Homecoming Queen Read online

  “Well, they look like you should give them back to the bag lady you stole them from.”

  “I wasn’t planning on wearing them to school,” said DJ defensively. “I just slipped them on for — ”

  “Never mind,” snapped Taylor as she turned back to the mirror and picked up a large brush that she ran over hair, and then added some blush over her high cheekbones.

  “So.” DJ leaned against the bathroom door frame, watching. “Where were you anyway, Taylor? I mean, these past few days? Where were you hiding out?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  DJ shrugged. “Just curious.”

  “Well, if I told you I’d have to kill you.”

  DJ made a face. “Yeah, right. I’m sure you have some deep, dark secrets, don’t you?”

  “Don’t we all?” Taylor put a layer of gloss over her already tinted lips then puckered up. “There,” she said with satisfaction. “That’s as good as it gets.”

  DJ stepped away from the door to let Taylor through, and both girls grabbed their bags. “So,” said DJ, “you’re really going to school today?”

  Taylor kind of shrugged. “Yeah. Why not? I mean, I was thinking about Mr. Harper and the musical, and I want to make sure I get a role in it.”

  DJ tried not to look too shocked. And, really, why should she be? Just because Taylor had been slandered on MySpace, then turned into a missing person who had possibly been abducted or murdered — well, why should that change anything? In some ways, Taylor was a lot like Grandmother — it was all about appearances. As long as everyone looked good on the surface, well, who cared about what was underneath?

  “I’m going to talk to Mrs. Carter now,” said Taylor lightly. She slipped several silver bangle bracelets over a slender wrist. “See you at breakfast, sweetie.” She made a little finger wave and then paused and actually tossed what seemed a fairly sincere smile at DJ. “And, I probably shouldn’t tell you this, DJ, but you are the only person that I missed in this house.”

  DJ blinked. “Really?”

  “Yeah, but don’t let it go to your head.”

  “You can count on that.”

  Then Taylor breezed out of the room, leaving a trail of expensive Prada perfume behind her. DJ happened to know that the tiny bottle cost $125, which according to DJ’s math estimates should run about ten bucks a squirt. Crazy.

  DJ changed her shoes, did some quick tweaks to her makeup, and then hurried downstairs. She was eager to see Eliza and Kriti’s reaction to the news that Taylor was back.

  “Where is she?” asked Eliza before DJ was fully in the dining room.

  “Talking to my grandmother.”

  “Did she tell you anything?” asked Kriti. “Like where she’s been or — ”

  “Nope.” DJ poured herself a cup of coffee and sat at the large formal table with the others. Everyone except Taylor and Grandmother were there. And all eyes were on DJ now.

  “But she was okay?” asked Kriti with concerned eyes. “She wasn’t kidnapped or anything?”

  “I seriously doubt that.” DJ dipped her spoon into the crystal sugar bowl and then dumped it into her coffee.

  “I’m sure some people here are wishing she had been,” said Eliza, looking pointedly at Casey now. Eliza pushed a silky strand of pale blonde hair over a shoulder then rolled her big blue eyes for drama. “Some people might be wishing that Taylor had never come back.”

  Casey just stared down at her bowl of untouched oatmeal. Her face looked even paler now, and DJ knew that she was thinking about the police and the possible charges that could be pressed.

  “Taylor might forgive Casey,” said Rhiannon in a hopeful tone.

  Eliza laughed. “Are you talking about our Taylor? Taylor the witch-girl Mitchell?”

  “You never know,” said Rhiannon. “People can change.”

  Just then they heard Grandmother’s voice speaking to Taylor. “It’s so good to have all my girls back together again,” she said as they entered the dining room like royalty. “Such beautiful girls,” she continued as she gracefully pulled out her chair at the head of the table and slipped into it. “And I have a wonderful announcement to make.” DJ hoped that it was the news that Taylor had indeed decided to let bygones be bygones and to forget that Casey was the one who had sabotaged her on MySpace. But then DJ realized that Taylor probably didn’t even know that it was Casey who’d done it.

