Wishing Pearl (2 page)

Mom’s spiked heels clicked as she strode across the room, swept up a pile of dirty clothes into her arms, then dumped them down the laundry chute near Olivia’s bathroom door. “You know, Norma can’t wash the laundry if you don’t drop it down.”

Whatever
. Norma could come up here and get it if she wanted it—she sure got paid enough. Time to change the subject. “Where are you going anyway?”

“Don’t you remember?” Mom turned to the mirror while she spoke and tucked a nonexistent errant hair back into her long dark waves.

When would she cut her hair into a more age-appropriate style—at least shoulder length? “Don’t tell me this is your shopping weekend in Chicago.”

“Yep. Tonight’s a fancy downtown dinner with the girls and a night at the Ritz. Saturday is for shopping on Mag Mile and dinner again. Then we’ll work off the calories with a lakefront bike ride on Sunday.”

Two nights? Home alone with Chuck?
“Will Jake be here?”

“Probably for some of the weekend. But he’s definitely going to want to get out and have fun with his friends—he’s only got three weeks left before he leaves for college. Try not to get in his way too much.”

“That’s my job. Stay out of everyone’s way.” Why should this weekend be any different? Olivia slumped in her chair.

Mom stacked some books that had slipped to the floor from Olivia’s built-in bookcase. “Just try a little harder to be nice to Charles. He’s never been anything but wonderful to you.”

Gag
. “No, Mom. Daddy was wonderful. Chuck … exists.” Olivia threaded her fingers through the layers of her silky black hair to find the purple streak she’d added a few days ago. She twisted it around her fingers and put the ends in her mouth.

“Quit that. Do you know how many germs are in your hair?” Mom swiped the clump of hair from between Olivia’s lips. “Now give me a hug. I’ll be home in a couple of days. Just try to be pleasant. Okay?” She pulled Olivia back to arm’s length and smiled as she slid her hand down the back of Olivia’s head. “I’ll buy you something special—purple to match that streak of rebellion in that gorgeous hair of yours.”

Great. A present
. Mom’s answer for everything—she sure hadn’t acted like that when Daddy was alive, and she wouldn’t have even if she’d had the money. Olivia mumbled her thanks as Mom hurried from the room, high heels clacking on the wood.

Olivia rushed to lock the door, her plan the same as every other day: stay out of everyone’s way. Nothing new. Probably shouldn’t have started the weekend off with the oboe serenade though—much better not to draw attention to herself. But it was too late to worry about that. Her eyes drilled holes in the intercom. A shame she couldn’t see through it into the rest of the house. Go down and make peace, or stay hidden as long as possible? It would help if she knew whether he was already drinking.

She gazed around her room. The huge LCD television with its projection system along one wall of the sitting area. The dorm-sized refrigerator stocked with soda and snacks hidden in the alcove beside the bookcase. The swimming pool of a bathtub. Yeah, she’d just stay up here. It’s not like she’d be suffering some great hardship—as long as
he
left her alone.

Olivia’s stomach fluttered at a knock at the door.
Not him. Not already
. “Who is it?”

“It’s me. Open up, Liv.”

Phew. Just Jake
. Olivia flipped the lock and threw the door open to find her lanky brother filling the doorway.

Jake held up a plate with two slices of thick Chicago-style pepperoni pizza. “Brought you some dinner.”

Olivia smiled as his garbled speech brought to mind the hours upon hours she let him hold fingers to her lips or place his hand over the muscles in her neck as he tried to learn to speak even though he couldn’t hear.

“You mean there’s actually some left after you plowed through it?” Olivia faced him so he could read her lips. She raked her fingers over her open palm in the sign for
plow
as she accepted the dish.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Jake folded his arms across his chest. “Besides, I ordered two larges.” He winked one of those brown eyes all the girls seemed to love. “Gotta gain more weight before basketball season.” He rubbed his flat stomach and puffed out his cheeks.

“Right. You’ll never be fat.” Fun problem—to have to
gain
weight. Olivia motioned for Jake to step all the way in then secured the door again before taking her dinner to the overstuffed sofa in her sitting area. She pulled her legs up and nestled into the corner with her plate resting on her knees.

Jake tipped his head toward the locked door. “You hiding out from King Charles?”

