Brilliant Hues (9 page)

P
ips and I maneuvered down a row around the middle of the auditorium, and found two empty seats near the middle of the room. Grant had opted to sit in the back, but I still squirmed in my seat, knowing he was nearby. After everything happened tonight, he’d know I hadn’t stood up to the girls. I could still feel his hand on my shoulder, hear him saying, “I’m proud of you, Sadie.” Not after tonight, he wouldn’t be. I sighed as we flipped open our programs.

Pips pointed to the names. “Margot’s second and Bri is third.”

“Maybe they won’t tie,” I suggested hopefully, reading the other name. “Maybe this other girl, YaoYao, will win?”

“Alice was pretty sure that wouldn’t happen.” Pips took out her camera and checked the flash and settings.

“They were going to show the video to Margo right before the competition?” I asked.

Pips nodded miserably. “Sadie, I know I should have done something to stop them, but Alice …”

The lights went down and the music started.

The judges were in the front row, three rows ahead of us.

The runway stretched out into the audience, and a spotlight flashed on, highlighting YaoYao’s first model. She wore a fancy dress covered in silver sequins, with a rose pattern in red sequins on the skirt. YaoYao obviously liked sequins, because the next model wore a sequin-covered skirt and top, but this time the rose was yellow, and on the shirt. The third model wore jeans and a t-shirt, and the jeans were covered with a vine of pink roses, in sequins, of course.

YaoYao stepped out from the curtain after the three girls had modeled, wearing purple sequins and a rose of her own on her otherwise black pants and black stretchy tee.

“What does the rose symbolize?” One of the judges asked.

“To me, a rose is the perfect flower,” YaoYao said, and beamed around at the crowd. “A red rose might mean love, but a yellow rose can mean friendship. The roses on each of my designs are meant to make the person wearing them and the people around them feel very particular feelings.”

“But not everyone knows what each color of rose means,” Pippa whispered to me.

The audience applauded loudly as YaoYao left the stage.

“The judges seemed to like the symbolism, though.
Maybe she’ll win,” I whispered back as Margo’s first model took the stage.

Pips gave me a worried look. “I don’t want Bri to lose, though.”

“I just don’t want her to win by cheating, Pips.”

Pips bit her lip. “I know.”

Margo’s designs combined very different kinds of textures, like floaty see-through fabric over velvet, or what looked like fishnet over jeans. She used all black in each design, and the models’ makeup was thick, especially around their eyes.

Margo explained to the judge that she used mostly black because she felt that clothes were part of the way you showed the world you were powerful and strong. And black was a strong, powerful color. Margo looked directly at Pippa, then, and raised a challenging eyebrow.

“What did that mean?” I asked.

But Juliet had already come out on stage. Bri had designed a dress for her that was both totally Bri, and perfect for Juliet. The knee-length skirt was made of a silky purple fabric, with that fish-net fabric in lavender over the top. She wore a sheer hot-pink shirt with a lace-up vest over the top made from this cool patterned velvet that was mostly purple, aqua and hot pink. Juliet also wore hot pink tights with purple polka dots and aqua boots that came to mid-calf. It was a wild outfit, but because the colors were so spot on, and because Juliet had all that flowing blond hair to set it off, it was perfect.

Alice came out next in jeans and a t-shirt. But Bri had first dyed the jeans bright green, and then added iron-on velvety designs in lime green and bright blue. Bri had added bright blue lace to a light blue t-shirt, and torn off the sleeves, adding green see-through fingerless gloves to the mix. Alice wore her usual Chuck Taylors, but with green laces to match the gloves, and her long dark hair hung free down her back.

Bri didn’t have another model, so she had to wear her final outfit, black and white striped leggings, with a sleeveless top that was half-dress, half-shirt with a funky, uneven hem. The fabric was a patchwork of many different textures of fabric: lace, silk, and that fish-net stuff, all sewed on top of a deep red velvet. She wore fuzzy red boots and her hair up in a bun with two black and red hair-sticks sticking out.

After Bri had finished walking the runway, the judges asked her about the colors she’d chosen.

“Color is one way that people express their personality,” Bri said. “And lots of people are afraid to wear color, but they shouldn’t be. People just need to find the right colors for themselves.”

Pips and I stood and clapped as the girls left the stage. The judges conferred for a moment, and then the woman went to the microphone. The crowd hushed, waiting for the announcement.

“We’ve decided to do an unprecedented thing this year,” the woman judge announced. “Will Brianna Ingles and Margo Martin please join us on stage?”

No. Couldn’t they just decide that YaoYao should win? I
exchanged uncomfortable looks with Pips as Bri and Margo re-entered the stage, their models trailing after them.

