Chapter One
Dani
As I stepped off the bus and looked out to the shoreline, I couldn’t believe my luck. Readjusting my bag, my eyes took in the horizon above a sandy beach. All that appeared was a pure blue sky filled with the endless possibilities of summer.
I couldn’t contain my joy.
“Dani!” a voice called.
I turned to the left, shielding my eyes. A girl with sleek blonde hair and a designer purse waved her hands wildly at me, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Justine!” I called back as I ran over to her. She flung her arms out as we literally crashed into each other, panting and laughing.
“I can’t believe you’re finally here!” Justine giggled. She pushed a smooth lock of hair off her forehead. “Are you ready for the best summer of your life?” There was a wicked grin on her face.
I smiled back at her. “It’s what I’ve been looking forward to all year.”
Justine looked around. “Is this all you brought?” she asked with a frown, pointing at the only bag on the sidewalk.
I looked down at my fairly large duffle and back at her. Putting my hands on my hips, I cocked my head.
“Why? Should I have brought more?”
“It’s fine,” Justine replied before giggling. “We can go shopping then, it’ll be fun,” she added with a meaningful look before looping her arm with mine. “How is your mom by the way? I still can’t believe she let you come. We’ve been working on her for so long that I thought it would never happen.”
I sighed. “She’s fine. I think Susan’s more okay with me coming now that I’m finally eighteen. She knows it’s my last summer of freedom. Who better to spend it with than my cousins?”
Justine smiled and squeezed my arm. She looked so different and yet so much like I remembered her. Justine is my cousin – her mother is my mom’s sister. We’re the same age and we were pretty close when we were younger. In fact, up until I was seven, we lived right next door to each other.
But everything changed after my dad got sick. He’d been a renowned chef with people coming from all over to eat his food. But after he passed away, there was a mountain of debt left over that my mother couldn’t recover from. It was a terrible time for our family, going from relative comfort to sudden emotional and financial devastation.
So my mom did what she had to do. She sold the house and most of our possessions, moving us to northern California where she took a job as a secretary for a small insurance office. Susan didn’t make much, but it was enough for us to get by. We were a little lonely, but it was better than staying in a town filled with memories of my dad.
Despite the distance, Justine and I had never lost touch. We’d write letters as little girls, which turned into emails when we got older. A few years ago, I’d successfully convinced my mother I needed a cell phone, and immediately, I’d started texting with Justine. Last summer we’d developed this plan. We would spend the summer together. All we had to do was convince our parents.
Justine’s parents were no problem. Aunt Melanie and Uncle Craig had always talked about me coming to visit – it was my mother who proved a challenge because things changed after Dad died. Mom was worried that if I spent time with Justine, I’d come away different somehow. After all, Justine’s family still had all of their money, and well, we didn’t.
In the end, I never knew if Mom agreed to let me go because she thought it was a good idea or because I wouldn’t shut up about it. But I was here now, and grateful for the chance to get away from my small town.
As we neared Justine’s car, my jaw dropped to the ground.
“This is yours?” I gasped, staring at sleek black vehicle which looked brand spanking new. I couldn’t tell the model, but I knew it had to be pricey. It just oozed money from the flashy chrome bumpers to the leather interior that gleamed.
Justine stared at the car and shrugged. “Dad gave it to me for graduation. Now get in, we don’t have any time to waste.”
As I slowly got into the vehicle, all I could think about was how unprepared I was for this summer.
Driving down the highway to her house, I looked over at Justine. Her short blonde hair was messy in that tousled, sexy way, and large sunglasses hid sky-blue eyes from my view. She was so different from the young girl I remembered, but then again, I was different from the young girl I used to be, too. Justine was definitely more upmarket from the sparkling diamonds on her wrists to the designer clothes hugging her body.
I, by contrast, was dressed modestly in a plain blue sweater and an beat-up pair of jeans. But I didn’t mind. I’ve never been into fashion, and finding clothes that fit my curvy body has always been a challenge.
Breathing in deep, I stared at the landscape flying by.
“Where are we going? I didn’t think your house was far away from the bus stop,” I mused. Salty air from the ocean made my hair an unruly mess and I frowned in the side mirror. Next to Justine, I looked like a chubby teen with unsexy plain brown hair.
“I’m driving to our house, where else?”
“But is this the way?” I asked, baffled. Somewhere in my head, I had a faint memory of winding roads and modest homes – not huge mansions with towering hedges.
Justine laughed.
“We moved a couple years back, silly. My dad wanted a gated community, so he and my mom picked this new house. It’ll be fun!” she giggled. “You’ll have your own room, even though we’ll share a bathroom.”
