Jess was starving when she joined Douglas and Uncle Jonathon at the table. Dinner was later than usual since they'd been delayed getting home. Now that Douglas was back, life had returned to the routine Jess had become used to before he left, except now he was spending the last days of summer going to work with Uncle Jonathon instead of school. But that was just fine with Jess. She was glad he wasn't around so she could be with Marty all day without him wondering where she was.
Just as she was putting her napkin in her lap, there was an odd clinking noise that got her attention. A set of keys on a key ring, had just fallen out of Douglas's napkin and were lying on the table.
"What's this?" Douglas asked with surprise, picking them up, and Jess felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"What do they look like?" Uncle Jonathon asked with a knowing smile.
"What? No! You didn't!" Douglas sputtered, his eyes wide with excitement.
"Why don't you go outside and take a look?" Uncle Jonathon suggested and Douglas jumped out of his chair and ran through the swinging door to the butler's pantry. Uncle Jonathon stood up, saying, "Come along, Jessica. You should come see this too."
Jess put her napkin back on the table and stood even though she didn't want to. By time she made it outside, Annie and Uncle Jonathon were standing by, watching Douglas excitedly examine a teal and white car she'd never seen before, confirming what she'd already suspected. Uncle Jonathon had just given Douglas a brand new car.
He got behind the wheel and turned it on. When the engine roared to life, he looked at them with a huge grin and Jess felt the familiar jealousy rise up inside her once again. She couldn't help remembering how Uncle Jonathon had balked at spending money on some outdoor clothes for her a month ago. Yet again, it seemed money was no object when it came to Douglas.
After he got out of the car, he exclaimed, "Thanks, dad!" and threw his arms around Uncle Jonathon, hugging him tight. Uncle Jonathon seemed taken by surprise by the sudden embrace and patted his back with one hand.
"It's alright, son," he said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Now that you've just gotten your driver's license, I thought you'd find it useful."
"It's a beautiful car, Doug!" Annie exclaimed happily.
"I love it!" he said, beaming as he went over and stroked the hood.
"Well, let's go inside before our dinner gets cold," Uncle Jonathan suggested, and Douglas reluctantly tore himself away from his car.
Back at the table, Uncle Jonathon told Douglas about all the special features the car had while Jess silently ate, hunched over her plate. She knew she shouldn't be surprised by the fact her uncle favored Douglas over her anymore. Nor should she expect to be treated any better. This was probably how it was going to be for the rest of the time she lived there. At least she had Annie and Marty to make her life bearable. Hearing Uncle Jonathon speak her name interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up from her plate.
"What did you say?" Douglas asked, also seemingly astonished she'd been mentioned.
"Now that you have a car, I want you to take Jessica into town on Friday night," Uncle Jonathon said. "Show her around a little, take her to a movie." Jess looked at Douglas and saw the shock she was feeling mirrored in his eyes.
"But – I already have plans," Douglas said desperately.
"You'll have to change them," Uncle Jonathon said firmly. "Jessica said she wanted to spend more time with you."
"I did?" Jess asked weakly, as Douglas glared at her as if she'd betrayed him.
"Yes, after Douglas went to France."
"That wasn't exactly –," she started quietly, but was interrupted by Douglas.
"It's the last weekend before school starts!" he whined loudly.
"You can hang out with your friends another night!" Uncle Jonathon shouted, and Jess was even more shocked. He'd never lost his temper with Douglas in front of her before. "I don't like how the two of you aren't getting along! It's time you start spending more time together! Do I make myself clear?"
Douglas kept opening and closing his mouth while Jess watched him, desperately wishing he would say something. Why wasn't he arguing? He could easily win this fight.
Finally, his shoulders slumped with defeat. "Yes, sir," he mumbled with his head hanging. Jess was stunned. She couldn't believe he'd just given in like that.
"That's fine, son," Uncle Jonathon said more gently. "I'm sure you two will have a good time."
"Yes, sir," Douglas mumbled to his plate, sounding as unconvinced as Jess felt.
"You know what you should do?" he said kindly, reaching over to put his hand on Douglas's shoulder, and Douglas looked up at him. "You should take the car out for a spin after dinner. Show it off to your friends. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
"Yes, sir," Douglas said, managing a small smile.
