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I had really thought that Matilda’s makeover work was finished, but by Wednesday morning, she had talked me into letting her do my hair. Of course, I had insisted that she wear a pair of the latex gloves that my mom used when she dyed her grays. Something told me that zombie flesh wouldn’t make for a trendy new hair accessory.
“That pout looks good on you. Keep practicing,” Matilda said as she looped another lock of hair around the curling iron.
I hadn’t realized I’d been scowling blankly in the mirror. Chloe hadn’t bothered to call me Tuesday night, and she didn’t answer when I tried her number after Matilda snuck out to the shed. I had tried to call Wayne too, but I couldn’t bring myself to punch in the last two digits of his number. What could I really say to him? I couldn’t tell him that I didn’t actually have a date and risk it getting back to the Ds, and I couldn’t give the lie anymore leverage by adding to it.
I still didn’t have a clue about how I was going to end Matilda once and for all. To make matters worse, the little nagging voice in the back of my head was starting to argue with my better judgment. It kept suggesting that I postpone the inevitable betrayal and wait until I’d learned all of Matilda’s tricks of the trade.
I couldn’t deny that a part of me was really enjoying the rush of being noticed by the Ds and Mitch. The little nagging voice presented a pretty solid argument too, considering the fact that if the betrayal failed, Matilda would most definitely see to it that I ended up in a padded room. I liked Wayne, but I just wasn’t sure if I was ready to take that kind of risk for him. After all, if Matilda hadn’t bit the dust, he’d still be her obedient little lapdog. He’d still be ignoring me and wouldn’t give a crap if I had a Friday night date or not.
Matilda finished styling my hair and snapped off the latex gloves. “There. That should do the trick.”
“This isn’t how you style your hair,” I said, sounding less impressed than I really was. My reddish-brown locks were shiny and smooth. Matilda had curled just the ends into layered spirals. Then she’d sectioned off the front of my hair into bangs and styled them at an angle over my right eye.
“No one likes a copycat,” she said with a grin. “The Ds will think you’re totally lame and pathetic if you try to copy my look entirely. You need just enough familiarity, topped with something fresh.”
I couldn’t get over how surprised I was by Matilda’s expertise. She wasn’t as brain dead as I had originally assumed, although most of her knowledge was about fashion and psychological manipulation. I was also surprised by how easily I was absorbing her little popularity lessons.
“I guess it’ll do,” I said, refusing to gush like a buffoon. I had to keep reminding myself that she was ruining my life... even if it sometimes seemed like she was improving it.
Matilda’s grin widened, exposing her stained teeth and blackened gums. “Shut your face. You know you look fabulous, J.” Her mood quickly crumbled when she caught her reflection in the mirror.
“I better go.” I stood up and grabbed my backpack.
“Oh, wait!” Matilda disappeared inside my closet and came back with tote bag. “You’ve got to get rid of that backpack.”
“What’s wrong with my backpack? And where did that come from?”
“I found it in the back of your closet. It had a robot or something on it, so I cut up some of your crappy clothes and glued the pieces on here in a funky pattern. I can be crafty when I want to be,” she said proudly.
I took the bag from her with a frown. “You cut up my clothes?” I noticed a few scraps from an old flannel shirt that I’d ruined during my bedroom makeover, and then there were pieces from a hideous sweater that my mom had bought me for Christmas years ago. I didn’t see any scraps from clothes that I would actually miss, and the bag did look kind of cool. No one else would have one like it. “You said the bag had a robot on it?”
“Yeah.” Matilda picked at the dirt caked in her nails. “I think there was a police box on the other side.”
I gasped. “You destroyed my Dr. Who bag?”
“Well, it wasn’t getting much use in the back of your closet, now was it?” Matilda laughed.
“That was a gift.” I ground my teeth together as I emptied my backpack into what used to be a token of mine and Chloe’s friendship. When I was finished, I threw the empty backpack at Matilda and left without saying goodbye.
My mom talked more than usual on the way to school. I think it was to make up for my brooding.
“Your father and I are going out Friday night to Cleopatra’s, that fancy new Egyptian restaurant that just opened. Did you want to come with us?”
I shook my head. “I was thinking about going to the movies with Chloe,” I lied. It was happening more and more. “If you’re going to be with Dad, do you think I could borrow the car?”
“Oh, okay. What movie are you girls going to see?”
“I dunno. There’s some cheesy romantic comedy that Chloe swears is epic. We’ll probably go to the late show, since we’re getting pizza first.”
“The late show?” Her brow creased, and she tugged at one of her pearl earrings.
“Yeah, so I might be a little late getting home. I think it’s a long one.”
“Well, just remember your key. Unless you’d like me to wait up for you?”
“That’s okay. I’ll take my key.”
