Beauty (23 page)

“I kind of got a makeover,” I said.

“Well it looks great.” Mrs. Cahill bent down and kissed Olivia on the forehead. “Be good,” she whispered.

I waved Olivia’s pudgy pink arm at Mrs. Cahill as she hurried toward her car. “Have fun!” I called out.

Fifteen minutes later, I’d given Olivia her bottle and watched as she passed out cold in her crib. She didn’t even wake up when I changed her diaper and put her into her fuzzy pink pajamas. I’d just set up the baby monitor next to my homework on the kitchen table and popped a frozen ham-and-cheese panini into the oven when my cell phone buzzed with a text. It was from my mom.

Dear Molly, I’m running late here wrapping up the sale of this property, so your dad and I probably won’t be back until after you’re asleep. Will you be okay for one more night? We can’t wait to see you tomorrow! Love, Mom

I’m fine
, I quickly typed back, unable to keep the relief from rushing in. I’d thought I’d be ready to show my parents my new face when they got back, but the idea filled me with more dread than ever now. Between prom and Hudson, things were going so well at school. What if telling them somehow ruined it all?
Love u
, I added at the last minute, shoving away a flicker of guilt.

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed again.
Hudson
, flashed the caller ID. “Hey,” I answered happily.

“I thought you might need a break from baby talk.”

I laughed. “You thought right.”

We stayed on the phone for nearly two hours, while Olivia slept peacefully away in her crib. We talked about everything, from favorite foods to movies we liked to what color corsage I wanted for the prom. When we got on the subject of siblings, he admitted that, as an only child, he wished he had a brother. I let out a loud groan.

“You want mine?” I said. “Because I don’t.”

“Sure,” he said easily. “I’ll take him. How about a trade? Your brother for my stuffed animal snake. He’s almost a sibling to me, really. I used to make my mom set a place for him at the breakfast table.”

“Hmmm,” I said, pretending to consider the offer. “I’m not sure I want your stuffed animal snake, but you’re still welcome to my brother. You can have him for free. Really. I insist.”

Hudson laughed. “You don’t know how lucky you are to have a brother, Molly.” His tone was wistful suddenly, and it took me by surprise.

I thought of Seth and his name-calling and chore-forgetting and constant video-game-playing. “You haven’t experienced Seth …” I said doubtfully.

“Doesn’t matter,” Hudson said. “He’s your brother. I can’t even tell you how many times I wished I had one.” He paused, and I could hear him fidgeting a little on the other end.

“Why?” I asked. “Isn’t it kind of nice having your house all to yourself?”

“Not really,” Hudson said quietly. “When my dad died, my mom could barely get out of bed in the mornings. Moving here helped a little, but still, she was like this shell of who she used to be. And our house was just so
quiet
. So many times during that first year, I remember wishing I had a whole herd of siblings, running wild through the house, yelling and playing and messing things up. Maybe it would have been annoying, but I still think it would have been better than feeling like I was all alone, you know?”

“Yeah,” I said slowly. “I guess I do.” A memory was creeping back into my mind. It was one of those memories I hadn’t thought of in years, the kind that had gotten lost in the recesses of my mind. “There was this one time,” I told Hudson, “years ago, when I had to get my tonsils taken out. I was in bed for days after, and neither of my parents could fully take off work. They would pop in and out, checking on me, but mostly I was alone in the house. And it was awful. So quiet. And lonely. By the third day, I thought I would go crazy. Then, that morning, Seth feigned sick and convinced my parents to let him stay home from school. And we had the best day. I couldn’t talk, but it didn’t matter. We played video games and ate through a box of popsicles and wrote messages to each other in a notebook. I don’t think I would have gotten through that day without him.” I thought about the Seth from lately, the one who had called me Beast and laughed at me with his friends. “I guess sometimes I forget about that. All the good stuff.”

“So you think you’ll keep him after all?” Hudson asked.

“Guess so. But if you ever want to borrow him, feel free. I’m fine with at least getting a little break now and then… .”

