Slip

Pearls of wisdom by Ms. Hove:

  Jealousy is a natural feeling. Many teens experiencing jealousy keep their feelings hidden for fear of appearing desperate or controlling in the eyes of their loved one. This is unwise. The healthiest way to combat jealousy is to discuss it openly. Although it may be unpleasant, taking time to explain this powerful emotion will only strengthen your relationship.

  Curled up on the sofa, a fuzzy blanket draped over her knees, Vivien tapped her pencil impatiently. The pages of her textbook stared up her, daring her to make any sense of them. It was no use; her mind was elsewhere. And not just her mind, her entire being. All she wanted to think about was Declan. Even though he’d forbidden her from calling him perfect, there was no other word to describe him. And you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who’d disagree. Why, just the other week he’d managed to get Dashayla away from the crayons and onto the basketball court. Before Vivien knew it, the once shy girl was dribbling and shooting right along with the boys. She was soaked with sweat by the time they had to go, but the grin on her face was priceless. Now she requested Declan every Wednesday. He was always in high demand. As it was, Vivien was scheming how to get her Declan fix this very minute.

  Earlier, after school, the urge to bake something had resulted in a large pan of homemade brownies, complete with a thick layer of gooey chocolate frosting. As she’d stood licking her fingers, she’d decided that this would be the perfect surprise for Declan. Who else loved food like he did? There was only the slight glitch of how to make the delivery.

  Lauren picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Vivs, what’s up?”

  “Not much. Listen. Are you busy right now? I really need a favor.”

  “What is it?”

  She quickly explained her plan. Naturally, Lauren was immediately on board. Anything to do with secret missions and boys and she was there.

  “When can you get here?” Vivien asked, eager to get going.

  “Give me fifteen minutes.”

  “Great. I’ll be out front.”

  True to her word, Lauren was at her door fifteen minutes later.

  “So what’s in the box?” Lauren said as Vivien climbed in the car.

  She shrugged, suddenly shy about the corny gesture. “Nothing big. Just some brownies.”

  “Awww, how sweet.” Lauren hit the gas and began speeding down the street. “I love your brownies, they’re so amazing.”

  She smiled despite herself and couldn’t help peeking in the box to check that her luscious creation had not been disturbed.

  “Hey, I was thinking we should all go out again. This weekend, maybe?” Lauren said.

  “Yeah. I guess that’d be OK,” she replied, her mind elsewhere.

  “Cool. A double date. Saturday night. We should see that show,” Lauren suggested. “The musical Eastbrook’s doing. What’s it called?”

  Vivien snapped to attention. “West Side Story?” she said, her hopes slowly sinking. She’d intended to see the show with Declan. Alone.

  “That’s it. Isn’t that the one where the Puerto Ricans fight the New Yorkers?”

  “I think they’re all Americans. That’s kinda the whole point. But really it’s a love story, just like Romeo and Juliet. An impossible love…”

  “A what?”

  “Never mind.”

  The girls had just reached Declan’s neighborhood and she fell silent, concentrating on the way to his house. “Wait. Slow down here. I think it’s coming up on the left.”

  And there it was in all its splendor. Illuminated in the darkness, it looked even more impressive than she recalled from her previous visits.

  Parked directly in front of the door, near the apex of the curved driveway, was a massive, glimmering white SUV. As they continued their approach, she caught a glimpse of a figure exiting the vehicle and recognized Declan’s jacket.

  A strange feeling suddenly seized her, as if a hand had reached in and arrested her beating heart. “Stop!” she ordered.

  Lauren stomped on the brake, glancing over with a bewildered look.

  “Pull over. I need to see who he’s talking to.”

  Lauren frowned but complied.

  Declan was now in full view, leaning into the open driver’s side window, but his body obscured the driver’s identity.

  “I think I’ve seen that car before,” Lauren said, her voice hushed.

  The girls leaned forward, focusing with fierce intensity on this unexpected development. Declan remained at the window for several minutes. Vivien could read his body language, could tell he was laughing. At last he straightened, stepped back, and opened the car door.

