Double Trouble: Twenty; The saga of the Crane Girls continues...
 by Cariad
 

Double Trouble
~Twenty~
“If you keep scrunching your face that way, one of these days, it's going to stay like that!” Holly told Theresa as they moved from the Book Café towards the Police Station. They had just passed Ethan’s law office, and Theresa started to tremble and mope about loosing him. She also had wanted to go into the office to see if Ethan was there. Holly reminded Theresa that as it was a Saturday, Ethan probably would not be in.

“But Holly,” Theresa whined, “he hates me now!”

“And whose fault was that?” Holly asked pointedly.

Theresa sighed and wiped tears from her eyes. They were passed by a gaggle of teens, though Holly could not find her sister among them. Theresa saw her brother among them, but neither Lopez-Fitzgerald child interacted with the other. Theresa was too upset about Ethan’s empty law office, and Miguel only had eyes for his Charity. Holly, intent on finding her sister did not see one of the girls detach herself and follow her back towards the station.

She nearly ran into Aidan. “What the hell happened?” Holly demanded. “Why were you at the police station, and where is Jules?”

Aidan gave his smile to Theresa and took her hand. “The Police Chief’s son,” he said with a dramatic sigh to elicit pity, “out of the blue, just started hitting me. I think he has an irrational hatred towards the Cranes,” he confessed.

Theresa sighed. “I know how that is. My brother Luis hates the Cranes. He can’t understand what’s wonderful about your family.”

“Ah, mon petite,” Aidan whispered in a husky tone, “But you are part of the family now.”

Theresa blushed and giggled. Holly rolled her eyes. She caught sight of her sister and a red-haired young man with a black eye. Stalking over to her sister as she was laughing with the man with the Bennett eyes, Holly gestured to Theresa and Aidan. “She’s all yours now.”

“Oh goody,” Julia replied, her enthusiastic words not expressed in her tone.

“You get him too.”

Julia shuddered.

“What did he do to you?” Holly whispered.

“I don’t want to talk about it now, Hollis.”

“I’m sorry, Jules,” Holly said, reaching out to give her sister a hug. “I shouldn’t have left you with him. This is my fault.”

“Actually, it’s his fault, him and his stupid temper.”

“He got your friend too, huh?”

Julia looked at Noah, and back to her sister, knowing she could not prevent what was coming. “Hollis, this is Noah Bennett,”

“The Police Chief’s son,” Holly stated.

“Noah,” Julia continued, “My sister Holly.”

Noah grinned. “So this is the Evil Twin,” he said. “We’ve got some things to talk about.”

Holly shot a confused glance at Julia.

“Nerdly-Boy and his sister,” Julia mouthed.

“Little Juliet,” Noah said, “I don’t think you want to see this.”

“Brother Noah,” Julia replied, “My sister can hold her own, I’m sure. Holly, is there anything I should know before I start?”

“When you get her home, have her measured for a gown. Jonathan Hotchkiss thinks that we’re doing this as a favor for Mama, so if you should run into him… And she’s been weeping since Ethan’s office door.”

“Looks like she’s gotten over that pretty fast,” Noah said gesturing to Theresa and Aidan as they talked with their heads conspiratorially close.

“Then it looks like I should get over there and get her away from the sick-o.”

“Don’t forget about Monday, Juliet,” Noah said.

Julia smiled. “I won’t.”

“What’s on Monday?” Holly asked.

“Tell you later,” Julia replied. She left her sister alone with Noah, but was certain he would not harm a hair on her head. How odd that she had known him for such a short time, and yet she felt so comfortable around him. He really was the perfect brother. As she breezed by Aidan and Theresa, she grabbed her stepmother by the arm and led her off, leaving Aidan all alone. She absently noted Kay going back to meet Holly and Noah, but figured Holly and Kay would figure out their differences quickly enough. After all, Kay really did not appear to want Reese.

“W-where are we going now?” Theresa asked Julia.

“Stand up straight, dear,” Julia said, imitating her Great Aunt Juniper.

Theresa stood upright, adding inches to her perceived height.

“We’re going back home, to the mansion. Apparently Holly couldn’t find a dress for you, right?”

“But she found the most wonderful one for herself! Actually Gwen’s brother picked it out. He wasn’t very nice to me.”