"Very good," Uncle Jonathon replied, returning to his meal with a satisfied look on his face. Douglas and Jess hunched over their plates.
While Jess choked down her dinner, she tried to make sense of what had just happened. It felt like the world had been turned on its axis. Uncle Jonathon losing his temper with Douglas, Douglas caving in on an argument, and now she was going out with him, alone. She didn't want to go to town with Douglas, any more than he wanted to take her. She just knew it was going to be one of the worst nights of her life.
For the next two days both she and Douglas pretended their upcoming night out wasn't happening. He ignored her when he was around her as he'd always done, and she did the same. The only one who seemed truly excited about it was Annie, who brought it up frequently, much to Jess's dismay. She even insisted on helping Jess get ready the evening of their outing.
"I think you should wear this dress," she said happily while Jess laid on her bed, hugging a pillow. She had a stomach ache even though she hadn't eaten very much during dinner.
When she saw Annie holding the mint green dress she'd worn the day she went to the lawyer's office to hear her father's will being read, she sat up. "No," she said firmly, shaking her head.
"Are you sure? It's so pretty."
"I'm sure," she replied, lying down again because her stomach was hurting even more.
"Well, alright, but you don't have that many dresses to choose from Jess," she said, rummaging through the wardrobe. Maybe if Uncle Jonathon would buy her some clothes she'd have something to wear, she thought angrily. "What about this one," Annie said holding up a pale blue plaid dress with a white peter pan collar.
"Fine," Jess said with a resigned sigh as she got up. At least that one didn't have any sad memories attached to it. Taking it from Annie, she headed to the bathroom to change.
"Wait, Jess. Let me find your crinoline," she said, sliding hangers back and forth in the wardrobe.
"What? I don't want to wear a crinoline!" Jess cried.
"Jessica Blackwell!" Annie said angrily, turning towards her and putting her hands on her hips. "If you think I'm going to let you go into town without your crinoline, you've got another think coming! What will people think, seeing you walk around looking like you don't know how to dress properly?"
Jess didn't care what they thought, but she knew it was no use arguing. "Okay, okay," she muttered bitterly, refusing to look at Annie.
Once she'd changed into the scratchy crinoline and plaid dress, she looked at herself in the mirror with disgust. She looked like she was ten years old. It wasn't just that she was so small, or that the dress looked like a little kid's dress, but her nose was covered with freckles. With a sigh, she opened the door and walked out with her shoulders hunched in defeat.
"Oh, you look so cute!" Annie exclaimed with her eyes glowing. The comment didn't make Jess feel any better, but she held her tongue, not wanting to get into another argument. Annie walked up to her to examine her more closely. "But we need to do something with your hair," she said contemplatively, running her fingers through it. "I think – maybe a head band. What do you think?"
"Yeah, sure," Jess said, not caring. It couldn't make her look any worse than she already did.
Once her hair was fixed, Annie found her a pair of white gloves and a cotton sweater in case it got cool later. Jess balked at wearing her black patent leather mary jane shoes, but Annie wouldn't back down since her every day shoes were too scuffed from being worn outside all summer. Finally ready, they were about to leave the room when Annie suddenly stopped and turned to her.
"I completely forgot!" she said animatedly. "You should wear your scarf! The one Doug bought you in Paris!" Jess couldn't believe Annie thought this was a good idea.
"No!"
"Why not? It'll go perfectly with your dress!"
"Absolutely not! If I have to wear it, then I'm not going!" Jess said, crossing her arms over her chest. Wearing that scarf would be like admitting she was glad he was taking her out. She knew he was only doing it because he was being forced to, and there was no way she was going to pretend otherwise.
"I don't understand why you're so against it," Annie grumbled. "But if you're that insistent –," she trailed off, opening the bedroom door, and Jess followed her out, still feeling angry. The night hadn't even started yet and she was already having a terrible time.
Douglas and Uncle Jonathon appeared from the living room as they came down the stairs. Douglas was still wearing the slacks and button down shirt he'd worn to the office. He didn't even bother looking up at them, when Annie said cheerily, "Here she is!" Jess noticed her uncle seemed happy as he eyed her approvingly. Or maybe it was the drink in his hand that had him in a good mood.
