Ya gotta help us here. We need you to get those charges dropped. We have college starting soon. And for the first time in our lives, we understand the importance of focusing on our grades, not on boys or social stuff.
Amen
PS…please have the guard bring me peanut M&M’s or Skittles? I’m having sugar withdrawal. Big time.
“Amen,” I said out loud.
“What did upstairs have to say?”
“No one was home. I left a message.”
“I hope God has your number darling.” Taddy nodded for me to look back at the TV.
Reporters stated Birdie was conscious and doing okay. Due to the flame retardant fabric in the bathrobe, which had protected her vital organs, Mom had only suffered second degree burns on her extremities. She’d heal with a nearly full recovery.
None of this was news to us. We’d heard it all during our arraignment. However, we didn’t have the visuals till now. Thank you Channel 2. The graphic videos put everything into perspective.
Taddy hung her freckled face between the bars. “Today takes the craptastic cake of all craperrific cakes. It’s right up there with the day I found out my Dad wasn’t really my birth father.”
Speechless, I nodded, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. I remembered back to the summer Taddy’s life had turned to rodent dung. We were like thirteen.
If anyone had thought the Easton’s were unfit parents, they should’ve met the Brillford’s.
Holy Hannah, her folks were horrific.
Take Cruella de Ville, slap Taddy’s cheekbones on her face, and deck the diva in a St. John knit suit, and tah-dah you’d have—Countess Irma, formerly known as Mother.
That was of course until Taddy’s emancipation. Now we hadn’t a clue as to what the Brillford’s were up to. All I knew was they’d given Taddy a settlement for her college tuition and told her they never wanted to talk to her again. Can you believe it?
Taddy flipped her long red hair to one side. “Dare I say, this incident is right up there with the time we went to…juvie.” Quickly Taddy’s green eyes locked with mine.
We winced in unison knowing better than to speak the J-word in front of present company.
“Don’t say that.” Sitting up, Vive finally spoke.
Earlier, Vive had almost lost her mind when Judge Calabrese had read over our juvie records. His computer had dug up the Connecticut murder of Sanderloo. He’d let us know we’d be tried this time in an adult court.
Distraught wasn’t the right word for Vive’s emotions today. Outraged, yes that’s it. If it wasn’t for us being handcuffed, Vive probably would’ve gotten up in Judge Calabrese’s face and struck him with his own gavel. I’m serious! Especially while the judge blabbered on and on about what bad teenagers we were. Oh and get this, Judge Calabrese had the kahunas to say he was Birdie Easton’s biggest fan. Can you believe him?
With all of this in mind, being locked up had brought back painful memories. Ones we’d all worked hard to forget.
“Well, it’s the truth, Vive. Today is karma from our past, coming back to bite us in the ass.” Taddy licked her thumb. The ink from when they’d fingerprinted us earlier was impossible to get off.
“It sure is. I wonder if and when our bad luck will ever stop,” I grumbled.
Here’s a side note, not to be said out loud in front of the girls. Blake and I should’ve never gone along with Taddy’s suggestion to bury Sanderloo’s body behind the school. If we’d come clean initially when it had happened, I bet our karma would be free and clear by now. Not stuck in this raining-poop-all-over-us-storm that we’re in right now.
“Shut up, Lex. I’m talking to Taddy. I don’t wanna hear your bubbly voice for as long as we’re in here.”
“Calm down, Vive,” Taddy shushed.
“Once our bail posts, we’re outta here.” Vive got to her feet and pointed at me. “Call Eddie again and have his lawyer pay your bail. Use your father’s money to put you up at The Plaza Hotel.”
Whoa! “Why? You said—”
“I’ve been thinking. I don’t want you staying at my place. Mr. Shapiro suggested Taddy and I put distance between us and you. That’s what I’m gonna do, girlie.”
Boy, this accident made her supportive attitude change. One second she was all, “move in with me, park Vamp on Fifth Avenue, Hedda can’t wait to see you.” Then the next minute I get a hotel suggestion. What the heck made her flake?
“Viveca Farnworth!” Grabbing on to her narrow shoulders, Taddy bossed, “Simmer down.”
Chewing my tongue, I couldn’t argue. Vive was off her rocker, as she should be. This was entirely my fault.
She’d been pretty calm till the arraignment. Ah-ha! That was when her attitude started. I had to know so I asked, “Vive, what did Dick say earlier when he pulled you aside?”
“Nothing. We just went over the fees with my father.”
“Vive. What did he say?” Taddy cracked her knuckles.
“Oh alright, if this goes to trail, Mr. Shapiro suggested that I ask you to take separate counsel from me and Taddy.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong. All I did was set the dress and a few photos on fire in the tub. I watched it burn out.”
“Lex, your fire ignited Birdie’s oxygen facial tanks and sent her west of Broadway,” Vive snarled, bouncing her hand on her hip. “Then you hauled your entire closet in my Bentley to come live with us. Let’s not forget we are all booked tonight to leave the fucking country on Euro Airways. Think how this looks.”
“Farnworth, stop it. No one died. Only Birdie’s unit was destroyed. And she’s going to be fine. We can’t misconstrue this or the prosecutors will eat us alive.” Lowering her voice, Taddy turned her attention back to me, and said, “Stick to the story we came up with.”
The story was simple, denial.
Honestly, as mentioned earlier, I was the world’s worst liar. Some girls could lie through their teeth about anything and everything I wasn’t one of them. I had to though, if not for me, for my friends. So I agreed to go along with whatever was needed to keep everyone out of trouble.
“What-the-flip-ever.” Vive stomped her foot as if getting a second wind to argue. “Birdie screwed Kelle. This is her mess. Not ours.”