I nodded, looking at the passing neighborhood with wide eyes because it was really fancy. But then again, what did I expect? Justine’s father was a businessman. He was successful when I was younger, and his fortune had only grown with time. Sometimes my mom would talk to my Aunt Melanie, and from what little I had overheard, I knew that they were very well-off.
Sometimes I wondered if Aunt Melanie had offered Mom any money after my dad died. Mom would never have taken it though, and I couldn’t blame her. Susan was determined to make it on her own after my dad passed, and I respected her for that. Come to think of it, I’m a lot like that myself, and hoped feverishly that Justine wasn’t going to want to do things that were crazy expensive.
We turned off the road into a small street with another gate. My cousin clicked a button and the gate opened. She pulled through, and then entered what appeared to be a very exclusive lane. Each house was bigger than the next and all I could do was marvel at their incredible sizes. We passed a few with large ornate fountains in front, not to mention the luxury cars parked out front. I had never seen so many gorgeous homes before and I gaped because it was like something from a magazine. We took a few twists and turns until finally, Justine pulled into a large driveway.
“Finally home,” she chirped, killing the engine and unbuckling her seat belt. I stared at the home in front of me.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t just a house, it was a manor with at least three stories and large white pillars in front. It looked like something you would see in a movie. Justine started to walk up the front steps before she realized I wasn’t behind her. She turned around and looked at me.
“Coming, silly?”
I nodded my head, grabbing my duffle and dutifully walking up the steps. Justine led me into a huge entryway. I looked up and saw a golden chandelier that was dripping with diamonds. In the reflection of the marble floor, my bewildered expression stared back at me. In front was a long golden staircase that traveled up to the second floor, seemingly to another open area with large couches. The foyer alone was bigger than our humble kitchen and living room combined back home.
“Justine, is that you?” A few seconds later, an older woman appeared. “Daniella! My, how you have grown!” cooed Aunt Melanie as she walked over and hugged me tight. After a few minutes, she backed away, holding me at arm’s length. “You look so much like your mother was at this age. It’s uncanny.”
“Thanks Aunt Melanie,” I said as I took in her features. She looked no different from when I had seen her more than ten years ago. The only evidence of the lapsed time was a few wrinkles around her eyes.
She smiled wider, as she took me down the hallway under the giant golden staircase. “So tell me, how is Susan?”
“My mom’s fine,” I said as I looked around the hallway. It was full of pictures of their family. My eyes landed on a few photos that seemed to showcase family trips. Justine in front of the Eiffel Tower. Aunt Melanie and Uncle Craig holding each other on a gondola in Italy. My twin cousins Joey and Emma enjoying ramen in Japan. The whole family on camels in front of an Egyptian pyramid.
I felt a pang of jealousy as I gazed at the pictures but quickly brushed it away. Everyone has a different fate in life, and mine was to remain humble. Aunt Melanie smiled kindly at me, as if reading my mind.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here. You’ll have a wonderful time, sweetheart. I’ve been wanting you to visit these past couple of years.”
“Thanks,” I said awkwardly. “That means a lot, Aunt Melanie.”
“By the way, we prepared a special dinner for you tonight,” my aunt continued as she stood in front of what looked like the kitchen. “Chef Mona has gone all out in your honor.”
I could feel my eyes widen. They had a personal chef?
“You didn’t have to go through such lengths,” I said, laughing nervously and feeling even more awkward. My hands started to fidget. It was what I did when I was nervous, but Aunt Melanie didn’t seem to notice.
“Oh, it was no trouble at all!” she burbled. “It’s such a special occasion. We’ve missed you, honey.”
As I opened my mouth to reply, Justine came up to my side and grabbed my arm. “Dani has had a long trip. I thought I could show her to her room so she could rest for a bit before dinner?”
“Of course,” Aunt Melanie said comfortingly. “You must be really tired. Get some rest, sweetheart.” She looked down at her watch, which was encrusted in diamonds. I felt almost blinded by the sparkle. “It looks like we have an hour before Craig gets home with the twins. Be sure to be ready by then.”
“Of course, Mother,” said Justine, as she started to drag me down the hallway past the kitchen. “We’ll be sure to be down by then.”
I turned to wave at my aunt before Justine took a sharp turn, taking me down another hallway leading to another stairway. “Wait, more stairs?” I asked in awe.
“Yes. These stairs lead to mine and the twins’ suites. The front stairs are to the master bedroom and a few of the recreation rooms.” She turned and pointed to another hallway. “There’s another hidden stairway at the end of that hall. They lead to staff housing.”
