CHAPTER 20
Elizabeth Schuyler
When I enter the diner, I'm overcome with the kind of warm air that floods around me and distinguishes the memory of the stinging cold air outside. The diner is small and cozy and filled with smiling faces for most hours of the day, but, even though the neon sign claims it's open 24 hours a day, only a few people are left. In fact, three girls are gathered around one table, and there's a jacket draped across the empty seat where a fourth must have been minutes before.
Maria emerges on the other side of the diner. She catches my eye as she steps out of the bathroom, and a smile quickly spreads across my face without much thought. Maria is sporting shockingly red lipstick, and, surprisingly, not even a speck of it is on her teeth. If I attempted to wear that shade, I would look like a clown. Not a scary clown because the sight of it would look so ridiculous paired with my pearly skin tone. Peggy tells me I should stick with shimmery pinks. I've never been known to "stick" with anything, though.
Maria waves me over to her table with a manicured hand, but as I take the seat next to her, her friends exchange knowing glances. I'm not surprised the news of my horrible behavior has gotten around the school by now. If they're thinking I'm a bitch, as much as it bothers me, it's true. I am one. I still can't help resenting Alexander for what he did at the beginning of the year, though. His valiant effort to make me jealous was more successful than I'd like to admit. But Maria was acting similarly with all her winking and simpering that made my mind buzz with the notion that it was very wrong. I just wish Alexander had told me about his feelings for John much sooner. Then, maybe I wouldn't have reacted so severely.
Theodosia from my dorm sits across from Maria, and next to her is my sister, Peggy.
"Margarita!" Peggy glares at me through her lowered eyelashes. "So this is where you went!" Peggy absolutely hates it when I call her by her proper name, and in times of urgency, I resort to it first.
A girl I don't know on the other side of Maria repeats the name and giggles. She doesn't seem to be laughing at me, which is a good sign, but I can't be too sure. The girl adjusts a clip in her curly updo just as the remaining sunlight streams in throw the window, coloring her hair a lighter brown.
"Eliza, this is Abigail Smith on my right," Maria says, flourishing her hand toward her friend. Abigail rolls her eyes and leans forward to look at me.
"Abby," she growls. Maria shrugs and mumbles, "Whatever."
The girls resume their fast-moving conversations, and I listen and say a few words at times. Once in awhile, Theodosia will look at me and back to Abby and smirk. After a few minutes, I completely drop out their conversation in favor of surveying the diner with my eyes. The brightly lit interior contrasts with the pitch-black of the outside. Abstract paintings line the wall, one above every booth, with their prices in small print below. We are the last ones left in the building. I glance over at Maria's jacket, and I realize the other time she wore it was at the dance, over her red dress.
"Eliza, do you want to play?" Maria taps me on the arm, and her finger lingers on it for a moment. I tear my eyes away from the walls and back to her face. The other girls are looking at me, too.
"Play - play what? I'm sorry, I was just -" They all laugh, but the sound is light and friendly.
"Truth or dare," Peggy tells me. I nod hesitantly. It's impossible to know the outcome of the game; it's drastically different with each group.
"Abby, truth or dare?" Theodosia leans over the table with a devilish grin on her face.
"Truth." Theodosia decides I'm trustworthy with a quick glance across the table.
"Have you ever thought about cheating on Adams?"
"Theodosia," Abby scolds, a hand over her heart in mock distress, "what a question! Of course not!"
"Eliza, truth or dare?"
"Truth." Abby rests an elbow on the table as she thinks. Maria leans back to give us a better view of each other, and I feel like a criminal awaiting my sentence. Finally, Theodosia's same grin spreads across her face, and I have to resist the urge to move away.
"Have you ever liked a girl?" It's a much easier question than I expected.
"Oh, plenty of times," I reply. Abby barely seems surprised as she smiles and nods.
"Maria," I say, angling my body towards her. "Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Who do you like?" Maria's smile disappears. She lowers her eyes to the table and says nothing. As unwilling as she is to give an answer, I am eager to know. I'm not sure who it could be - Angelica? No, there's no chemistry there. Alexander or John? No, she seemed very happy when they got together. I can't think of anyone she's acted flirty around… except for me, at that dance, but I'm sure it was a joke. Unless - well, it's possible - it could be me? I can't imagine her thinking of me in that way, but when I try to, I think it must be pretty nice. I've never thought about her as more than a friend before, but it occurs to me that I wouldn't exactly mind if she liked me.
"Someone." The rest of the girls smirk like they know exactly who she's talking about. I wish I had the same knowledge.
