Zoe had the music cranked up so loud that Izzie had no choice but to enter the pool house without knocking. She found her aunt huddled over her laptop in the kitchen while Adele played at full blast. Zoe didn’t notice Izzie till she was standing in front of her.
“You almost gave me a heart attack!” Zoe said, clutching her yoga-toned stomach.
“You’re going to have a heart attack if you don’t lower that music.” Izzie walked over to Zoe’s iPod dock, which was on the kitchen counter next to a pile of unwashed dishes and a half-empty Chinese food container, and lowered the music from deafening to normal. The ringing in her ears stopped. “I could hear Adele from inside the house.”
“Sorry!” Zoe barely looked at her as she clicked away on her laptop, her mouse swirling in circles. “I work best when the music is loud, and right now I have a monster assignment that is way overdue—two actually. I can’t do anything else till I’m finished.”
I can see that, Izzie thought. She could only imagine how Aunt Maureen would react if she saw the pool house like this. In addition to the dishes piled in the sink, there were takeout boxes stacked like magazines, dirty laundry on the floor, a mound of unfolded clothes on a living room chair, and camera equipment and backdrops everywhere. Zoe was in yoga pants and an oversize sweatshirt with her hair piled on top of her head with what looked like chopsticks. “I didn’t know you were working,” Izzie said. “I’ll come back.”
“Stay. I’m… done!” Zoe clicked Send and looked up triumphantly. “Gwen and Gavin’s cute family pictures are in their in-box, and crusty Vivian Ingram has her photos of her precious Founders Day parade.” She slammed the laptop closed and flung herself from the kitchen chair to the couch. “Talk to me. I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“It’s been almost a week,” Izzie said. A whole week since she had asked Zoe to help her out of that bind at USC and Zoe had flat out said no. Zoe hadn’t called or stopped by once to check on her. Didn’t she wonder how things worked out?
“Has it been that long?” Zoe pulled out one of her chopsticks and scratched her head. “I guess I did fly to New York Tuesday for Gwen and Gavin, then back here Thursday, and Vivian has been calling every day for those pictures.” Zoe rolled her eyes. She pushed the pile of clothes Izzie thought were clean onto the floor and motioned for Izzie to sit. “But enough about me. Did you have fun at USC?”
Izzie blinked. Zoe had to be joking. “I got grounded for going without permission and missed my birthday dinner, so I guess you could say no, I didn’t have too much fun.”
Zoe slapped her forehead. “I totally forgot. So Bill was really mad? Even on your birthday? God, he’s such a stickler for rules. I’m sorry I couldn’t come get you.”
It still bothered Izzie that Zoe had blown her off. Her aunt had said she was hanging around EC to get to know her better. Instead, they’d barely bonded and Zoe had totally forgotten her birthday. She wasn’t sure what Zoe wanted her to say.
“How long are you grounded for?” Zoe jumped up and started opening cabinets.
“Two weeks.” Izzie watched Zoe open all the cabinets till she found a cup. Then she went to the fridge and poured herself a glass of sweet tea. She didn’t offer Izzie one. “I can go to swim team practice and work on the booth for the Founders Day Street Fair, which is tomorrow, and the gala on Sunday, but other than that I am under house arrest.” Not hanging out with Brayden was the worst part about being grounded. Thank God she got to see him at school.
Zoe grinned. “They didn’t say anything about not visiting the pool house, though. You can chill out here as long as you like. You can even say you’re here and then really go meet up with Brayden. I’m cool covering for you.”
Izzie didn’t need any more problems than she already had. “That’s okay. I’m going to see him tomorrow and Sunday anyway.” Plus he had given her a sweet “grounding survival kit” at school that had her favorite Ice Breakers gum, a Butter Me Up cookie from town, and a note saying he had DVR’d her favorite shows and a Dara Torres swim competition, since she was banned from the TV. In the boyfriend category, Brayden couldn’t be beat.
“Did Grams ever ground you?” Zoe wanted to know. “She never punished me or your mom. She was a total pushover.”