“You girls had very similar concepts, but handled them with different color schemes,” the judge said. “We can’t decide between the originality and uniqueness of your designs, and so we are going to award you both first place prizes. You and your teams are both invited to come work with our designers next week, and we will simply split the time. Congratulations on your excellent work.”

No one had accused anyone of cheating. I watched Margo as the judge climbed the stairs, reaching out to shake her hand. Margo’s face twisted with anger and frustration as she glared first over at Bri, Juliet and Alice, and then out at Pippa and me.

“Would you like to say anything?” the judge asked Margo.

“I …” Margo began, and then cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, I can’t accept this award.”

Anger and embarrassment battled on her face.

“Pippa, we can’t just sit here,” I hissed.

“But what are we supposed to do?” She stared down at the camera miserably.

I grabbed her arm “No, Pips. No pictures.”

“Alice will kill me,” Pips whispered.

“Bri cheated and won,” I said. “Isn’t that bad enough?”

“I just … I …” Confusion crossed Pippa’s face, but she gave the girls on stage one last look, and then turned off the camera.

I didn’t mean to ask Pips to choose between me and the other girls. And I knew she still felt unsure about what the right thing was to do. She’d been so sure when she’d explained the club to me, confident that putting bullies in their place was right. I hadn’t exactly helped by just running away from the problem a few days ago. Eventually, I’d have to tell the girls what I really thought.

Onstage, Bri, Alice, and Juliet sparkled with happiness. Like instead of just humiliating someone, they had just scored a huge victory.

The judge blinked at Margo, as though she hadn’t quite understood what she’d said. “I’m sorry, did you say you cannot accept this award?”

“Yes, that’s what I said,” Margo snapped. She turned on her heel, and her models followed her, clearly arguing with her all the way off stage.

After trying to cover the awkward moment with an overdone laugh, the judge walked over to Bri. “I don’t suppose you have any difficulty accepting this award?”

Bri beamed out at the crowd. “No, and I’d like to thank the judges for this amazing opportunity.”

She gave big hugs to Alice and Juliet and then the three of them grabbed hands and bowed, before they bounded offstage. Pippa’s shoulders drooped as we found our way out of the theatre and looked for the girls. I made a point of not catching Grant’s eye. Sure, we hadn’t taken any pictures. But we hadn’t stopped the humiliation either.

“Wasn’t that amazing?” Juliet asked, pulling Pips into a huge hug. “Did you see her face?”

Bri grabbed me and squeezed me tight. “And her models didn’t even know. We wouldn’t let her tell anyone.”

“Did you get the pictures?” Alice asked Pippa.

“Oh, yeah, the pictures. You took one of her face when she turned down the award, right?” Bri asked.

“No,” I said.

Bri’s face fell. “What happened, Pips?”

“She just looked so miserable,” Pips ventured. “I didn’t want to take a picture of that.”

Alice gave Pips a puzzled look. “But that was the whole point. She was supposed to be miserable, and the pictures would have made sure she never forgot.”

Pips stared at her shoes. Now really wasn’t the best time for this conversation. Maybe we could talk about it tomorrow at the lake. A lot of this was my fault, and I shouldn’t let Pips take the blame.

I looked around to see if Grant had followed us out of the theater. As I scanned the room, I saw him leaning against the railing that led up to the theatre. I couldn’t see the disappointment on his face, but I still knew it was there.

“We should probably go, Pips.” I tried to smile at the other girls. “Don’t forget, tomorrow’s waterskiing. Dad’s starting the pick up run at seven am, so no sleeping in.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again after this,” Bri said.

I backed away with Pips, while Alice, Bri, and Juliet kept hugging one another. They grinned and told each other how
amazing that had been and rehashed the look on Margo’s face as she turned down the award. It was like watching someone else’s friends.

We picked our way across the crowd to Grant, and the closer we came, the worse I felt. Grant wouldn’t be around much longer, now that Tyler had decided to call off the mediation for a while. Tonight, Dad had said that maybe even as soon as next week, I might not need a bodyguard anymore. While on the one hand, everything returning to normal was a huge relief, I didn’t want Grant to leave disappointed in me.

Pips kept looking back at the others, who were huddled tightly, laughing every now and then. If it came down to choosing between them and me, what would she do? What if I had changed so much or the others had changed so much, that we couldn’t bridge the gap? The aching loneliness opened up inside me again, and I wished I could curl up on the floor, right here, and hold myself together. Or have someone else wrap me up in their arms and make me feel like I wasn’t made of air and feathers, but like something solid.

“Ready to go, girls?” Grant asked.

I hugged my arms tight and nodded.

“H
it it!” I called, and Dad gunned the boat.

