Last Dance (8 page)

Rhiannon considered this. “Not if you remain true to yourself, Taylor. As long as you don’t compromise your values, I don’t think it’s wrong.”

“And what if Taylor became a positive influence,” DJ suggested. “What if she’s successful in modeling and stays strong in her faith and makes smart choices, and as a result there are girls who follow her career, girls who see her as a role model…wouldn’t that be pretty cool?”

“That would be awesome,” Rhiannon agreed.

“And what’s wrong with making great-looking clothes?” Taylor continued. “Do you think God wants us to go around looking like bag ladies?”

Rhiannon laughed. “No, I don’t think God wants us to look like bag ladies. In fact, there’s a place in the Bible, in Proverbs
thirty-one, with a really great description of a godly woman who makes fine clothes for herself and her family and even enough to sell to others.”

“See, there you go,” DJ told her.

“I guess I’m just getting worried that it’s not going to happen…I mean, like I want it to happen. And I know I should be happy to go to NYU. And I can get into their design program and—”

“Maybe you just need to have more faith,” Taylor told her with a perfectly straight face. “Give the whole thing to God and ask him to take care of it for you.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

“Just keep doing it,” DJ said with her back toward Rhiannon, afraid her face was going to ruin her Grandmother’s surprise.

“
I WONDER IF CASEY’S OKAY
.”
DJ was sitting at the window seat, watching the street and worrying. Remembering Seth in the school parking lot gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Taylor looked up from her laptop. “Why wouldn’t she be?”

“Seth.”

“I’ll be the first to admit, Seth’s a piece of work, but I don’t think there’s any reason to…” Taylor’s brow creased. “What was his reaction to the pregnancy?”

DJ hadn’t repeated anything that Casey had told her. She wasn’t sure that just because Taylor knew meant that it was okay to disclose more.

“Let me guess,” Taylor ventured. “Seth is really ticked. A pregnant girlfriend will mess up his life”—she switched to baby talk—”and his parents will get weelly mad and paddle his behind and take his wittle wed sports car away and cut back his allowance and—”

“Enough.” DJ was laughing. “Yeah, something like that.”

“So…I’ll bet Seth wants Casey to get an abortion.”

DJ just shrugged.

“But…let’s see…Casey isn’t so sure about this. Her parents are strong Christians, so they probably oppose abortion. And yet Casey isn’t so firm in her faith anymore. Plus, she doesn’t want her parents to totally disown her either. So…it could go either way.”

“You know, if the modeling thing doesn’t work out for you, you should join the CIA or something.”

Taylor chuckled.

DJ picked up her phone. “I’m going to call her.”

“It’s a free country.”

DJ was surprised when Casey answered, although it didn’t quite sound like her. “Casey?”

“Yeah.”

“Where are you?”

“In the bathroom.”

“In the
bathroom?”

Casey sniffed. “Is there a law against answering the phone in the bathroom?”

“No, of course not. What’s up?”

“Nothing.”

“So where are you? I mean, besides ‘in the bathroom’? Who’s bathroom is it?”

There was a long pause.

“Casey, are you there?”

“I’m at the Women’s Health Center,” she said quietly.

DJ considered this. “The Women’s Health Center? Is that like a doctor’s office?”

“Yes.”

Taylor gave DJ a curious look.

“Is everything okay?” DJ asked. Casey didn’t answer, but DJ could tell she was crying. Taylor was writing something on a
piece of notebook paper. She held it out for DJ to see:
Abortion Central.

“Are you getting an abortion?” DJ asked Casey.

“I—uh—I don’t know.”

“Is Seth with you?”

“In the bathroom?”

“No, at the Women’s Health Center.”

“He’s waiting.”

“Casey what are you doing there?”

“I gotta go, DJ.”

“Wait!”

But Casey had already hung up. DJ turned to Taylor. “Do you think that’s what she’s doing?”

Taylor just sighed and nodded.

“She was crying.”

Taylor looked concerned. “Crying?”

“Yeah, she sounded really upset.”

“Let’s go.” Taylor grabbed her bag. “My Vespa or your car?”

“My car.”

DJ drove as fast as felt safe and soon they were quietly storming the Women’s Health Center waiting room. They spotted Seth sitting in a corner, reading a magazine like he thought he was waiting to see the dentist.

“Where is Casey?” DJ demanded.