“Grams was more of a talker,” Izzie said. “She never took away TV or gave me curfews. My dad might not have, either, if those pictures hadn’t turned up on Facebook.”
Zoe’s arched eyebrows raised. “Facebook?”
Izzie grimaced. “Brayden’s sister has a public Facebook profile, and she posted photos of us hanging out at this party we went to for my birthday.” Izzie sorted through the mound of newspapers on the coffee table. She pulled out the Monday edition of the North Carolina Gazette and showed her the headline: Senator Monroe Lets His Teenage Daughter Run Wild, A report by Grayson Reynolds. It showed one of Dylan’s grainy Facebook photos of Izzie standing in a frat house next to a girl wearing a USC sweatshirt. Her dad was unhappy about the party, but what was she supposed to do on a college campus on a Saturday night? Lock herself in Dylan’s room? Izzie had figured that if she was stuck there, she might as well find a way to have fun.
“Lord, talk about getting caught in the act!” Zoe curled her legs under her and tugged at her fuzzy socks. She could have passed for one of Izzie’s friends even though she was in her thirties. “You had no way home. What were you supposed to do, stay in? God, he overreacts.” There was that edge to her voice again. It was the same one she had heard Zoe use on her dad at the parade. “One time he was furious at your mom and me because we went to see this band in a dicey Queens neighborhood. He said he should have been there to play bodyguard. He likes being in control, I think.”
“He says he’s trying to protect me, but sometimes I feel like he doesn’t trust me.” It felt weird to talk about her dad to Zoe. “I told him I’ve been on my own for years, with Grams so sick, and I’ve managed fine. I could handle a trip to USC.”
“Of course you could,” Zoe agreed. “I was the same way you are. That’s why I wasn’t worried about you in the storm. I knew you could take care of yourself.”
Izzie played with a loose strand on one of the throw pillows. “The voters don’t see it that way. Dad says that to them it looks like I don’t listen.” She yanked the loose thread from the pillow, causing another string to unravel. “I don’t want to make him look bad in the middle of a campaign, but I hate being under a microscope. As long as he’s in the news, I am stuck in the public eye, too.”
Zoe took the other chopstick out of her hair as if the conversation was giving her a headache. “One thing I will say about your dad is that he is magnetic. People are drawn to him, and that can be both good and bad. It was the same way when he was dating your mom,” she said softly. “He was only a rookie ballplayer back then, so he was always worried about how it would look if he was seen at this bar or doing something with your mom. It drove us crazy.”
“Us?” Izzie made herself comfortable on the couch. This was the kind of conversation she’d been hoping to have with Zoe for a long time.
“Your mom,” Zoe corrected. “She didn’t like being micromanaged. She never worried about image, and it drove her crazy that Bill did.”
Izzie had avoided this question ever since Zoe showed up on the Monroes’ doorstep. “So is that why my parents broke up?”
Zoe hesitated. “I don’t know. I wasn’t in the relationship; they were.”
“Dad won’t talk about it. He just says they grew apart.” Izzie wrapped the pillow’s loose thread around her finger, making it tight, and then loosening it again. “But they weren’t together that long. How could they grow apart? Did they have a fight?” Izzie pushed. “I’m old enough to know.”
Zoe exhaled slowly. “You’re right.” She played with the chopsticks in her hand. “It wasn’t a dramatic fight or anything. In the end, your mom just knew their relationship could never work long-term. Your dad was a rising baseball star and your mom was always going to come second to his career. She deserved to be more than just a ballplayer’s wife,” Zoe said determinedly. “The other guys on his team always had, like, three girlfriends and at least two more groupies on the side. Bill seemed faithful to your mom, but how long could that really last?”
Her dad didn’t seem like the cheating type, but Zoe looked so annoyed Izzie didn’t want to argue.