“You have staff?” I stammered. Already being here was much different than I’d expected.
Justine shrugged. “Only a few of the staff are live-in, just a couple of maids and the twins’ nanny. Others come whenever we need help. Like Chef Mona.” She started to walk up the stairs and I followed her.
When she got to the top, she pointed to a few doors on the left. “Those are the twins’ bedrooms, and that’s their play room,” she said, pointing to the door in front of us. The twins were twelve years old, but when I’d moved away they had been two. It was strange to think that I had only seen them through the family portraits in their annual Christmas cards.
Justine walked around to a row of doors on the right. “This is my room, and over there is the guest room that you can use for the night,” she said.
When she opened the door, I let out an audible gasp. The room was so much bigger than my space at home. It had a large bed in the middle, with a dresser on one side and a desk on the other.
“We actually share this bathroom,” Justine said, as she closed the door behind her and turned towards another door on the left. “So my room is through that door,” she added as she pointed to the archway on the opposite end of the biggest bathroom I had ever seen.
I was too shocked to realize she had taken my duffle from my shoulder and laid the bag on the bed. She opened it up and started to rifle through my clothes. “Oh wow, you really don’t have much to work with.”
Breaking out of my trance, I walked over to her. I tried to grab the bag to close it. “What do you mean?” I asked, defensiveness slipping into my voice.
“Oh no, I didn’t mean to offend. I just mean, these aren’t really clothes that are going to give you the best summer of your life.”
I tilted my head, feeling confused. “But these are the only things I have.”
“Well, tonight you can borrow my clothes, and then tomorrow we can go shopping,” she announced with finality.
I sucked in a breath. I didn’t bring much with me – only a few hundred dollars I had saved from my job back at home. I was hoping to spread out the money for as long as I could, but it would seem that my cousin had other ideas. “Um, I appreciate it, but I don’t really think it would be such a good idea.”
“What do you mean? I think it’s an excellent idea.”
“Well, I just think it’s not the best time,” I hedged.
Justine looked at me closely.
“Is this about money?” she asked slowly.
I stared at the floor. “No,” I stammered out, even though that was a lie. Of course it was all about money.
Justine rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about cash,” she said nonchalantly. “If it makes you feel any better, it’s not even my mine.”
“That does not make me feel better,” I said, as heat crept up my neck.
“When your mother agreed to let you stay over the summer, my mother said you wouldn’t have to worry about anything.” When she could tell I wasn’t budging, she added “Honestly, Dani. Just relax!”
“But,” I tried to counter.
Justine threw her hands up. “No, I don’t want to hear anything about it. Besides, my favorite thing in the world is doing makeovers. So really, this is as much for me as it is for you,” she said as she went back to pulling out my clothes from the duffle bag.
I knew there wasn’t any use in arguing, so I sat on the bed. “Why would I need to borrow your clothes for tonight?” I said, as I looked down at my outfit. I still hadn’t changed out of my sweater and jeans, but I couldn’t what was wrong with them.
Justine looked at my outfit, from the collar to the hem of my jeans.
“Yeah, it’s cute enough for dinner, but not for what I have planned tonight.”
“And what do you have planned for tonight?”
Her eyes sparkled with mischief, the same way her lips had curled up when I’d first seen her at the bus station. “You don’t want to ruin the surprise do you?”
Anxiety and excitement tumbled through my system as I helped Justine unpack my pajamas and toiletries. My adventurous summer was just getting started.
***
At dinner that night, I knew I was out of my league for sure.
“So Melanie tells me that you are interested in becoming a lawyer,” boomed Uncle Craig as he cut his salmon into neat cubes.
“Yes,” I said, as I set my fork down. “I’m thinking about being a public defender.”
“Really? You don’t plan on making a lot of money then,” he said, chuckling at his own non-joke. We were sitting at a long table in a massive dining room. Justine was sitting next to me, with the twins placed across from me. They were eating quietly, obviously shy in front of a stranger. It was strange to think that so much had changed in the years since I’d last seen my cousins.
“Well, I feel passionate about being able to help the less fortunate,” I murmured. “And money isn’t everything.”
“That is definitely your mother in you,” Aunt Melanie replied as she took another bite.
While I thought the food was amazing, I could tell Aunt Melanie wasn’t too impressed. Her lips would pucker a bit with each bite, like she found something wrong to taste. By contrast, I thought the salmon was so tender that I eagerly agreed to seconds.
Uncle Craig chuckled again. “That’s very good of you, but I would suggest maybe thinking about going into something more lucrative, like corporate law. I might even have a place for you in my company if you pursue that career,” he suggested. I smiled although my voice was firm.