  “On this fine morning when we welcome our long-lost Taylor back,” began Grandmother, “I am also pleased to announce that you girls have been invited to participate in the Founder’s Day Fashion Show.”

  DJ let out an involuntary groan, and Grandmother’s brow, which had missed its regular Botox treatment, creased deeply.

  “It is a high honor to be invited to participate in this event,” continued Grandmother. “In the past it has been only the local debutantes who are included in this event. But, thankfully, my good friend Mrs. Vanderzan has taken notice of the lovely Carter House girls, and she would like to include you all in the fashion show lineup. And since this event coincides with homecoming weekend, it’s a perfect fit to have you girls par ticipate.” Grandmother actually clapped her hands now. “So, as you girls can imagine, we have much to do in the next several weeks.”

  “What if we don’t want to participate?” asked DJ.

  Grandmother gave her an icy look. “Of course, you’ll want to participate, Desiree. After all, the proceeds for this event go to a very good cause.”

  “What’s that?” asked DJ.

  Her grandmother looked slightly perplexed. “Well, I can’t recall at the moment, but I happen to know that it is always a very worthwhile charity. I believe that last year’s contributions were donated to the local animal shelter.”

  DJ grimaced at the thought that being tortured in a fashion show would somehow feed a stray cat. Not that she didn’t care about stray animals — she certainly did; but she would rather scrub out stinky dog kennels than parade herself across some runway for a bunch of stuffy, rich town ladies. She hoped she could come up with a way to get out of this later — jump a freighter to China perhaps?

  “Well now, Taylor,” said Eliza in her sweet southern drawl. “Long time no see. How’ve you been doing anyway?”

  “Fine.” Taylor took a piece of dry toast and broke it in half.

  “Where have you been?” asked Kriti with open curiosity. Her dark eyes studied Taylor closely, as if she were trying to figure out the mystery girl. Kriti and Taylor actually had similar coloring, since Kriti was Indian, but that is where their similarities ended.

  Taylor tossed Kriti a warning frown. “None of your business.”

  Grandmother cleared her throat, but said nothing.

  Taylor looked up at Eliza as if they had all been talking about nothing more than last Friday’s high school football game. “I assume that Mr. Harper is still casting for South Pacific today?”

  “He is,” said Eliza coolly.

  “We all think that Eliza will be cast as Nellie,” added Rhiannon.

  “And Rhiannon tried out for Liat,” announced Eliza. Her eyes were locked on Taylor now. This was the role that Taylor had hoped to get. And to be fair, Taylor was a perfect typecast for the Polynesian beauty.

  Taylor’s arched brows lifted slightly higher. “Rhiannon as Liat? That seems a bit of a stretch.”

  “She has the voice for it,” said DJ.

  “I’d obviously need a wig and makeup.” Rhiannon looked uncomfortable. “Besides, nothing has been decided,” she said quickly.

  “That’s fortunate.” Taylor nodded smugly.

  “And, really,” continued Rhiannon. “I mostly wanted to work on sets and costumes anyway.”

  “Good for you,” said Taylor, again a bit too smugly. DJ wondered if Taylor really thought she had bagged that role, especially after being gone most of the week. Sure, the girl could sing and act and even looked the part, but to have that much confidence — well, it just made DJ’s teeth hurt.
r />   Then, suddenly it was time to head out for school, and the usual mad rush for purses and jackets and last-minute mirror checks kicked into full gear. Once they were outside, everyone except Taylor made a mad dash for Eliza’s car.

  Taylor casually got in DJ’s car, acting like it was no big deal for everyone else to opt to ride with Eliza today. Never mind that they were packed like sardines into Eliza’s small, white Porsche. Of course, DJ wasn’t surprised that no one wanted to ride with Taylor and her. But as she started the car, she wondered if perhaps this might be a nice opportunity for her to gently break the news about Casey’s involvement in the MySpace incident. And not to get Casey in hot water, but DJ felt fairly certain that Taylor would hear it from someone at school anyway. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise DJ if Taylor heard from the police before the day was over.

  “So,” DJ said as she backed out of the driveway. “I don’t suppose you ever figured out who was behind the MySpace scam, did you?”

