Free Delia's Heart by V. C. Andrews Page B

that moment, I was really having a good time with Edward and Jesse. They had me laughing constantly with their imitations of some of their teachers and fellow students at college. Both Edward and Jesse recognized Christian, too.
    “No moss grows on his rolling stones,” Jesse said, and they laughed.
    I didn’t. I had not told either of them about the rumors and stories Sophia had been spreading about us at school. After what she had done to my dress tonight, I was afraid of adding salt to those wounds. In my mind, perhaps too naive and innocent, despite all I had been through, I couldn’t imagine people readily believing such sordid tales about Edward, Jesse, and me. However, I got my first hint that things were not going to be smooth for me when Katelynn got up with her family to leave and not only didn’t come over to say anything on the way out but avoided looking my way as well.
    “Hey, you’re not falling into another funk because of that idiot being here, too, are you, Delia?” Edward asked me.
    “Funk? I do not know this word, Edward. Where is this funk?”
    Jesse smiled. “It’s not a place, exactly. It means depression, sadness.”
    “Oh, no. I don’t care about him. I just don’t want there to be more trouble at home,” I told them.
    “My sister will push and push if she’s not slapped down,” Edward said. “If anyone lived by the rule, give her an inch and she’ll take a foot, it’s Sophia.”
    “I cursed her tonight,” I confessed.
    “Cursed? How?”
    “I told her that she should feed on her goodness and starve.”
    Jesse roared.
    “That’s neat. I have to remember that one,” Edward said. “You see, Jess? As I told you, I’ve got to reconnect with my Latino heritage. One of these days, we’re all going to take a trip into Mexico.”
    I perked up at the idea.
    “Really?”
    “Sure. I especially want to see where my mother came from. You’ll be our guide, Delia. Right, Jess?”
    “Sounds like a real trip to me,” he said.
    “This would be wonderful,” I said, my mind reeling with the possibilities. If there was enough time to tell him, Ignacio could actually meet me. The possibility of such a reunion filled me with new optimism.
    “We’ll give it some serious thought. Maybe we can do it during the spring break,” Edward said. “It coincides with your spring school break.”
    “That would make me very, very happy,” I said.
    “We aim to please,” Jesse said, and we were back to laughing and joking again.
    Every once in a while, I looked at Christian and Zoe. I thought he was putting on an act for me bybeing so cozy with her. Sometimes they looked our way, whispered, and laughed. Edward saw where my attention was and assured me I had made the right decision in turning Christian down.
    I was very nervous when we started for home, afraid of what would now occur between Edward and Sophia. When we arrived, Tía Isabela appeared, obviously just returning from Los Angeles. Sophia wasn’t home yet, which didn’t surprise anyone.
    “I thought you two weren’t coming home until next weekend,” she began almost as soon as we entered the house.
    “Impulsive decision,” Edward told her, “and as it turned out, a very good idea.”
    “Why?” she asked, looking from him to me and Jesse.
    Edward told her what Sophia and her friends had done to my dress.
    “You’re kidding,” she said. “That dress cost eight hundred dollars!”
    “Well, if you’re keeping accounts, deduct it from her inheritance,” Edward suggested.
    “Where did you get that hat?” she asked me. I quickly took it off.
    “I gave it to her. It fit the night,” Edward explained.
    “Fit the night? Where did you three go?”
    Edward told her.
    “Weren’t you a little extravagant, Edward?”
    “It was educational,” he said, smiling.
    “Um. Where did your sister go tonight? All she told Mrs. Rosario was that she was going to a party. What party?” she asked me.
    “I do not know of any party, Tía