Page 50 of Deadly Little Scandals
“You want to know why we go cliff-diving and off-roading and drag you out to abandoned islands in the night?” Victoria’s voice was no louder, but her delivery was suddenly crystal clear. “Because we can. Because when people say that well-behaved women rarely make history, they leave out the little tidbit that the women who do make history rarely do so alone.”
If they’d pitched the White Gloves to me this way from the get-go, I might have been in it for more than the distraction and the opportunity to cross-examine Victoria Gutierrez. Forget tradition and secrets and symbols. All they would have had to do was send me a note scribbled on scrap paper that saidSmash the patriarchy? Circle one: yes or no.
“The reason that you’re still here isn’t just that you take risks.” Hope took over again, where Victoria had left off. “It’s not just that you’ve stepped up to the challenges we’ve handed down. You’re here because we believe that there’s more to you than meets the eye.”
“You’re here because you have secrets,” Nessa elaborated.
“You’re here because, on some level, in some way, you want to keep up appearancesandburn it all down.” Victoria gave some sort of signal with her hand. There was a flurry of movement on either side of her, and within a heartbeat, flames exploded into the air.
Torches? Check. Abandoned island? Check. Highly flammable ruins? Check.
“In a moment, you’ll receive three cards with your name on them and a pen.” Victoria’s features were lit by torchlight. “Tonight’s challenge is simple: three secrets, one on each card. I’m not going to tell you that you have to push down the urge to hold back your deepest and darkest. The secrets you choose are up to you. But what I can and will say is that this is a sisterhood. This is real. And what you choose to write down on those cards? It matters.”
t’s official.” Julia smiled. “The boys will meet us at the lake.”
Charlotte bit her tongue to keep from pointing out that Julia wasn’t the only one who’d made a phone call, thank you very much. Charlotte was the one who’d called J.D.—for Liv.
“Are they meeting us at your family’s house or mine, Jules?” Liv was sprawled across the passenger seat of Julia’s car. Charlotte had been relegated to the back. She told herself that didn’t matter, just like it didn’t matter thatherfamily didn’t have a house at Regal Lake.
Just like it shouldn’t have mattered that Julia had somehow gotten credit for calling all the boys.
“Who says we have to meet at someone’s house?” Charlotte was almost surprised by how steady her voice sounded.
In the front seat, Liv turned around to look at her.
Charlotte popped on her sunglasses and leaned back against the window, mimicking Liv’s posture with her own. “Let’s have the boys meet us at Falling Springs.”
year ago, I wouldn’t have had nearly so many secrets to choose from. Even just a few weeks ago, I probably wouldn’t have been tempted to put any of them to the page. But there came a point when secrets just didn’t seem worth keeping anymore.
I wrote down my first, in all capital letters:I AM THE RESULT OF A TEEN PREGNANCYPACT.
Was admitting that discreet? No. Would Lillian be happy if the truth got out? Probably not.Ohwell.
The second secret was harder to choose. The identity of my father and everything Lily and I had heard on John David’s recording—those didn’t feel entirely like my secrets to tell.
So instead, I went with a fraction of the truth for secret two.I CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT THE LADY OF THELAKE.
More specifically, I couldn’t stop thinking about the way Lily’s father had saidthat bodyon the recording.That might have nothing to do with the Lady,I told myself, but I struggled to believe it.
On either side of me, I could hear Lily and Campbell writing on their cards. Someone farther away from us shifted, snapping a twig under their feet.
“If you’re not finished yet,” Nessa called out, “consider this your fair warning that it’s time to wrap things up.”
I needed a third secret. My thoughts went to Nick. To the texts I’d sent that he hadn’t replied to. And then I thought about my mom. I’d always prided myself on being a straight talker, but there were certain truths everyone struggled to admit, even to themselves.
I don’t know how to stay mad at my mom. I’m not sorryLily’s my sister. I’ve always wanted a family. I’ve always wanted a place to belong.
I want Nick to textback.
I glanced over at Lily. I could barely make out her face in the dark, but her eyes caught the torchlight. She was staring straight ahead, an odd half smile on her face, like this whole exercise had been therapeutic.
Like some part of her was hoping Victoria had been speaking literally when she’d mentioned the possibility ofburning it all down.
I chose my third secret.
I wrote it down.
The White Gloves collected the pens, but they let us hold on to our secrets—for the moment.