  Taylor quickly turned to look at DJ. “Do you know?”

  DJ kept her eyes on the road. “If it makes you feel any better, Taylor, she is really, really sorry.”

  “It wasn’t you, was it?” asked Taylor in a voice that sounded slightly rattled and not like Taylor’s normally assured self.

  “No. Of course not.”

  “Oh.”

  “But it is someone we know.”

  “You mean someone from right here in town?” ventured Taylor. “Someone from Crescent Cove?”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought it might’ve been someone from my old high school, you know, back in California.”

  DJ could tell that Taylor’s guard was down, ever so slightly. Even so, DJ was determined to tread carefully. “No, it was actually someone from the house, Taylor. And just so you know, the only reason she did it was because of what happened with you and Bradford. She — ”

  “Rhiannon?” Taylor sounded shocked now.

  “No. Not Rhiannon. She’s not like that.” DJ took in a quick breath. “It was Casey, Taylor, and it was simply because she felt sorry for — ”

  “Casey!” Taylor slapped her forehead. “Of course. That little lowlife loser. I should’ve known it was her.”

  “She’s not a lowlife loser. And she’s very sorry.”

  “Not as sorry as she’s going to be.” Taylor’s voice was smooth and cold now, with a lethal edge to it.

  DJ swallowed hard. What exactly did Taylor have in mind?

  “I should’ve known it was her from the start,” continued Taylor. “It’s just her style to pull a chickenhearted stunt like that. Sneaky little lowlife loser girl!”

  DJ was feeling desperate now. Why did Taylor have to act like this? “Casey wasn’t thinking. She just felt sorry for Rhiannon. We all did.”

  “You weren’t involved in the MySpace thing, were you?”

  “No. I already told you that.”

  Taylor nodded. “Only Casey would sink that low.”

  “Only because she wanted to take revenge for Rhiannon.” DJ slowed down for the intersection. “What you did to Rhiannon was wrong, Taylor.”

  “Not as wrong as what Casey did to me. That wasn’t just wrong, it was illegal. And Casey is going to be one sorry — ”

  “You’re not going to press charges, are you?”

  “I most certainly am.”

  “But, Taylor, Casey is really — ”

  “I’ve heard enough about stupid Casey. If she were really sorry, she’d speak to me herself, DJ.”

  “She’s probably afraid of you.”

  Taylor laughed. “She ought to be, that stupid little cowardly snake.”

  DJ knew it was useless. As soon as they were at school and parted ways, she called Casey on her cell phone. They weren’t supposed to have them on at school, but classes hadn’t started yet.

  “Hey,” said Casey in a dejected tone. “What’s up, DJ?”

  “Taylor,” said DJ quickly. “I sort of broke the news to — ”

  “You told her it was me?”

  “Well, she was going to find out. I thought maybe I could soften things.”

  “Did you?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “How not exactly?”

  “She is really ticked, Casey.”

  “I figured.”

  DJ didn’t know what to say. She was afraid to tell Casey too much, worried that Casey might freak.

  “She’s going to press charges, isn’t she?”

  “It sounds like it.”

  “Well, that settles it then.”

  “Settles what?” DJ braced herself.

  “I mean, at least I know where I stand. I’ve already confessed. All Taylor needs to do is press charges.” Casey’s voice broke. “I really am toast.”

  “You better call your parents, Casey.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Maybe they can get you a lawyer.”

  Casey kind of laughed. “I guess I’ve finally proved it to them.”

  “Proved what?”

  “That I really am the black sheep.”

  “Oh, you’re not — ”

  “I better go,” Casey said quickly. “Talk to you later.”

  DJ said good-bye, closed her phone, turned it off, and slid it into her bag. This was not going well.

  “Hey, DJ,” said Eliza as she joined her in the hallway. “Going my way?”

  “Duh.” They both had English Lit for first period.

  “Who were you talking to?” asked Eliza. “It looked serious.”

  DJ told her about the Taylor/Casey scenario.

  “Man, I would hate to be in Casey’s shoes right now.” Then Eliza kind of laughed. “Well, I mean, besides the fact that they are Doc Martens and remind me of army boots.”

