Riiiinnnng.
The annoying alarm gets me up from a siesta nap that took me two hours to initiate. I groan louder when I find it's my phone and not my alarm clock. The caller Identity says Dana, a friend of mine.
"What?" I groan into the phone and immediately regret it because it's not Dana who answers. It's my cousin.
"MY PHONE IS MISSING!"
Reflex has me pulling the phone away from my ear before she breaks my eardrums. I guess she means the brand bew iPhone X my uncle got her two days ago.
"Tell me that again in a more calm voice." As I tell her that, I'm up and wearing clothes over the sports bra and panties I'm in. The humidity is unbearable in California at this time of year and you find yourself stuck with more ways to not die from the heat. Should I move to Alaska?
"My phone is missing and I have a suspect."
Alaska? Probably not. I might die from the cold. I did hear there are great Huskies one can keep as pets though or maybe a wolf.
"Who's your suspect?" I ask and pick my glasses putting on my croc slippers. There's no way I'm going to that house in anything less comfortable.
"Heather. I am gonna kill her." She whisper yells into the phone.
"I'm on my way. Is she there with you?"
"No. She left but I have called her to come back."
"Good. Where's Dana?"
"She's here trying to keep me from murdering someone. I will do it!"
"I trust you," I say deadpan– because she will do it – locking up and stopping over a taxi. "Be there in a few."
My cousin's house is nothing like mine. While hers is sophisticated and totally over the charts ripped with money, mine is cozy and plays down the fact that I am the heiress to multi-millionaire parents who are currently cruising all the way to God knows where on a ship called "Master-Bate." I really do not want to know the history of that ship.
A wide eyed Mona is at the door as I walk in and she looks panicked.
"Oh! Thank God you're here Miss Lisa. Bella has gone wild and is few seconds from ripping Heather's head off."
As if on cue, something crashes in the living room. That has me racing just in time to see a crazed Bella going after Heather who looks like she was just spat out of a horror movie. The whole place is trashed!
Dana just cowers in the corner, a table Infront of her like a shield. She darts for me the moment her eyes land on mine.
"Tell me what happened." I tell her
"Well, you see, Heather got here this morning and Bella was just charging her phone in the room. We were all together and then my brother stormed in demanding a refund for the candy I bought him."
My brows furrow. "Why?" I can't help but ask.
"In his words, they taste like purgatory."
"He gave you money to buy these candies?"
"No. I got them for him."
"And he demanded a refund...okay." I drawl. "Back to the main topic." My eyes fleet to the two just in time to see Bella hitting a throw pillow on Heather whilst yelling "gimme my phone."
"Right. So I went with him to get that refund since I never hold cash and came ten minutes later back to find a sleeping Bella. I needed to use her phone for something and when I asked her, she said it was charging. Only it wasn't and Heather was no where to be found."
I turn to Mona who'd been there all this time. "Did you see Heather leave?"
"Yes. And she looked a little flushed."
"Well, this should not be hard." I move in easy strides and rip off my cousin who's spewing profanities on a cowering Heather.
"I'm telling you, it wasn't me." She cries, face blotched and running with snot.
Unlike us, Heather didn't come from money but she's best friends with Bella who's gotten shit from her parents for her life choices. Bella growls from behind me and lunges again, ripping a yell from Heather who looks like a porcelain doll that might break. I have never understood their friendship.
"Where's your phone, Heather?" I ask calmly, my arms around Bella who's vibrating.
"It's with me." Dana answers from behind.
"Open her chats. Look at the most recent." I say and release Bella who's much more calmer.
My suspicion is that if she indeed took the phone, she'd sell it or exchange it.
"How long did it take her to get back when you called her?" I ask Bella who's running a hand through her brunette hair.
"About twenty minutes. I called you a lot later after I had called her."
I turn to Mona, "Was there anyone else up the stairs?"