Seth looked up with alarm, then tried to act cool. “None of your business.”

“We’ll find her,” Taylor said as she headed for the bathroom.

And they did find her, huddled on the floor of the bathroom, crying. DJ went down on her knees and wrapped her arms around Casey. “Oh, Casey, are you okay?”

Casey’s shoulders shook as she began to cry harder.

“What is wrong with these people?” Taylor demanded. “They let a girl come in here and have a total breakdown and don’t even come in to check?”

“Did you have it already?” DJ asked quietly.

Casey looked up with puffy eyes. “Have what?”

“The abortion.”

Casey shook her head, then buried her face in her knees again.

DJ and Taylor exchanged glances.

“Are you going to have an abortion?” Taylor asked.

Casey didn’t answer.

“Talk to us, Casey,” pleaded DJ. “We’re here to help. What’s going on?”

Casey looked up again. “I—I had a—an examination. And it was horrible. And I’m supposed to schedule another—another appointment.”

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” DJ told her.

“But I—I have to—to take care of this,” Casey sputtered. “It’s my responsibility.”

“That’s true,” Taylor said as she extended her hand to help her up. “The baby is your responsibility. But you don’t have to make this decision today.”

“Right.” DJ stood and offered Casey her other hand.

“Come on,” Taylor urged. “Let’s get out of here.”

“And unless you want to go out there and deal with Seth, we’re taking you home,” DJ informed her.

“But he’ll be mad.”

“Let him be mad,” Taylor said.

“Yeah,” agreed DJ. “Let him show you what he’s made of.”

“And what he’s full of,” added Taylor.

Then, with Taylor and DJ flanking Casey, they marched through the waiting room. When the woman at the desk tried to stop them, Taylor faced her down. “Our friend is confused and upset and wants to leave,” Taylor said firmly.

“But she needs to see the—”

“Are you saying you won’t allow Casey to leave?” Taylor demanded. “Because I can get an attorney in here like
that”
She snapped her fingers in the startled woman’s face. “I don’t think you want to be accused of holding a juvenile here against her will, do you? That might make for an interesting news story. Would you like me to call the press?”

The woman backed down, and the three continued through the waiting area, totally ignoring Seth, who had already tossed down his magazine to follow them out to the car. Before they could get Casey into the front seat, Seth was trying to intervene.

“What did you do to her?” he demanded.

“Wouldn’t that be more like what
you
did to her?” Taylor shot back at him.

“I’m helping her,” he said.

“You’re helping yourself,” DJ told him as she eased Casey into the passenger seat, then closed the door.

“Casey!” He slammed his fist on the roof of the car. “You get out of there and come with me!”

She didn’t even look up.

“Leave her alone,” DJ said.

“She is not going to have that baby!” he yelled.

“That’s not for you to decide,” Taylor said as she closed the door behind Casey.

“That baby is half mine,” he declared, “and my half is not—”

“Not what?” DJ got close to his face. “Not going to live? What are you going to do, Seth, kill half a baby? You don’t think that would be murder?”

He didn’t answer.

“Take a hike, Seth,” Taylor said as she got into the backseat.

“And unless you plan to grow up real soon, just leave Casey alone.” DJ got into the car, started the engine, and began to back out. But there was a loud noise and the whole car shook.

“Did I run over him?” DJ stepped on the brake in panic.

“No, that moron just kicked your car.”

DJ put the car into park and got out in time to see Seth stomping toward his car. And sure enough, he
had
kicked her car. Right there on the passenger side where Casey was sitting was a big indentation. DJ just shook her head as she got back into the car. “Seth is a maniac,” she said quietly.

Casey was crying again. And DJ’s hands shook as she drove home. She didn’t think they were in any real danger, but it was upsetting just the same. She wondered if she should tell her grandmother about how her car had gotten damaged or just hope that she didn’t notice. DJ parked the car in the driveway, and they all got out to examine the foot-sized dent.

“I’m sorry,” Casey muttered, “this is all my fault.”

“It is not your fault,” DJ said.

“That’s right,” Taylor agreed. “It’s Seth’s fault. And if you have the sense I think you have, you’ll drop that boy like a hot potato.”

Casey nodded.

“It’s almost dinnertime,” DJ said as they went inside. “Let’s put on our party faces, because Grandmother has a special announcement tonight.”

“That’s right,” Taylor said. “Casey, you come into our room and splash some cold water on your face, and I’ll help you with some makeup.”

