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Glitterati was just the way it had looked in all the pictures I’d seen. It was huge and sparkly and filled with loud, up-tempo music that seemed to fill my whole body and drum against the inside of my chest in a happy, boppy beat.
It was exactly what I’d hoped it would be, and more.
I was so excited I thought I was going to explode.
And not just from all the Coke and M&Ms I’d had in the limo.
“Hi, I’m Summer,” yelled the pretty girl with the spiky hair who met us at the door (she had to yell to be heard over the music). “I’ll be your Glitterati guide for the day. I’m here to make sure your Glitterati experience is everything that it can be. I want to get you pumped!”
Summer didn’t need to worry. I was already pumped. So was everybody else. Except maybe Mrs. Hauser. She looked like her head hurt a little from all the music.
“The first thing we need to do,” Summer yelled, “is explain that Glitterati isn’t just a store. It’s a way of life. At Glitterati, we encourage kids to use their imaginations and creativity to envision their future and themselves exactly the way they’ve always wanted to, without limitations!”
When Summer said the word “limitations,” she threw something at us. It turned out to be gold sparkles. It got all over us…our hair, our clothes…everywhere. Mrs. Hauser backed out of the way so it wouldn’t get on her and the fur trim of her coat.
“There!” Summer yelled. “Now you’ve been Glitteratied!”
This was awesome. I had always wanted to be Glitteratied.
“Today, as long as you wear your Glitterati dust,” Summer went on, “all your dreams will come true. If you’ve always wanted to be an undercover rock star, at Glitterati we can help make you an undercover rock star. If you’ve always wanted to be an urban fairy, like me, we can make that dream come true, too. Glitterati is about expressing your individuality while promoting a unique shopping experience that makes every kid feel special!”
Whoa. Maybe it was because I’d been Glitteratied, but I was ready to feel special. Also, unique.
I could tell Summer was unique because she had some sparkly star stickers right next to her eyes.
I wanted some sparkly star stickers next to my eyes, too. This, I felt sure, would make me be as special and unique as Summer.
“So,” Summer yelled at us. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” we all yelled back. Even Mary Kay, who never yelled.
“Then let’s go express our individuality!” Summer yelled.
We all ran screaming into the costume racks, where Summer said we could decide on what looks we wanted to use to express our individuality.
“I’m going to be an urban fairy, like Summer,” Paige yelled. She was pawing through the fairy costumes, looking for one exactly like Summer’s, which was tight jeans and a black sparkle halter top.
“No,” Lauren said. “I’m going to be an urban fairy!”
“You guys.” Mary Kay looked like she was about to burst into tears. “I’m going to be an urban fairy! We can’t all be urban fairies. You have to be something else.”
I couldn’t believe it. They all wanted to be urban fairies.
And it was probably just because Summer had been dressed like one.
Which wasn’t really all that unique or individual, if you thought about it.
It was true I’d wanted to get shooting star stickers next to my eyes like Summer. But I still wanted to dress as an actress slash veterinarian for my photo shoot.
I shook my head in disgust over the other girls, then went to the rack marked superstar. There were lots of fake leather jackets and tight short skirts. Also, knee-high zip-up high-heeled boots. In just about every color you could imagine.
This was exactly what I would imagine an actress slash veterinarian would wear. You know, for doing her important acting and animal healing work. It was amazing, but the Glitterati dust was already working! It was helping me to envision my future career. Well, what I was going to wear while I was doing it, anyway.
“None of you can be urban fairies,” Brittany yelled. “Because I’m going to be an urban fairy. And it’s my birthday. I’ll figure out something else for you to be.”
Paige and Lauren looked super disappointed. Mary Kay started to cry. Courtney, who hadn’t joined in with any of them, anyway, just rolled her eyes and shrugged.
I guess Summer could see some of Brittany’s party guests were having trouble envisioning their futures and expressing their individuality (only not me. Because I had already picked out a purple zebra-striped fake leather jacket, a black mini sparkle skirt, red shirt, and black zip-up high-heeled boots), since she came up to us and went, “So, ladies. What have we decided?”
“Well, I’m going to be an urban fairy,” Brittany said. “Since it’s my birthday.” Then she started pointing at each of us. “She,” she said, pointing at Paige, “is going to be an undercover rock star, and she,” pointing at Mary Kay, “is going to be a prep school princess. And she,” pointing at Lauren, “is going to be a teen superstar, and she,” pointing to Courtney, “is going to be a teen goth vampire, and she,” pointing at me, “is going to be a pirate.”