Rules of Summer
: Chapter 16

The other times Rory had pulled into the Georgica driveway, the parking valets had treated her strictly as a chauffeur, but today, for some unknown reason, they actually allowed her to get out of the car. A parking valet pulled open the driver-side door, all smiles under his visor. “Welcome to the Georgica,” he said in a cheery voice.

Rory grabbed the bag she’d packed with sunblock, her one-piece bathing suit, and her book and handed him the keys. “Did you tell them that I was coming?” she asked Isabel.

“Uh, no,” she said. “Why would I have done that?”

“It’s just every other time I’ve been here, it’s like I’ve had the plague.”

“Maybe it’s what you’re wearing,” Isabel said, and Rory looked down. The cantaloupe-and-ivory batik-print sundress that she’d borrowed from Isabel wasn’t her style at all, but it did make her look a little more Georgica-esque. “That looks pretty good on you,” Isabel said. “I should take you into Calypso sometime.”

Isabel led the way into the main building. Rory took in the lobby’s horribly dated gold-and-green-patterned wallpaper and formal wooden chairs. It was all such a surprise. She’d expected plush club chairs and white linen-covered sofas—furniture like the Rules had in their house. Not something out of the 1960s.

“Checking in a guest,” Isabel said to the girl at the front desk. “Rory…” Isabel looked like she was at a loss.

“McShane,” Rory supplied. “Do you not know my last name?”

“Whatever,” Isabel said. “McShane,” she repeated to the girl.

They walked toward the white-and-green-striped umbrellas and the clear blue rectangle of the pool. Isabel felt the gnawing in her belly get worse. Anxiety over Mike had become anxiety about Thayer and Darwin, neither of whom she’d seen since that day when she’d told them about Mike. She’d also ignored all their texts, including the ones they’d sent last night asking where she was during the fireworks. In all the years she’d known Thayer and Darwin, she’d never out-and-out ignored them for so long. She had a feeling that this wouldn’t go unnoticed—or unpunished.

“Everyone eats lunch on the patio,” Isabel explained. “You go into the cafeteria and order it, and then bring it to a table.”

Rory looked at all the tables of people eating from plastic trays. Apparently the Georgica resembled a high school cafeteria in more ways than one. And this is an exclusive club? Rory thought.

“I usually sit with Thayer and Darwin,” Isabel said. “They must be here already.”

“Is that them?” Rory said, pointing toward a girl with reddish-gold hair and bony shoulders whom she recognized.

Isabel looked over. Sitting together were Thayer, Darwin, and nonmember Anna Lucia Kent, who was eagerly casing out the lunch scene that she’d heard so much about. Isabel felt a twinge of jealousy. She’d been replaced. They walked toward the girls. “Hey, guys,” she said to the table. “What’s up?”

“Hey,” Thayer said, barely looking up from her salad.

Darwin gave a small wave.

“Hi, Isabel!” Anna Lucia gushed, oblivious to Thayer’s and Darwin’s lukewarm reactions. “That’s such a pretty cover-up. Is it J. Crew?”

“Calypso,” Isabel said. “This is my friend Rory, Anna. The rest of you met her a few weeks ago.”

“Hey,” Rory said. She stood behind the fourth chair, not sure whether she should sit down.

“Hey,” murmured Thayer, who was still absorbed in her salad. Darwin gave another small wave.

“So, how was the party here last night?” Isabel bravely asked her friends.

“Amazing,” said Thayer, her eyes lighting up with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. “Tons of cute guys. Weren’t there so many cute guys, D?”

“Tons,” Darwin agreed. “Like, I’d never seen so many before. Everyone brought their friends from college.”

“That’s great. Looks like we need another chair,” said Isabel, looking over her shoulder. “Unless… we should just sit somewhere else.”

Thayer and Darwin exchanged a glance as Anna Lucia tried to smile. “Whatever,” Thayer said coolly, and returned to her lunch.

Rory looked out at the pool, the beach, the umbrellas, anywhere but right in front of her. The awkwardness was so intense, she had to fight the urge to wander off toward the pool.

“Then I guess we’ll just replace another place to sit,” Isabel said thickly. “Since it’s obvious we’re sort of interrupting you.”

“See ya later,” Thayer murmured.

“Yeah, you and your charity case,” Darwin said.

“You guys are such jerks,” Isabel muttered.