“We heard the rumors all summer long that he could be traded, and your mom didn’t want to do the long-distance thing. That never works. So when he got the official word he was moving on, she stopped taking his calls. She wouldn’t see him when he dropped by. I tried to talk to her, but she was determined not to be a lovesick idiot and she wasn’t willing to follow him around the country. She said it was better to break up before she got hurt. She didn’t know she was pregnant.” Zoe wouldn’t look at her. “I thought with him leaving, she’d stay, but she said the memories were too much. She left New York, and me, before I could talk some sense into her.”
Izzie couldn’t decide how to feel. Was her mom so wrong to take control of her life? “I get why Mom wouldn’t have wanted to be number two, but when she realized she was pregnant, why didn’t she tell Dad about me?”
“I don’t know.” Zoe stared intently at her. She looked so much like Izzie’s mom. It was an eerie feeling. “I know this is hard for you to understand, but things worked out for the best. Your parents never would have lasted, and Maureen is a doll.”
The words stung. She loved her aunt, too, but how could Zoe be so blunt about her own sister? “Why do you hate my dad so much?”
“I don’t hate your dad. I just hate how concerned he is with public image. Your free spirit is one of your greatest gifts, and I don’t like how he’s tried to stifle yours.” Zoe sounded angry. “If you were with me, I’d let you run your own life. Swim with sharks, shave your head, take a year off before college, you can do it all, as long as you tell me why you want to do it.” Zoe’s face lit up from the sunlight streaming through the windows. “Your grandmother gave me freedom, but she wasn’t supportive. You need both and if you don’t have those things, then you have to go out and find them for yourself. That’s why I left and never looked back.”
The room was so quiet Izzie could hear the air-conditioning kick on. Maybe she and Zoe were more alike than she’d thought. Izzie hadn’t let her upbringing hold her back in life so far, and she wasn’t about to let it start now.
“You’re sixteen,” Zoe said quietly. “I don’t know if your dad told you that you have a choice, but you do.” Izzie didn’t understand what she was talking about. “If you’re unhappy here, you can come back with me to California.”
“Wh-what?” Izzie stammered.
“California,” Zoe repeated, shifting slightly. “Oh, Izzie, you’d love it there. It’s so laid-back and I’m so much more chill when I’m home. Just being on the East Coast is giving me hives. I have to get out of here and soon, and you could come. I wouldn’t give you big rules. Just brush your teeth and leave a note if you’re going out. We’d be like sisters,” she said with a smile. “We’d have so much fun. You’d love my friends and…”
Come back with me to California. Was Zoe serious? Izzie could see her mouth moving, but she couldn’t believe what Zoe was saying. Could she really just pick up and move to California with an aunt she barely knew? Was that even allowed? And if it was, what about her and Brayden? And her and Mira, Connor, Hayden, Kylie (even though they weren’t speaking), her friends, her swim team… Izzie’s mind was reeling.
“So you’ll think about it?” Zoe was asking. “Don’t worry about what your dad will say. Just decide what you want and try to decide soon, because I give it another two weeks before I lose it completely.” She laughed. “It was fun to be back for a split second, but now I am itching for a change again. We could go to Cali first, but then I’m thinking we head down to Mexico for a bit. I go there in April anyway, but we could stay on and I could do some work, too.”
“I have school,” Izzie reminded her.
“That’s right. You’re still in school.” Zoe’s smile seemed to deflate slightly. “We will work it out. Maybe we’ll do homeschooling!” she said with renewed energy. “So many of my friends’ kids—well, the ones who have kids—do that and they say it’s great.”
Homeschooling? Mexico? With someone who barely gave her the time of day as it was? Izzie jumped up, afraid to hear another word. She felt guilty for even entertaining Zoe’s suggestion. “I should go before Aunt Maureen looks for me.” Izzie eyed the mess again. On top of the pile was a purple paper mask. It was her sweet-sixteen invite.
Zoe noticed her looking at the invitation and picked it up. “Oh! Your party is in April, isn’t it? I guess we could go to Mexico a little later than planned.” She bit her lip. “I’ll figure it out. The most important thing is whether you want to come home with me.”
“About that,” Izzie started to say.
“Don’t worry,” Zoe interrupted. “This stays between us till you say otherwise.”