The weather came on the radio and announced the first major snow prediction of the year, set to arrive Sunday evening. Snowflakes sprinkled over the windshield, but not so many that the wipers were needed. The flakes melted as soon as they landed.
I tightened the green scarf Matilda had picked out around my neck and tucked my hands in the pockets of my jean jacket as my mom pulled up in front of the school. She turned to face me with a weak smile.
“Your hair looks pretty like that,” she said, reaching over to pat my leg like she had done every morning since sixth grade, after I finally admitted that kids were making fun of me for hugging her goodbye.
“Thanks,” I said, trying to return her smile.
I didn’t see Chloe when I joined the other students in front of the cafeteria, but I did spot Danielle. She made a beeline for me, and I had to fight to keep my eyeballs from falling out of my head.
“Denise is sick today,” she said, running a hand through her blond hair. “Probably mono. You wanna smoke?”
My stomach knotted, but I shrugged anyway. “Yeah, alright.”
We walked past the cafeteria and in through the side entrance. The hall was empty, though I could hear the hum of chatter as the breakfast crowd prepared for the first bell. Danielle and I tiptoed past the teacher’s lounge and into the girls’ restroom.
“I prefer menthols too,” Danielle said, producing a blue box of cigarettes. I cringed, wondering if I was going to regret my earlier lie. When she passed the cigarette to me, I was only mildly relieved. It was still gross, but it had a minty undertone that helped mask some of the bitterness.
This time when I exhaled, I let out a long sigh, letting the smoke suck away some of my anger and anxiety over the ruined Dr. Who bag and the cluster of craptastic lies I was juggling. Danielle watched me with a satisfied smile, like she was finally deciding that I was cool enough to be seen with.
“You ever been to Missy Hart?” she asked, taking the cigarette back from me.
“The clothing store over on Sixth Street?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded. “Sure. Once or twice.”
“You wanna go with me after school?”
“Okay. I can’t stay long though. I have a nail appointment at four-thirty,” I said, looking down at my dry cuticles. I didn’t have to tell her that the appointment was with her dead former leader.
“Doesn’t your mom drive you to school?” Danielle giggled.
My cheeks felt hot, and I hoped the makeup was doing its magic. “Yeah, but I can get the car whenever I need it.”
“Don’t worry about it. You can ride with me.” Danielle tucked the cigarettes back in her purse as the first bell rang. “Don’t you have study hall after algebra?”
“Yeah.” I was almost flattered that she knew.
“I have history with Mr. Charles. His vision is so bad, he never notices when I slip out early. You could cut out of study hall early too, and we could get a head start.”
“Okay,” I said, trying not to squeak as I broke out in a light sweat. I’d never cut class before. I’d never had a reason or a desire to cut class before. I didn’t know if I even had the nerve to attempt it, but I couldn’t tell Danielle that. I was going to have to figure something out and fast. I’d be getting a gold star from Matilda if I managed to pull this stunt off.
I stayed in the bathroom after Danielle left, just long enough to text my mom and tell her that I was going shopping after school and had a ride home. She messaged back, telling me that was fine and to shut my phone off before class so I didn’t get it taken away. She didn’t even ask who I was going shopping with. She probably just assumed it was with Chloe, since she was my only girlfriend. Until now.
I knew Danielle wasn’t really my friend. I knew she’d gossip about me the second I was out of range, but that didn’t stop the excitement from boiling through me as if I’d just drank three Redbulls in a row. I was going shopping with one of the Ds after school. Unless this was all a sick joke, said the little voice in my head. It was a logical possibility. Maybe she thought she was going to teach me a lesson for trying to look cooler than she did. After all, this was someone who had probably encouraged Matilda when she filled my locker full of spray foam.
I was careful not to mention the shopping trip to anyone all day, not that I really talked to anyone. Well, other than Eddie and Wayne, but they were oddly quiet at our lunch table today. Mitch dropped by to ask us about the party again and said something about baseball signups to Wayne. He also complemented me on my hair. I was barely able to say thank you, I was so shocked.
Eddie’s silence was more obvious than Wayne’s, seeing as how he usually couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He picked at his lunch and couldn’t manage to maintain eye contact with me for more than half a second. At one point, he missed his mouth and nearly shoved a spoonful of pudding up his nose.
I skipped my visit with Chloe, since she was obviously not talking to me. Matilda would have killed me dead if she caught me groveling to an art geek. Instead, I walked to algebra with Wayne. Thankfully, Eddie didn’t tag along this time.
“So, who’s this mystery man you’re going on a date with Friday?” Wayne finally asked when we were by ourselves.
My shoulders tightened. “You don’t know him. We dated for a couple of months at the beginning of the school year.” There had to be a special place somewhere for people who lied as much as I did lately.
“Oh, really? How did I miss that?” He sounded skeptical, almost chiding. It didn’t make me feel particularly warm and fuzzy towards him.