“How’d you guess?” Olivia took a big bite. “Mmm. This is so good.” Sauce dripped onto her chin. She caught it with the back of her hand then licked it off.

“Gross.” Jake shook his head, black curls bouncing. “Well, I’m going out with some of the guys from the team in a little while. Stay in your room, okay?” His gaze darted around the room. “Need anything before I go?”

“Need anything?” Olivia stared at the fringe on the edge of the East Indian area rug. “Yeah. I need you to take me with you.” She touched her clenched fists together then pointed at Jake.

“You’ll be okay if you stay out of sight.” Jake put his hand on the door. “It’ll be fine.” He ducked his head under the frame on his way out, glancing over his shoulder with a nod and a wink.

That’s what you think
. Olivia locked the door behind Jake. If only he didn’t have to leave. Tonight or ever.

Alone. Again. Olivia thought she heard the ticking of her digital clock. Great. Now she was going crazy imagining things. No way could she sit in that room alone with a thundering sense of doom all night. But who could she call?
Jordyn!
She’d never been inside the mansion, but she’d told Olivia to text her anytime. Sliding her sleek new cell phone open to expose the keyboard, Olivia tapped out a plea. C
AN U COME OVER?
Charles would leave her alone if someone else was with her. Olivia stared at her phone, willing the text message notification to chime a reply.

In less than sixty seconds, the phone vibrated and beeped the text tune. S
URE
. 4
A LITTLE WHILE
. I
N TROUBLE—HAVE TO BE HOME BY
10.

Jordyn in trouble?
Impossible
. Olivia chuckled. Well, ten o’clock was better than nothing. Maybe he’d be passed out by then anyway … or just getting started. She shuddered. G
R8
. C
U SOON
. H
URRY
.

Olivia knelt on her bed and parted the gauzy curtains at the window overlooking the four-car garage. Soon the farthest door lifted, and Jake’s black sports car roared to life. Another present from
Chuck
. At least her brother wasn’t completely fooled by him like Mom seemed to be. Olivia watched Jake back out of the driveway and squeal his tires as he sped away. She fell back on her bed and crossed her arms over her eyes.

What would she do when he left for college? Who would look out for her then? He’d hardly ever be back, with school during the week and basketball games on the weekends. Not to mention the parties. Besides, if she were him, Olivia would never come back.

Funny, even though Jake was two years older and twice as big as his little sister, Olivia had felt protective of him through the years. Helping him learn to talk. Learning sign language herself so she could help him communicate when people didn’t understand his muted, halting speech. Shielding him from teasing kids. Now Jake was the strong one—popular and athletic, good-looking—plus he’d learned to read lips and speak very well. He’d be fine at college. Jake didn’t need her anymore, but what would she do without him?

Right on time, fifteen minutes after the text message, Olivia’s door shook with a knock. She threw it open, reached one arm out, and pulled Jordyn in. One quick glance up and down the hallway assured Olivia that Charles was nowhere to be seen. She shut the door and locked it as fast as she could.

“How’d you get in the gate?”

“Your brother passed me on his way out, and he let me through. He said you were the only one home—”

Hmm. Guess Charles went out
. That could be good or bad. Only time would tell.

“—and to just let myself in.” Jordyn’s blue eyes grew misty. “He’s so hot.” She fanned herself with the blunt end of her blond braid and swooned as her backpack slipped off her shoulder and landed with a heavy thud on the floor.

Olivia pretended to gag. “Eww. He’s my brother.”

“I’m just glad he’s not
my
brother if you know what I mean.” Jordyn wiggled her eyebrows.

“Oh man. Cut that out. You’re giving me the heebie-jeebies.”

“Hey, can you teach me sign language? Maybe I’ll ask him out.” A dozen bangle bracelets slid to the crook of Jordyn’s elbow as she held up a hand. “What’s the sign for
date?”

Olivia brushed Jordyn’s arm down and giggled. “I don’t think so. My brother’s
way
too good for you.” At least Jordyn passed the deaf test. Olivia could never be friends with someone who acted uncomfortable or nervous around Jake. Many so-called friends had fallen by the wayside when it became clear they barely tolerated Jake.

Olivia grinned. “So what do you want to do?”

