Pineapple Street(66)
“That’s not the fucking point, Mom,” Georgiana said dismissively.
“Georgiana, do you want to come talk in the kitchen?” Sasha intervened. She was suddenly at her elbow and steering her out of the room.
“No, I’m fine, Sasha.” She said her name as though it were a swear.
“You’ve been through a lot,” Sasha said quietly. “It’s okay for you to be angry.”
“Don’t act like you know everything,” Georgiana hissed. “You don’t!”
“Okay, I don’t,” Sasha backpedaled. “I just think you’re ruining a family party when you’re actually hurting about something else.”
What the hell are they talking about? Darley wondered.
“I’m not ruining anything. This whole party is so out of touch. Gender isn’t binary. Gender isn’t about genitals!”
“Jesus, keep your clothes on, George.” Cord tried to reel his sister in, but she was only escalating, and Darley suddenly saw that tears were running down her face.
“Georgiana, let me walk you home.” Sasha reached for Georgiana’s elbow.
“Don’t!” Georgia jerked her arm out of Sasha’s grasp.
“I think you’ll feel better—” Sasha pressed.
“Sasha, back off. This isn’t even your house.” Sasha looked as though she’d been slapped, but Georgiana kept going. “Is this all you care about, Sasha? Your big house and your heir? It’s fucking embarrassing. You’re all embarrassing.” She looked around, glaring as if daring anyone to speak, and when nobody did, she stormed out, down the hall, into her parents’ bedroom, and slammed the door.
“What the hell was that?” Darley asked nobody in particular.
“Well, who knew we’d be in for a bit of dinner theater?” Tilda announced with a laugh. “Now everyone please have a slice of cake! Well, the slices Cord hasn’t defeated in a fencing match!”
Darley was often amazed at her mother’s ability to gloss over awkward situations. It was either incredibly sophisticated or completely psychotic, but in these moments, she supposed she was grateful for it. People quickly shoveled down slices of cake and then made their excuses to leave. Lena had been standing at the bedroom door, trying to talk to Georgiana, but the door remained locked.
“What’s up with her?” asked Darley.
“I don’t know.” Lena shook her head. “She’s been kind of chaotic.”
“What kind of chaotic?”
“Getting drunk really easily. Obviously mixing with anxiety meds. Kissing some guy she hates at a party then beating herself up about it and wallowing in self-loathing.”
“Yikes.” Darley felt her eyes go round. How has she missed so much? She rapped on the door. “George? It’s me. What’s going on, babe? Open up.”
Tilda joined them. “Sweetheart, everyone’s gone home now. Come on out and let’s talk about what upset you. I apologize if my theme missed the mark,” she tried.
There was a thump, a click, and the door swung open. Georgiana stood before them, her hair wild, her lips stained blue from cura?ao, radiant with fury.
“George, what’s going on?” Darley begged, her eyes filling with tears seeing her sister in such pain.
“Ask the Gold Digger,” Georgiana said, glaring at Sasha, who stood frozen at the end of the hall. “Ask the fucking Gold Digger.” And with that she swept out of the apartment and left her family gaping in her wake.
SIXTEEN
Sasha
Sasha told them. They sat in the living room and Sasha explained what Georgiana had confessed the day she found her sobbing in the closet. She had fallen in love; she didn’t know Brady was married. After she had found out, she did the unthinkable and kept sleeping with him. They were having an affair. Then the plane crashed, Brady died, and Georgiana couldn’t stop the grief.
“The secret has been tearing her apart,” whispered Lena. “She told me she broke it off with him.”
“The plane crash was more than two months ago.” Darley winced. “She said she didn’t know the people who died.”
“Brady died. And her friend Meg,” Sasha said quietly.
“You’ve known this the whole time?” Cord asked, and the look on his face was one of such betrayal Sasha could barely stand it.
“I’m sorry,” Sasha whispered. “She told me in confidence.”
“She’s twenty-six,” Darley spat. “She’s a baby. She was dealing with something incredibly traumatic. She needed help.”
“I tried to help her, but guess what? She shut me out, just like everyone in your family!” Sasha shot back defensively. “I called her and called her, but she didn’t want help from a gold digger.”
“Why do people keep saying that?” Tilda interrupted.
“Because that’s Georgiana and Darley’s nickname for me: the Gold Digger. They think I married up. They think I give two shits about what clubs you belong to or how to set a fucking table. They think I actually wanted to move into your family museum of antique crap.”
“Hey, Sasha, simmer down,” Cord said and frowned.
“No, I won’t simmer down. Georgiana is spoiled and selfish and has been rude and snide to me since the moment I met her. And you,” Sasha turned to Darley. “It’s almost worse because you pretended to be my friend while joking about me behind my back.”