The two of them stood awkwardly by the front door, gazing at the floor while the adults examined them. "I hope you have a good time," Annie offered happily, but neither of them said anything.
"Wear a jacket, son," her uncle suggested. "The nights are already starting to get cooler."
"Uh, yeah," Douglas mumbled, and Annie rushed forward to get it from the closet for him.
As soon as he had it in his hand, he mumbled, "Let's go," without meeting Jess's eyes, and opened the door for her.
She walked out, grateful to finally escape from the adults, but much to her dismay, Annie and Uncle Jonathon followed them out. Even worse, James was outside as well and with everyone's eyes on them, she felt extremely uncomfortable.
She walked up to Douglas's car, and just as she reached for the door handle, he had his hand on it to open it for her. Once she was seated, he closed the door and walked to the other side to get in. He turned the ignition, but waited for James. When he got in the black car and pulled out to drive to the gate, Douglas followed.
They waited in silence for James to unlock the gate, and once they drove through, he locked it behind them. Jess couldn't help taking a deep breath, suddenly realizing she was off the property for the first time since she'd arrived months ago. As Douglas drove down the dirt road that ran along the high iron fence with spikes at the top, Jess couldn't help looking at it, thinking about how Marty said he climbed over it. She didn't see how it could be possible.
When they reached the first cross road, Douglas stopped the car. In front of them was the paved two lane road she remembered from when she'd arrived from the train station. She waited for Douglas to pull out, but he suddenly turned towards her with a hard expression.
"Look, Jessica," he said sharply. "I'm not taking you to the movies. I already made plans for tonight and I'm not changing them for you."
"Don't flatter yourself, Douglas!" she snapped, emphasizing his name with a sneer. "I didn't want to go to the movies with you anyway!"
"My name's Doug, not Douglas!" he said, his face flushing red.
"Well, I'll call you Doug, when you call me Jess!" she retorted angrily.
He glared at her, taking deep breaths, clearly flustered she'd talked back to him, then he faced forward and pulled out onto the highway, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. Jess sat with her arms crossed over her chest, her face turned away from him, hating the night more with each passing second.
By time they drove into town, the sun had set. Jess wished it hadn't since this was her first chance to see it. Closed shops and two story homes with their lights on lined the two lane highway. It was bigger than the tiny town she'd expected, but far different from Manhattan. Then Douglas turned into a neighborhood filled with stately homes nearly as large as the one they lived in. This was obviously the part of town where rich people lived.
Pulling up to the curb in front of a particularly beautiful Victorian home, he stopped and honked the horn twice. Within seconds, the front door opened and a tall, thin teen boy with short blonde hair wearing a letter jacket, jeans, and sneakers came out.
When he opened the passenger door and saw Jess, he looked shocked for a moment and then started laughing. Jess crossed her arms over her chest and fumed as she looked straight ahead, then she noticed Douglas seemed just as angry as she was.
"Get in, Whitey," Douglas ordered through gritted teeth. "Move over Jess," he added. As much as she didn't want to, she slid closer to Douglas on the bench seat to make room for the boy.
"Are we babysitting tonight?" he asked as he plopped down next to Jess, and she glared at him. He immediately looked chastened. "I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "I didn't mean it to sound that way." Then his eyes got wide. "You're the cousin!" he said loudly, and then smiled broadly as he stuck his hand out. "I'm Whitey, well Jeff, but everybody calls me Whitey." Jess hesitated to shake his hand, but his smile seemed genuine and his eyes were friendly.
"I'm Jess," she said, putting her hand in his as Douglas drove off. "You're the one he went to France with."
"That's me," he said happily, shaking her hand. "I'm glad I finally got to meet you. Doug hasn't said much about you."
"Put a lid on it, Whitey," Douglas warned.
"I bet he hasn't," Jess said, smiling tightly.
Whitey winked at her and then looked straight ahead as Douglas pulled up in front of another large house and honked the horn. A shorter teen boy with curly hair came out the house, and as he climbed in the back seat, Whitey said, "Kenny, this is Jess, Doug's cousin. Jess, Kenny."
"Oh, hi," he said, looking between all of them with confusion, but shaking her hand, over the back of the seat.