“Do you blame him?” Julia asked. “He’s very dedicated to his sister. But he picked out the dress?”

“Oh, yes!” Theresa cried, galloping on ahead like a little girl. “And Holly agreed to wear it to the Ball, and she’ll look like the perfect princess in it, just like I always imagined.”

“She agreed, did she?” Julia asked, but thinking she would have a peek at that dress, and if Holly had thought what she was thinking now, Julia would have another chance at the young Mr. Hotchkiss. Julia smiled, and did not even chide Theresa for her childish behavior.

After picking up the car outside the Book Café and driving back to the mansion, Julia set up shop in the ballroom. As they waited for the seamstress to arrive, Julia began stretching while Theresa looked on confused, wondering if Julia would make her walk with a book on her head. When she tried, Theresa could do that! She had been practicing her society walk since she was twelve—ready for when Ethan would marry her.

Julia had folded herself in half, hanging like a rag-doll, her fingers brushing her toes. Slowly, she straightened, vertebra by vertebra, until she had rolled herself up and her shoulders back. “Take off your shoes,” Julia ordered. Theresa hopped to obey. “Stand with your feet shoulder-length apart, hands down to your side, shoulders back, not hunched forward. No, roll them back. Hold your head high. Chin down! No! Get your shoulders back where they belong!”

Congratulations, Julia thought to herself, you are now standing like a human being.
 

*~*~*~*~*

“You’re the one after Kay’s boyfriend,” Noah said as he watched Julia’s retreating form grab Theresa away form Aidan.
“Why do you hate the Cranes?” Holly asked.

“Why are you after Kay’s boyfriend?”

“I asked you first.”

“No, I asked you first.”

“Actually, yours was an observation. Mine was the first question.”

“I don’t hate the Cranes. Only one Crane in particular. Why do you ask that?”

“I’m not ‘after’ anyone’s boyfriend. I met a nice young man who is teaching me about astronomy. My brother told me you hate the Cranes.”

“I know all about ‘astronomy’ lessons. And if it’s not the brother we share that told you, you’ve hit on the one Crane that I hate.”

“You imply more in my learning about astronomy than there was. And yes, it was Aidan who told me you hate the Cranes. After you hit him for no reason.”

“Kay said that Reese told her that you kissed him. And you only have to see what Aidan did to your sister to see why I hit him. Besides, he hit back.”

“Then you had good reason and my brother misrepresented the truth. As for the kiss, it was only once, and I would like to apologize for that. That was to get Jonathan Hotchkiss off my back.”

“Did it work?”

“No. Nothing seems to.”

“He’s not easily deterred from something once he sets his mind to it.”

“Do you know him?”

Noah looked away. “If you want another reason why I hate Aidan Crane, there’s one. Excuse me, I must rescue my little sister.”

Holly looked back. Sure enough, Aidan had intercepted Kay and was trying to work his charm on her. Kay had, however, been warned and was not open to his advances. She followed Noah.

“I’m warning you, Crane,” Noah was saying, “stay away from my sisters.”

“They can make their own decisions,” Aidan shot back.

Kay wound up to slap the Crane, but Aidan caught her hand. “My decision is ‘no,’” Kay said, pulling her hand out of his grasp.

“Your loss,” Aidan said with a smile. “Bennett,” he said by way of closing.

“Crane,” Noah growled.

“Holly, dear,” Aidan drawled. “You really shouldn’t lower yourself to associating with this drivel. You have much better prospects in the form of Johnny Hotchkiss.”

“I’ll be sure to tell Jonathan next time I see him that he now has three good qualities: the third being that he is a better person than you.”

“Touché, sister dear,” Aidan said, “But you will change your tune once I’m head of Crane Industries.”

“Don’t count your chickens,” Holly spat at Aidan’s back.

“Julie’s much nicer than you,” Kay said.

“Julia hadn’t spent all morning with Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald.”

“Just keep your hands off Reese,” Kay warned.

Holly sighed. “You know, Reese talks about you constantly, he thinks you are all the stars in the universe, he worships the ground you walk on, he thinks you’re the best person in the civilized world, and what do you do? You treat him like a pile of dog crap. What do you see in him?”