“Right, we’re the ones being jerks,” Thayer erupted. “You’re the one who’s given us the finger all summer, and we’re the ones being jerks. You’re such a hypocrite.”

“She’s not a hypocrite,” Rory said.

Thayer looked surprised to see that Rory could speak. “Excuse me?” she said.

“Why should she want to hang out with you guys when you’re so judgmental?” Rory said. “She told me what you said about Mike.”

“What are you, her bridge-and-tunnel bodyguard?” Darwin asked.

“You know what?” Rory said. “At least she’s breaking out of this ridiculous bubble you’re all in here. Believe it or not, there’s more to life than your beach club and your horses and your stupid Cobb salads.”

“Rory, let’s go,” Isabel whispered.

“And you know what else?” Rory went on. “The only thing that makes this place cool is that nobody can get in. And eating on plastic trays? The food court at Rockaway Mall is classier than this.”

Everything had gone very quiet. Rory noticed that three women at the next table, all with blond hair piled in messy updos and chic sunglasses, were staring at her. As were Thayer and Darwin, except they seemed to be looking at something just behind her. She turned around.

Mrs. Rule stood right behind them, her blue eyes unusually bright. “Hello, girls,” she said in a forced voice. “Isabel, so nice of you to join us.”

“Hi,” she said.

“And, hello, Rory,” she added, in a tone that sent the hairs on Rory’s arms standing on end. “What are you doing here?”

“We asked Bianca to give her a day off,” Isabel said.

“Who’s we?” she asked, glaring at Rory.

“Me and Connor.”

“Well, I’m glad to see that you’ve already made an impression, Rory,” she said brightly. “And that you’re making some friends.”

“Why don’t you go order something to eat,” Isabel said to Rory, pulling her mom aside. “Just sign for it under my name.”

Rory watched them go, feeling icy quiet behind her from Thayer and Darwin. She headed to the cafeteria. Once she was safely inside the fluorescent-lit space, she stood over the stack of trays, too perplexed and in shock to actually pick one up. All she could think about was Mrs. Rule’s face when she’d turned around. Her tight, fake smile and furious eyes.

“You okay?” someone asked.

She looked up and saw Connor sidle up beside her. “You look like you’re gonna be sick.”

She should have been thrilled to see him, but it only made her feel more anxious. “What are you doing here?”

“I figured if my sister was dragging you here on your one day off, the least I could do was show some solidarity. Here, take a tray. What do you want?”

“I can’t eat,” she said. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”

“Sure, yeah, the cabana.” He put down the tray, and they walked back across the patio. Rory could feel several pairs of eyes boring into her back.

When they reached the cabana, Connor opened the creaky door, and she stepped into the dark, narrow room that smelled of suntan lotion. He switched on the light, and she blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light.

“So, what happened?” he asked.

“Thayer and Darwin were being mean to Isabel, so I stood up for her. And said some possibly rude things. And your mom overheard.”

Connor smiled. “What’d you say?” he asked.

“I said that the food court at the Rockaway Mall was classier than this place.”

He burst into laughter.

“It’s not funny,” she protested.

“Yeah, it is,” he said. “It’s hilarious. That’s what I like about you. You say what you think.” He walked up to her and put his arms around her.

“Connor…” She forced herself to step out of his arms. “Look. Last night was really fun, and I had a blast, but it can’t happen again.”

A cloud seemed to pass over his face. “Why not?”

“Because it can’t.”

He still looked bewildered. “I don’t get it.”

“Well, for one thing, what are we supposed to do now? Sneak around for the rest of the summer?”

“No, we’ll tell my family. We’ll tell them right now if you want.”

“And then what? You think they’re gonna be happy?”

He hesitated for just a second. “Who cares what they think? I don’t.”

“Well, I do,” Rory said. “Your mom already has her doubts about me. I can’t imagine what she’d think if she knew that I was dating you. It would just be too weird. And I don’t think I could handle it.”

Connor’s smile left his face. “So that’s it? We’re just not going to do this? We’re not gonna at least try it out?”

“Let’s just think of it as a really fun night and leave it at that. And I’m not looking for a boyfriend right now. Not this summer.” It was a lie, but it slipped out of her mouth so easily that she almost believed it.

“Fine,” he said. His voice sounded small. “If that’s what you want.”

“That’s what I want,” she said. “So… are we friends?”

