Parties & Potions #4 (23 page)

Mom was right in the first place: magic should be kept a secret.

I can’t believe it’s come to this. I couldn’t wait for my powers to kick in and now I’m ashamed of them.

The powder falls on my head, and I disappear.

We land in the bathroom with a crash.

“Hello?” It’s my mom.

“Great, we woke her up. It’s just us!” I call.

“Lex is probably here,” Miri whimpers.

Right. Awesome.

“Girls? What’s wrong? How come you’re home?” Mom sounds panicked as she throws open the bathroom door.

We’re both sitting on the bath mat, Miri crying, me rub-bing her back.

“We told him,” I explain.

She kneels beside us. “Told him what exactly?”

“About us,” Miri sobs. “All of us.”

Mom’s lips tremble. “Me too?”

“Oh, all three of us are outed,” I say.

Mom nods. “What did he say?”

My eyes fill up and I burst into tears.

Mom pulls us both into her arms.

A Shade of Gray

After a long tearful session (Lex went home so Mom could be with us alone), Miri and I finally go to sleep. The next day, we wake up exhausted for our Samsorta class. Instead of jeans, I slip on my comfiest sweatpants and sweatshirt. I don’t really care how I look. I just want to feel comfortable. Raf called, but I didn’t pick up. I just can’t speak to him right now. I’m too upset, and there’s no way he could ever understand.

Right before we go, we spot another package in the living room.

“I think you have another Simsorta invite,” Mom says.

“I bet it’s Adam’s,” I say, a smile finally cracking my lips.

Miri, calmer than yesterday, unwraps it. Inside the box is a miniature cable car. It’s about the size of my foot. When Miri winds it up, the car bursts to life, spelling out the party info in metallic black on the carpet with its exhaust.

“That better be disappearing ink,” Mom says warily.

“I guess we’re invited now that you two made up,” Miri says.

“I guess so,” I say, reading the info. The party is next Friday night at the Golden Gate Bridge. That’s probably just what I need to feel better: to be around other witches and warlocks. Because they get me. They know what it’s like to have to pretend to be someone you’re not. Unlike my dad, they won’t treat me like a contagious disease.

All of a sudden, the car spurts back up again. “Sorry this is so late but I was waiting for us to be friends again,” it says.

“At least someone wants us around,” Miri says with a sigh.

“So, what are we doing tonight?” Karin asks.

In class we finally learned the light spell. And then we practiced. And practiced again. And again. I’m not screwing it up in front of everyone. No way. Now we’re sitting in the cafeteria eating ice cream. For the first time in a long time, I have nowhere to be. It’s my dad’s weekend, but we’re in exile. I guess I could go home and call Raf or Tammy, but then I’d have to come up with an explanation for not being in Long Island, and frankly, I don’t have the energy to lie right now. The confrontation with my dad took too much out of me. Raf called me again, but I haven’t listened to his message. I just don’t know what I’m going to say to him. Everything’s changed. I can’t tell him the truth. The only thing I can do is lie, and lie and lie again.

“Let’s go see Robert Crowne,” Adam says. “He’s playing Madison Square Garden.”

“Seriously?” I ask. I love Robert Crowne. I saw him in concert on my first date with Raf. First quasi date. “How would we get in?” I ask. “Can you get tickets?”

Preppy Triplet laughs. “Since when do we need tickets? We’ll just zap ourselves backstage.”

“The opening band comes on at eight and then Crowne takes the stage at nine eastern time.” Adam glances at his watch. “I wouldn’t mind popping home to change. Do you guys want to meet backstage in an hour?”

The triplets murmur their agreement.

“Let me call Michael,” Karin says. “I know he’ll want to come.” Michael and Fitch no longer spend Saturdays with us now that their Sims are done.

Corey clears his throat and looks at my sister. “Miri, why don’t I pick you up and we can go together?”

Could it be? I think it is! My sister’s official first date!

“Are you almost ready?” I ask. I’m lying diagonally across Miri’s bed. “He’s going to be here any second.”

“Oh, no, I need more time!” She does up her jeans and spins toward me. “I don’t know what top to wear. You’re not changing?”

I’m kind of still liking my sweats. “Nope.”

“But you’re not wearing makeup!”

“Also nope.”

“You are meeting us, though, right?”

“Well …” I say. Sure, I love Robert Crowne, but now that I’m back home, I’m not exactly in the “going out” mood.

She frowns. “You have to come! I don’t want you staying home and moping.”

“Just because you seem to have bounced back from yesterday, it doesn’t mean I have,” I say. I hug her covers to my chest.

“So don’t change. Just come with Corey and me. Hurry, though. He’s going to buzz any minute.”

