Page 34 of We Were Liars

GRANDDAD’S COOK DOES the shopping and preps the meals, but the aunties plan all the menus.

Today we have cold roast chicken, tomato-basil salad, Camembert, baguettes, and strawberry lemonade in the dining room.

Liberty shows me pictures of cute boys in a magazine.

Then she shows me pictures of clothes in another magazine.

Bonnie reads a book called Collective Apparitions: Fact and Fiction .

Taft and Will want me to take them tubing—drive the small motorboat while they float behind it in an inner tube.

Mummy says I’m not allowed to drive the boat on meds.

Aunt Carrie says that doesn’t matter, because no way is Will going tubing.

Aunt Bess says she agrees, so Taft better not even think about asking her.

Liberty and Bonnie ask if they can go tubing. “You always let Mirren go,” says Liberty. “You know it’s true.”

Will spills his lemonade and soaks a baguette.

Granddad’s lap gets wet.

Taft gets hold of the wet baguette and hits Will with it.

Mummy wipes the mess while Bess runs upstairs to bring Granddad clean trousers. Carrie scolds the boys.

When the meal is over, Taft and Will duck into the living room to avoid helping with the cleanup. They jump like lunatics on Granddad’s new leather couch. I follow.

Will is runty and pink, like Johnny. Hair almost white. Taft is taller and very thin, golden and freckled, with long dark lashes and a mouth full of braces. “So, you two,” I say. “How was last summer?”

“Do you know how to get an ash dragon in DragonVale ?” asks Will.

“I know how to get a scorch dragon,” says Taft.

“You can use the scorch dragon to get the ash dragon,” says Will.

Ugh. Ten-year-olds. “Come on. Last summer,” I say. “Tell me. Did you play tennis?”

“Sure,” says Will.

“Did you go swimming?”

“Yeah,” says Taft.

“Did you go boating with Gat and Johnny?”

They both stop jumping. “No.”

“Did Gat say anything about me?”

“I’m not supposed to talk about you ending up in the water and everything,” says Will. “I promised Aunt Penny I wouldn’t.”

“Why not?” I ask.

“It’ll make your headaches worse and we have to leave the subject alone.”

Taft nods. “She said if we make your headaches worse she’ll string us up by our toenails and take away the iPads. We’re supposed to act cheerful and not be idiots.”

“This isn’t about my accident,” I say. “This is about the summer when I went to Europe.”

“Cady?” Taft touches my shoulder. “Bonnie saw pills in your bedroom.”

Will backs away and sits on the far arm of the sofa.

“Bonnie went through my stuff?”

“And Liberty.”

“God.”

“You told me you weren’t a drug addict, but you have pills on your dresser.” Taft is petulant.

“Tell them to stay out of my room,” I say.

“If you’re a drug addict,” says Taft, “there is something you need to know.”

“What?”

“Drugs are not your friend.” Taft looks serious. “Drugs are not your friend and also people should be your friends.”

“Oh, my God. Would you just tell me what you did last summer, pipsqueak?”

Will says, “Taft and I want to play Angry Birds . We don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

“Whatever,” I say. “Go and be free.”

I step onto the porch and watch the boys as they run down the path to Red Gate.