  DJ shook her head. Why had she expected anything more from Eliza? That girl never seemed to take anything too seriously — well, unless it directly involved Eliza. But then Eliza had grown up in the lap of luxury. She’d been raised to be a princess. Why should her nonchalance about someone else’s misfortune surprise DJ?

  After DJ was seated in English Lit, she said a silent prayer for Casey, begging God to do something — and to do it fast — and to do it before Casey did something even more stupid.

  3

  “HEY, GOOD LOOKING,” said Conner as he came up behind DJ in the cafeteria. He slipped his arm around her shoulder, giving her a friendly little squeeze. “Where you been hiding out?”

  DJ narrowed her eyes slightly. “I have not been hiding.”

  “But you are grumpy.” He frowned then smiled in a teasing sort of way. “Probably because your old friend Taylor is back in town. I saw her in chemistry, and it looked like she must’ve enjoyed her vacation.”

  “If you think that’s true, you should’ve seen her last night. And, for the record, yes, I am a little grumpy.” She forced a smile. “Sorry about that. But it seems like this whole thing is about to explode, and it feels like I’m doing damage control.”

  “Don’t worry so much.” He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek. “I don’t like seeing my favorite girl all stressed out.”

  “It’s just that I feel like I’m caught in the middle.”

  “Well, didn’t I try to convince you that Taylor was perfectly fine?” He jabbed her gently with an elbow. “And you were so certain she’d been abducted. So, where was she hiding anyway?”

  “She’s not saying.” Then DJ told him about Taylor’s threats against Casey.

  “Poor Casey,” he said with genuine concern. “But, really, she should’ve known better. The law is really starting to tighten down on Internet crimes.”

  “I know. But she thought she was doing it for Rhiannon.”

  “What a mess.” He nodded now like he was beginning to understand her concerns.

  DJ glanced around the cafeteria for Casey, but didn’t see her anywhere. She was probably trying to keep a low profile for a while. DJ didn’t blame her. Conner and DJ got their lunches and went over
to sit at the table where Eliza and Harry were already seated. Kriti and Rhiannon soon joined them, and it seemed that all anyone wanted to talk about was Taylor and Casey. Everyone speculated over which way it was going to go, but everyone agreed that it was not looking good for Casey.

  “We probably won’t be seeing much of her,” said DJ. “I think she plans to lie low.”

  “Speaking of going underground,” said Eliza, “where is Taylor?”

  “Probably pressing charges,” said Kriti. “In geometry, she told me that Casey is going to get what’s coming to her.”

  “I feel so sorry for Casey,” said Rhiannon sadly. “I wish I could do something.”

  “I don’t think anyone can help her now,” said Conner.

  “Besides a good lawyer,” said Eliza.

  “The girl is going down,” said Harry.

  “Hey, here comes Taylor now,” said Conner.

  “Hi, kiddies,” said Taylor as she took an empty chair next to DJ. “What’s up?”

  “We’re wondering the same thing,” said DJ. “What’s up with you?”

  “Yeah,” said Conner. “Did you call the cops on Casey yet?”

  “As a matter of fact, I left a message with Detective Howard at the CCPD,” said Taylor.

  “What did you tell him?” asked DJ.

  “Just that I’d suffered a little breakdown as a result of the Internet harassment and that was the reason I’d been missing. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

  DJ swallowed hard. “Yeah, I’ll bet.”

  “And I left another message with my mother’s attorney.”

  “About what?” asked Eliza with catlike curiosity.

  “What do you think?” Taylor opened her water bottle.

  “So . . . you’re really taking Casey down then?” asked Harry.

  Taylor nodded firmly. “Oh, yeah.”

  “No room in that cold, cold heart of yours for forgiveness then?” ventured Conner.

  She glared at him then peeled off the top of her yogurt container.

  “What if Casey apologized?” asked DJ hopefully. She’d been thinking about what Taylor had said in the car this morning, about Casey being too cowardly to apologize.

  Taylor’s eyes glinted. “Oh, she already apologized.”