I loved sleeping in on Saturday mornings, but today was the fashion show audition so I had to get up and get ready. Plus, I wanted to check my e-mail to see if Cristian wrote me back. I got an e-mail from him saying he and Doug were thinking about going to a movie and wanted to know which one we were going to see. He made it sound like they might go see a movie, or play football, or go mountain climbing, but I wrote back and told him which movie we were planning to see and at what time, just in case they did go.
Mom drove me to my audition in Rockford for the fashion show. I knew it was just a little store, but Delilah said they did a show every year before Christmas. Mom wanted to stay, but I told her to wait for me some place else because I knew she’d make me nervous.
“What’s the address again?” Mom asked.
“Two-twenty-four,” I said. “Wait, it’s a store for little kids?”
“Well, what did you think a store named Wee Fashions would be, genius?” she asked.
I actually hadn’t seen the name of the store, and I thought Delilah meant Oui Fashions, like the French word for “yes.” I guess I had just been excited to get the chance to be in a fashion show. Once I got inside there were about twenty girls there, but they were all younger — much younger. I was the oldest one there — and the tallest. The storeowner, Kasia, gave us numbers and had us each walk across the store and then gave us clothes to try on. I was surprised anything in the store would fit me, but there were a couple of ugly flowered dresses and some weird teddy bear sweat suit outfit for me to wear. One of the dresses had a big white collar, and the waist was past my hips. They were the kind of dresses your grandmother would buy you. And they all cost over two hundred dollars.
Kasia made her decision and called out our numbers. She called my number, but probably just because she wanted at least one older kid in the show. She had us line up, and the store workers gave us accessories for each outfit. I was wearing four outfits, and they had to mark down everything we were wearing and then put the accessories in little bags attached to the hangers. I was supposed to provide my own black shoes — flats, no heels, and tights. I asked if I needed to bring my own makeup, and Kasia stared at me.
“Just keep it natural,” she said. “But no nail polish or perfume. I don’t want the scent on the clothes. There’s a ten percent discount on the clothes for the models.”
I nodded, but there was no way I’d ever want any of those clothes. Afterward, I went to find my mom at the coffee shop across the street.
“I’m in the show,” I said. “But everyone else is way younger than me.”
She seemed happy for me and asked if we were supposed to call Delilah. I shook my head. Kasia had already said she’d contact our agents. I didn’t realize how late it was until Mom pointed out we had to get home to pick up Devon for the five o’clock movie. I was starving since I skipped lunch because I was nervous and didn’t want to get sick during the audition. Mom went through the drive-thru and got me a burger and fries.
“Stop eating so fast, Landry,” Mom said. “You’re going to make yourself sick. Just call Devon and see if she can go to a later movie.”
I called Devon and she checked the newspaper for the movie times. “There’s one at seven-fifteen,” she said.
“Okay, good. I’m just eating now since I missed lunch. Guess what? I’m going to be in this fashion show—”
“Landry? My dad has to use the phone. I’ll see you about seven, ‘kay?”
When my mom dropped us off at the movies, we saw Cristian and Doug leaving the theater. They walked over, and Cristian said I told him we were going to the five o’clock show. Oops.
“It sucks we missed seeing the guys because of your dumb audition,” Devon said. I didn’t say anything, but it wasn’t like she even knew they were going to be at the theater. I hadn’t even told her about Cris asking for my e-mail address. The movie was okay, but I was kind of mad at Devon for acting like it was my fault we didn’t get to hang out with the guys. After the movie, we went to a café in the mall to get Italian sodas.
“When did you tell Cristian we were going to the movies?” she asked leaning over. Her hair smelled like Bouncy Hair shampoo.
“He asked me for my e-mail address last night, and I told him when I wrote back.”
“You didn’t tell me he asked you,” she said. “Do you think he likes you?”
“Nah. They were probably gonna see a movie anyway,” I said.
“Yeah, probably.” She pulled out her straw and licked the end. “Let’s walk around before we call my mom.”
Even though Perry Mall was smaller than Harper Hills Mall, which was the one we usually went to, I liked the Perry one better. I mean, I had kinda been discovered here. Of course, it was also the reason Ericka and Tori had stopped talking to me. I asked Devon if we could stop at the bookstore, and she went to look at the journals. She showed me a butterfly journal just like the one she carries in her backpack. I was going to get the blue one, but she told me to get it in bright pink so we’d match. When I got home I called Peyton to tell her about Vladi and Cristian.
