"That's bullshit, but I know you know that." Katelyn stopped beside me a few minutes later. "Jeans and a sweater okay?"
"Yep. Whatever you want to wear. Seriously." I got up and sprayed a little bit of perfume on my chest. "I really wish Tate would call. I didn't get him the tryout with Martin so that he would like me, but it kinda hurts that he hasn't so much as called or texted anything but a quick thanks."
"Val." She worked her hair into a bun before pulling her scarf around her neck and tying it in a way that I could never get mine to work.
"What?" I got up and pulled my jacket from the closet.
"I don't know the guy, but from what Martin says, he's really, really poor. Not that him not having money should matter at all, but I'm sure that causes him to reconsider calling you. You're way out of his league. You're not just some pretty girl from a nice middle class family. You're a Scott." She lifted her eyebrow at me. "That means a lot around here."
"Yeah, well, I wish it didn't." I let out a painful sigh and grabbed my purse. "Come on, let's go visit the famous Scotts and try hard not to leave feeling like we're two inches tall. My mom's good at shrinking people and their egos."
"Your mom is the wicked witch of the west." Katelyn opened our door and followed me out into the hall. "Tate is probably crazy about you, but you know as well as I do that he's not going to call. If he's mature, then he'll leave you be."
"Shit. Thanks." I gave her a pseudo-glare.
"Don't look at me like that. You're going to have to date a richy-rich just so they can stand to be around your family. Hell, you dragging the three of us there today should prove that. You can't even stand to be around them." She laughed, and I tried to let her words slide off my back, namely because she was right.
*
The look on my mother's face when she opened the front door of our enormous, dark-brick mansion was almost comical. Almost.
"Valentine. You brought company." Her smile was tight and eyes piercing as she looked around the group, but continued to block the doorway. She seemed to have forgotten than it was twenty degrees outside where we were standing.
"Yep. You remember my friends." I glanced back at them as they all gave shit-eating grins. I loved every one of them. "Lucinda, Katelyn, and Amy."
"Right. Come on in, then. You'll catch your death out there." She moved back and opened the door wider.
"Is that Val?" My sister's voice caused my heart to squeeze tightly in my chest. I loved her tremendously, but it was a hard relationship to reconcile within me. She was the reason I wasn't good enough, but she couldn't help that. She was just perfect, and it had little to do with anything vengeful toward me.
"Hey, Allison." I moved into her warm hug and squeezed her tightly. "You remember my friends?"
"I do." She moved out of my hold and gave all of my friends hugs as my mother tugged at my arm.
"Valentine, a word." She pulled me into the study just beside the entrance to the house and closed the door. "Why didn't you ask if it was alright to bring a whole entourage to the house? We have things to do, and the place is filthy."
"It's not filthy, Mom, and besides, they came to help us. I know you wanted to make some of those little paper mache flower things. All of my friends can work on those. Stop being dramatic." I cringed as the words left my lips. Why I couldn't just shake my head and nod was beyond me.
"I'm not being dramatic, but I'll start if you'd like to see me act as such." She moved into my face as her face contorted into the look I was used to seeing – disappointment. "Just do as you’re told today and try to remember that this isn't about you. It's about Allison."
I nodded, biting my tongue so hard it hurt. It was always about Allison. How the hell could I forget that? Neither my mother nor father ever let me.
"Yes, ma'am." I followed her back out into the foyer to find my friends gone.
"Great. Where are they?" She glanced back at me before walking toward the kitchen.
I kept my sarcastic remarks to myself and followed after her quietly.
All of my friends were standing around the kitchen counter, laughing with my older sister as we walked in. I moved up in between Katelyn and Amy and pressed my elbows to the counter as Allison lifted her eyebrow at me.
"The girls tell me that you finally dumped that jerk, Paul. I never did like him. He looked too much like a Ken doll." She winked at me.
"He did, didn't he?" I picked up a chip from the bowl in front of me and nibbled on it. "He cheated on me."
"He did not." My mother stepped up beside Allison. "Your father spoke to him earlier this week. He said that the two of you grew apart. Things happen, dear. Don't spread rumors."
"He was having sex with Carolyn Jacobs, Mom. I walked in on it. I'm not spreading rumors." My temper went from zero to burning hot.
"Okay. So first things first." My sister reached out and grabbed my hand. "We've got three types of cakes to taste. These are the final ones that I liked. Grab a fork and let’s have some fun."