I kept my knees bent and pulled with my arms, but right after I popped up out of the water, I face-planted back down. As I bobbed back up to the surface, the boat circled around. The girls’ happy voices rang out over the lake. Somehow, today, it felt like last night hadn’t existed. We’d packed into Dad’s Jeep and driven up here, and Grant hadn’t even had to come, because Mom and Dad were with us. Finally, it felt like a regular summer Saturday, as we piled into the motorboat and took turns waterskiing. I knew I’d have to talk to the girls eventually. But right now, I wanted to hold on to this happy, back-with-the-girls feeling.

“You okay, Sadie?” Juliet called.

“She’s fine.” Pips laughed. “She has to crash and burn a
few times every time we go out before she remembers how to do it.”

“Ha, ha!” I grabbed the rope and prepped myself again.

She was right. As a general rule, I had two crashes for every good run. But this time, I was going to get up on top of the water.

I breathed in the cold Tahoe air, and shook out my shoulders. Relax, Sadie. Keep your knees bent. See yourself on top of the water. Don’t think. It’s just you and the water.

“Hit it,” I called.

Again, the boat’s motor gunned, and I pulled back hard, keeping my knees bent. I was plowing through the water, not quite up, and not quite down.

“Stand up NOW,” Pips called.

I pushed up and rebalanced, and suddenly, I was skimming across the lake. Since it was afternoon, the water was pretty choppy, but I managed to hold on. The girls cheered from the boat and a goofy grin spread across my face. Dad turned in a wide loop and I arced out across the water. If Pips were skiing, she’d be crossing over and across the wake, but I was happy right here, behind the boat, letting the boat and the water take me where it chose.

Finally, my arms and legs began to shake from holding tight for so long. I threw up my arms and sunk down into the water.

The boat circled around and I climbed back in, wrapping myself in the towel Pips offered.

“I say we cook hot dogs and marshmallows over a campfire
before we drive home,” Dad said. “What do you girls think?”

“Ooooh!” Juliet clapped her hands. “Are we going to a store? I can do gourmet s’mores.”

Bri elbowed her. “But regular hot dogs, right? Because I like mine burnt and crispy.”

“We can get fancy barbecue sauce or mustard or something,” Juliet said.

“All right,” Dad said. “We’ll find a campsite and Cindy and whoever wants to stay can work on gathering wood for the fire and roasting sticks, and the rest of us can go to the store.”

“Why don’t Sadie and I stay,” Pips said.

“Sounds good.” Dad maneuvered the boat to shore and we carried our gear up to the Jeep. We always put in the boat near a campground where Dad knew the owners, and they generally let him use a site for the afternoon, even if he wasn’t planning to spend the night. We found an empty spot, and waved the others off. Mom had brought her recliner chair and a book, so she settled in, and Pippa and I headed into the trees to find kindling. I found a spot under a tree where some branches had fallen and started gathering sticks.

“Pips, about Margo …”

“What about her?” Pippa crouched down to gather sticks of her own. “I mean, it’s all over, isn’t it?

“But it was wrong, Pips, you know it was.”

Pippa dropped her sticks on the ground and sat on a log. “Margo has been bullying people all year, Sades. No, it
wasn’t right, but maybe Margo will lay off now. Maybe we can all just let it go.”

“But what about the next time the girls want to gang up on someone?” I came over to sit next to Pippa.

She kicked at the dirt. “I don’t know, Sadie. Before you and I talked, I thought what we were doing was right. And I’m still not sure it isn’t. And Alice thinks …”

“What?” I asked.

“That it’s because I’m Christian that I’m questioning the club,” Pippa picked up her sticks and walked away from me.

I followed her, trying to get her to look at me. “When did she say that?”

“Alice was really upset after you left Juliet’s house. She thinks you’re making me choose between you and the others, that this bullying thing is just the beginning. And she thinks I don’t want to be her friend because she’s an aetheist.”

“But that’s not true—”

Pippa’s look cut into me, and I remembered my thoughts last night, watching the girls, walking away with Pips. She turned away from me and knelt down for more sticks.

I knelt down next to her. “Pips, I’d never want you to choose between me and the girls. You know that.”

“Everything has been so strange between me and Alice, even with the other girls, ever since you got back,” Pippa said.

It was like everything I’d worried about, from the first minute when Pips had shown me the pictures on her iPhone, it was all coming true. And I didn’t know what to do to stop it.

“Pips, I …”

“Look, I just need, I don’t know, Sades. I need time to think, to figure this all out. I want you to be happy and I want Alice to be happy, and I don’t know what to do.” Her eyes welled with tears.

Something between us was breaking, slipping apart, something neither of us could fix. More than anything, I wanted to smooth things over, make everything right between us again, but I didn’t know what to say.

She turned away from me. “My arms are full. Let’s take these back to the campsite and then we can come back for more.”

