It doesn’t surprise me when my dad calls that afternoon to say that he and Ellie are giving me and Caleb “the night off” so we don’t have to meet them for dinner. He makes it sound like he’s doing us a favor by letting us hang out by ourselves. Yeah, right. I can tell it’s because he’s still mad at me about our fight last night.
“Dad, don’t you ever want some time to yourself?” I can’t help asking before he can hang up the phone. “I mean, Ellie wants you to spend every second with her. Isn’t that exhausting?”
He sighs. “Rachel, when you care about someone, you want to spend a lot of time together. Don’t you feel that way about Evan?”
My cheeks grow hot. I’m definitely not used to talking to my dad about my boyfriend. “But Evan lets me do what I want. He doesn’t try to control everything.”
“Ellie is just particular, that’s all. Your mother isn’t much different, in fact.”
I want to laugh as I hang up the phone. Yes, my mom can be a little psycho about details, like always wanting things to be clean and organized, but she doesn’t smother us every second of the day. I can’t tell if Dad really thinks that Ellie and Mom are so much alike, or if he’s just telling himself that. But if he knows what Ellie is really like, why would he stay with her? Why would he let her tell him what to do? And, most of all, why would he let her get between us?
When my phone rings again, I’m afraid it’s Dad calling to tell me he doesn’t want to see me tomorrow, either, so I’m surprised to hear Carrie’s voice.
“Hey, Kai and Taylor and I are going to get pizza later. Do you want to come?”
“Oh, I can’t…” I start to say before realizing that for once I don’t have any plans. In fact, why shouldn’t I go out with them? “Actually, yes. Count me in!”
As I hang up the phone, I start getting really excited about the whole idea. Dad thinks he’s punishing me by not hanging out with me tonight, but I’ll be the one actually having a good time. I must admit that as much as I hate lying about who I am, being Ava has its perks. Rachel would never get to go out with a bunch of older kids.
Uh-oh. Except that I doubt Dad will let either Ava or Rachel go. He might not be nearly as strict as my mom is, but considering how much he complains about teenage drivers, I know he would definitely not be okay with me being in Carrie’s car. My excitement deflates.
Just then, I hear Ellie whistling in the other room. Wait. Ellie!
I put on my most innocent face and go out into the living room. “Hey, Ellie. I was wondering if I could go out with some friends from the resort tonight. I tried asking my dad, but he wasn’t answering his phone.”
She blinks at me in surprise. “You’ve made friends here already?” she says. “That’s great! Where are you planning on going?”
“Oh, um, some pizza place nearby.” I have no idea if it’s nearby, but I want to downplay the driving part. “Since I can’t get ahold of my dad, I thought I’d ask you, since, you know, he values your opinion so much.”
Ellie’s skin seems to actually glow at the compliment. “Are you walking there?” she asks. “Do you need a ride?”
“No, um, I think I’m okay.”
“Well, I don’t see why you can’t go. Your dad and I were planning to see a movie tonight, so you have the evening free. Just don’t stay out too late, or you’ll be tired for work tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Ellie!” I cry. “You’re the bestest!”
Then I do a little skip and triumphantly run off to my room.
•••
“Hop in!” Carrie says, rolling down her car window. I always imagine high school kids having duct-taped clunkers, not shiny sedans that only look a few years old.
Kai is in the front seat, so I climb into the back with Taylor. Before I can even say hi to everyone, Carrie guns the engine, and we speed out of the parking lot.
As we whip around corner after corner, my stomach starts sloshing back and forth like I’m on a boat. Then we get to a stop sign, and Carrie slams on the brakes so hard that my tongue actually pops out of my mouth.
After that I close my eyes, too busy imagining fiery car crashes to pay attention to what Carrie is saying about the “ah-MAY-zing” pizza place that we’re going to. My dad would have a heart attack, stroke, and brain hemorrhage all rolled into one if he could see me right now.
When we slam to a stop in the parking lot, I stumble out of the car on shaky legs, shocked that we got here in one piece. Would it be too bizarre if I begged Carrie to let me walk back?
The four of us grab a table in the corner as we wait for our pizza. As my stomach finally settles down, Carrie chatters on about pizza toppings while Taylor and Kai keep exchanging shy glances. Suddenly, I feel like my old mute self again. I can’t believe I’m hanging out with a bunch of high school kids all the way in Florida. What the Shrek am I supposed to say to them?
Be Ava, I tell myself. Be outgoing and funny. But I’m too nervous.
Then Kai takes out a pack of cards and insists that we play a game. During the first round of a wacky Go-Fish-like game that I’m pretty sure Carrie made up on the spot, I barely say a word, my hands shaking every time I put down a card. But by the second round, we’re all laughing so hard that the last of my nerves disappear.
I can’t believe how comfortable I feel with these kids, like they’re my real friends. Okay, yes, they think I’m someone else. But I feel more like myself with them than I have with anyone else during this whole trip.
“So, Ava,” Carrie says when we finally give up playing her fake game. “Has Ellie told you what you’re doing for the festival yet?”
“Does she have you practicing sword-swallowing or something?” Kai asks. “I swear, she’s trying to kill us all. I’m pretty sure I saw Mark’s tie catch on fire the other day.”
