Now, I’m not one for cursing, but when I saw that smug look on Mace’s face, I was madder’n heck. She was going to do something to make DiDi and me look bad in front of Trip. It didn’t matter how I’d folded my way into his buttery, sugary group. Mace was going to make me look like the sardine someone had decided to throw into her perfect recipe. I mumbled something about the ladies’ room and ran in as quickly as I could.
I splashed my face with icy, icy water and stared into the mirror. And laughed. It didn’t even matter if Mace ruined things with Trip, because DiDi would Get Grammatical the second I told her I wanted to hang out with a boy after school anyway. Nothing was going to go right no matter what I did. So there was only one thing to do: Get my Recipe for Success face on and be the smart, classy girl that my mama would be if she were here.
When I walked out, DiDi was holding the pretty box with the cookie in it. I guess Trip said something and used those Wish Pie eyes on her, because next thing you know, she was giving him a big hug. She pushed the hair out of his face.
“You are one beautiful boy, sweetheart. Isn’t he, Double G?”
Geez, DiDi. I could feel my cheeks blaze. Even though I had the exact same thought the first time I saw him, it was just plain mortifying to hear DiDi say it out loud. Trip was turning a little red himself.
“Double G?” Mace looked back and forth between DiDi and me. “What’s Double G?”
DiDi winked. “Just an inside joke, honey. Don’t you worry about it.”
“Do you like the cookie?” I burst out to change the subject. “Trip got me one, too.”
“Well, it’s just too pretty to eat. What a gentleman you are.”
Mace cleared her throat. “Can we get back to me, please? As you can probably tell, my mom and I are very particular about my hair.”
“DiDi said it was cool for you to come over for dinner.” Trip grinned at me.
“Really?”
“Sure,” DiDi said. “Just give me till closing time, and I’ll rev up the Blue Bomb.”
“My mom is playing tennis at our club. It’s like a fifteen-minute walk from here and she can drive us. Is it okay if we hang out and watch a movie, too? It’s Friday and we don’t have any homework, and I know my mom wouldn’t mind driving G back. She just got a new car and she wants to drive it all the time.”
Hold on now.
It was Friday night.
And Trip was asking me to hang out with him. For dinner and a movie.
Was this a date? Was I allowed to date?
According to DiDi’s schedule, I wasn’t supposed to date until I had a PhD in Ruling the Universe.
Mace cleared her throat again. “Usually, my mom will only let Jean touch my hair. After all, he’s the best. You know he trained in Paris—did you?”
DiDi waved us on. “Why don’t you run along, then, and let me take care of Macy here. Just call me if anything changes. Now, Mace, honey, Jean is a genius, but if you ask me…”
“Let’s get out of here,” I said to Trip. “See you, D.”
“It was really great meeting you, DiDi,” said Trip. “Um, bye… Mace.”
I looked back. Mace’s chin was still up, but she didn’t look like an evil villain in a dark cape anymore. She looked more like a little girl. In a big blanket. Being left behind.