We piled our kindling by the fire pit. Without discussing it, I went one direction for more, and Pippa went the other. Never, never ever, in our lives, had there been trouble between us that I couldn’t fix.

I found some long sticks and stripped off the extra branches, making them into roasting sticks. I also found a few logs left behind by campers, and carried those back to the fire pit. Dad would probably need to buy a bundle of wood from the campsite manager too, but the logs would be a good start. Maybe I could find some more kindling down by the lake. I walked in the direction of the loading dock, realizing I was alone for the first time since Dad had hired Grant.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I tried to tell myself I was just imagining things, but I had the creepy feeling someone was watching me. I turned a full circle, scanning the trees, but didn’t see anything. I was fine. Karl
hadn’t shown up ever, since the elevator, and why would he be all the way out here, in Tahoe, anyway? Especially now that Tyler had dropped the case?

I found a new patch of kindling and started filling my arms.

“Hello, Sadie.”

I whirled around. It wasn’t possible. It was almost as though because I’d imagined him, now here he was in real life.

I backed away. “What are you doing here?”

“I don’t think you spoke to your dad,” Karl said. “Or at least you didn’t convince him. And now, Tyler’s dropping the case. Just when it was about to end up in court.”

I stumbled over a root as I continued to back up, but I managed not to fall.

“You promised to talk to your dad for me, Sadie.” Karl kept forcing me toward the water.

“You know how important this is. I explained it to you.”

Like Mom said, it was the missing logic that made Karl so frightening. Why would he follow my family all the way to Tahoe, wait until I was alone, corner me on the beach? What possible reason could he have to do this? I’d thought that the next time I saw Karl, I would shout at him, tell him how wrong he was about the device, about Tyler. I’d tell him about Charlotte. But I couldn’t bring myself to say anything at all.

Just as my feet splashed into the water, Dad burst from the trees. He stopped to take in the situation, me in the lake,
Karl, still moving toward me. I’d never seen Dad run so fast. He plowed into Karl and knocked him to the sand.

“What are you doing?” he demanded, standing over Karl with fists clenched. “What are you doing?”

Even on the ground, Karl radiated with intensity. “I told you, Matthew, that I would have my way. So Tyler wants a break from the case. Too bad. It’s time that this was decided. And I thought Sadie could help me …”

“Help you what?” Dad looked like he might punch Karl any minute.

“Explain things to you,” Karl said, standing, brushing sand off his jeans. “But, I can see you won’t be reasonable. I don’t know why I expected you to be.”

Even now, Karl wasn’t backing down. Dad took out his phone.

“Call the police,” Karl said, holding up his hands. “Tell them I talked to your daughter. It’s not a crime. The next time I see you will be in court, anyway.”

Karl turned to go, and as soon as he was a few steps away, Dad scooped me up out of the water and held me tight. I couldn’t stop shaking.

“Let’s get you back to the campfire,” Dad said, and guided me toward the trees.

Mom ran up then, and seeing the look on Dad’s face and my soaked shoes, she said, “What happened, Matthew?”

When she pulled me into a hug, Dad made a horrible, angry growl. “Karl showed up. He just won’t stop.”

“Matthew …” Mom warned.

Dad ran his fingers though his hair. “I’m sorry, Cindy. I’m sorry, Sadie. I just feel so helpless. I think we should get Sadie out of here.”

“You mean you want to go home before the campfire?” Mom asked.

“No, we should eat or the girls will be starving on the way home. But tomorrow, we’re finding a way to send Sadie out of town. Could she go stay with your sister?”

Mom bit her lip. “I’m not sure. I don’t think I can travel anywhere right now.”

“I know you’re not up to it just now, but we can send Sadie,” Dad said.

“You’re sending me on a trip, by myself?” I asked.

“You’ll be safe anywhere but here,” Dad said. “I just want you to go for a few weeks until we can get this thing into court and legally tie Karl’s hands so he can’t keep harassing you.”

“What if …” Mom began. “What if we sent Sadie to Owl Creek?”

I stared at her, not daring to believe she had just suggested Owl Creek.

I twisted my earring around nervously before asking, “Could I go visit … Vivian?”

Probably best not to ask about Andrew just now.

Mom looked relieved, as though she’d thought she’d have to sell me on this more. “Yes. Owl Creek would be perfect, Matthew, don’t you think? We know Sadie’s safe there, and she’s comfortable there.”

“I’ll think about it,” Dad said, and then seeing the expression on my face, he added, “But don’t get too excited, Sadie. I haven’t decided yet, all right?”

I tried to rearrange my face into a less hopeful expression.

“All right. Let’s go get this fire started,” Dad said.

Vivian. Ruth. Frankie. And Andrew. I nearly floated over to join the girls.