Popular
Whenever I See Someone
Pen laughed.
Her sister frowned. “What? I’m serious.”
“Why? I’m fine the way I am, thank you.” She turned back to her window, only to hear her sister go on.
“Do you really think I’m going to let you go into high school, with my last name, my legacy, unprepared? I’m amazing, and if my sister’s not, it’ll put quite the damper on how they remember me. Besides, people will expect you to be popular, because I was, and if you’re not, it’ll make things worse than they would be for a normal person. People hate to be proved wrong.”
Pen was quiet for a minute before whispering, “Why should it matter?”
“I don’t know why, honey, it just does. So are you in or not?”
Pen didn’t respond.
“I may or may not have a Barnes and Nobles gift card to further persuade you.”
“Done.”
Mere minutes later, Pen was seriously reconsidering her hasty agreement; she should’ve milked the deal for all it was worth, because hearing Becky and Lydia discuss her social and aesthetic shortcomings was not worth just the gift card.
“We’ll need to do something about that hair,” Lydia commented, wrinkling her nose as she lifted a few strands. “Do you even wash it?”
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
Lydia turned to Becky, and asked in a hushed, scandalized tone, “Is she even wearing makeup?”
“No.”
The older girls let out a sigh. “Thank God. We can work through this then.” Lydia gestured at Pen’s face to further illustrate her meaning, and turned back to Becky. “She’s really pale. D’you have something for that?”
“No, but I know what we’ll need and where to get it. We’ll need to work on getting her used to contacts, too. Those glasses are terrible.” Pen fingered her amber frames; she liked her glasses.
“Is it too soon for her to get a nose job?”
The sisters turned quickly to look at Lydia incredulously, yelling in unison, “Yes!”
Lydia just held up her hands in surrender. “Chill out. Fine, we’ll forget about the beak. Now about these nails.” She grabbed one of Pen’s hands, gazing at her nails with distaste, as they were chewed, uneven, bitten down to the quick.
This definitely wasn’t worth just a gift card.
Her sister frowned. “What? I’m serious.”
“Why? I’m fine the way I am, thank you.” She turned back to her window, only to hear her sister go on.
“Do you really think I’m going to let you go into high school, with my last name, my legacy, unprepared? I’m amazing, and if my sister’s not, it’ll put quite the damper on how they remember me. Besides, people will expect you to be popular, because I was, and if you’re not, it’ll make things worse than they would be for a normal person. People hate to be proved wrong.”
Pen was quiet for a minute before whispering, “Why should it matter?”
“I don’t know why, honey, it just does. So are you in or not?”
Pen didn’t respond.
“I may or may not have a Barnes and Nobles gift card to further persuade you.”
“Done.”
Mere minutes later, Pen was seriously reconsidering her hasty agreement; she should’ve milked the deal for all it was worth, because hearing Becky and Lydia discuss her social and aesthetic shortcomings was not worth just the gift card.
“We’ll need to do something about that hair,” Lydia commented, wrinkling her nose as she lifted a few strands. “Do you even wash it?”
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
Lydia turned to Becky, and asked in a hushed, scandalized tone, “Is she even wearing makeup?”
“No.”
The older girls let out a sigh. “Thank God. We can work through this then.” Lydia gestured at Pen’s face to further illustrate her meaning, and turned back to Becky. “She’s really pale. D’you have something for that?”
“No, but I know what we’ll need and where to get it. We’ll need to work on getting her used to contacts, too. Those glasses are terrible.” Pen fingered her amber frames; she liked her glasses.
“Is it too soon for her to get a nose job?”
The sisters turned quickly to look at Lydia incredulously, yelling in unison, “Yes!”
Lydia just held up her hands in surrender. “Chill out. Fine, we’ll forget about the beak. Now about these nails.” She grabbed one of Pen’s hands, gazing at her nails with distaste, as they were chewed, uneven, bitten down to the quick.
This definitely wasn’t worth just a gift card.
♠ ♠ ♠
Posted just in time for my birthday. A gift to myself - tell me what you think?