“Ooh!” Jordyn squealed and flopped onto her stomach across the bed. “I brought treats.” She reached down and hefted her backpack up to the bed beside her then pulled out a six-pack of beer, dangling it from the plastic ring hooked on two fingers. “Let’s party.”

Oh no!
Olivia stared at the beer. She’d never really drank alcohol before. Did she want this to be her first time? Was she ready to take that step? Charles would literally kill her if he caught her drinking. Plus the last thing she needed tonight was to be buzzed while alone in the house with
Chuck
, especially since she had no idea what it felt like to drink or how alcohol would affect her. But wouldn’t Jordyn laugh at her for being a beer virgin? Maybe Olivia could just sip it, and Jordyn would never have to know it was her first time.

Olivia searched the room—and her brain—for ways to stall. “Where did you get that?” She tried not to look nervous.

“From my dad’s stash. He won’t miss it. He never does.”

“You mean you’ve done this before?” Kids at school talked about drinking all the time, but Olivia hadn’t had much opportunity to witness it, let alone try it.

Jordyn squinted. “What do you mean? Of course I’ve done it before. You mean you
haven’t?”

“Oh sure … um … just not a whole six-pack, and I’ve never taken it from here. You know … just at parties and stuff.”

“Well, there
are
two of us. You’re going to have to share, silly.” Jordyn plucked a can from the plastic ring and held it out to Olivia.

She peeked at the clock on her bedside table. Seven o’clock. They still had three hours before Jordyn had to be home. One beer wouldn’t hurt, would it? And it should be worn off by then anyway.

“I think I’ll just have one tonight though.” Hopefully Jordyn didn’t see Olivia’s hand shake as she reached out for the beer.

“Great. More for me.” Jordyn pried open her tab with her fingernail, and a big flake of her neon green nail polish chipped off and fluttered to the floor. She hoisted her can in the air and tipped it toward Olivia before guzzling at least a third of it. Wiping the foam off her mouth, she let out a belch. “The fizz always does that to me on the first drink.” She giggled.

“Classy.” Olivia shook her head and popped the top of her own can. She took a discreet sniff. Lots of people seemed to like beer, so maybe she would, too. Olivia took a hesitant sip. It tasted quite different than the sweet champagne she’d had at weddings. Foamy, fizzy, and bitter. The way
Chuck
put it away, she figured it would taste a lot better than it did. But maybe it would grow on her.

Olivia couldn’t pry her eyes off the sight of tiny Jordyn, with her blond hair in schoolgirl braids below her ears, chugging the last of the beer from her first can. She looked like a little girl playing dress-up in her mommy’s clothes.

Bringing the can to her lips, Olivia took another bubbly sip. It wasn’t horrible—maybe slightly better than the first drink—but it still wouldn’t top her list of favorites with Diet Dr Pepper and cream soda. What she wouldn’t give for a big frosted mug of those two mixed together over a bunch of crushed ice. So far the beer thing didn’t seem that exciting, let alone tasty.

Jordyn pulled another can from the plastic ring and started right in on it. Within an hour she had three empty cans scattered around her. She rolled from her perch on the bed and stumbled toward the bathroom. “I’ll be right back, after I … well, you know.” She slurred her words then laughed like it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.

Olivia smiled and shook her head. Why did alcohol make smart people so stupid? On the other hand, she hadn’t thought of Charles or his whereabouts in a long time. Maybe she’d discovered the key to coping in her family—get drunk and stay that way to escape from reality. One beer sure wouldn’t cut it though. She took a sip of her beer.
Ick
. It just didn’t taste good. No matter how many times she tried it, she just couldn’t get enough down her throat to make a dent in her fears.

By nine forty-five, all the beer had disappeared, leaving only crushed cans as evidence. How was Jordyn planning to get home in time for her curfew? Surely she didn’t plan to drive after drinking five beers. Besides, Charles was probably home by now. How would they get her out of the house without running into him?

“Well, it’s time for me to go.” Jordyn stood up and swayed before she found her balance. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a set of car keys.
“Vroom, vroom.”
She made a steering motion.

“You can’t drive like this.” Olivia reached for Jordyn’s keys. “No way.”

Jordyn jerked the set of keys away and dangled them overhead and out of reach. “Don’t be so bossy, Livly. Get it? Like lovely, but Livly. Get it?”