“I’m not tagging along on your date.”

“Yes, you are. I insist.” She crosses her arms. “I’m not going unless you come too.”

“Miri! It’s your first real date! You have to go.”

She sits down on the edge of her bed. “I’m kind of scared to be a couple. Come with me? Please?”

I laugh.
“Fiiiine.”

We hear a loud bang inside the bathroom.

“Oh, no!” Miri cries.

“I guess he’s not buzzing,” I say.

“Go get him!” Miri orders. “I’m borrowing a shirt!” She scurries to my room and slams the door.

I go to the bathroom door. “Um … Corey?”

“Hi,” he says, laughing. “Sorry, y’all. I hate this spell.” He opens the door and is holding a bouquet of tulips.

“Aw,” I purr. “Miri! Guess who’s here! And he has flowers! Corey, hope you don’t mind, but I might be hitching a ride with … y’all.” Tee hee.

“No problem,” he says, flashing a big relieved smile. I think he might be nervous too. No wonder it’s taking them so long to have their first kiss.

Aw. He’s so cute.
They’re
so cute.

My mom rushes over. “Corey, hello!”

Corey blushes and says, “Hello, ma’am.”

“Oh, please call me Carol. It’s so wonderful to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Miri opens my door just in time to hear my mom’s proclamation. She muffles a groan.

“Mom,” I say in a low warning voice.

“Oh! I don’t mean to imply that Miri talks about you. Because she doesn’t.” Her hands flutter in the air. “Except, well …” Her voice trails off. “Oh dear.”

Er. I point to Corey’s flowers. “Miri, look at the bouquet!”

Miri shuffles her feet. “Thanks, Corey. That’s really sweet.”

Awkward pause.

“Mom,” I say, “would you mind putting Miri’s flowers in water so we can get going?”

“Right,” she says, sounding grateful. “Of course. Have fun!”

Honestly, if it weren’t for me, I don’t know how my family would survive.

I mean … what’s left of it.

Robert Crowne is crooning onstage, and for the first time in forever, I’m able to block out everything else—my dad, Jennifer, not having a date for the Sam—and just be. My phone vibrates a few times but I just let it go. I let myself get lost in the songs.

It helps that we’ve somehow wormed our way into VIP seats on the side of the stage. At first the manager was kind of wondering who we were, but Michael must have done some kind of Jedi mind trick, ’cause now the guy keeps winking at us.

Of course I can’t help repeatedly peeking at Miri and Corey, who are right behind us.

No kissing action yet, but they’re holding hands.

How lucky is Miri? Falling for a guy who gets her. Who knows what it’s like to have magic powers. Who never has to be lied to.

I wish I were holding someone’s hand. Sure, Adam wouldn’t mind if I took his, but that would so be leading him on. It would be easy to do, though.

But my heart belongs to Raf.

Instead, I lift my hands in the air and dance to the music.

“That was amazing,” I tell the group as we file out of the auditorium. It would be much easier to skip the line and zap ourselves right from our seats, but we’re trying not to be so obvious.

“It was off the hook,” Viv says. “Rockin’ idea, Adam.”

“Rachel!”

Did someone just call my name? I look around at my group but no one seems to be speaking to me. My ears are still ringing, so maybe I imagined it?

“Rachel!” I hear again.

“That guy over there is calling you,” Viv says, pointing.

Pointing to Raf.

Omigod. He’s with his friend Justin and a few other guys. And they’re all staring at me.

I see him wave in the distance. He’s wearing a new leather jacket. One he designed? He looks amazing in it. And he’s wearing that brown shirt that brings out his eyes. The one we bought together. My heart feels like someone’s squeezing it.

What am I supposed to tell him to explain why I’m here? That my dad had an emergency? That he surprised us with tickets? That I had my weekends confused?

“Excuse me,” I say to my friends, and maneuver my way to where Raf is waiting. The dread in my mouth tastes like vinegar. What am I going to say? What lie am I going to make up this time? When I reach him, I open my mouth to say hi, to say something, but nothing comes out.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” His eyes look confused, but he’s smiling. “I’ve been calling you all day to tell you I got tickets. Hey, aren’t you supposed to be at your dad’s?”

I open my mouth, but still nothing comes out.

“If you were in town, why didn’t you call me?”

I try to say something. Anything. But I’m so tired of making up excuses. Of padding the truth.

His smile wanes. “Rachel, is something wrong?”

Everything’s wrong. We’re wrong. How can I be with you and lie to you for the rest of my life? I can never tell you the truth. You will never know who I really am.

Tears well up in my eyes. “Raf,” I choke out. “I’m sorry.”

“About what? What’s wrong?” He puts his arm around me.