Stealing Bradford

“Do you want to?”

“Maybe…but I don’t know if I can pull it off.”

DJ flipped one of Rhia

“And makeup.”

DJ considered mentioning that Taylor had pla

The afternoon seemed to go more slowly than usual, and in seventh period Taylor wasn’t in PE. Not that this surprised DJ. But it did concern her. Everyone was still talking about the photos and making tacky jokes at Taylor’s expense. Even during volleyball practice, some of the girls, including Casey, took their potshots at her. Then, as DJ drove them home after practice, she actually quizzed Casey to see if she might’ve been involved.

“Come on,” she urged Casey. “Just come clean if you did it.”

“I don’t see why you even care who did it,” Casey told her. “Taylor deserved it, didn’t she?”

“That’s not the point. Were you involved?”

“What difference does it make who was involved?”

“I just want to know.”

“What’s going on here, DJ?” demanded Casey. “Are you feeling sorry for Taylor now?”

“I just think that it was wrong to do that—I mean, to use MySpace to hurt someone like that.”

“How about how Taylor hurt Rhia

“No, but—”

“I don’t get you, DJ. You act like you care about Rhia

“I just wanted to know if you were involved.”

“It feels like you’re turning against me.” Casey let out an exasperated sigh.

Of course, Casey’s defensiveness only increased DJ’s suspicions. Not that she’d know what to do if she discovered that Casey was the culprit. Still, she felt badly for Taylor. And when she got home, she felt somewhat reassured to know that the other girls at Carter House were starting to feel a little uneasy about Taylor too.

“So you guys didn’t see her at all this afternoon?” Eliza asked DJ and Casey.

“Not since US History,” said DJ. “Same as you.”

“Maybe you should check in your room,” suggested Kriti. “See if it looks like she’s packed up or taken anything.”

“Good idea,” said DJ. “It had occurred to me that Taylor might’ve called her mom and gotten on the next flight to LA. By the way, has anyone mentioned this to Mrs. Carter yet?”

They all said no.

“We thought we’d leave that to you,” said Eliza.

“Thanks a lot,” said DJ. Then she went to check in their room. But everything looked pretty normal—no signs that Taylor had taken anything. All her things seemed to be in place.

“How about her Vespa?” asked DJ when she came out of her room. “Did you check to see if it’s still here?”

“Good idea,” said Rhia

So they all hurried downstairs and went outside to look, but the Vespa was gone.

“It’s not very nice motor-scooter weather,” pointed out Kriti. The sky was dark with clouds now, and a few raindrops were just begi

“I’m going out to look for her,” a

“I’ll be praying for you,” said Rhia

DJ nodded. “You’re probably right.” So she got in her car and drove around town, checking at the coffee shops and even the nearby mall, and finally along the docks and down by the beach, but she didn’t spot the lime green Vespa anywhere. She tried Taylor’s phone again and, as before, it went straight through to voicemail. Either Taylor’s battery was dead or her phone was turned off. By the time DJ got home, it was raining hard.

“Don’t worry, DJ, she’s probably perfectly fine,” said Eliza as she and the other girls met DJ in the foyer to find out whether or not she’d had success.

“Probably holed up in some cozy spot just wanting to get everyone all worked up and freaked out,” added Casey.

“Or maybe she did fly home,” said Rhia

DJ hoped they were right. The image of Taylor riding around in the rain on her Vespa seemed pretty dismal, not to mention dangerous.

“Where is Taylor?” asked Mrs. Carter when everyone was seated at di

All the girls admitted that they didn’t know, and then Mrs. Carter simply shrugged. “I do not mind if you girls miss di

Di

“May I speak with you privately?” DJ asked her grandmother as the table was finally begi

Mrs. Carter looked surprised and then nodded yes.

When they were both seated in her office, DJ told her grandmother the whole story, starting with the boyfriend-stealing incident, the website smut, and eventually, the fact that Taylor and her Vespa both seemed to be missing.

“No one has seen her since noon,” DJ finally admitted.

“Oh my.” Mrs. Carter looked seriously worried now. “Do you think she’s all right, Desiree?”

DJ considered this. “Probably, but I don’t know for sure. She did seem upset.”

“Where could she possibly be?”

“I drove all over town looking for her, and I’ve tried her cell phone several times, but she’s not answering.”

“Do you think I should call the police?”

DJ wasn’t sure what to say. “How about calling her mother first?”

Mrs. Carter sighed deeply. “I don’t know…I hate to alarm her if it’s nothing.”

“I actually wondered if Taylor might’ve called her mom already,” said DJ. “Maybe she’s on a flight home right this minute.”

“Goodness, I hope not. But surely her mother would’ve informed me if that were the case.”

“You’d think so.”

“I don’t believe one can file a missing person report unless the person has been gone for twenty-four hours.”

DJ felt shocked. “Are you really going to call the police?”

“Not tonight.”

“But what about her mother? She has a right to know.” DJ felt extremely frustrated now. Why didn’t her grandmother know this? And why was DJ feeling so responsible now? This wasn’t really her problem. It was her grandmother who was responsible for the welfare of the girls who were under her care. Didn’t she get it?

“I suppose…” Still Mrs. Carter didn’t seem convinced.

“Look,” said DJ with all the authority she could muster. “If something is wrong, like if Taylor’s been in an accident or something, and you don’t call her mother, don’t you think she’ll be angry?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“Or, if Taylor is on her way home, wouldn’t you like to know before you embarrass everyone by calling the police?”

“Yes, Desiree, you are probably right. I will call her mother immediately. Thank you.”

DJ took this as her cue to leave, but because she felt invested in this dilemma, she decided to stay. “Go ahead and call her,” she said. “I don’t mind waiting.” And she waited as her grandmother looked up the number and finally called. She could tell she was uncomfortable dispensing such unfortunate information, but, as always, she handled it gracefully and carefully, and DJ could tell by her responses that Taylor’s mother had no idea what was going on or where Taylor might be.