Before long, Casey’s puffy eyes and red face were just a memory, and all three girls made it down in time for dinner. Although Casey was even quieter than usual, no one seemed to notice since Rhiannon was the woman of the hour. She was ecstatic to hear Grandmother’s good news. And when Inez and Clara came in with not only a cake but a bottle of sparkling cider as well, Rhiannon cried tears of joy.

“You are all so wonderful,” she said as they all held up their flutes of sparkling cider. “I feel like God gave me a family when he allowed me to be part of Carter House. And I am so thankful.”

“Here’s to Rhiannon,” Grandmother said. “To her success at the Fashion Institute of Technology and to her future in the fashion world.”

“To Rhiannon!” they echoed.

By Wednesday afternoon, it seemed that Eliza’s slightly impaired race for the crown was about to come to a screeching halt. But it wasn’t from a lack of trying on the part of the Carter House girls. Even Casey, who, thanks to Seth, was bluer than blue, was doing her best to help out.

“It’s hopeless,” DJ confessed to Eliza’s supporters as they gathered in a quiet nook of the locker bay for a quick after-school meeting.

“Why?” Daisy demanded.

“For one thing, it’s not looking like Eliza’s mother is going to let her come back,” DJ explained. “Besides that, no one’s been able to figure out who made the MySpace page, so both
Madison and Haley are still solidly in the race. And besides that, there’s a new rumor circulating about Eliza.”

“What?” Daisy frowned.

“You haven’t heard it?” Kriti asked.

“No, what is it?”

“People are saying that Eliza made the MySpace page herself just to get the others in trouble and to garner sympathy from the voters,” Taylor said.

“That’s nuts!” Daisy shook her fist. “Certifiably nuts.”

“Yes,” DJ told her. “We agree. But for some reason, people are buying it. And Eliza not being here to defend herself seems to add fuel to their fire.”

“So are you going to quit campaigning completely?” Daisy asked.

DJ frowned. “I really don’t see the point in dragging this out.”

“Especially if she’s not coming back,” added Rhiannon.

“It’s feeling pretty lame,” Casey said quietly.

“Having a campaign meeting, are we?” Madison asked coyly as she and Tina paused to stare at the small gathering.

“Get a life,” Daisy called back at them.

But they just laughed and continued walking.

“See,” DJ said, “what’s the point in prolonging this losing battle?”

“When did you last talk to Eliza?” asked Daisy.

“At noon.” DJ shook her head. “She sounded depressed. She was on her way to the shrink, and it seemed perfectly clear that her mother was not budging.”

“It’s so unfair.” Daisy slammed her fist into a locker.

“Easy, girl,” Taylor said.

“Hey, maybe you’d like to run as a write-in,” DJ said to Daisy, “in Eliza’s place.”

Daisy shook her head. “No, thanks.”

“Okay, then.” DJ wanted to wrap this up. “I think we need to let it go. I mean, if anyone wants to keep campaigning, go ahead, but I’m pretty sure it’s hopeless.”

“I’m going to call her,” Daisy announced as she opened her phone. They all waited until Daisy had Eliza on the other end. “So, what are the chances of you making it back here?” she asked hopefully. She waited and her face grew cloudy. “Really?” Her mouth twisted downward. “Oh, I’m sorry, Eliza.” She just shook her head. “Well, you hang in there, okay?” Then Daisy hung up and looked at the rest of them with a hopeless expression. “DJ’s right. It’s over.”

“Sorry to run,” Kriti told them, “but Josh is waiting.”

“And I promised to run Rhiannon to the fabric store,” Taylor told them.

Rhiannon grinned. “On her Vespa, which will be a first for me.”

“So, just for clarity,” DJ said quickly, “we’re quitting the campaign?”

Everyone seemed to agree, but as they went their separate ways, DJ felt a sense of sadness and loss. Just before she left the locker bay, she glanced at a campaign poster of Eliza. A corner had come un-taped and DJ paused to re-adhere it to the window. She looked at Eliza’s bright, smiling, confident face (a photo that DJ had found irritating a couple weeks ago) and realized that she actually missed the princess. More than that, she felt a sense of personal responsibility—Eliza had begged DJ to help her, but DJ had let her down. Still, DJ didn’t know what more could be done. Grandmother had tried…and it’s not like they could force Eliza’s mother to allow her to come back.