He looked down at the ground and shook his head, as if he was completely bewildered. “Whatever, Rory.” He walked out, and the door clanged shut on its hinges.

She stood in the pool of light, trying to absorb what had just happened. She knew that she was supposed to feel relieved, safe, and certain that she’d done the right thing. But she only felt lost. And the musty, coconut suntan-lotion smell in here was making her dizzy.

Isabel struggled to keep up with her mom as she walked up the winding path to the tennis courts. “She was just sticking up for me,” she argued. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“She bawled them out,” her mom said. Her tennis skirt swung to the left and right as her tan legs carried her up the hill.

“It wasn’t that bad. It’s not like she cursed anyone out.”

“Why is she even here?” her mother said over her shoulder. “If she’s going to have a day off, that should come from me, not you and Connor.”

“What’s the difference? It’s not like she has anything that important to do.”

Her mom turned around. “Yes, she does. She’s here to work. That was the agreement.”

“Oh, come on,” Isabel groaned. “It’s not like she’s from some Third World country.”

“Exactly,” her mother said, wiping her hairline with the back of her hand. “She has a mother. She has somewhere to live. She didn’t need to stay with us. But I said she could, in exchange for a little help. And now, not only is she at our club, but she’s insulting everyone here.”

“She didn’t insult anyone—”

“And why do you care so much about her all of a sudden?” her mom countered. “You couldn’t even stand to be in the same room with her.”

“Because she’s cool. Because she’s my friend. She’s a better friend than Thayer and Darwin are ever gonna be.”

“That’s wonderful, but she doesn’t belong here if she’s going to embarrass us,” her mom said. “And if you’ve been egging her on, Isabel—if she’s gotten this from you—”

“I haven’t egged her on. Why do you talk to me like I’m contagious or something?”

Her mom turned back up the path. The bright sun on her white tennis dress made Isabel squint, even with her sunglasses on.

“Why are you always walking away from me?”

And then Isabel saw a man step out from behind the tennis courts. It was Mr. Knox. He was dressed for golf, not tennis, and his handsome face was pink from the sun. From the relief that swept over his face, he looked like he’d been waiting behind the tennis courts in the no-man’s-land between the club and the dunes for quite a while. But Isabel couldn’t figure out why, when the golf course was on the other side of the patio. Then her mother whirled around. “Isabel,” she snapped. “We’ll talk about this at home. All right?”

“What are you—”

Mr. Knox looked at her, shading his pink face.

“Not now!” her mother snapped.

Isabel turned around and headed back down the path, as cowed and as shamed as if she’d just walked in on her parents having sex. Her mom never yelled at her in front of people. She couldn’t figure out why seeing Mr. Knox had made her so nervous. It was almost as if she’d just jumped out of her skin. And the way Mr. Knox had looked… like he’d felt almost guilty at being caught.

She found Rory sitting at one of the tables on the patio, reading A Confederacy of Dunces. She thought about taking a picture with her camera—it was a great visual—but thought better of it.

“Want to get out of here?” she said.

“Thought you’d never ask.” Rory stood up and put her book in her bag.

Isabel watched Thayer, Darwin, and Anna Lucia Kent take their trays to the garbage and start the walk toward the beach. Good-bye and good riddance, she thought.

“So how bad is it?” Rory asked. “Does your mom want to boot me from the house?”

“She’ll get over it,” said Isabel. “And I don’t really care what she thinks, anyway.”

“I wish I could say the same thing,” Rory said.

They walked out to the valet area, and Rory handed one of the guys her ticket.

“Thanks for sticking up for me earlier,” Isabel said. “That was really cool of you.”

“I shouldn’t have lost it on your friends like that,” Rory said.

“No, I’m glad you did,” Isabel said. “I should have lost it like that a long time ago.”

Rory watched the valet back the Prius out of the lot and drive it up in front of them. The valet stepped out of the car, and Isabel placed a dollar in his hand.

“Okay if I drive?” Isabel asked.

“Sure.”

Rory got in the car, and Isabel clicked her seat belt. Rory thought about Connor’s face just before he walked out of the cabana, and resisted the urge to look over her shoulder at the club disappearing in the distance. You’ll see him at home, she told herself. That wasn’t good-bye.

“Do you want to get some ice cream?” Isabel asked. “My treat.”

“Sounds good,” Rory said. When she felt tears coming into her eyes over Connor, she swallowed them gone.