“What do you see in him?” Kay asked, turning the question back on Holly.

“Then you’ve obviously never been close enough to him to know. And you seem not to have any appreciation for his intelligence.”

“You kissed him!” Kay shouted. “Reese confessed!”

“Reese should have kept his mouth shut,” Holly mumbled. “That was between Reese and myself.”

“And Johnny Hotchkiss,” Noah added.

“Julie’s guy?” Kay asked. “You’re worse than I thought. You’re no better than Whitney Russell, stealing Chad from Simone!”

Holly rubbed her temples. “If Jonathan wants Julia, I will be the first to push them together, and I will dance happily at their wedding! I kissed Reese to get Jonathan off my back—to prove to him that I did not want him! That I do not want him!”

“Then Reese hasn’t cheated on me?” Kay asked. “There’s nothing between you.”

Unfortunately, there is nothing, Holly thought, thinking of the way he had carried her to safety and tended her feet the night before. “No,” Holly said, “There is nothing going on between us, aside from astronomy lessons—and despite what your brother thinks, the only stars I’ve seen all have names.”

“Reese does need a kick in the head to think of anything other than academics,” Kay said, thinking it a very good thing. “Look Holly,” Kay said in a low tone, so quiet that her brother could not hear, “I may not be head-over-heels about Reese, to put it mildly, but I do have a reputation to uphold, and since just about the whole school knows that I’m supposedly going out with Reese, I can’t have him cheating on me. How would that look? Not good, so keep your hands off of him until I can dump him without shattering his entire existence.”

“Then you do know what he thinks of you,” Holly whispered back.

“It’s hard to miss,” Kay said, exasperated.

“Think of the sympathy you’d get if he dumps you.”

“You don’t understand. I wouldn’t get sympathy; I’d get pity. To be rejected by Reese Durkee. That’s worse than having never dated anyone in the first place!”

“Fine!” Holly said. “May I have your permission, Ms. Bennett, to continue my astronomical education with Reese?”

“Julia is definitely the nicer one,” Kay said. “You don’t have to act all holier-than-thou!”
 

*~*~*~*~*

Theresa was sweating by the time the seamstress had finished taking her measurements. Julia had forced her into good posture and would not allow Theresa move a muscle as the seamstress took Theresa’s sizes. Following that, came the walking demonstration—which is to say that Theresa demonstrated how she thought society people walked.
“Ok, that’s it!” Julia said, throwing her hands up to stop Theresa from moving. She heard laughter from the doorway. “Stay there, Theresa!” Julia called.

“What’s the cockroach doing here?” Gwen asked from the doorway. “Ethan told me he was breaking it off with her.”

“And so he did, and it was spectacular,” Julia replied. “No, Holly and I are teaching her how to be a princess for the New Year’s Eve Ball. It’s orders from above. But I hear it’s going to be a spectacular announcement!”

“Hmm,” Gwen said, not convinced. “You know, if Ethan’s no longer tied up with Theresa, I may not be available to escort you around the Ball.”

Julia shrugged. It wouldn’t be her going dateless! “I’ll figure out something. Besides, you never know when orders will come from On High telling me who I will be coming with. But I plan on circulating anyway.”

“Well, good luck with the roach,” Gwen said, “You need all the help you can get in making that one into one of us.”

“Ok so she struts like she’s got a bug up her butt, and when she’s not talking in a bad English accent, she talks like a little girl, and getting her to straighten up was hell on me. And Holly’s going to make me teach her how to eat.”

“Good luck then, I’ll be overjoyed in watching her downfall.”

“And good luck to you with whomever you decided to escort you to the Ball.” Julia smiled. “Why don’t you give your mother a fit and take your pick among the local masculine wildlife. I saw some there that weren’t bad, only a bit old for me.”

Gwen smiled, watching Theresa concentrate to stay perfectly still. “Maybe. But I do kind of enjoy watching her suffer for her gold-digging desires.” Gwen gestured to Theresa, whose shoulders were slumping forward once more.

“Get that back straight and those shoulders down!” Julia yelled. “If you’ll excuse me, Gwen, little Terrorcita and I have some more work to do.”

“Just don’t break out the whips,” Gwen said, “I think she’d enjoy them.”