“Oh wow, I want to go to the next home game so I can see him,” she said. “And make sure to tell your other boyfriend, Cristian, to meet us there.”
“Yeah, I wish. I was so nervous yesterday. Going to a public school game was big, but having Vladi talk to me was like… wow,” I said. “You’re going to think I’m a loser, but I saved the candy box he touched.”
“So not stupid. I saved a cigarette butt the bass player from Playing Dead dropped outside an airport until my mom made me throw it out,” she said.
“You saw Adonis at the airport? I used to like him, but then he married a swimsuit model,” I said.
“I stopped liking him, too, but I think he and Freesia split up,” she said. “You know, his real name is Bert Ferdinand.”
My mom came into the kitchen later and pointed to her watch. I looked at the clock above the stove and was surprised it had gotten so late. We had been on the phone for almost two hours. I went to write in my new journal and used my stuffed mouse as a pillow. I tried to write in my best handwriting, but I wrote faster when I started to write about getting chosen for the fashion show and about Vladi and Cristian and it looked sloppy.
I almost missed the bus on Monday. Mrs. Jackson had started to drive off, but she stopped when she saw me running like a lunatic. I got on panting and sat next to Devon.
“Did you bring your journal?” she asked, holding hers up.
I had written personal stuff in it I didn’t want her to see, so I said I left it at home. I had also left my best friend bracelet at home, and she noticed. Her window was open a crack, and she rolled her bracelet off her wrist and held it up to the opening.
“I might as well throw mine out since it means nothing to you,” she said. “This is the first time I’ve ever taken it off.”
I wanted to ask if she wore it to bed and in the shower and didn’t it get all gross? Instead, I said I was sorry and I’d start wearing mine all the time, too. I made up some stupid story about taking it off to clean my room so it wouldn’t get ruined.
“I was in a hurry today — I mean, look at my hair,” I said.
“Yeah, I guess. Here, borrow my brush,” she said. I thought it was cool she’d share her brush with me because Ericka never let anybody borrow hers.
“Landry, your hair looks fine,” Peyton said.
My hair got even flatter when I brushed it and I didn’t have a rubber band, but Peyton took the clip out of her hair for me. India started brushing her hair with Devon’s brush next, and her hair was like silk. It almost reached the back of her pants. It was a perfect honey color and looked amazing with her aqua eyes. She, Devon, and Peyton always looked so good without even trying, and I felt like such a blob next to them. Peyton had amazing dark red hair and matching reddish-brown eyes, but she always managed to make me feel good about myself, even if I was having an ugly day.
Later, when we were heading to our lockers, I saw Stuart walk up behind Thalia and trip her. Her bag was open and stuff went flying all over the hall. He moved away from her, and it looked like she had tripped over her own feet. Devon rolled her eyes.
“What a klutz,” she said.
India sidestepped Thalia’s math book, and Peyton bent down to pull out some papers stuck under Devon’s foot.
“Devon, watch it. You almost ripped her homework,” Peyton said. Thalia was scrambling to grab her pens and pencils as they rolled down the hall. Kyle picked up a math test and announced she had gotten a sixty-eight percent on it. He held it up like he was going to play keep-away with it but then handed it to her.
“Loser,” Thalia said as she pulled the paper away from him.
I knew Thalia had said it because it was what Arianna called him right before they broke up. I handed Thalia the stuff I picked up, and Kyle looked at me.
“Landry, did you get the math homework done? Can I borrow it?” he asked, flashing me a smile.
I usually let him copy a problem or two, but I lied and said I didn’t finish it. Let Yasmin do his homework for him. Thalia went on about what a jerk Kyle was as we walked to class.
“No wonder Arianna dumped his butt. He’s so immature and short,” she said. “Like he did any better on the test.”
“He’s got girl hands, too,” I said. She smirked as Ms. Ashcroft walked in. Thalia passed me a note saying she hoped Yasmin would break up with him. I wrote back I didn’t care. Why did guys always go for the Yasmins and Ariannas of the world? I mean, just because they were cute, super athletic, got good grades in math, had perfect hair and—
“Landry?” asked Ms. Ashcroft.
Thalia elbowed me. “Number fifteen,” she whispered. Oops, I didn’t have an answer down.
“Cumbersome,” Thalia said under her breath.