“As long as the whole festival is ‘perfect,’ she doesn’t care,” Taylor says. She pitches her voice up to make “perfect” sound high and Ellie-like.
I let out a weak laugh. “Um, no. I won’t be in the festival because I won’t be working at the café next week.”
“You won’t?” asks Carrie. “But Ellie told us you were here for two weeks.”
“I’m visiting for two weeks, but she said she’d find someone else to take over after tomorrow.”
“Oh,” Carrie says. “So what are you doing next week?”
“Going to Disney,” I say. “If I survive it.” And suddenly, as if the words are just waiting to burst out of me, I find myself telling them about everything that’s been happening with Ellie and my dad. I don’t tell them that Ellie is the mysterious woman I’m talking about—I just call her “the girlfriend”—but everything else is totally true. It feels good to finally share my real life with them.
When I mention that my dad’s girlfriend is planning to propose at Disney, Taylor gasps. “But this is your dream trip,” she says. “This woman can’t just ruin it for you!”
At least someone else sees it the way I do.
“You know what you should do?” Carrie says. “When you’re at Disney, don’t leave them alone for a second so she can never ask him to marry her.”
“But what if she does it when I’m there? I bet she’d want me to be part of it, just to make it even more horrible.”
“Don’t give her a chance,” Taylor says. “Make it the least romantic day you can.”
Kai laughs. “Yeah, if nothing else, feed both of them tons of garlic. That’ll kill the mood.”
I giggle as my phone starts ringing. I glance at the number and suck in a breath. Oh no. It’s my dad.
“Hello?” I whisper.
“Rachel, where are you?” His voice sounds boiling-teakettle mad.
“I’m out getting pizza with friends. I told Ellie about it. You can ask her—”
“Come back to Ellie’s right now,” he says. Then he hangs up the phone.
•••
On the drive to Ellie’s apartment, I’m sweating like crazy, and it’s not from Carrie’s terrible driving or from the insane heat. I can’t get over how mad Dad sounded.
I ask Carrie to drop me off at the end of the street, but she insists on bringing me right to Ellie’s doorstep. Luckily, she doesn’t realize whose doorstep it is. I rush to say good-bye and dart out of the car. But just as I’m about to make my getaway, Ellie and my dad come bursting out of the front door of the building.
“Whoa,” Carrie says. “What’s she doing here?”
My dad marches over to the car and yanks the back door open. “Rachel, get out here right now.” I’ve never seen his face look so red.
“Dad,” I say weakly.
“Rachel, now.” Then he shoots Carrie and the others a scalding look before marching back over to Ellie, who puts a comforting arm around him. Together, they disappear into the building.
The car is suddenly totally silent as Carrie, Taylor, and Kai all stare at me in shock. Oh my goldfish. They heard my dad call me Rachel. They saw him canoodling with Ellie right in front of them. They know I’ve been lying to them. They know everything!
“Guys,” I whisper. “I’m…I’m sorry—”
But Carrie cuts me off, her voice icy. “You better go, Rachel.” She spits the name out like it’s poison.
I climb out of the car and slowly close the door behind me. As I numbly make my way toward the building, I hear the car speed away.
My heart is pounding like a death-march drum as I walk up the stairs to Ellie’s apartment. When I open the door, I find Dad and Ellie perched on the couch waiting for me.
“Sit,” Dad orders as I shuffle into the living room.
I sink down into an armchair, not sure I’ll ever be able to get back up.
“Where were you?” Dad demands.
“I told Ellie—”
“You told her you’d be going to a pizza place nearby with friends. You didn’t tell me that your friend would be driving, or that she fancies herself a race-car driver.”
“How did—?”
“I saw you leaving with Carrie,” Ellie says apologetically. “When I saw how she drives, I was concerned, so I called your dad.”
“How could you be so irresponsible, Rachel?”
I can’t stand the accusing tone in his voice. “I wasn’t irresponsible! Ellie’s the one you should be mad at. She’s the one who told me I could go!”
“I don’t care what Ellie said!” Dad cries. “You should have known better than to get into that car. You know I would never approve.”
“But Ellie…,” I say weakly.
“You got permission from Ellie because she didn’t know the whole truth. She said you tried to call me, but I didn’t have any missed calls from you. I don’t know what’s going on with you lately, but this behavior has got to stop.”
There’s nothing I can say to that.
“Go to your room,” he says.
I stand up without a word and obey, but when I go to close the door behind me, Dad appears in the hallway.
“Ellie tried to tell me this trip was a mistake,” he says from the doorway. “She said you weren’t ready to handle seeing me with someone else, but I wouldn’t listen. I thought I knew my little girl, but clearly I don’t.”
I stare at him. Ellie’s the one who put all that “this trip was a mistake” stuff in his head? I can’t believe it. She’s been acting like she wants us to be this one happy family, but she’s been poisoning my dad against me from the start. No wonder he hasn’t wanted to spend any time with me!
“Don’t think for a second that this kind of behavior can continue. Got it?” He sounds just like my mom.
“Fine. Sorry.”
But I’m not sorry. In fact, I’m more determined than ever.