When the weekend finally arrives, I wait impatiently for Alex. Her last text, “Leaving airport now!” was an hour ago. How far is the airport, anyway? Darn New York traffic.
When the taxi finally pulls up in front of my dorm, I rush out to meet it. It’s been two months since I’ve seen Alex, and I miss my best friend so much. She clearly feels the same way, because she already has one foot out the door before the cab has even come to a complete stop.
We throw our arms around each other as we jump and screech. The taxi driver honks his horn and reminds Alex to pay him. “Oops,” she says, quickly handing him a wad of cash. Then we get back to yelling and hugging.
I take a step back and see how much Alex has changed. “What happened?” I say, noticing her highlights, makeup, and new outfit — a fitted black T-shirt, distressed boyfriend jeans, and studded black flats. She still looks like the same old Alex, just a much chicer version.
Alex grins and twirls. “You can’t have a best friend living the high life and not have that rub off on you. I’ve been reading fashion blogs and trying to find stuff that is stylish but still feels like me. I wanted to surprise you. You like?”
“Definitely,” I say. “Does this mean we can shop together now?” My eyes glaze over as I envision hours of store hopping with Alex. “We have years to make up for!”
“Hold up,” says Alex, grimacing a little. “Baby steps. You’re making me want to crawl back into sweats.”
“Please, no!” I say in mock horror. “Not that!”
Alex laughs, and it reminds me again how happy I am to have my friend here. I wish she could stay longer so I could really show her around NYC, but two days is better than nothing. We quickly take her suitcase up to my room and head over to Bryant Park.
“How do you deal with all these people?” Alex asks as we get jostled on the busy streets.
I shrug. “It doesn’t bother me anymore. I actually love it. I’m afraid Santa Cruz’s silence will kill me when I get back.”
“Don’t worry,” says Alex, putting her arm around me. “I’ll stand outside your window and bang drums all night to make the transition easier.”
“Ha! Speaking of home, what have I missed?” I ask. Since I started my internship, there hasn’t been much time to gossip with Alex. There’s so much I want to talk about. None of it is earth-shattering, but when you’re talking to your best friend, it feels like everything is.
Alex fills me in on Nina and her groupies. Turns out Nina has less of an entourage than she did when I left. Apparently, after watching us on Teen Design Diva, there’s a bit of a divide between Team Nina and Team Chloe.
“I kid you not,” Alex says when I look at her in disbelief. “Be prepared to have your own groupies upon your return.”
“Just what I need,” I say, rolling my eyes. But then I get an idea on how to make good with this ridiculous news. “Maybe they’d want to learn designing and all that. Then they can do it themselves and lay off the hero worship.”
“Good luck with that,” Alex says as we walk into the park. We sit in the games section and choose a table with Jenga. “So, tell me what’s going on with Jake. You’ve hardly said a word about him lately.”
“I figured it would be easier to talk to you about it in person,” I say, pulling a wooden piece from the Jenga tower. “He’s a really nice guy, and he’s so cute, but I have so much going on right now. It’s been almost impossible to make time for him. And then when we did make plans, I’d have to cancel. The day of Teen Design Diva judging was the worst. My phone died, so I couldn’t tell him I was running late.” I frown, still feeling bad about that day.
Alex smiles sympathetically. “That must have been hard for both of you.” She pulls a wooden block, and the tower wobbles but doesn’t fall.
I nod. “It was. Trying to hang out was too much pressure.”
“I’m sorry,” says Alex. “I know you really liked him.”
“I still do, but it’s not like I won’t see him again. Besides, boyfriends are drama. Friends always stay.” I gently push a loose block from the bottom and stack it beside Alex’s piece.
Alex blushes and fiddles with the tab on her soda. “So, um, boyfriends can be drama, but I sort of have one. His name is Dan,” she says.
I’m so surprised by her announcement that I almost knock over the blocks. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It wasn’t official until last week, and then I figured I might as well wait and tell you in person,” she says. “Are you upset, since you and Jake…” Her voice trails off.
I roll my eyes. “Oh my gosh! I told you, I’m fine. Really. Now spill.”
“Well,” Alex says, pulling a block and causing the tower to wobble, “he likes basketball, just like me. And we’ve gone hiking a lot.”
“Do you make him watch bad reality television with you?” I ask jokingly. I pull a block, and the tower tumbles to the table.
“Nah, that’s our special thing,” Alex says, pointing at me. “But we do scarf Doritos and pizza together.”
I laugh. “A match made in heaven. I’m really happy for you.”
Alex and I wander around a bit more, even acting silly and riding the carousel. It’s mostly full of kids, but people smile at us as we park ourselves on a horse and zebra. We grin as the animals go up and down. Being chic intern Chloe has been great, but I’ve missed being goofy with Alex.
“Two days is not enough to spend with you at all!” I say as we head back to my dorm. “I wish you could stay and help with Fashion Week.”
Alex grins mischievously. “Well… that’s actually something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about. I did some research, and I think there might be a way I can stay longer…”
* * *
We hurry back to the dorm to run Alex’s plan by Avery and Bailey. I’m less excited, however, to see the look on Madison’s face when I suggest Alex might stay longer.
“Guys,” I say as we walk in, “this is my best friend, Alex.”
“Hey!” says Avery. “It’s so nice to meet you! I love your jeans!”
“And your shoes — super cute!” Bailey adds.
Alex grins and blushes. “Thanks!”
Madison just sits there quietly. I’ve told Alex all about Madison in our calls and texts, so hopefully the silence isn’t a surprise.
Alex gives me a little nod, and I launch into her plan. “So I know Alex is only supposed to be staying two days, but we, uh, wondered if you guys would mind if she stayed a little longer.” I pause. “Like maybe until Stefan’s fashion show is done? Wednesday?”
I expect Bailey, Avery, and Madison to at least want to discuss it, but Avery just shrugs. “Fine by me. I told you this suite is roomy compared to what I’m used to.”
“Same here,” says Bailey. “We’re always in and out anyway. Mallory Kane’s show is tomorrow, so I won’t be here a good part of the day.”
“And Thomas Lord is Thursday,” Avery adds, “so I’ll probably be gone helping with some sort of prep on Monday and Tuesday.”
Madison sighs and rolls her eyes. “Whatever. But she’s going to be pretty bored while you’re at work.”
“Well, I’ve been doing research,” says Alex, “and a lot of the Fashion Week websites I’ve looked at say designers are always looking for more volunteers. Is that true?”
Avery claps her hands. “Totally true! What an awesome idea! Why didn’t I think of that earlier?”
“Do you think it’ll be hard to clear with Stefan?” I ask.
“Doubt it,” says Bailey, “but I’d ask first thing Monday morning. Don’t wait until Wednesday.”
Alex and I hug. “This will be so cool,” I say. Then a thought comes to me. “But what about your plane ticket?”
“My dad made it open-ended. Once this is cleared, I’ll call him, and he can confirm the departure date. Surprise!”
“I’m so jealous,” says Avery, fake pouting. “I wish I’d thought of having a friend volunteer with me.”
“It was all Alex’s idea,” I say with a grin. I’m so excited for her to see my designs and the world I’ve been living in for the past two months. Finally, I can share it with my best friend.