"I'm the only staff here. Everyone has a day off. It's Saturday." She says
"Heather. Tell me what happened." I ask the sobbing girl
"I swear I didn't take it. I left because my dad called me and she was sleeping so I couldn't exactly wake her up. I did see Mona and tell her I was leaving. I only looked flushed because Dad sounded stressed over the phone. I did not take her phone." And she begins sobbing again.
Heather's house is about thirty minutes away. She lives in the Suburbs and it's way over on the other side of the rich neighborhood. If she really took the phone and my cousin is right about the time frame, then she never got home.
"Found anything?" I ask Dana
"Nothing." She says while shaking her head, her eyes concentrated on the iphone 7 in her hands.
"Give it to me." I tell her and she doesn't hesitate.
I go straight to call logs annnnnnd her Dad never called her. The last call she received from her father was yesterday. I look down at her, my eyes conveying a message and she sees it. Her eyes shifts from wronged to wary.
I go back to the task, entering her WhatsApp and clicking on the first chat that's labeled BRO. There's nothing out of the ordinary save for the fact that she's supposed to get an iPhone X from him today. My eyes narrow when his call comes in. I decline and hand the phone back to Dana.
"You're the witty one. Find out what he wants."
My gut tells me she took the phone, all evidence points to it but we need to be sure. I look at my cousin who looks beyond devastated. She's been friends with the blonde since fifth grade. Not the snobby, judgemental type, my cousin never payed mind to the negative things people always had to say about her friend. I guess she's regretting it now.
"I trusted you Heather. I always covered for you and this is what you do? Steal from me? Have you ever asked me something and I never gave it? No matter what it is?" Bella yells, tears falling as she does.
"I swear, Bella. It wasn't–"
"It was her!" Dana calls out excitedly, giving me the phone. The chat before me gives in detail that Heather is supposed to exchange a red X for a black one. Fact: my cousin's X is red.
"Let him know that his sister is a thief and unless he wants problems with the Grande family, he should get here as soon as possible with my cousin's phone." I say all this while glaring at the girl on the ground. Her face pales and she begins to shake her head.
"No no no! Please!! My father would die of heartbreak." She cries and adjusts to a kneeling position.
"Where is it?" I grit, already loosing my patience. I despise liars like her especially ones who are supposed to be friends.
"It's... it's with Simon." She concedes. Simon is also her brother.
"Why?" My cousin asks, rather too calmly. Dana is already dialing Simon and Mona looks like she is seconds away from spilling hot tears.
"Why what?!" Heather snaps giving us a little shock. Her face morphs into something... I've never seen. There's hate. A lot of hate. On instinct, I shield my cousin with my body, my whole nerves tense and ready for a fight.
"Why what? I should ask you!" She yells getting on her feet. Her hair in disarray and her eyes rimmed with unshed tears as she continues.
"You're the perfect daughter. I have to watch you live a life that I want. A life that's rightfully mine and you're asking me why?"
Something does not feel right. My gut keeps punching alarm bells.
"What are you talking about Heather? I always shared with you!" Bella tries to move me out of the way.
"Well you always gave me what you never needed anymore. I am sick of it. Why do I always come last? Why do I have to settle for less when I can have the best? Just like you. What makes us different? I am also a daughter!"
And it clicks! I always thought that Heather and Bella looked too alike. Even people thought so. The difference was their hair. Bella was brunette like Aunt Pamela, her Mom. Heather was blonde...like Uncle Gary. Bella's Dad.
"And what does that have to do with any of this?" Bella yells back.
"I am a Grande! Always have been. I always had to settle for anonymous gifts and trips with no one's knowledge being raised by people your mother paid to keep me out of the picture!"
There's silence. Absolute silence.
"You're lying. Take that back!" Bella yells and is fighting me off to get to Heather who's smirking.
"I'm not. Why don't you ask them?" She gestures behind us. We all turn to face a stunned Gary and a horrified Pamela.
Oh great! This family just got better.