Izzie was relieved to have an out. She stepped over a tripod on its side and walked to the door. “Will I see you tomorrow at the street fair? Our booth looks amazing. Mira and some guy from her art class are doing a huge mural.” She waited for Zoe to say no.
Zoe flung the invite onto the pile on the table and hopped off the couch. “Um, I think so. Vivian needs me to take pictures. I know I wrote the time down somewhere.”
“The fair starts at ten AM,” Izzie told her. “I’m sure she wants you there earlier.”
Zoe walked over and tugged on Izzie’s chin. “See what I mean? We’d make a great team.” Izzie didn’t answer her. She just let herself out and Zoe followed. “Wow, it must be seventy degrees. I could use some air after being cooped up for twenty-four hours. Want to take a walk and get pizza?”
“I’m grounded,” Izzie reminded her. It was a shame, too, because it was a beautiful afternoon. It was supposed to be even nicer tomorrow for the street fair.
“Oh please.” Zoe stripped off her socks and threw them inside. Then she slipped on a pair of flip-flops near the front-door mat. “They won’t even know you’re gone.” Zoe hooked her arm through hers. Izzie couldn’t believe Zoe was leaving the house in yoga pants with no makeup, and her hair so disheveled. Oh, geez, I am starting to think like Mira, she thought ruefully.
They’d barely made it past the pool when they heard talking. Zoe stopped short when she saw Hayden, Kylie, and Kylie’s mom walking toward them.
“Well, isn’t this a picture!” Mrs. Brooks said when she saw Zoe and Izzie. “I never thought I’d see the day when you two were together.” Izzie felt Zoe stiffen.
Izzie eyed Hayden and Kylie. Neither of them looked at her. “Hi, Mrs. Brooks.”
Kylie’s mom pulled Izzie out of Zoe’s grasp and in for a tighter hug than usual. “Hey, darlin’. Just getting a tour of your fancy house here. Good thing your parents aren’t home. They won’t notice anything missing.” She started to laugh. “Just kidding!”
“Mom,” Kylie said through gritted teeth. Izzie felt bad for her. Kylie’s mom could be embarrassing, kind of like Kylie, but both had good hearts.
“It’s okay. My mom loves any excuse to shop.” Hayden lightened the mood. “Just don’t touch the sports equipment. That’s mine.”
“See, Kylie girl?” Mrs. Brooks nudged her daughter. “Hayden knows I’m joking. I don’t have sticky fingers like this one here.” She looked at Zoe. “She once stole the last bagel in the cafeteria right out from under me.”
Zoe laughed. “That is not stealing, Patty. I just moved faster than you in the cafeteria line. You had another twenty pounds on you then.” Kylie and Izzie quickly glanced at each other. It looked like this was going to turn ugly.
Mrs. Brooks pursed her lip-glossed lips. “True. I never did move like you did. You’re always on the go. When are you picking up and leaving town? Tomorrow?”
“In a few weeks.” Zoe’s tone changed. “Throwing me a going-away party? I hear that friends do that sort of thing.”
Mrs. Brooks’s eyes narrowed. “It’s hard to throw something like that when you never know when a person is coming or going.”
“If you want a going-away party, talk to Mira,” Hayden jumped in. Izzie noticed him take Kylie’s hand. “She can plan one in her sleep. Right, Iz?” Hayden was acknowledging her for the first time in days. Both of them knew how uncomfortable this conversation was getting for everyone.
“Right!” Izzie spoke up. “She could sic our party planner on you in under an hour if you are interested.” Zoe and Kylie’s mom just continued to stare at each other.
“Your aunt should have been a magician,” Mrs. Brooks said to Izzie. “She loves to make a mess and then disappear.”
“Oh, please, Patty!” Zoe threw up her arms. “Here we go again.”
“Chloe needed you,” Mrs. Brooks said, and Izzie froze. “But you were too selfish to come back and make things right with her. You never got to know your niece or talk things out with your mama. I would have told you that years ago, but every time I brought up your sister’s name, you threatened to hang up on me! You called so infrequently as it was. You couldn’t bother to turn up until Chloe was buried!”