I repeated it and shot her a grateful look. Stupid Kyle. We had computer class this week, and Ashanti, Thalia, and I sat at the same computer station. We were supposed to do typing drills where we type sentences over and over until the stopwatch goes off to see how many words we can type in a minute. We’re supposed to type with a piece of paper over our hands so we can’t look at the keyboard, but I sit far enough in the back so I can peek.
“Landry, Tad’s staring at you,” Thalia said. “He was looking at you in homeroom, but I thought it was because you zoned out.”
“Maybe he likes you,” Ashanti said. “Too bad you already have a man.”
At first, I thought she was making fun of me for liking Kyle, but then I realized she was talking about Cristian.
“So what do you wanna do for your birthday?” Ashanti asked.
“Not sure yet.”
I hadn’t even thought about it since Mom had been busy picking out a new carpet for the basement for the last week.
****
Mom was in a bad mood when I got home because the carpet guys had come late and she had taken time off from work to be there for them.
When I got home, I went downstairs and the basement had an overpowering new carpet smell. It seemed a lot bluer than the little square mom had showed me, but it looked okay. I asked my mom what we were going to do for my birthday.
“Do you want to go out to dinner with some of your friends?” she asked.
“Okay, so Devon, Peyton, India, Ashanti, Thalia, Tori, and Ericka,” I said.
“It might be cheaper to have them come over for pizza and cake,” she said.
“A sleepover?” I said.
“Well…I guess,” she sighed. I said we could sleep in the basement, but she said it was too cold, but we could use the living room. I called Devon first. Pretty soon Devon, Peyton, Ashanti, Thalia, Ericka, and India were all coming, but Tori couldn’t make it. She said she had to stay home and watch her little cousins, but we could get together next weekend at her house. Ashanti was surprised Tori wasn’t coming.
“Couldn’t her brother watch them or something? It’s your fourteenth birthday and she’s, like, one of your best friends,” she said.
“I dunno.”
“Well, what do you want for your birthday?”
“I don’t know. Colin to ask me out?” I said.
“What if he has plans?”
“He’d change ‘em for me.”
Dad called and said he was going to take the train in for my birthday. I wanted to ask if he had found any jobs here yet, but he was busy and got off the phone pretty quick. Mom wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday. The only thing I could think of was the new TV Dad wanted. I figured it was too expensive and she raised her eyebrows, but she didn’t say no right away.
****
It was so hard to pay attention in class that week. All I could think about was my party and Dad coming over. I was in my own world and even Yasmin hanging all over Kyle in the hall couldn’t upset me. Well, as much anyway. While I was counting down to my party, Arianna had broken up with Stuart twice and Cristian had written me once. Devon said I should tell him my birthday was on Saturday, but I didn’t want to act like I wanted him to buy me something. His e-mails seemed more like a friend thing, so I forwarded it to Ashanti and she called me after she read them.
“Okay, it seems like he doesn’t want to say too much… maybe he wants to see how you feel first,” she said.
“I knew it. He just wants to be friends,” I said. I was disappointed, but a little relieved.
“Maybe not. He does say maybe he’ll see you at another game. And Landry, the fact he wrote you at all is pretty good. Halle used to e-mail Stuart all the time, and he didn’t write back too often,” she said.
“How often does Jay write you?” I asked.
“Well, I read in this book of my mom’s you shouldn’t write the guy right back. You sort of make him hang for a while, and he should e-mail you three times more than you e-mail him,” she said.
“Oh wow. Do you wait before you write back?” I asked.
She said she waited a little bit, but not too long.
“Maggie e-mails guys right back and they like it, but Yasmin makes ‘em wait and they like her, too, so I don’t know,” she said. “Do you like Cristian?”
I made her promise not to make fun of me and told her I was a little freaked out by him.
“He’s cute… maybe too cute. I dunno. I like him, but I don’t know what to say to him. He’s nice, but he makes my stomach hurt,” I said.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Sometimes I get so nervous it feels like I’m going to throw up. You know, like butterflies and stuff. Plus, I still have a huge crush on the basketball player. I know there’s no way anything could ever happen with him, but… he’s so hot,” I said.
“He did look cute in the program you showed me,” she said. “You’re not far apart age-wise. And maybe he’ll flunk a grade, but would you want him if he was held back?”
“I wouldn’t care if he couldn’t count. All he has to do is sit there and look cute,” I said.
“My mom says the same thing about my Bradley. Did you watch today’s show?” she asked.
“Yeah, I bet you died when he walked out of the shower,” I said.
“Best. Episode. Ever.”