Two Truths and a Lie(91)

Obviously Sherri Griffin did not bring a gun to Brooke’s end-of-summer party. (Did she? No, of course not. Don’t be stupid.) But there was something about the way she held herself that made us all feel like she had some sort of weapon—some power over us. It’s hard to explain. It seems sort of embarrassing to talk about it now, especially considering what happened later. But at the time, well. We all took Sherri Griffin very seriously.

What did we do after that, you ask? Well, Gina saw Rebecca and her Mystery Man enter the party. She made a little noise of surprise and started off toward them.

But for a more long-term plan? What do you think we did? We told our daughters to make sure that Katie Griffin had the best first day of school in the history of first days of school. We had our girls fighting over who was going to sit next to her in the cafeteria. We had our daughters buying extra locker decorations so that whoever ended up with Katie Griffin as a locker partner would have the prettiest locker in the whole sixth grade. And when we planned the next trip to Nantucket, which, by the way, didn’t take place for a while because of everything else that happened, you can bet your right index finger that Sherri Griffin was added to that text.





72.





Rebecca


The party was clearly in full swing. Cars were lined all the way down the driveway. Music and laughter floated into the street beyond.

As soon as she saw all of this, second thoughts started marching through Rebecca’s head.

“Maybe we should skip it,” Rebecca said to Daniel. “Go to a movie?” Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to sink into one of the cushy seats at the new theater in Methuen and rest her face in a vat of popcorn. She’d see anything—even an action movie, or an animated movie, or science fiction. Anything.

“No way,” said Daniel. “I have my party shirt on.” Rebecca had been too agitated to notice his shirt; she looked more carefully now and saw that he was wearing a polo shirt in pale blue, rather than the navys and olives he typically wore.

“Fancy,” she said. And then, because he really did look proud, she squeezed his hand and said, “You look very nice.”

“I think it’s funny that you’re nervous,” said Daniel.

“I’m not nervous,” she lied. She was so nervous! This was the first time she was putting their relationship on display, and what a public forum in which to do so.

“Hey,” said Daniel, before they walked into the backyard. “Come here, gorgeous.” He pulled Rebecca toward him and kissed her lightly, so lightly that her lipstick stayed in place. “Thank you, Rebecca,” he said formally. “For letting me into your life.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said. She took his hand and led him through the gate. “First let’s see if you make it out alive.”

Naturally, the Mom Squad was clustered around the bar. As a unit, their heads swiveled when she and Daniel walked into the yard. Before they could get to the bar, Gina came toward them.

“I know you,” she said. “Hey, Daniel.”

“Gina.” Daniel bobbed his head cordially.

“Are you guys dating?” Her head swiveled from Rebecca to Daniel and back to Rebecca again. Rebecca watched the understanding sinking in. She imagined she could see the whole history of Daniel’s once-happy marriage, and Gina’s friendship with Veronica the Cheater, the things Rebecca would never know or understand, and never should know or understand, because each friendship and relationship deserves its own private moments and secret backstory.

“We are,” said Rebecca.

“Seriously dating?”

Rebecca glanced at Daniel again; he nodded. “It’s pretty serious actually,” Rebecca said.

“Is this where you’ve been all summer, Rebecca?” She couldn’t tell if Gina was challenging Rebecca or if she was merely interested.

“All summer and for part of the winter too,” said Rebecca. She found Daniel’s hand and gripped it. A long moment passed.

“You should have told me,” Gina said, half sad and half accusing.

“I wasn’t ready to tell anyone yet,” said Rebecca. “You know how this town is. You tell one person and it’s the same as telling twenty.”

“Oh, I know.”

“I know you know,” said Rebecca pointedly. Gina’s eyes flicked from Rebecca to Daniel and back again. Gina didn’t say sleeping bag and she didn’t say sorry and Rebecca didn’t say distance or Morgan or holiday house committee, but she thought that maybe in a few days, when they weren’t at a party, when Daniel wasn’t there, they’d sit down and talk it out.

“Well. I think that’s great,” said Gina finally. “You guys are two of my favorite people.”

She opened her arms, offering a hug, and Rebecca hesitated only briefly before hugging her back. “We’re all in high school for the rest of our lives,” Rebecca had told Alexa earlier in the summer. Tragically true. But even high school sometimes offered redemption and second chances. Right? That was only fair.

“Okay, by the way,” said Gina, “you are not going to believe what happened right before you got here.” She pointed, and Gina turned. She saw a woman she didn’t recognize walking away from the bar in a gold dress. And then she did recognize her. It was Sherri, with a new hair color, looking knock-your-socks-off gorgeous, disappearing into the shadows.