Double-Crossed by Pascal Francine

Author:Pascal, Francine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-01-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

"Please pass the juice," Alice Wakefield said coolly the next morning. The four Wakefields were sitting in their usual places around the breakfast table, but that was the only thing normal about this Friday morning.

Jessica silently passed the pitcher of orange juice to her mother. Thank God it's Friday. As often as she had thought that through the years, never had she meant it more than today. She had been home only one day, and already she was ready to go back to Lila's. True, it was nice to be home among all her own things, and she was glad to be close to Elizabeth again, but after last night's scene . . . She wondered if anyone she knew could possibly be having harder teenage years than she was. No way.

Jeremy hadn't called back last night, though Jessica had waited anxiously by the phone on her bedside table for what seemed like hours. When she had finally given up and tried to get some sleep, she had made sure both the hall door and the bathroom door to her room were locked. Sue might look as though she were taking it all very well, but one never knew. Better to be safe.

Jessica felt tired, washed-out, and grumpy from lack of sleep and worry. Why hadn't he called back? Where had he been? Ugh. She just wanted to go back to bed for, like, two years. It would be great if she could just sleep until she was eighteen. Then none of this would be a problem. She would just wake up, take off with Jeremy, and never have to deal with any of this again.

"Well, today I'm going to talk to Mr. Collins about my article on the Go Math program," Elizabeth said in an attempt to make conversation. Roger Collins was her English teacher, and also the faculty adviser for The Oracle.

"That's nice, honey," Mr. Wakefield said absently.

Elizabeth continued. "I could interview students and get differing opinions."

"Good idea," Mr. Wakefield said, taking a sip of his coffee. "Be nonjudgmental."

"Uh-huh," Elizabeth said.

Jessica turned to the fashion section of the newspaper. "Whoa. Look at these platform shoes."

"It won't be too long before it's fall," Alice Wakefield said. "Maybe later, toward the end of October, we could all drive up north along the coast. Just the four of us." She lowered her voice. "I'm sure Sue will be back in New York by then. Probably throwing herself into her work would be the best thing for her. We could take a long weekend. Carmel would be so pretty then."

"That would be great, Mom," Elizabeth said, nodding.

"If I'm at boarding school, it would be just the three of you," Jessica said diffidently. Her head ached from lack of sleep, and her eyes were red and felt as though they had little grits of sand in them. But she couldn't show she was afraid.

"That's true, Jessica. We'll just have to play it by ear. Well, I better get going," Mr. Wakefield said abruptly.

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