A Picture-Perfect Mess (4 page)

“One hundred!” Aly said.

“I see him!” Charlotte yelled from down the block.

Arnold's truck drove down the street and stopped in front of True Colors just as Aly and Brooke arrived. Aly took a moment to wipe the sweat off her forehead. Racewalking was hard work.

“Hi there, girls.”

Arnold climbed out of his truck. “I have a delivery today for you two.”

Aly signed for the package—because, according to their mom, Brooke wasn't allowed to until she could write her name in neat script—and handed the box to Brooke.

Lily, Charlotte, and Sophie finally made it to True Colors as Arnold pulled away.

“Can we see?” Sophie asked.

Aly sent Brooke a Secret Sister Eye Message:
Inside?
And Brooke sent Aly one back:
Yes.

“Follow us,” Brooke said.

On the way back to the Sparkle Spa, Aly quickly poured some water into Sparkly's bowl and picked up a pair of scissors from the front desk. With her friends sitting around, Aly slid the scissors across the tape on the top of the box.

Brooke pulled open the flaps and lifted up the mounds of packing peanuts. Then she let out a breath. “They're beautiful.”

Aly leaned over. They
were
beautiful. The mirrors were shiny with bright blue writing and pink rhinestones.

“Wow,” Lily added. “Those came out really nice. This is such a great way to advertise the salon.”

Sophie picked one up and turned it over in her hands. Then she looked at herself in the mirror. “I think these mirrors make people look especially good,” she said. “I look better in this mirror than I do in the one in my room at home.”

Brooke laughed. “You're a nut, Sophie,” she said.

“No, I'm serious!” Sophie answered, handing over the mirror. “Take a look!”

Brooke looked at her reflection. “Hey! I think she's right!”

“Oh my gosh, she
is
right,” Charlotte said.

Aly wasn't totally sure she agreed, though maybe her eyes did look a little greener than usual.

“It's like these are magical mirrors,” Lily said. “We should tell that to everyone. That they're magical. Then one hundred won't be nearly enough.”

Aly looked at her watch. 3:21! “The Sparkle Spa opens in nine minutes and we haven't finished our homework yet!”

The girls raced to get their notebooks out of their backpacks. Luckily, it was a Friday, so they didn't have much to do. Sophie and Brooke worked together on their science worksheet about leaves. Aly, Charlotte, and Lily started on their weekend reading.

According to Mom's rules, the girls were supposed to finish all their homework before the salon opened, but Aly knew she'd have to do some more reading tomorrow. No way could she finish a whole chapter of
The War with Grandpa
in nine minutes. Charlotte and Lily were in different reading groups—
Chocolate Fever
and
Jelly Belly
. The class was doing a Robert Kimmel Smith unit.

After Aly read three pages, there was a knock on the Sparkle Spa door frame. Clementine and Tuesday, third graders from Auden, were there for manicures. And a fourth grader named Eliza followed them—she had a Just Peachy pedicure appointment.

Before the girls could even sit down, Brooke grabbed three mirrors from the box and handed them out. “We're giving a manicure called Picture-Perfect Pinkies for Picture Day. And we're also going to be making necklaces with different charms on them, which you can buy. But the mirrors are free!”

Charlotte gave Eliza a paper listing all the charms. She'd printed it out on her computer at home. “We can make them to order, if you pick a color and a charm,” she said. She'd come up with this idea when Aly had told her that the charms wouldn't arrive until two days before Picture Day.

“Thanks. This is really nice,” Eliza said. “Do you have any butterfly charms? I used to have a butterfly necklace, but I lost it at summer camp. I was even thinking about wearing my sparkly yellow butterfly shirt for Picture Day.”

“What color is the butterfly on your shirt?” Brooke asked.

“Blue and pink and purple,” Eliza said. “With gold glitter. And I chose the blue sky background.”

Brooke thought for a second. “How about a gold butterfly with a purple beaded necklace?”

Eliza nodded. “That sounds great.”

Charlotte wrote down Eliza's choice. “And would you liked to book a nail appointment, too?”

“Sure,” Eliza said. “Maybe I'll get purple to match my necklace.”

“We have purple glitter polish,” Brooke said. “And we can put gold rhinestones on your pinkies.”

Eliza smiled. “You just made me really excited for Picture Day,” she said. “And extra excited to get a butterfly necklace again.”

Charlotte wrote Eliza's appointment into the calendar and Brooke started talking to Tuesday about bunny charms on a red necklace. It seemed like their School Picture Day necklace plan was a hit so far.

The afternoon went on uneventfully, with girls coming in for lots of manicures and pedicures, admiring the mirrors, making appointments, and picking charms and necklace colors. Until, that is, Suzy Davis arrived.

“Hi,” she said from the doorway. Sparkly followed her in.

Aly groaned.

Suzy Davis at the Sparkle Spa never meant anything good.

“Hi,” Aly said. She had just finished Keisha Matthews' striped Red Rover and White Christmas pedicure.

“Who wants to do something extra cool for Picture Day?” Suzy asked, waving a stack of paper in the air.

“They already
are
,” Brooke snapped. “They're coming here for Picture-Perfect Pinkies and getting special-order necklaces with fancy charms. And we're giving away Sparkle Spa mirrors.”

Suzy was silent. But just for a second.