Izzie felt momentarily stunned. “What did you say?” Mrs. Brooks paled, and Izzie knew she was telling the truth. She looked at Zoe. “You knew my mom died?” Zoe looked away.
Mrs. Brooks spoke up. “She was at the funeral for about thirty seconds.”
“What?” Izzie felt like her legs were going to give out. “But I didn’t see you there. I would have remembered someone who looked like my mom.”
“I was hiding a bit so no one would recognize me,” Zoe admitted shamefully, and Izzie’s face twisted angrily. Zoe reached for her and almost tripped. “It’s not that I didn’t want to meet you. Your grandmother wouldn’t let me! She was so mad that I said no about the friggin’ guardianship that she made me leave before I even got to go up and say good-bye to Chloe.” Zoe’s voice was shaky. “I wanted to tell you the truth now that I know you, I swear, but I didn’t want to hurt you any more than I had!” Izzie stared at the ground. “I was young. I didn’t know how to deal with a kid of my own.”
All the pieces were starting to click together. “So Grams didn’t just ask you to be my guardian last year; she also asked when my mom died,” Izzie realized. “You turned her down twice.” Her voice cracked, and Kylie put her hand on her back to steady her.
Zoe could barely look at Izzie. “I was upset about losing my sister who I hadn’t seen in years. I couldn’t take care of her kid! Try to understand what I was feeling.”
“What you were feeling?” Izzie focused on breathing. “I lost my mom.”
Zoe reached out again, and Kylie blocked her. “I was selfish.” Zoe’s voice wavered. “But I’m here now and I want to take care of you. Does it really matter when I decided I wanted to be in your life?”
“Yes!” Izzie said incredulously. She couldn’t look at Zoe one second longer. She took off for the side gate and heard yelling—it could have been Mrs. Brooks and Zoe for all she knew—but she didn’t stop till she got tackled to the ground. “Let go, Kylie!”
“No!” Kylie struggled against Izzie’s strength. “You can’t run away again!”
“I am not running away! I just don’t want to deal with this right now!” Izzie yelled, and even as she said the words, she felt her will to fight slip away.
This was what Kylie did. She pushed problems out into the open, and she forced her friends to do the same. Kylie’s arms unlocked. She helped Izzie up and they looked at each other. “Sorry. I thought you were going to run, and that would be a dumb move since Zoe is the one who was a total jerk.”
“She is a jerk.” Izzie smoothed her hair, plucking a twig out of it. “I can’t believe she lied to me like that. She abandoned me,” she said quietly. “Twice.”
It was the first time they’d talked since their fight. Were they still fighting? Izzie wasn’t sure, because Kylie was here now when she needed her most.
“But she’s back. That must mean something,” Kylie said. “She knows she made a mistake and she’s trying to make up for it.”
Kylie had a point. Izzie had gone through every stage of anger when she found out Zoe didn’t want her—anger at her, anger at Grams, anger at herself for not being good enough to be wanted—she didn’t think she had enough fuel left to go through the cycle again. Abandoning her niece once was the same thing as doing it twice. Right?
“My mom said Zoe has always been selfish,” Kylie added. “When Grams said she was going to ask Zoe to be your guardian last summer, my mom thought it was a bad idea. She knew there was no way Zoe was going to be able to take care of a teenager.”
Izzie’s face darkened. “You knew about Zoe all this time?”
“N-no,” Kylie stammered. “I mean, not last year. My mom only told me the story a few weeks ago.” She sounded ashamed when she saw Izzie’s crushed expression. “But we weren’t talking. How was I supposed to tell you something like that? You were already so mad at me as it was!”
How could Kylie hold back information like that? Fight or no fight, Izzie wouldn’t have done the same to Kylie. “And now I’m even more angry. You and I? We’re done,” she said shakily, and Kylie’s face fell. Then Izzie turned toward the house and took off at a run. She half expected Kylie to tackle her again, but she made it to the front door without so much as a single scratch.