“Well, you were pretty busy playing fetch with Matilda, if I remember correctly.”
“Ouch. Really, Janie?” Wayne’s mouth drooped into a hurt scowl, and I suddenly felt like a stick of dynamite had gone off in my chest.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” I stammered. “You were just too preoccupied with your own dating life to take notice of mine. It’s okay.”
“Right.” Wayne stepped around me and disappeared inside our algebra class, just as Danielle snagged my sleeve and tugged me towards the girls’ room, presumably for another smoke break.
“Oh my god,” she hissed under her breath. “You’re never going to believe what I heard Mitch say about you in bio.”
I frowned at her and sighed. “What?”
She lit a cigarette and passed it to me before answering. “He’s totally planning on asking you out. Denise is going to flip, by the way. She’s been turning him down for a month solid now.”
I took a drag of the cigarette and passed it back. “Well, he’s not going to have any luck with me either. I told you, I have a boyfriend.”
Danielle blinked at me. “Seriously? You’re going to reject Mitch Brown?”
I licked my lips and laughed, doing my best to summon Matilda’s classic disdain. “I don’t date high school boys.”
Danielle sucked on the cigarette, giving me an appraising look. “Well, at least you won’t have to worry about the wrath of Denise.”
“Thank goodness.” I rolled my eyes. “Denise Mavery won’t hate my guts. My life is now complete.”
“She’ll probably still hate your guts. Denise hates everyone’s guts.” Danielle gave me a serious nod, and then we both laughed.
Lightning strike me dead, I was actually starting to like her. I still kept my guard up all through algebra class, even though she passed me a note and whispered little jokes when the teacher wasn’t paying attention.
Plenty of people were taking notice, but no one seemed quite as baffled as Wayne. He watched mine and Danielle’s exchanges with a painful intensity, and he didn’t look thrilled.
After class, Wayne caught up to me in the hall. “Did I miss something, Janie? When did you become friends with Danielle Adams?”
“I dunno.” I shook my head. “Why?”
“She was best friends with Matilda, and she wasn’t a very good influence on her.”
I frowned at him. “When did you become my mother?”
“Hey, I’m just looking out for you,” he said, holding his hands up defensively.
“It would have been nice if you could have done that when Matilda was busy terrorizing me.” More dynamite went off in my chest. It was like I couldn’t turn the monster off now that Matilda had unleashed it.
Wayne’s brows pinched together as he backed away from me. “What happened to you?”
“I don’t know.” I put a hand on my forehead. “I mean, I do know. I just can’t explain it. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
“Whatever,” he mumbled and walked away.
I wanted to go after him and apologize, but Chloe was suddenly blocking my path. “Tell me you’re not going shopping with Danielle after school,” she demanded.
“What do you care? I thought you weren’t talking to me.” I put my hands on my hips.
“Have you lost your freaking mind? The Ds hate you. How in the world does going shopping with one seem like a good idea?” Chloe was almost screaming now. We were drawing attention. I could see Mitch Brown’s curious face glancing back at us from a circle of jocks near the lockers.
“If Danielle hates me so much, then why did she ask me to go shopping with her? And how is it any of your business who I go shopping with?”
Chloe made a sound deep in her throat. Then she noticed everyone staring at us. She waved her hands in the air and jumped at the nearest observers, making a noise that crossed somewhere between a turkey and Tarzan. “What are you looking at?” she snapped and then stormed off. I stormed off in the opposite direction for study hall.
I don’t know why I was so worried about cutting class before. Ms. Nelson was notorious for leaving us on our own. She liked to preach about how young adults needed more freedom and trust. Really though, she just liked to disappear to the teacher’s lounge, where she could eat all the leftover donuts in peace. The teacher’s lounge was right next to the restrooms, and more than one student had reported her location on their return.
I sat in the back of the classroom, since we didn’t have assigned seating, and no one said anything when I slipped out twenty minutes early. The ruined Dr. Who bag didn’t seem like such a bad idea now. It was certainly less suspicious than the backpack when I had to dodge into the bathroom to avoid Mr. Hammond as he came out of the principal’s office.
I waited just inside the door and counted to ten, hoping enough time had passed for him to make it around the corner. When I stuck my head out, the hall was empty again. I held my breath and made a mad dash for the exit, gliding alongside the lockers with the Mission Impossible theme song humming through my head.
Danielle was waiting by her car when I made it out to the parking lot. “I didn’t think you’d show,” she said, stomping out her cigarette.
“I didn’t think I would either. Mr. Hammond almost busted me.” I laughed and climbed inside her little blue Volkswagen bug.
Danielle climbed into the driver’s seat and gave me a wide smile, like I had just passed some final test. “Today’s on me. I swiped my mom’s credit card.”
“Jackpot.” There was definitely a special place for people whose morals shed off as quickly as mine had.