“Deal. Oh and
speaking
of breaks … guess what band I just found out is coming to town this summer? The Breakers.”

“No way!” The Breakers were an indie band that Kemper and I loved and that, I’d soon discovered, Hudson did too.

“Yup. Tickets go on sale June fifteenth. I’m thinking of camping out for them,” he added, just as I jumped in with: “I’m definitely camping out for them.”

We both laughed, and I leaned back in my chair, propping my feet on the table. I felt relaxed, like I could talk to Hudson like this forever. There was something about knowing he couldn’t see my face that made everything feel more real, like he was talking to
me
. Not drop-dead-gorgeous Molly, but just Molly: the girl who sometimes forgot to brush her teeth at night and had a penchant for walking into things. I thought back to our conversation last night, when he said he’d like me even with a shaved head and eleven fingers. The question I wanted to ask, the one I didn’t have the guts to ask, was, would he like me if I went back to the old me?

“Right, Molly?” Hudson’s voice cut into my thoughts.

I hadn’t heard a word he’d said. “Sorry, what?”

“I was just saying that the Breakers’ first CD will always be their best, don’t you think?”

“Definitely,” I agreed. I shoved my question out of my head. It wasn’t worth thinking about. This was who I was now. “I mean, how could you ever write a better song than ‘This Is You’?”

“Exactly,” Hudson agreed, like he couldn’t believe I’d just said that. “You couldn’t. You just couldn’t.”

C’est la Vie

“GUESS WHAT,” ASHLEY announced when she met me at my locker the next morning. “I’ve got news.”

I clicked my locker shut using the trick Ashley had showed me the other day. Place a sheet of paper in the crack and—miracle of all miracles—the door wouldn’t jam.
It’s common high school knowledge
, Ashley had insisted at the time, making me wonder what high school, exactly, I’d gone to until then. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. So you know how I had that math test last week? Well it turns out I got a B+ on it, and my dad is so psyched he’s springing for a limo for all of us for the dance!” She clasped her hands together excitedly. “You have to come with us, Mol. Then we’ll have every girl on the sophomore court in one limo! Plus, it’s not just
any
limo.” She paused dramatically. “It’s a
Hummer
limo. With
two
sunroofs.” She hooked her arm through mine and we took off toward homeroom.

“Prom in style.” I could just picture it: me and Hudson, climbing hand in hand out of a limo, as the whole school watched. “I love it.”

Ashley grinned over at me and I found myself thinking how happy I was that we’d become friends. How could I have disliked her so much before? “Ditto,” she said.

“Hey, Molly, wait up!” I looked over my shoulder to see Kemper jogging down the hall after me, Hayley following reluctantly behind her.

Ashley scrunched up her forehead as she glanced back at them. “You go ahead,” I told her. “I’ll meet you in homeroom.”

But Ashley didn’t move. “You know, if you squint your eyes a little, they look a lot like lost little puppy dogs …” she mused. I knew I should protest, but I couldn’t help but try it, just for a second. And she was right: with Kemper wagging her arms as she ran and Hayley’s head drooping as she tagged behind her, they did look just a little like puppies. “Arf arf,” Ashley sang out, before heading into homeroom.

“Hey,” Kemper panted when they reached me. “I wanted to catch you before homeroom. Hayley and I feel like we haven’t seen you in forever. Want to sit with us at lunch today? I’ve got tons to tell you on the Save the Grass front.” She gestured toward the button on her backpack. YOUR
^*
SS IS GRASS! it said.

I laughed. “Sure. Let’s have lunch just the three of us today. Like old times. I’ve got lots to tell you too.” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t even told them about Hudson and the Ring Pop yet. “And,” I teased, lowering my voice. “I want Josh updates.”

Kemper arched her eyebrows mysteriously. “Oh, you’ll get them,” she promised.

“
Lots
of them,” Hayley added under her breath.

Kemper shot her a look. “So, sound good, Hayl? We’ll sit the three of us at lunch today?”

“Whatever, Hayley muttered.

