The Rules of Regret (2 page)

CHAPTER
TWO

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“
What's that?
”
Sonja pushed a lock of her dark hair
back from her eyes with the heel of her hand, simultaneously streaking a strip
of white across her forehead.
“
Damn,
”
she groaned, tossing the paint
roller to the ground. SW7036 splattered all over the drop cloth, decorating it
in haphazardly placed, dime-sized circles.

I
shoved the crumpled piece of paper into my pocket and continued coating the
wall in a fresh layer, almost acting like I didn
’
t hear her.
“
Nothing. Just some camp counselor
thing I tore off of one of those papers in the student union.
”

“
You getting a summer job?
”
Sonja flipped her head over to
gather her hair in another attempt at a ponytail. Her paint-coated palms left
their mark across her black tresses, striping them like a zebra.
“
I thought we were gonna slum it
together this summer. You know, drink all day. Eat Cheetos. Get fat while the
boys are away.
”

Sonja
’
s boyfriend, Rex, will be gone at
football training for the next two months, so we swore our allegiance to doing
absolutely nothing and enjoying every minute of it. The only thing was, none of
that sounded even slightly enjoyable. Not even the Cheetos, and I was a girl
with a thing for carbo-loaded, processed foods in unnaturally neon colors.

“
I don
’
t know.
”
I swept the brush over the last
untouched portion of wall space and chucked it back into the paint can.
“
This is really the first time in the
past six years that I
’
ve
had any time away from Lance.
”
I plopped down onto the tarp and folded my legs under me like I was sitting on
a primary-colored mat in preschool.
“
If
I just mope around, it kinda feels like I
’
m
admitting I don
’
t
have a life outside of him, you know?
”

“
‘
Cause you don
’
t, Darby.
”
Sonja gave up on her hairdo attempts
and let it spill across her tanned shoulders. She was stunning in a way that
she never seemed to actually acknowledge. Maybe that
’
s what made her even more beautiful.
“
Lance is your social life. Hell, he
’
s all of our social lives. No one on
the peninsula does anything remotely exciting without the McIverson name
attached to it,
”
she said in a matter-of-fact tone that I couldn
’
t really disagree with.
“
So by default, since you
’
re attached to him, nothing you do
will be exciting. Face it, Darbs. This is as good as it gets this summer.
”
She waved an encompassing hand
across the stark room. We never did invest in any furniture during the past two
years we inhabited the space. Guess it would make moving out that much easier.

“
Don
’
t you find that more than a little
bit depressing?
”
I rubbed the paint stuck in my cuticles with my thumb, but it stayed put. My
nails looked like I just got the world
’
s
worst manicure.

Sonja
cocked her head sympathetically, but I wasn
’
t looking for sympathy. I was looking
for someone to commiserate with. There was a difference
—
a subtle one
—
but a difference
still. In one instance it was all dumped on you, like you were the sad, sorry
case that demanded someone
’
s
pity. In the other you were like partners; you literally
co-
miserated together. I wanted that from her because my other partner
—
the one that had
been around for the past six years
—
was
currently residing on the opposite coastline from me. I needed her to help
lessen the gap that all those states created.

“
I doubt he likes being away from you,
Darby. You guys are inseparable. The next couple months will be hard on him,
too.
”

I
wobbled my head, honestly wanting to believe her. Like maybe if I let her words
rattle around in my brain long enough, they might settle in and sound
plausible.
“
I
really would like to think that.
”
But a beautiful blonde named Lindsay, among others, sort of made it hard to
believe.

“
Don
’
t you think part of the reason he
accepted this internship is to save up for that ring he
’
s been hinting at?
”

My
stomach hopped into my throat. Not really hopped. More like vaulted in Olympic
gymnast fashion. I was a little worried it was going to fly right out of my
mouth and land on our freshly painted wall.

Lance
and I had been researching engagement rings for a few months now, and the
thought hadn
’
t
escaped my mind that this new summer job might be part of that saving process.
My tastes weren
’
t
extravagant, but the McIverson family
’
s
were, and if I was going to be one of them someday, I
’
d need the diamond to match. My
finger felt heavy just at the thought of it, like some miniature ball and chain
tethered just below my knuckle.

“
I
’
m going to start calling you Deborah
so you can get used to it,
”
Sonja teased, twirling a strand of her hair mindlessly between her fingers. She
had quite the look going on with her paint-spattered hairdo.