As soon as Douglas pulled away, all three boys were talking and laughing loudly, and then they stopped in front of two more houses. With Whitey making the introductions, she met Jerry, a wiry boy with glasses and Chuck, a stocky kid whose unfortunate choice of a crew cut emphasized the square shape of his head. He smiled broadly when he was introduced to Jess, and then pulled a paper bag out from under his letter jacket.
"Looky here!" he said, reaching inside it and pulling a bottle of whiskey. He waved it in the air while everyone shouted. Jess immediately felt sick to her stomach and turned to face straight ahead.
"Where did you get that?" someone asked.
"My brother got it for me," he laughed. "I got two bottles for tonight." All the boys seemed to shout at once. "Two?" "Swell!"
"Open one now!" Doug yelled, and Jess looked at him sharply. If he noticed, he didn't acknowledge it.
As she heard the bottle being passed around in the back seat, she squeezed her hands tightly in her lap, the tension in her body increasing every time she heard a whoop of laughter or a cough as they all took a drink. Then it was handed to Whitey, who didn't hesitate to take a swig. He coughed a few times and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"That is strong!" he said as the boys in the back seat roared with laughter, and then he held it out to Jess.
"Don't be stupid," Douglas said angrily, grabbing the bottle out of his hand.
"Awe, gee!" Chuck said loudly from the back seat. "Let her have a drink! Kids are cute when they get drunk!"
"Shut up, Chuck!" Douglas said, and then to Jess's horror, he lifted the bottle to take a drink.
She wanted to grab it out of his hands, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. What was already a bad night was turning into a nightmare, and she was powerless to stop what was happening. The bottle was passed around as they drove and she felt sick to her stomach, watching Douglas take two more drinks before they stopped in a wooded area.
He left the headlights on, and when she got out she spied a fire pit some distance away ringed with rocks and large logs placed around it for seating. Feeling chilled by more than the cool air, she pulled on her sweater and hugged herself while the boys gathered wood and piled it in the center of the stones.
Kenny produced a book of matches and he and Whitey worked on trying to get the fire lit while Chuck and Jerry sat on a log and passed the bottle back and forth. Doug walked over to the car and leaned against the hood. Seizing the opportunity to talk to him alone, Jess went to him. When she reached him, he crossed his arms over his chest and kept his eyes on the fire pit with his mouth set in a grim line, the muscles in his cheek moving.
"Douglas – Doug?" she said quietly. When he still wouldn't look at her, she added, "Can I please ask you something?"
"What?" he spat without moving his eyes off the fire pit.
"Doug, please don't drink anymore!" she implored quietly so the others wouldn't hear.
"Leave me alone! I'll drink if I want to," he said angrily.
"But you're driving!"
"So!" he said, finally looking at her. "I know when I've had too much! I've drank before, you know. I can handle it," he said dismissively, moving off the car to walk away.
"No, wait! Doug, please listen to me!" she said desperately, grabbing onto his arm to stop him. He glared down at her but she wouldn't let go. "The boy who killed my parents was drunk!" she said, tears coming to her eyes. "He was seventeen! He died too!" Doug's mouth dropped open. He looked stunned by the news. "I'm sure he thought he could handle it too! I know he didn't mean for it to happen," she continued as tears slid down her face. "But it did, and now they're all dead. Please don't drink, okay? I don't want what happened to them to happen to you – or to anyone else."
Even though she could barely make out his face in the dark, she could tell he was thinking about what she'd said. Then there was cheering as the boys finally got the wood to catch fire and his face was suddenly lit by the flames. There was a look of sadness in his eyes before his face changed.
"Okay," he said, his shoulders slumping. "I won't drink anymore tonight."
"Thank you, Doug," she said gratefully, wiping her face.
"Yeah, it's okay – Jess."
Then she saw the headlights of two more cars driving up and she had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was clear the night was just beginning. And after what had already happened, she feared it was only going to get worse.
****
Things are not going well at all for Jess in this chapter. What do you make of this turn of events? Why do you think Uncle Jonathon was so insistent? What about Doug? Do you think this will change things between him and Jess? And more people are arriving to the party. What do you think is coming next? I'm dying to hear what you think, so let me know!
The picture in the multimedia is the cover for a 1958 Chevrolet brochure showing the model of car that Douglas received, a Chevrolet Biscayne. The video is One Summer Night by The Danleers.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please consider giving it a vote!