Suddenly, Sweetie reaches out her free hand, gripping Jenny around the wrist, squeezing the silver Tiffany’s chain into her skin, her long chocolate brown nails sunk like claws into Jenny’s flesh. “I need to talk to you,” Sweetie whispers. “Come to the bathroom.”

“The bathroom’s locked”, Jenny says, caught off guard by Sweetie’s sudden intensity. “How about upstairs? The theatre room? Nobody will be in there.”

“Fine,” she says, her perma-smile slowly beginning to return to her lips. They weave through the crowds, Sweetie’s fingers still gripping Jenny’s arm, Jenny trying to smile casually at her guests as they pass. Once they get up the stairs and turn a sharp right into the theatre room, Sweetie whips around to face Jenny.

“We need to talk,” she says again carefully. The smile has definitely returned. Her famous mega-watt, debutante, been-there-since-eighth grade cotillion smile. Jenny feels her heart rate begin to slow down. Just the usual gossip, she thinks.

“It’s Carol Lynn.” Sweetie lowers her voice to a whisper, even though they are the only two people in the room, and most likely the entire floor. Jenny racks her memory. Is Carol Lynn wearing anything gossip-worthy? Before she can even begin to form a visual, Sweetie interrupts her thoughts.

“She’s sabotaging your party. She’s doing it.” Jenny tilts her head in confusion. “Yes, I’m sure,” Sweetie says before Jenny even has a chance to ask the question.

“Oh my God,” Jenny breathes. “You mean the food? And the music? And the bathrooms?” She pauses. “Did she turn off the air conditioning? Is that why it was getting so hot down there?” Her mouth remains hanging open in shock. Sweetie’s eyes widen while she considers it.

“I bet she did,” she says with a sweep of her hand. “You know, she’s had it out for you.” She lowers her voice again. “You know she and Kimber used to be best friends. Closer than any of us. She’s the only one that has kept in touch with Kimber since she…moved.”

“I didn’t know that,” Jenny says. She turns back toward the door, her mind spinning. “Should I say something to her? I mean, should I say something before she sets the house on fire or something?” Sweetie’s smile falters. She takes a sip of her champagne and glances around the dimly lit room.

“No,” she says. “I’ll handle it. You just act like nothing’s wrong. You hear me?” Jenny nods. With that, Sweetie takes another sip of her drink and walks over to the door, peeking through the crack before swinging it open. “You hear me?” she asks again as they head back down the stairs.

“Yes,” Jenny says. “But if anything else happens, I’m going to say something. I mean, she must be crazy, right?” Sweetie just smiles. As soon as they reach the bottom of the stairs, Sweetie disappears. Jenny heads back into the music room where the bar is set up, she needs to find Todd and tell him what is happening. Turning the corner into the hallway, Jenny feels another vice grip tighten around her wrist. Her first thought is Sweetie, but when she whips her head back around she sees Susu’s pale green eyes and wild curly red hair. She opens her mouth to ask what’s wrong, but before she says anything, Susu starts whispering fiercely. I need to speak to you, she says. Come with me to the bathroom.

“The bathrooms are locked,” Jenny says, her heart beating heavily. Susu never acts like this. She always very vocally prides herself on her ability to avoid gossip and “drama.” She grabs Jenny by the wrist and leads her through the kitchen, through the group of idle, confused waiters, onto the empty back patio. As soon as they step out the door, Jenny spots Helena sitting primly on the brick wall, black silk bubble skirt tucked neatly underneath her. Her face is tight, not softening as they continue to walk toward her. As soon as they cross the patio, standing in front of Helena, Susu whips around to face Jenny.

“We need to talk to you,” she says.

“About Carol Lynn?” Jenny asks, her heart rate starting to increase. “Sweetie told me!”

Susu and Helena look at each other, then back at Jenny. Their heads move in unison like swinging doors.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, hon,” Susu says. “We need to talk to you about Sweetie.”

“What’s going on with Carol Lynn?” Helena asks, her voice lowered conspiratorially at the possibility of even more gossip. Susu shoots her a sharp sideways look.

“Who knows what Sweetie told you honey, but we just think you should know that she is wrecking your party.” Susu’s eyes widen as she waits for Jenny’s response.

“What?” Jenny whispers fiercely. “She told me Carol Lynn was doing it all!” Again their heads swivel back and forth.

“No! Sweetie threw out all the food—”

“I saw it myself in the trash bins out back!” Helena interjects.

“And she locked all the powder room doors,” Susu continues. “And turned up the air—”

“Did you feel how warm it got downstairs?” Helena whispers.

“Oh my God,” Jenny sighs. “I’m going to talk to her,” she says. “I don’t care what you think. I need to talk to her. I think this just might all be a misunderstanding.”

Jenny’s thoughts are a whirlpool of muddled emotions as she stalks back into the house. She feels like steam might actually be rising off of her head. Sweetie had been taking such good care of her. Introducing her around and helping her plan out every little detail of this party, advising her on what tennis coaches to train with, and where to shop downtown. She even pulled some strings to get Jenny elected to the board of directors at the country club (incidentally the same position Kimber had held before she left for Charleston, Jenny had found out from another one of the doctor’s wives). Why would Sweetie want to sabotage her? It just doesn’t make any sense.