“That’s very kind of you Uncle Craig, but I think right now it’s too early for me to decide anything. In all honesty, I might even change my mind in a few years and not want to do law after all.”
“I appreciate the frankness. It’s nice to see a young person who is thinking about the future.” There was an underlying tone in his words that I couldn’t place. The air crackled a bit around me and I looked over at Justine. Her face seemed to tighten as she chewed, even though she didn’t look up. I could see the tension in her body.
“Now Craig, don’t spoil our dinner,” said Aunt Melanie with a warning tone to her voice. Her long, slender fingers reached for her glass of wine.
“I’m not doing anything of the sort. I’m just saying I appreciate how Dani is thinking about herself and not planning to rely on her parents.”
I wanted to correct him and say there was no way I could rely on my mother, but Justine dropped her silverware and stood up. “Dani and I have somewhere to be, so if we could be excused?”
I stared down at my half eaten plate of food and looked over at hers. She had barely touched most of her meal. “But you haven’t finished,” Aunt Melanie said, her bafflement obvious.
“I’m not very hungry,” said Justine, as she looked over at her father meaningfully.
Uncle Craig just shrugged his shoulders. Before Aunt Melanie could continue, my cousin grabbed my arm and pulled me up from my chair. I wanted to protest – if for no other reason than leaving all of that scrumptious food! – but Justine was stronger than she looked and I winced as she dragged me up the stairs.
“What was that about?” I asked, rubbing my arm. “Ouch! That really hurt!”
“I just hate them sometimes. My father is upset because I don’t want to go to college.” Justine rolled her eyes and yanked open her closet doors. “He thinks I’m making a mistake.”
“You don’t want to go to college?”
“I’m not good at school. I think it would be such a waste,” she said, as she set a few more dresses on the bed.
“But aren’t you going to USC?”
“Yeah, but not by choice. My dad is an alum, so it took next to nothing to get in. I want to be a fashion designer. I’d rather go to art school, but when I mentioned it, I thought my dad was going to have a heart attack. So I haven’t brought it up again.” She took one of the dresses and brought it up to me. “I don’t want to spoil our night by talking about this depressing stuff.”
“Why, what are we doing?” I asked, as I looked at the dress she was holding up to me. It was a slinky black outfit that looked like it wouldn’t even cover my ass.
“Well, if you’re going to spend the summer with me, what better way to start it than with a party?” Justine said, as she thrust the dress at me and pushed me toward the bathroom. “Now, go change. We don’t have all night, and I still have to do your make-up.”
“I don’t really know about this dress…,” I hedged, examining the outfit more closely. It seemed to have only thin straps holding it up. There was no way this was going to fit me.
Justine sighed. “Look, this summer you are going to have to trust me. I’ve lived here my whole life! I know exactly what to do in order to fit in. Don’t you want to fit it?”
The idea of sticking out was not at all appealing to me. I already felt alien around my own family. I looked back at Justine and smiled weakly. Because if I was going to have the best summer of my life, I had to let go a little bit. No more uptight Dani, hellbent on her studies. Instead, this was supposed to be a summer of fun and reacquainting myself with family.
So I shot a weak smile at my cousin. I did trust Justine. I knew she was going to take me places I had never been before, so I took a deep breath and nodded my head.
“Good,” she said, that wicked smile coming back on her face. “Now go try on that dress.
***
A few hours later, I was already regretting it. I pulled my dress down for the ninth time as we walked up the steps of the second biggest house I had ever seen … at least, that day. The mansion was an enormous white monster, kind of like a cross between the White House and Buckingham Palace, if that’s possible. Music blared from the front door as colored lights flashed in the windows. I put my arms around my shoulders, already a little nervous.
Justine turned to me, cocking her head to the side. “Stop with the awkward hand movements. You look like a deer caught in the headlights. If you go in there like that, they’re going to eat you alive.”
“But this dress,” I said, as I pulled the fabric down again, trying to bring the hem to my knees. “It doesn’t fit!”
“Stop yanking at it,” Justine scolded. She swatted my hand away. “You’re going to stretch it! And besides, that dress looks freaking hot on you. You look amazing.”
I had to admit that at least I didn’t feel like myself. After only an hour, my cousin had transformed me into another person. Justine was a whiz with makeup and she’d swept blush and bronzer over my face until I actually looked like I had cheekbones. My eyes were hot and itchy with mascara and shadow but I kept my hands glued to my sides out of fear that I’d ruin her artwork.
