Everyone knew that Sunny was who our group revolved around, including Roxy. As much as she liked to think queen bees can have true friends, they really cannot.Wereally cannot. Sunny and Beth were the true best friends; the rest of us were happy to have someone like Sunnylikeus. Because being Sunny’s sister, and friend, meant we were good, happy people. The Sunny seal of approval did all of that. Even if it was a smoke screen. I’d pushed all thoughts of Sunny’s goodness out of my mind and focused on ruthless Roxy.
“Well, I’d wish you good luck, but in that dress, I don’t think you’ll need it.” I felt a surprising pang of remorse for the likely demise of Ryan and Sunny. I always assumed they’d get married someday and pop out a bunch of genetically blessed babies. “I’ll see you downstairs. I need to go back to my room and rummage for an outfit for our last night out.”
“What were you doing here anyway? Why did you come to Sunny’s room?” she asked.
“I was going to borrow a dress. I want to look like you, sexy, hot,” I said.
“Tell you what. You can borrow something of mine, but I need to ask a favor,” Roxy said.
“Sure, anything,” I said, beyond excited to get a Roxy dress to wear.
“I need you to distract Beth. Take her out with you tonight. I need Ryan’s full attention, and I know she watches him like a hawk, for Sunny,” Roxy said. “I don’t want poor Beth to see me plying Ryan with alcohol and taking him back to my room. That wouldn’t be good.”
“No, that wouldn’t be,” I said. “Sure, I’ll drag her along to the casino with me. I met a couple of hot guys at the pool, and we are meeting at nine tonight. I’ll get her playing blackjack or something and the time will fly. I don’t think the guys I met would go for someone like Beth, though. I mean, why would they go for plain, conservative Beth when I’m, well, me, especially in your dress.”
“OK, how you do it doesn’t matter. Just keep her occupied however you can,” she said.
“Deal,” I said. And with that, I got a sexy dress to wear for the night, and Roxy thought she would get what she’d always wanted. And it turns out she did. Until now.
Now, Ryan’s leaving her. I stare at Roxy, mascara stains on her cheeks, anger all over her face. But I can’t have any more sympathy. She’s slipping out of my grip. I cannot allow it.
“Roxy, I can’t believe you think you can cut me off after what I did for you,” I say. “You know, I could still tell Ryan the truth. I’m sure he’d love to hear it at this point. He’s already so angry with you, it seems.” I push my hair back from my face. When I’m mad I hate the feel of hair on my skin. And I’m mad, and maybe a little desperate.
“He wouldn’t believe you,” Roxy says, forcing a fake smile on her face. “He’s not angry, he’s confused. It’s a lot, having us all back together. It’s conjuring up bad things; it’s, well, it was a terrible idea to bring everyone here. I should never have brought us all together again, not here, not anywhere.”
“It is all your fault. You started everything—not just this weekend, but all those years ago. What would Ryan think if I happened to let slip the real reason his poor roofied girlfriend was stumbling around by the pool in the middle of the night?” I say. I stare into her cold blue eyes.
“You wouldn’t dare,” she says.
“Sunny was probably trying to get help, poor thing, and was too out of it to know where she was going, or what she was doing. Because of you,” I say. “Because you drugged her.”
Roxy laughs. “You know what would make Ryan furious? All that money down the drain. What do you think Ryan will do when he finds out how much ofhismoney you’ve blackmailed out of me over the years?”
“I’ve done nothing compared to you. Everyone here would agree,” I say. And it’s true. She’s a monster. I’m just greedy. There’s a difference, I assure you.
Roxy stares at me as if sizing me up. Maybe she’d forgotten what a competitor looks like, what an equal can do to you if you cross her. We both had almost equal power in the social sphere in college. Even though she was sorority president, I was the rich girl everyone wanted to be around. Even. It’s likely time for her to also realize that these days I’m winning, by far. I’m awealthy socialite, albeit with a dead husband who will need to be replaced, and she’s soon to be a lowly divorcée living alone in her big house in Newport Beach. Oh my, we could be competitors once again, on the hunt for an eligible wealthy bachelor. Ugh.
She bites her lip and regains her composure.
“Extortion is a crime, too, Amelia, darling,” Roxy says, her blue eyes flashing with hatred and something else. A warning. She starts to walk out of the kitchen and then turns around. “You might want to think about that before you say a word to Ryan or anyone about any of this.”
28
Beth
Zach sits on the foot of the bed, and Celeste sits next to him. I’m staring at the photo framed above the fireplace. It’s black and white, like the one in my room, but this one is of a young woman with long blond hair, sitting by the pool.Unidentified guest enjoying the pool, reads the caption below it. I force myself to look away. It’s not Sunny; it’s not her, I tell myself.
“My mom does this to everyone. I’m surprised my dad survived with her this long. She’s so infuriating, and controlling, and unbearable. Emasculating too,” Zach says. He stands and starts pacing again, running his hand through his dark hair. “I don’t get how you guys were friends with her, I really don’t. I mean, I live in Chicago because I don’t want to live near her. My poor dad.”
“Honey, it’s all going to work out,” Celeste says, although she doesn’t look that sure. “We’ll get through the wedding and then we’ll make our lives in Chicago.”
She looks at me, and so I don’t say anything. I don’t want her to make a life in Chicago, and she knows it. I need her back in Southern California. Back home. Near me.
“Maybe we could ship Roxy to Chicago, and you guys can come back home,” I say. I’m trying to lighten the mood. Zach doesn’t look at me. I’m getting the feeling he doesn’t take advice from women, at least not from me.
“Mom,” Celeste says, “I can handle this.”
I am not sure she can. I look at the wall with the dent in it the size of Zach’s shoe.