“I'm talking about cooler than necklaces and nail polish,” she began. “I'm talking about shimmer lip gloss and fairy dust! I'm starting a new company for Picture Day, and it's going to be in the girls' bathroom near the cafeteria. I'll put fairy dust and shimmer lip gloss on anyone who wants before they get their picture taken. It's five dollars. Who wants to sign up?”

“Makeup in a school bathroom?” Brooke said. “That's
weird.
”

Aly sent Brooke a Secret Sister Eye Message that meant:
Be nice!
But she kind of thought it was weird too.

Brooke rolled her eyes. “Or I guess maybe it's cool to have your makeup done in a school bathroom.”

Suzy ignored her. “So, who wants to sign up? I have flyers that are also sign-up sheets. You just have to fill out the bottom with your name and your grade and give it to me along with five dollars.”

“I have to ask my mom,” Keisha said.

“I don't have any extra money right now,” a fourth grader named Zorah added.

Suzy looked like she was about to throw a fit. Aly did not want that to happen in the Sparkle Spa.

“Okay, Suzy. You can leave some of those flyers here,” Aly said. “If our customers want, they can take them home and then bring them to you at school.”

Suzy practically shoved half the papers into Aly's hands. “Okay,” she said. “Whatever. Here.” And then she stormed out of the door.

“Our necklaces are so much better than makeup in a school bathroom,” Brooke said after Suzy left.

Aly totally agreed. She picked up Sparkly and snuggled him close and whispered in his ear, “Why does Suzy always, always have to try to be better than everybody else?”

T
he delicious aroma of syrup and waffles woke up Brooke and Aly on Saturday morning. That could mean only one thing: Dad was home!

The girls rushed downstairs to the kitchen, straight into their father's arms.

“Mom told me it's School Picture Day next week,” he said while he poured Brooke a glass of orange juice. “So, I thought you might want some new School Picture Day outfits.”

“
You're
going to take us clothes shopping?” Brooke asked, a string of syrup sliding down her chin.

“Sure,” Dad said. “Why not?”

Mom was usually the one who took the girls to buy new clothes. Sometimes Joan came for a second opinion. But Dad? He thought green plaid pants and yellow polka-dot socks were a perfect match.

“Did Mom tell you where to take us?” Aly asked.

Dad swallowed his bite of waffle. “She said you'd know, Alligator.”

“Our favorite is the shop on Central Avenue. It's called Kristy's Closet. Right next to the makeup store Mom likes.”

“Next to the makeup store?” Dad asked.

Aly thought about the street and stores Dad might know. “Right near the bookstore,” she said. “Across from the bank that you and Mom don't go to.”

Dad nodded. “Got it,” he said. “So, when you're done eating and all dressed, we can go over to the Closet.”

Brooke laughed through her waffle. “It's not called
the
Closet, Dad.
Kristy's
Closet. Kristy's the name of the woman who owns the store. She has very long hair to the middle of her back and comes to True Colors for special occasions, but not every week.

“Aly and I will introduce you once we get there.”

On the ride over, Aly asked what she and Brooke had been wondering since they finished breakfast.

“Dad, why are you taking us shopping?”

“Well,” he said, “I thought it would be something fun to do together. And when I'm on the road, I'll look at your pictures and your outfits and remember this day.”

“Do you always look at our pictures while you're traveling?” Aly asked.

“All the time, Alligator,” he said. “I keep both of your school pictures in my wallet, so I can peek at you whenever I miss you. And sometimes I show them to my coworkers.”

“Do you tell them stories about us too, Dad?” Brooke asked. “Do they know we have a dog named Sparkly and that we started a nail salon and that my favorite sandwich shape is a heart?”

Dad chuckled. “I do tell them stories, but I don't think I've told them all of that.”

“Maybe one day we could come on a trip with you,” Brooke said. “And then we could tell them ourselves.”

“We'll have to see about that, honey,” Dad said, “but I don't think you'd have fun if you came on a business trip with me. I work all day.”

“And look at our pictures,” Aly added.

“Yes,” Dad agreed. “And look at your pictures.”

“There it is, Dad! Kristy's Closet!” Brooke screeched.

Dad pulled over and parked, and Brooke and Aly jumped out.

Once they were inside the store, Brooke tried on outfits she thought would match her Picture Day white background:

• an orange sparkly sweater (the exact color of Sherbert and Ernie!)

• a Black Cat ruffled skirt

• a short-sleeved Lemon Aid T-shirt

• a long-sleeved Lemon Aid T-shirt

• Blueberry Blue and Wite-Out striped leggings

• a Pink Cheeks flowered dress

Dad looked over at Aly. “Is she going to put on everything she likes in the entire store?” Dad asked, shaking his head in amazement.

When it was Aly's turn, she tried on outfits she thought would match her Picture Day green background:

• a White Christmas shirt with We're Number Blue sparkles

• a That's So Lavender cardigan

• a Yellow Submarine flowy skirt

• Silver Celebration cropped pants

And then she found it: her outfit.

A dark-pink shirt with a light-pink collar and bows on the sleeves and a teal skirt that looked more blue than green.

Maybe Aly could wear it with her dark-blue leggings and pink high-tops.

“Brookester,” Aly called out, “come out in three seconds so we can both see what we look like at the same time.”

“Okay,” Brooke said. “Three . . . two . . . one . . .”