Maria Lewis
The question doesn't take me by surprise, but there's no way I'm going to let her know that it is she I've been chasing after. I regret even telling my friends about my crush, not that they wouldn't have found out if I didn't. I know my friends will see through my lie with no difficulty, but the girl who I'm withholding the truth from, will not.
"Dolley Payne," I say, daring the girls circled around me to challenge it. With an indifferent stare, Theodosia leans forward across the table.
"Well, it's a good thing I'm setting you girls up Wednesday, Maria." I look at her, dumbfounded. Of all the people to plan a date with, of course, she would pick Dolley. She's astonishingly beautiful, compared to only Eliza in my mind. And there was a time when I daydreamed about her in the same way I do now with Eliza. But she could always have taken the opportunity of my fake confession as a chance for me to comically make a fool out of myself. Suddenly, it occurs to me to check Eliza's reaction. Her eyes are fixed on my head, and she looks vaguely crestfallen. The look vanishes, and she clasps her hands together with an excited smile.
"Oh! I can see you two as a couple, it would be so cute. What's the ship name though, Molley?" Her smile lights up as her head bobs up and down. But right now, that smile that usually makes me so happy only hurts. I had hoped she had some feelings for me. Maybe only a small crush.
"Yeah! Molley is pretty cute," Abigail lilts, happily. In my peripheral vision, I can see her grinning wildly.
"Truth or dare, Theodosia." She meets my eyes with a glare. I know full well that she hates her full name. She thinks it too formal and old school. I've told her millions of times it's beautiful. I don't know of anyone who finds her name unpleasant or old fashioned.
"Well, I'm prepared to be original. Dare." There are raised eyebrows all around the table. The other girls lean forward, awaiting my response. I take my time thinking it up.
"I dare you to…"
The color drains from Theodosia's cheeks.
"Go find Aaron Burr and kiss him." Abigail cackles, Eliza grins, but the target of my challenge only rolls her eyes.
"Find him where? Strolling around town?! It's one in the fucking morning!" she snaps. Abigail slams her hands on the table and laughs again, bent at the core with tears streaming down her cheeks. At this point, both Eliza and I are staring at her in utter confusion. Unfazed, Theodosia shifts back against the red leather cushions and waits for Abby to gain control of herself. It takes at least five minutes for her laughter to subside, and even then Abigail is laughing like a maniac.
"Alrighty then, Ms. Schuyler." Abby realizes her mistake seconds later and rushes to correct herself. "Elizabeth, not Peggy. Eliza, truth or dare."
"Tru-"
"Wow, hold on," I cut in. "Are we just going to let Theo get off that easily?! She can't just snap at us and avoid her challenge. That is most definitely not how this game works. I'm thinking something along the lines of…" I look to Abby for help, and she willingly complies.
"Buy us each a milkshake, 'Dosia," she says. "Our flavor choice." Theodosia shrugs and, just in time, looks up. A dark-haired waiter stands above us, waiting for our attention to ask one of the few questions posed by waiters.
"Can I get anything for you, girls?"
Theodosia leaps into action.
"Yes! Actually, can we get four milkshakes," As she begins to list the various flavors she knows we adore, she looks to each of us in turn. "Three chocolate, one cherry, and one…" she turns to Eliza for help, presumably not knowing her well enough to order for her.
"One vanilla, please," Eliza speaks with a dashing smile which the waiter returns with surprisingly little effort considering the late hour.
"Now, Eliza, the question still stands." For a moment Eliza looks baffled, but she blinks, turns away from the retreating waiter, and smiles.
"Dare."
Abby begins as though she had always had the challenge in mind.
"I dare you to…" She pauses mid-sentence for the dramatic anticipation. "Flirt with the waiter." The four of us follow Abby's gaze our waiter, standing by the front counter.
"Oh come on, we all saw the way she looked at him!" Abigail protests to our questioning glances. A mischievous grin plays in slow motion across Eliza's face and she pushes herself out of our booth. Theodosia, Abigail, Peggy, and I watch her with blatant curiosity, and as the waiter turns I can see the same emotion reflected on his features. 'Hello' is the only word I can make out from the conversation that follows between the two, but with each second that passes and each smile that stretches across their faces, my heart sinks a little more. Eliza finally turns on her heel with a radiant smile on her face and begins on her way back to the four of us waiting at our booth.
"That was actually really successful. I'm shocked." Abby is either lying or incredibly good at playing indifferent, for her face remains blank aside from a faint little half smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Peggy pushed Theodosia gently to the side and follows her closer to the window to make way for her sister to sit.
"So… does he have the name?" Peggy teases, grinning and placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. The waiter draws near once again to place five milkshakes on the clear table surface. He doesn't miss the chance to wink at Eliza before he leaves.