  A double gasp broke the silence inside the Range Rover as they watched a tall, dark-haired girl emerge. Her entrance was spectacular, like an entertainment channel celebrity clip. Long, skinny-jean legs first. A slender, perfectly proportioned torso followed, clad in a fitted powder-blue ski jacket. A head of shiny brown hair, cascading down to midback, supplied the finale. It was indeed possible to see the flash of her impossibly white teeth as she arched her neck and laughed.

  “Who’s that?” she said.

  Lauren leaned forward until her nose practically touched the glass. “Oh…it’s what’s-her-name—Mariah. Mariah Garofoli. She’s, like, part Italian or something.” She turned to give Vivien a look. “You know her. She’s friends with all those guys.”

  Vivien shook her head, her eyes trained on the two figures walking side by side. Seconds later they disappeared into the house. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and slumped down into the seat.

  “What’s he doing with her?” Lauren wondered aloud, just as Vivien was having this very same thought.

  But this was only the first in a whirlwind of disconcerting thoughts that tore through her head like high-speed train: 1) The I-told-you-so. She had to have known this was coming. Declan had finally tired of her and was going back to the original mold—a creature more to his liking. 2) The jealous rant. This was so not fair! Stupid Mariah, with her hips and her fake, temptress smile. Declan was only human—not just human, a guy—complete with a set of wholly functional, raging hormones. How could he resist such a perfect ten? 3) The explosive rage. That pampered, pseudo-Italian, hair-flipping bitch! Why was she throwing herself at Declan when she knew he was already with someone? She did know that, didn’t she? She probably just flirted for sport. 4) The depths of despair. Total and absolute defeat engulfed her until she was numb inside. Without Declan there was no point in…anything! How could she go on without him?

  And before she knew it she was out of the car, leaping hedges and scampering over lawns on a spur-of-the-moment, highly reckless mission to the Mieres’ house.

  “Vivs!” Lauren called after her. “What the heck are you doing?”

  She didn’t stop, merely shouted over her shoulder, “I’m…I have to see what’s going on!”

  In less than a second, Lauren was right behind her. “Well, wait for me! Geez!”

  They snuck along, the very opposite of stealth as they dashed madly from tree to tree in an erratic, haphazard route. Upon reaching the base of Declan’s driveway they spun full circle, befuddled and, much to their dismay, in plain view.

  “Run to the front windows,” Lauren said breathlessly. “We’ll hide behind the bushes and peek in.”

  Vivien nodded and soon the girls were crouching uncomfortably on the frosty damp earth.

  “What room is this?” Lauren asked, pointing to the windows overhead.

  Closing her eyes, Vivien tried to picture the inside of the house. “The living room? I’m not sure.” She shook her head in frustration. Obviously, her plan—if one could call it that—appeared to be lacking any sort of common sense whatsoever.

  Lauren popped up for a look.

  “Can you see anything?”

  “No,” Lauren answered, retaking her position on the ground. “Curtains are closed.”

  Vivien rocked back on her heels, lost her balance, and landed soundly on her rear end. “
This is stupid.”

  Lauren hoisted her back up. “It’s not.” She stared at Vivien. Her mouth twitched and she broke into giggles. “It’s fun!”

  The giggle fit was nearly contagious, but she caught herself and assumed a solemn look. “Yeah, well, it’s not going to be so fun when Declan comes out and finds us squatting in his bushes. Then he’ll see his big mistake. His girlfriend’s actually certifiably insane!”

  “He’s not going to find us,” Lauren told her. She placed her finger over her lips and was silent, deep in thought. “You should call him,” she suggested finally.

  “What?”

  “Yeah,” she said, convinced now that she’d come up with an excellent idea. “Call him and tell him you’re coming over to give him something and see what he says.”

  She contemplated this crazy idea. It was…not half bad. Quickly, she pulled out her cell and dialed. After three or four rings he answered.

