“Mom!” I screamed. Her heavy footsteps fell on the hall and my door flung open.
“Yes, dear! Are you already? I heard you yelling.”
“No. I need to talk to you. All of this was Amy,” I said, rage overwhelming me.
“What?”
“EVERYTHING! ALL OF IT!” I yelled.
“Sweetie, you’re not making sense, slow down.”
Then I repeated everything to her that Chris had told me. At the end, my Mom was silent. She just shook her head, and, for the first time, she spoke the words that I had longed to hear her say.
“I am so disappointed in Amy. I can’t believe she did all of this, let alone to her own sister. I’m so sorry, sweetie. I’m appalled. I will deal with this. I promise.” Then she kissed me on the back of the hand, got up and left the room.
“AMY!” I heard her yell as she pounded on her door. “Open your door this instant! You know I don’t allow locked doors in this house. You’ve got about five seconds before I remove your door for good.” Then I heard the lock pop and everything went silent as the door shut once more.
It must have been half an hour before I heard Amy’s door open and my Mom’s footsteps pass my room, but she didn’t stop. She carried on down the stairs. I was so eager to know what she said. If I had to guess, Amy was crumpled into a tiny ball on her bed feeling like a disappointment for the first time in her life. Good.
35
The next night, Isabelle came to visit me while I was still curled up in my bed. I guess my mom had called her. When she came skipping into my room, she had a dress in her hands, and I gave her a skeptical look.
“Whatever you have in mind, you’re crazy. I can barely move, Is.,” I said with a smile on my face to thank her for trying.
“Oh, come on, your mom said you’ve been in this bed for over a week. Take some pain meds, we’re going out. I got us into a huge New Year’s Eve party put on by some kids from St. Margaret’s, so you won’t know anybody there. You need to have some fun. Your mom said it’s fine,” she said, shaking the dress at me. “Come on, I’ll help you get ready.” Then she reached for my hands and gently helped me sit up.
“You’re such a good friend. Okay, I’ll try, but if I’m in too much pain, you’re bringing me home.”
“I promise. Now get out of these disgusting PJs, you look terrible,” she said with a grimace, then she pulled the dress off the hanger and unzipped it so that I could step in. “I’m going to make you look so hot tonight, all eyes will be on you. Just trust me.” Then she climbed up onto the bed, crouched behind me, and ran her hands through my hair as she smiled at me in the mirror.
“Do your worst,” I said, smiling back at my best friend. Then she went to my dresser and grabbed the bag of makeup that she had brought with her, insisting that I never used enough. She dolled me up with eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara, then told me to pucker my lips so that she could apply lipstick and declared me complete. The last thing I needed was shoes, so she went to the closet and returned with ballet flats that would be easy for me to walk in.
“You get a pass for comfort since you’re so broken,” she said with a laugh, then she realized her joke had upset me. “Oh no. I’m sorry. No crying, you’ll smear your perfect makeup. Okay, come on, let’s go,” she said, as she helped me stand up and then offered me her arm to get me down the stairs.
Once we arrived at the party, the music was so loud we could hear it from the street, and as soon as we walked inside, she handed me a sketchy mixed drink in a red Solo cup that had come straight out of a cooler. I gave her a disgusted look, but she just shrugged her shoulders and took a chug as she led me into the house. We were in a neighborhood somewhere near the University of Richmond, and there were so many people inside that it was difficult to move. It was obviously St. Margaret’s exclusive party that everyone wanted to be at, and I was happy that I didn’t recognize anyone. My back and hip were already killing me, but I did my best to breathe through the pain.
Isabelle found a place in the back where we were able to sit for a minute until a group of guys from St. Mark’s invited us to play flip cup, so she helped me back to my feet and dragged me to the table. Cup after cup, we dominated the boys, and I was thankful since the mix of drugs and alcohol was starting to take its toll.
“Isabelle, I’m going to switch to water. I need to slow down,” I told her. “I don’t want to be too out of it, and I’m already starting to feel the liquor,” I said, and she nodded. “Plus, one of us will need to drive later,” I reminded her.
“You’re so right. You’re so responsible, Allie Wyatt. I love you,” she said, squeezing me from the side.
“Ouch! I yelped at the pressure of her hug.
“Ah! I’m sorry!” she said, and she quickly let go.
“I need some fresh air, will you come with me?” I asked.
“Yep, let’s go out on the back porch, it smells like beer and boys in here anyway,” she said, as she grabbed my hand and led me through the crowd.
As we stepped out onto the porch, we both froze. There, standing near the window, was James, shoving his tongue down Amy’s throat, and I felt like I suddenly couldn’t breathe. If I hadn’t been in so much pain, I would have turned and run back inside as fast as I could, but every muscle in my body was on fire. I squeezed Isabelle’s hand so hard that she looked at me, and she must have known what was going through my head.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said at the sight of them. “I need to get out of here.”
“Let’s go,” Isabelle said.
She could tell that I wanted to retreat, but it was too late. Amy had seen me from across the porch because she pulled away from James and was smiling at me. But it wasn’t an angry smile like I had known for so long. She looked kind, and it made me nervous. James, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to throw himself out of the open window when he realized that she was looking at me. I felt like I was going to puke. Once again, I had been let down by someone I thought I had feelings for, and once again, my sister was the root of the cause. Was this what my cousin had meant at the wedding? Had there been something between Amy and James all this time?
