Cute, bubbly, and downright bold. “Did you just get here?”
“No,
been here for half an hour so I couldn’t wait to see you two. So awkward
sitting there in the boardroom by myself with all the suits, you know.”
“Dad’s
team,” Drew corrected. ‘”Technically our team.”
“Suits,”
Rachel said. “They were all wearing suits. You know how uncomfortable I am in
that kind of environment. It’s like being in the Principal’s Office, you know.”
Drew
shot me a look and rolled his eyes. “They are our staff, Rachel. They’re
helping us find Dad and Nat. They’re the ones we’re relying on to get them back
home. Be nice.”
Rachel
looked offended. “I am nice,” she said. “I’m always nice.” She looked at me,
“When have I not been nice?”
“Well
when you dumped your milkshake over one of the mean gossip girl’s heads at the
nail salon,” I recounted. “When you concocted a grand and masterful publicity
stunt for Astor’s breakup with me…”
Rachel
was indignant. “Those girls were talking crap about you without even knowing
you. When someone is mean to you for the sake of just being mean and hateful,
you have a right to stand up to them. Dish out their own medicine. Put them in
their place. Mean people should face the music. Treat those as you would have
them treat you. So if they’re mean they should get treated meanly by others,
too.”
“I
don’t think ‘meanly’ is a word, Rach,” Drew said.
“Can’t
I make up a word when I feel like it?” Rachel said. “If I can’t find a word to
describe something, can’t I make up a word for it. It’s a free country. I’m
free to do what I want.”
“Oh
brother,” Drew said, lifting his hands and shifting his feet. “And we’re going
to be taking over this massively successful very professional, highly
trustworthy organization our father built one day? Rachel,” Drew grew a little
serious. “We’re not in high school or middle school anymore. Your attitude and
manners are still pretty immature. How are you going to stand up and talk
numbers and security to CEOs of multinational corporations, to top politicians
around the world, to agents and managers of celebrities who employ us? Rachel,
Summer and I had to grow up overnight to deal with the details on finding Nat
and Dad. We had to sit through logistics, plans, and stuff that are crucial in
helping us accomplish this. There are no room for childish complaints right
now. I know you want to deny everything, that it doesn’t exist because you’ve
shoved it under the rug, but it’s there, and we have to deal with it as mature
and grown up as possible.”
I
was stunned, and Rachel just stood there speechless, her mouth hanging open in
shock.
Then
her blue eyes squinted close, opening them again to reveal unshed tears. “How
dare you, Drew! How dare you question my love and loyalty to Nat and Dad. Just
because I’m not in that stuffy boardroom poring over plans like you and Summer
doesn’t mean I don’t care. I do. I want them back as badly as you. I missed
them, too. But I guess you haven’t noticed. I’m not in your group of two to
share in the comforting and the supporting. You two have each other. You two
understand what it’s like to go through all this, but I have no one. It’s just
me. Ryan’s not even my boyfriend. He hasn’t been for months. He’s there as a
good casual lay, but other than that, he’s shallow, and he doesn’t understand
us. Doesn’t care to understand our crazy family. We broke up a while back, but
get together just to hook up.”
Rachel
broke down crying, and I went over to hug her tightly. “I’m so sorry, Rachel. I
should have been there for you. I’ve just been so preoccupied in my own grief,
I haven’t noticed anything else. I’m sorry about Ryan, too.”
“It’s
okay,” Rachel said. “I’m glad I broke up with Ryan. Besides our style of
dressing and music, we didn’t have anything else in common. He wants to
“No,
been here for half an hour so I couldn’t wait to see you two. So awkward
sitting there in the boardroom by myself with all the suits, you know.”
“Dad’s
team,” Drew corrected. ‘”Technically our team.”
“Suits,”
Rachel said. “They were all wearing suits. You know how uncomfortable I am in
that kind of environment. It’s like being in the Principal’s Office, you know.”
Drew
shot me a look and rolled his eyes. “They are our staff, Rachel. They’re
helping us find Dad and Nat. They’re the ones we’re relying on to get them back
home. Be nice.”
Rachel
looked offended. “I am nice,” she said. “I’m always nice.” She looked at me,
“When have I not been nice?”
“Well
when you dumped your milkshake over one of the mean gossip girl’s heads at the
nail salon,” I recounted. “When you concocted a grand and masterful publicity
stunt for Astor’s breakup with me…”
Rachel
was indignant. “Those girls were talking crap about you without even knowing
you. When someone is mean to you for the sake of just being mean and hateful,
you have a right to stand up to them. Dish out their own medicine. Put them in
their place. Mean people should face the music. Treat those as you would have
them treat you. So if they’re mean they should get treated meanly by others,
too.”
“I
don’t think ‘meanly’ is a word, Rach,” Drew said.
“Can’t
I make up a word when I feel like it?” Rachel said. “If I can’t find a word to
describe something, can’t I make up a word for it. It’s a free country. I’m
free to do what I want.”
“Oh
brother,” Drew said, lifting his hands and shifting his feet. “And we’re going
to be taking over this massively successful very professional, highly
trustworthy organization our father built one day? Rachel,” Drew grew a little
serious. “We’re not in high school or middle school anymore. Your attitude and
manners are still pretty immature. How are you going to stand up and talk
numbers and security to CEOs of multinational corporations, to top politicians
around the world, to agents and managers of celebrities who employ us? Rachel,
Summer and I had to grow up overnight to deal with the details on finding Nat
and Dad. We had to sit through logistics, plans, and stuff that are crucial in
helping us accomplish this. There are no room for childish complaints right
now. I know you want to deny everything, that it doesn’t exist because you’ve
shoved it under the rug, but it’s there, and we have to deal with it as mature
and grown up as possible.”
I
was stunned, and Rachel just stood there speechless, her mouth hanging open in
shock.
Then
her blue eyes squinted close, opening them again to reveal unshed tears. “How
dare you, Drew! How dare you question my love and loyalty to Nat and Dad. Just
because I’m not in that stuffy boardroom poring over plans like you and Summer
doesn’t mean I don’t care. I do. I want them back as badly as you. I missed
them, too. But I guess you haven’t noticed. I’m not in your group of two to
share in the comforting and the supporting. You two have each other. You two
understand what it’s like to go through all this, but I have no one. It’s just
me. Ryan’s not even my boyfriend. He hasn’t been for months. He’s there as a
good casual lay, but other than that, he’s shallow, and he doesn’t understand
us. Doesn’t care to understand our crazy family. We broke up a while back, but
get together just to hook up.”
Rachel
broke down crying, and I went over to hug her tightly. “I’m so sorry, Rachel. I
should have been there for you. I’ve just been so preoccupied in my own grief,
I haven’t noticed anything else. I’m sorry about Ryan, too.”
“It’s
okay,” Rachel said. “I’m glad I broke up with Ryan. Besides our style of
dressing and music, we didn’t have anything else in common. He wants to
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