  “Hey,” she whispered, “what’s up?”

  “Vivien? I can barely hear you.”

  Suddenly aware she was whispering, she cleared her throat and began again. “I said, what’s up?”

  “Oh. Um, not much.”

  She honed in on his voice with ultrasensitive feelers. Was it her imagination or did he sound just a tad guilty? Um, not much? What was that supposed to mean? A stalling tactic. Clearly something was up. He was lying to her. She began to feel dampness in her armpits despite the chilly evening. “So,” she began casually, “Lauren and I were just driving around and I was wondering if maybe I could stop by your house for a minute.” She hoped her voice was sounding less shaky over the phone. “I have something for you.”

  He paused. “Like what?”

  “You’ll see. Are you home right now?” She waited, holding her breath.

  “Yeah,” he answered. No hesitation. “Stop by. I’m…just a sec.” She could hear muffled voices in the background. “Yeah. So…where are you?”

  At that precise moment the front door swung open. Instinctively the girls flung themselves in the dirt. Vivien squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling and unable to face possible discovery. She heard the high-pitched double beep as Mariah pressed the remote to unlock the door to the truck.

  “That was weird.” Declan’s voice reached her simultaneously through the small white rectangle pressed to her ear and the open air. “I just heard…it sounded like…”

  Her mind scrambled, coherent thoughts failing to make the trip from brain to lips.

  “Hel-lo?” the voice said. She could hear him speaking from only a few feet away. “Are you still there?”

  Beside her, Lauren mouthed something urgent yet unintelligible, finally resorting to a firm elbow to the ribs. This achieved the desired effect of snapping Vivien out of her trance.

  And yet words still evaded her. Awkward seconds ticked by. She transferred the phone from one ear to the other, all the while looking helplessly at her friend. A wild sort of pantomiming began as Lauren signaled for her to wrap it up and terminate the call before any other noises gave them away.

  “Yes! I’m still here,” she said. “We’re like…really close. See you in a sec.” Without waiting for a reply, she pressed end and hurled the phone away from her as if evil forces bewitched the thing.

  Lauren grabbed her arm and pulled her in tight as the monster SUV engine roared to life. Headlights crept forward, piercing mercilessly through the slender gaps in their evergreen hideout, then slid off and away, leaving them clinging to each other in a heap of jitters. They heard the solid ka-thump of the front door closing and both expelled the breathy sound of overwhelming relief.

  “That was close,” Lauren said, pulling her to her feet. “Grab your phone and let’s go.”

  Standing on the wide brick step, holding the box of brownies under one arm, Vivien placed her finger gingerly over the doorbell but didn’t ring it. She was not in the right frame of mind; her generous and thoughtful deed had turned into a snooping expedition, the end result leaving her feeling both guilty and insecure. Seeing Declan with that girl had made her physically ill and she had to strain with all her might to force the image from her mind. But was she overreacting? Hadn’t he told her to come, without hesitating? Yes, but only after he’d made sure Mariah was out the door.

  Just ring the stupid doorbell, she scolded herself. And before she could gather a sufficient amount of air into her lungs, he was there, looking at her with his beautiful brown eyes and his one-of-a-kind grin—the one that reeled everybody in and made them grateful just to be in his presence.

  She smiled weakly. “Hey.”

  He motioned her inside but suddenly stopped and glanced out front. She followed his gaze to Lauren’s Range Rover, still purring in the driveway. “She can come too, you know.”

  “Oh…that’s OK. She’s on the phone with Nathan anyway.”

  He shrugged as she brushed past him into the foyer. Once inside she assumed an awkward stance, eyes darting from the crystal chandelier to the Oriental rug to the turquoise vase that held a bouquet of perfectly arranged blooms, in the perfect range of colors to compliment the walls.

  “What’s up?” he said finally.

  “Here,” she said, thrusting the box toward him. She had gone the extra mile and tied a pink ribbon around it in hopes of making the gift more festive. “I made these for you.”