I could admit the dress was great too. Sure, it was uncomfortable and insanely small, but it hugged my body in all the right places, making my curves look like curves and not fat lumps. But that didn’t stop the fact that I felt utterly naked in the thin piece of material. I knew I’d have been more comfortable in jeans.
Justine went to knock on the door. I could hear music blaring on the other side. “Just take a deep breath. I’ll be right next you. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay,” I said finally. “But you better not ditch me.”
The door was unlocked, and my cousin swung the wood open. Loud music greeted us as the blonde led me inside. I shut the door behind me and turned around the look at my surroundings. There were people everywhere, pouring out of every room. Mostly kids around my age, holding red cups. Some people were dancing, others were just chilling and talking. It looked exactly like the parties I had seen in all the typical teen movies. The only difference was you could tell these kids weren’t your typical kids. They screamed money. Most of the girls were wearing clothes that I’d never seen the likes of before – real designer stuff, not something from Gap and Target. And the guys were dressed up in mostly preppy outfits. They definitely weren’t the sloppy high school kids I was used to seeing back at home, dressed in hoodies and regular jeans.
A few heads turned towards me and I couldn’t help but look at the floor in embarrassment. Being the center of attention has always made me nervous. Whereas other people blossom under the limelight, I shy away from it, my natural reticence coming to the fore.
Suddenly, Justine grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the first room into another room at the side. It was a large living area with a huge stereo set up. The music grew louder and I winced as my eardrums throbbed.
The speakers were blaring rap music. Justine walked up to a couple of girls who were chatting in the corner and I trotted anxiously after her.
“Justine!” One of the girls got up and threw her arms around my cousin. “I didn’t think I’d see you here tonight! How are you?”
“And miss your annual party? I’d rather die,” Justine replied drily. “Kristi, this is my cousin Daniella.”
Kristi looked at me, almost as if she was appraising a new car. “So this is your cousin?” There was skepticism in her voice.
Not knowing what else to do, I shoved my hand forward. “Hi, I’m Dani. It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
Kristi looked down at my hand and then laughed, her straight blonde hair falling forward. “Nice to meet you,” she said, her red lips turning into a cold smile. She was pretty, but in a weird fake way – it wasn’t hard for me to see that she had clearly had plastic surgery done even though she couldn’t be much older than I was.
Kristi turned and pointed towards the three other girls standing around. “This is Anna,” pointing to a tall red-head with huge boobs. “And this is Sheri,” she said, pointing to the short blonde next to Anna, “And this is Misty.” Kristi pointed to a girl with black hair. Anna and Sheri smiled and waved, but Misty rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out. I frowned. Had I done something to upset her? Couldn’t be. We’d just arrived.
Kristi took me by the arm and led me to the kitchen. “Let’s get you a drink! Justine told me that you’re from Northern California?”
“Yes,” I said, trying to keep up with her pace. I tripped along behind her, trying to keep up. Blast these high heels, it was so hard to walk.
“I’ve been there a few times. My mother loves wine tasting. My stepdad bought her a vineyard, isn’t that cool? I mean, it would be cool if she wasn’t a total alcoholic,” Kristi added like it was no big deal. She steered me to the center island of a kitchen. On it were various bottles of booze. “What do you drink?”
I had honestly never had a drink in my life. My mother never so much as let me have a bit of the wine she occasionally had with dinner. As if sensing my hesitation, Justine piped up from behind us. “Just make her a screwdriver to start.”
Before I could ask what that was, Kristi grabbed a red cup and poured some clear liquid into it before going to the refrigerator and grabbing orange juice. The cup was in my hand before I knew it. “Let me know if you need more,” Kristi said, before she disappeared back into the living room.
“So, what do you think?” Justine asked, gulping from a cup that had magically appeared in her hand.
“I don’t know what to think,” I said honestly, as I took a tentative gulp from the cup. The alcohol numbed my tongue, burning slightly as it slipped down my throat. “Is this Kristi’s house?”
Justine took another sip of her drink and nodded. “Yep. Kristi and I have been friends since the eighth grade. Same with the other girls too. We’ve formed a nice little clique.”
“And Misty too?” I asked cautiously.
“Ignore her,” she said, as if anticipating what I was going to ask now. “She’s insecure and gets jealous. She’s such a bitch, just forget it.”
I thought it was very interesting how cavalier Justine was being about a girl she had known for so long. But I couldn’t dwell on it because as I turned around to survey the room, I was stopped dead in my tracks by the bluest eyes ever. They were so bright that they shone in the dark room, causing my heartrate to accelerate. In fact, every girl in the room was staring at the handsome man … but he was looking at me.