Jenny storms through the kitchen, back through the group of uneasy waiters, back through the music room and the circle of doctors still congregated next to the bar. She doesn’t even glance at Todd as she passes. As her eyes dart over the heads of the collected groups of guests, scanning for a glimpse of Sweetie’s shiny black hair, another grip tightens around her wrist. A jolt of anxiety shoots through her, she can’t take any more plot twists.

When she swings around she’s first surprised then relieved to see that it’s her husband standing expectantly behind her.

“Todd,” she says. “Thank God, I think I need your help, I don’t know what to—”

“We need to talk,” he cuts her off, his hand still circled around her wrist. She nods and then follows him as he leads her up the stairs and back into the theatre room where she had spoken to Sweetie. Re-entering the room fills her with even more anger. I bet it’s Sweetie who was really best friends with Kimber, she thinks. As soon as Todd pushes the door closed behind them, she can’t hold it in any longer.

“You won’t believe what Sweetie Samuels is doing to me,” she begins. Todd stands silently as she spills everything. The locked doors, lost food, the sabotaging of the stereo, the clashing decorations that Sweetie herself had advised Jenny on over the phone as she wandered through the isles of A Southern Season Market. “I’m going to go say something to her. I don’t have to take this,” Jenny says.

“No!” Todd suddenly snaps, his face turning in an instant from blank to desperate. “Don’t say anything to Sweetie. That’s really not a good idea.”

Jenny looks into his eyes—at an expression that can only be interpreted as scared. Is Todd scared of Sweetie? Is everyone scared of Sweetie?

 “You do believe me, don’t you? Why should I not say anything to Sweetie? That just seems so crazy to me. I need to do something!”

“It was me,” Todd says, the same confused, desperate expression still plastered on his face. For a second Jenny doesn’t understand. The words seem so random, so out of place. “I did all of those things,” he continues. “I threw out the rest of the food. And I turned off the air conditioning.” Jenny’s mouth drops open in shock, her arms hanging primate-like down by her sides. “I just didn’t know what else to do. I don’t think this was a good idea. This party I mean.”

What are you saying, Jenny asks. She can hear her voice echo around them like she’s speaking underwater.

“I wanted to stop it all,” Todd continues. “They’re trying to turn you into one of them. Just like they did with Kimber. They’re like wolves, sometimes, Jen. Sweetie Samuels has this strict little form that she wants everyone to fit into. I know you, Jen. I know the kind of person you are and I just don’t think you know what you are up against with them. I’m not sure you can handle their type of lifestyle.”

“I can handle myself, Todd. I’m not a child.”

“I know, it’s not that. I just know how this can all end. I’ve seen it all happen before.”

Jenny takes a breath, squeezes her eyes shut for a second, then focuses again on Todd’s strained face.

“I’m not just some replacement wife, Todd. My intentions were never to step in and take over this life that’s here waiting for me. And just because your first wife wasn’t able to handle Sweetie Samuels doesn’t mean I will make the same mistakes.”

“You should really listen to yourself Jen,” he says. “You’re proving everything that I’ve always thought about those women. Friendship should not have to be such a competition.”

“That doesn’t entitle you to step in like that and do what you did. You ruined my party, and you turned my friends against each other.”

“Oh, jeez, sweetie,” Todd sighs.

“Don’t call me that,” Jenny interrupts.

“This is exactly what I mean,” Todd says. “I didn’t turn those women against each other, they did that to themselves. They’re warped, and they’ll brainwash you just like they did Kimber, just wait and see.”

“Todd, I don’t know why you have so little faith in me. You see this as manipulation, but really it’s just a game,” Jenny says, ignoring his desperate tone and shrugging free of his grip on her elbow. “This whole crazy world of yours is a game, that’s all it is. Now I realize that, and I know I can do it. The mistake is in ever thinking it can be more than that.”

Jenny watches as the expression in Todd’s eyes flickers from worry to disgust to annoyance, and then to something that Jenny doesn’t recognize. His eyes no longer seem focused on her. It’s like he is looking at a stranger, and Jenny knows that he’s probably right. Maybe she isn’t the same woman, and never will be. But what did he want from her? When no woman before her had been able to resist the wolves, how did he expect her to? Maybe she is one of them now. Maybe that’s the only way.

Still seeing the reflection of herself in Todd’s frozen expression, Jenny takes a deep breath, smoothes her hair down with one steady hand, and steps forward to press her dry lips gently against Todd’s check.

“I’m going back down to the party, honey. I need to straighten a few things out. Please join us when you feel ready.” With that she swings around and heads back down to the guests, feeling her heartbeat continue to increase with each sharp tap of her heels on the marble staircase, until she feels like it might vibrate right out of her ribcage and drop into her stomach. I can control this, Jenny whispers to herself—meaning her heartbeat, her party, the herd of guests waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, and also this new person that she has somehow promised to become. Somehow she has to control it all.

Sabotage

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About the Author: Rebecca Erpf 

Rebecca Erpf is currently pursuing her M.F.A. in Fiction Writing through the brief residency program at Spalding University in Louisville, KY. She is hard at work on her graduating thesis, a collection of stories titled "Manic Romantic," and has work forthcoming in "Amarillo Bay,"  She is a native of North Carolina and is now living in Eastern Tennessee with her husband and their Chihuahua. Rebecca can be reached at BeckyErpf@gmail.com.