slowly, “who needs soda anyway?” He snapped a can of beer out of its plastic six-pack ring and held it up. “This might be just what the doctor ordered.” Before Carole could react, he popped open the top and took a gulp, grimacing for a second but then smiling broadly. “Aaah! Nothing like a nice cold one when you’re feeling down.”