Pride & Pre-Med Curriculum

Chapter 17

"This is ludicrous. We have to babysit our fifteen year old menace of a sister at a college party. It's like.... like telling us to take a stroll with a toddler through a landmine field!" 

Lizzy was still furious with her parents, even now in the car with Lydia smiling like the cat who swallowed the canary in the backseat as they drove to Ciera's house. Lydia was also undeniably  smug due to the fact that not only had she gotten to accompany Lizzy and Jane, but she had somehow also managed to convince their mother that the barely-there dress she was wearing  was what all the girls were wearing and she would die of mortification if not allowed to "meet the standard".   Lizzy and Jane had mutely exchanged looks and glanced at each others' outfits that were downright demure in comparison.  They had eventually come to what their mother termed a "compromise" with their parents, meaning they were going to acquiesce to Lydia's mechanisms and direct Mary to do the volunteer work and having Jane and Lizzy take Lydia.  This did not seem like much of a compromise as Jane and Lizzy saw it.

"They can't even keep a handle on her most of the time. How do they expect us to do it? How could they be so irresponsible? So callous to us? How are we even supposed to have a remotely good time while we are keeping an eye on her?" Lizzy railed.

"Shhh.  They might hear you and that would just cause a bigger scene.  Like it or not, we have to figure out how to get through the evening somehow." Jane cautioned.

"We're not going to be able to.  No one can handle Lydia, she's a walking natural disaster! They must expect to keep us in line by forcing us to hover over her all night. I really don't think us having fun was in Mother's plan." Jane sighed in resignation. 

"Calm down, Lizzy. You are going to pop a blood vessel." 

Once in the car, Jane looked into the rearview and spoke to Lydia. "You're going to stay with either me or Lizzy all night, right? You promised us and mother and father."

"Of course I will." Lizzy just looked at Jane wondering how she could be so delusional to accept Lydia's assurances.  But of course, as soon as Jane's eyes returned to the road a sly smile overtook Lydia's face.  

When they got to the party, Jane pulled Lizzy aside as Lydia dead-headed for the liquor stash. "I have a plan, sis. Remember my friend, Zach?"

"Isn't he one that's gay?"

"Shssssssh. That is the one.  He is also a very talented actor.  Well, I talked to him last night and his boyfriend is out of town with relatives.  He was complaining how bored he would be tonight, so right before we left the house I called him back and asked him if he wanted an acting job."

"I'm not following." Lizzy frowned.

"I'm paying him fifty bucks to act like he's into Lydia." She paused to let Lizzy deduce the rest, but she continued to just look at her, bewildered. 

"So she will be distracted from getting into trouble with other guys!" she exclaimed when Lizzy obviously didn't follow her.

"He's supposed to get her drunk and take her upstairs until she falls asleep. When we are ready to leave, we will go and get her. Voila! She had a good time and so did we."

"Genius. You are sure that you can trust him, right?" Lizzy fretted.

"Positive, I've told him all about her. Relax, this will work."  

Lizzy gazed at her beaming sister, amazed that she had engineered such a devious and ingenious plan.

After only five minutes, Jane's plan seemed to be working. Lydia was convinced that Zach was her next romeo and Lizzy felt comfortable wandering off to find some of her friends she hadn't seen since high school.