“
Please don
’
t,
”
I groaned.
“
No one has called me that for at
least fifteen years.
”

“
Sorry chica, but you have no choice.
Deborah McIverson or Darby McIverson. Which one sounds more worthy?
”

“
Depends. What do I have to be worthy
of?
”

“
Worthy of the McIverson name and all
that goes along with it. I hate to break it to you, but if you think your world
is swallowed up in Lance
’
s
now, just wait until he
’
s
got his ring on that pretty little finger of yours. They
’
ll own you.
”

And
truth be told, Sonja was not too far off in that assumption. Lance
’
s older brother, Heath, was married
just three years ago to Melissa, a petite debutante with straight blonde hair
and piercing green eyes, and they
’
d
already contributed to the McIverson succession plan by producing two little
clones that were the perfect blend of both their mother and father. By all
standards, Lance and I were really dragging our feet
—
already nineteen
and no proposal, no wedding, and no high-powered internships to boast about in
their annual family Christmas letter. We were totally on the McIverson slacker
track.

“
I don
’
t see how it will actually be much
different than it is now.
”
I gazed around the room at our paint job. Not too bad. I foresaw a cleaning
deposit coming my way in the near future, and if I was also able to secure some
kind of summer employment, I just might have enough money for the surprise
visit I had planned for Lance in a month.

“
You
’
re right,
”
Sonja said.
“
You
’
re already part of the family. You
’
ll just have the name to make it
official.
”

After
six years with Lance, everything about our lives had become intertwined. Our
holidays, our travel, our days and nights
—
it
was all spent together. And at first I wouldn
’
t have had it any other way. Not that
I didn
’
t
love my own family, but with three older brothers and three younger sisters, it
was easy to get lost in the mix. But that
’
s
pretty much what we all were
—
lost.

I
knew my mom and dad loved me and they showed it the best way they could. But
there was something different about Lance
’
s
family. I wasn
’
t
just one of the nine Duncan
’
s
to them. I was Darby, Lance
’
s
long-term, loyal girlfriend and I was an addition to their family. So even if
my life did feel swallowed up in theirs sometimes, and even if things between
Lance and I hadn
’
t
really been all that great recently, I found comfort in the monotony and
consistency. Part of me disappeared on that night my sister did, and sometimes
it seemed like I was never going to reappear. At least that didn
’
t bother the McIversons. They honestly
didn
’
t
know any different.

“
I
’
m gonna head to the store to stock up
on the Cheetos you said you don
’
t
want.
”
Sonja snagged my keys off the hook by the back door. My red Jeep Grand Cherokee
sat under the parking spot overhang behind our duplex.
“
I
’
ll only be gone twenty minutes, so
you won
’
t
be alone long. Need anything while I
’
m
there?
”

“
Nah,
”
I answered, collecting the
paintbrushes to take them to the sink to be washed, thankful that Sonja knew me
well enough to know I hated being alone. It was nice to have someone that
understood and respected my quirks, without even having to explain those
oddities in detail.
“
I
’
m good. See you when you get back,
Sonja.
”

“
See ya, Deborah.
”

***

From:
Quarry Summit Info

To:
Deborah Duncan

Subject:
Camp Counselor Positions

Thank
you for your interest in our staffing program at Quarry Summit Adventure Camps.
We still have availability for the camp counselor positions, though they are
filling up quickly. If you are interested in securing a spot, please complete
the attached application and submit it no later than this Friday. You will also
need proof of a cleared TB test, as well as fingerprinting documentation.

Our
summer camp program runs six weeks long. Counselors reside in the cabins with
the campers and have all of their meals provided, with the exception of
Saturday, which is considered a
“
free
”
day.

Our
camp focuses on providing an encouraging, nurturing atmosphere for at-risk
youth ages 13-15. We instill the fundamentals for confidence and self-reliance
through adventure programs, as well as survival activities that push youth to
accept responsibility for themselves and their actions.

Though
previous experience is not required for the counselor position, if you have
any, please feel free to mention that in your following email and application.

We
look forward to hearing from you. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any
questions you might have. Counselor orientation takes place June 12
^th
at noon at the Rec Hall at Quarry Summit Camp if you are selected to participate
in our program. Thank you for your interest in our camps and in the lives of
the future generation.

Sincerely,

T.
Westbrook

Quarry
Summit Associate Director