Stealing Bradford

DJ had walked to school last year as well. And she wouldn’t mind walking today, except that she had on a new pair of Michael Kors shoes—ones that Eliza had coaxed her to buy, telling her they would be perfect for the first day of school. Now DJ wondered if she should run upstairs and change them. Maybe she should change her whole outfit and go back to her old style of casual grunge sportswear. Although she knew that would upset her grandmother, not to mention Eliza.

“I will drive the other girls to school today,” proclaimed Mrs. Carter with a loud sigh. DJ could tell that her grandmother was not pleased with this setup. Still, wasn’t this her own fault for boarding this many girls? She should’ve considered there might be transportation problems down the line.

Eliza smiled at DJ now. “So, do you want to ride with us then?”

DJ glanced over at Casey and Rhiannon. These two still looked like the Carter House misfits, although at least Rhiannon was trying. Casey, on the other hand, could clearly not care less. DJ briefly considered abandoning them to ride with Eliza—in the cool car. And maybe she would’ve done just that yesterday. But today things were different. She was different. And so she simply shook her head. “No, that’s okay, Eliza. I can ride with my grandmother today.”

Eliza frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, but thanks anyway.” DJ could tell that Eliza was not happy about her choice. And she suspected that Eliza had hoped to make a flashy entrance this morning, probably with Taylor on one side and DJ on the other—maybe with Kriti trailing slightly behind them like a handmaid. And, of course, Eliza probably hoped that Rhiannon and Casey, who did not measure up to her fastidious fashion standards, would lag somewhere far, far behind.

“Well, I’m going up to put on my finishing touches,” said Eliza lightly. “And then I’ll be ready.” As if on cue, the breakfast table began to vacate. And before long, they were all on their way to school. The sporty white Porsche, with its three fashionable girls, drove about a block ahead, while Mrs. Carter’s more sensible silver Mercedes followed discretely behind.

Rhiannon and Casey sat silently in the backseat, and DJ sat next to her grandmother, wondering what school would be like this year. Feeling nervous, she fidgeted with the handle of her Hermès bag. Of course, this only reminded her of that embarrassing moment at the beach when Taylor had used the contents in the purse to humiliate her. Still, it seemed that DJ and Conner had made it past that. It seemed that he had really liked her. And she knew she liked him. They’d even gone out since then. And after that, it seemed that their relationship had begun to unravel.

Still, she couldn’t put her finger on what had gone wrong between them last night. Maybe she would never know. On one hand, she told herself that it might be for the best. After all, she had just invited Jesus into her heart. Perhaps that was what she needed to focus on for the time being. And yet, she couldn’t deny that she still really liked Conner. And she still wanted him to like her. She tried to block the disturbing image of him and Taylor dancing together last night. Or Taylor’s superior expression this morning. Like she’d won. And she reminded herself that Conner had kissed her—before he’d said what sounded like a final good-bye. None of it made much sense. And thinking about it just frustrated her more.

DJ suddenly remembered what Rhiannon had told her before they’d gone to bed last night. “If you’re stressing about something, just pray. There’s actually a verse in the Bible that says to do this.”

Well, DJ wasn’t sure she really knew how to pray, but she was definitely stressing over Conner. And for that reason, as Mrs. Carter turned down the road to the school, DJ made a feeble attempt to pray. Naturally, she did this silently. No way was she going to start praying out loud with her critical grandmother and Casey, the rebel girl, listening in. She said the words silently inside her head. She just hoped that God could hear her, and that he was listening. And, by the time Mrs. Carter pulled in front of the school, DJ felt amazingly calm. Maybe this prayer thing really did work.

“Will you pick us up afterward?” asked DJ.

Her grandmother nodded. “At three?”

“That’s about right,” said DJ. “Although I have volleyball after school. And Kriti said she might try out too. In that case, everyone would fit in Eliza’s car.”

“Wouldn’t that be delightful?!” Mrs. Carter seemed relieved now, and DJ suspected she was calculating how much afternoon naptime she was willing to sacrifice for the sake of the girls. “How about if you give me a call when you know for sure, Desiree?”

“Okay.”

Mrs. Carter smiled and waved. “Have a nice day, girls.”

Rhiannon politely thanked her, and DJ grabbed her gym bag and waved, but Casey just grunted as if this prospect of having a good day was highly unlikely.