  With a quizzical look, he stepped forward and reached out his hand. But rather than take the box, he very carefully removed a small evergreen twig from the crown of her head, bringing it close and examining it with a scrutinizing eye.

  Her stomach lurched. She watched as Declan, devoid of expression, twirled the thing smoothly between thumb and forefinger. They stood in silence. Then, with a flick of his finger, he sent the incriminating evidence arcing across the room.

  “I smell chocolate,” he announced with a grin, relieving her of the box. Swiftly he untied the bow, letting the ribbon slip to the floor, and took a peek inside. “What was the inspiration behind this?”

  She shrugged self-consciously.

  “Well…thanks.”

  “Sure. I felt like…I don’t know. I don’t know why I made those for you,” she explained, without explaining anything. “I guess I just knew you liked to eat.” She groaned inwardly; her brilliant articulation must be bowling him over right now.

  “That’s true,”’ he agreed, giving her an odd look.

  Her fantasy of wowing him clearly not coming to fruition, she edged toward the door. “So…that’s all, really. I’ll let you go now…”

  “Vivien!”

  She jumped.

  “What’s going on?”

  She turned slowly around and began chewing her lower lip, focusing on an object that was just beyond him. “I was just wondering,” she said barely above a whisper, “was she one of them? One of the two?” The question spilled forth unbidden, planting itself firmly and irrevocably in the space between them.

  He stared at her, eyes narrowed. “What?” he said, after a dead silence.

  Willing herself to look him in the eye, she said, “You know. Mariah.”

  He stood perfectly still, brows creased in bewilderment, until a gradual understanding crept across his face.

  “Wait!” she blurted. “Don’t answer that.”

  Declan closed his eyes briefly and began shaking his head. “I thought there was something strange about—”

  She held up her hand. “Don’t. Don’t say anything else.”

  He stood unmoving, struggling to make sense of everything. “That’s what this is all about?” A distinct edge had crept into his voice.

  “No!” she insisted. “No. I never—it was an accident. I saw you…with her…when we were on our way over. And then…”

  “So you think I’m—”

  “No! Maybe. I don’t know. What was she doing here?”

  Declan seemed hesitant to answer. “We’re both in charge of this thing we’re doing at church.”

  Thing? Was he being v
ague on purpose to spite her? Or was he scrambling to cover his tracks? She allowed him a slight nod. It could be the truth.

  “Our youth group is putting on a health fair. This spring. So we were…throwing around some ideas.” He ended this explanation with a look—a “there, are you satisfied?” look.

  “Oh,” was all she could say.

  They stood staring at each other, the elephant in the room still hanging around, undecided whether to stay or go.

  “Sorry,” she said finally, the single word an effort to apologize for everything, the whole pathetic chain of events—for she was sure he knew everything.

  “You don’t—”

  “You must think—” they both said at once, then laughed awkwardly.

  “Come here,” he said, at last, setting the box aside and opening his arms.

  Her chest heaved as she stumbled forward. His embrace blanketed her, making her feel safe. She pressed her face against his chest.

  “Are you ever going to trust me?” he said quietly.

  They stayed in each other’s arms for a long time. Then he sighed. “My little super-sleuth.”

  She cringed, burying her face deeper. She felt his body begin to shake, and after a moment she pulled back and scowled at him. “What’s so funny?”

  He fought to look serious. “Nothing. It’s just, no one’s ever gone to the trouble of spying on me before. I guess I’m just…” He searched for the word. “Surprised, that’s all.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not laughing at me?”

  “I would never.”

  “You’re such a bad liar.”

  Kissing her lightly on the head, he said, “Isn’t your partner in crime waiting for you? You’d better go tell her your cover’s been blown.”

  “Ha!” She pushed him away and headed for the front door. Then she stopped. “You’re not gonna tell anyone about this, are you?”

  He gave her a funny look. “The girl who keeps secrets strikes again.”

  “I’m serious,” she told him.

  “So am I,” he replied, his smile slowly fading.

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