TWO CARS LEFT THE CARTER HOUSE for school on Monday morning. Four girls rode with Eliza. But Taylor was DJ’s only passenger. And she had a strong feeling that wasn’t a coincidence. It seemed like everyone was punishing Taylor now. Well, except for DJ. Not that she wasn’t still aggravated at Taylor, especially for Rhiannon’s sake, but that earlier sense of outrage had pretty much evaporated.
“They’re freezing me out,” said Taylor as DJ drove them to school.
“I don’t know.”
“You do too know.” Taylor reached for her bag, taking out her cigarettes.
“Not in my car,” warned DJ.
“I’ll open the window.”
“No.” DJ turned and gave her a look to show she meant it.
“Fine. Whatever.” Taylor scowled darkly now.
“Why do you smoke anyway?” asked DJ.
“Why not?”
“Don’t you care about your lungs?”
“My lungs are fine.”
“Right, now…maybe…but what about later? What if you were going to have a singing career like your mom, but you couldn’t because of smoking?”
“My mom used to smoke.”
DJ considered this. “Used to…so she had the sense to quit, right?”
“Yeah.”
“My point.”
“Look, DJ. I’m sure you mean well, but you are getting on my nerves, and that just makes me want to smoke.” So DJ attempted to change the subject, asking about whether Taylor had a specific role she wanted to try out for in drama.
“Probably.”
“Which one?”
“I’d say Nellie, but I have a feeling Eliza will bag that one.”
“Eliza does seem like a Nellie,” agreed DJ.
“You mean all that perky, blue-eyed blonde stuff? Well, don’t kid yourself, I could wear a wig and makeup.”
“You really think you can pull off cheerful and happy?”
“It’s called
“So, you’re trying out for Nellie then?”
“No. I’m not stupid.”
“What?”
“Probably Liat. That seems the obvious choice.”
DJ nodded. “Well, you’d be a good Liat. You could even pass for Polynesian. And you wouldn’t need a wig or anything.”
“And she’s got some good songs.”
“And you’ve got a nice voice.”
“How do you know?” Taylor asked.
“I heard you in the shower the other day. You were good.”
“Thanks.”
DJ barely had the car in park before Taylor jumped out and lit a cigarette. So much for DJ’s distraction tactics.
“I’m going to class,” DJ said. “Enjoy the fresh air.”
“Thanks.” Taylor rolled her eyes as she blew out a long puff of smoke.
DJ looked for Eliza and the other girls, spotting them just as she reached the entrance. “Hey, wait,” she called, hurrying to join them.
“Sorry you got stuck with her,” said Eliza as they gathered at the top of the steps.
“That’s okay.”
“She’s such a witch,” said Casey. “I don’t know how you can stand her, DJ. I mean you not only room with her, you get stuck driving her too. Why didn’t you make her walk or take her Vespa?”
DJ just shrugged.
“I’m glad you’re being nice to her,” said Rhiannon.
“Really?” DJ felt relieved.
“Of course. That’s the right thing to do.”
“That’s nuts,” said Casey.
“Hey, I really appreciate that you guys care about me,” said Rhiannon. “But I’m ready to move on, okay?”
“That seems wise,” said Kriti. She smiled at Rhiannon. “What’s that saying? There are a lot of fish in the ocean?”
Rhiannon nodded. “Definitely.”
“So that’s it?” said Casey. She looked disappointed. “Taylor wins?”
“She’s not winning,” said Rhiannon.
“Yes, she is,” said Casey. “You act like her doormat, and she gets away with being a selfish witch and then ends up with Bradford too?”
“That’s not winning,” said Rhiannon.
“I don’t get that,” said Casey.
“I think Rhiannon is saying that it’s not over until it’s over,” said Eliza.
“Here she comes now,” warned Kriti.
Suddenly, they were all scattering and only DJ remained.
“They are so immature,” said Taylor. “Can’t they just get over it?”
“I’m sure they will,” said DJ as they went into the building. “In time.”
“Hey, Taylor,” called Bradford, waving as he approached them.
“Hey,” said Taylor. Her previous scowl amazingly turned into a brilliant smile as he slipped an arm around her waist.
“What’s up, Babe?” He looked at her like she was a goddess, and she literally beamed. DJ wanted to hurl.
“See you guys,” DJ said, eager to escape this embarrassing display of stupidity. She wasn’t totally opposed to expressing affection in public, but she was one of those girls who thought less was more. Fortunately, Conner seemed to be of a similar mind. But maybe they should discuss this before long, just in case it ever became an issue.
As usual, Monday morning dragged. And as DJ was heading for fourth period, all she could think about was lunch.
“Hey, DJ,” called Conner as he jogged to catch up with her. He had a hard-to-read expression on his face—something like concern mixed with amusement. “Have you seen it yet?”
“Seen what?” she asked.
“The photos on
“Huh?”
“Taylor.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I can’t go into the details now, but get ahold of a laptop and check this out.” He handed her a slip of paper with a website address. “I gotta run. I’m late already.”