I sighed. Hayley and I hadn’t really spoken since she stomped out of my house Saturday night. I’d kept hoping the whole thing would just blow over, but it didn’t look it was going to be that easy. I took a deep breath.

“Hey, I’m sorry about the card game on Saturday, Hayl. But I have something I think will make up for it. What do you say to taking a limo to prom on Saturday?”

Immediately Hayley perked up, looking interested. “A limo?”

“A
Hummer
limo. Ashley’s dad got one for us for the dance, and I want you guys to come too.” Ashley hadn’t exactly invited them, but what was a few more people, I figured?

Hayley’s face went from doom-and-gloom to night-light-bright in one second flat. “Hell
ooo
!” she shrieked. “Of course I want to do that!” She leaned forward and gave me a quick hug, taking me by surprise. “This dance is going to
très
fun!” she cheered.

Kemper and I exchanged a look. “
Très
fun,” I agreed solemnly. Kemper’s face twisted up, and I could tell she was doing everything she could not to laugh. I cleared my throat. “I better get to homeroom, but see you guys at lunch?”

They both beamed back at me. “Lunch,” Kemper agreed.

After homeroom, Ashley, Blair, and I converged in the hallway. “So what do we think?” Blair said. “Skip G’s class today?”

“Definitely,” I said. I’d skipped breakfast at home yet again, and my stomach had growled its way through homeroom. “I could go for some free Tuesday Tots.”

Ashley nodded in agreement. “It’s not Tuesday without our tots.”

“We only tater on Tuesdays,” Blair agreed.

“A tot a Tuesday keeps the doctor away,” I offered.

We meandered our way toward the door, waiting for final bell to ring and the hallways to empty out.

“Friends don’t let friends tater alone.” Blair giggled.

“A tot saved is a tot—”

“Hey, Molly!” Karen Baker turned the corner, stopping short in front of us. “Where are you going? Don’t you have Mr. G’s class now?”

I glanced over at Ashley. “Uh, yeah, but actually I’m—”

“She’s not feeling well,” Ashley filled in smoothly. She stepped closer to me, winding her arm through mine.

“You’re not?” Karen’s face bunched up in concern. “What’s wrong? Is it your throat? Your stomach? Do you think you have a fever?”

“Definitely a fever,” Blair supplied. Following Ashley’s suit, she stepped closer to me on my other side, winding her arm through my free one. “Pretty high, too.”

“Oh no!” Karen looked genuinely worried. “Do you want me to come with you to the nurse? Or should I go tell Mr. G?”

Ashley waved her off dismissively. “Don’t do anything, Karen. We’ve got it covered.”

“Are you sure? My mom’s a nurse, so I know—”

“I
said
we’ve got it covered,” Ashley interrupted. “And even if we didn’t, I’m pretty sure Molly wouldn’t want any help from a math addict who doesn’t understand the concept of
ironing
.” She eyed Karen’s wrinkled button-down shirt disdainfully. Her eyes fell on the last two buttons, which Karen had managed to button into the wrong holes. “Or, for that matter, dressing.” She laughed. “Right, Mol?”

“I … uh …” I looked from Ashley to Karen and back again. Ashley was looking at me expectantly, while Blair’s eyes darted toward the door, and freedom. All I wanted was to slip out that door, Ashley and Blair on either side of me, and squeeze into a booth at Eddie’s with a heaping plate of tater tots.

“Yeah, we’re good, Karen. We don’t need any help. Just go to class, okay?” The final bell rang then, and as the last few stragglers dashed into class, Ashley steered me and Blair toward the door, leaving Karen standing there, looking bewildered. I looked away.

“Let’s blow this joint,” I said.

Ashley caught up with me after third period. “I’ve got more news,” she announced, putting her hands on my shoulders as if to brace me.

“Wow,” I said wryly. “Eventful day.”

“Oh, you don’t even know. So Brittany’s uncle’s friend’s wife is this unbelievable photographer, who shoots for, like,
Vogue
and
Glamour
, and she agreed to shoot the girls’ prom nomination photo this year!”