Lizzie slept in late again and for breakfast, which really should have been
lunch, she had two bowls of Fruit Loops and the rest of the chocolate-chip
cookies. She knew Matt would be mad when he discovered there weren't any
left, and that thought gave her the slightest hint of happiness. She was
just finishing a glass of root beer when Miranda's mom pulled up in the
driveway.
"Later, Mom!" Lizzie hollered to the other end of the house. She hurried out the car and slid into the backseat.
Miranda turned around and looked at Lizzie from the passenger's seat. "So, ready to find a hot new swimsuit?"
"You bet," replied Lizzie. It actually gave her a pain inside to think about swimsuits, because it reminded her of Ethan's pool party. *What's the point of getting a cute swimsuit?* she thought sadly to herself, *There's no way I can show up there now.*
Inside the mall, the first place they passed was the pretzel stand. "Mmmm," said Lizzie. "I'm craving sweets. How about a cinnamon pretzel to get energized before we shop?"
Miranda grinned and nodded. "Sure. I'm feelin' that."
Lizzie treated herself to two cinnamon pretzels and lemonade icy. After all, she was dealing with heartbreak and she was cramping. It was the least she could do for herself.
* * * *
"There's no way my mom would ever let me wear this!" Miranda said with a giggle. She was wearing a skimpy red bikini that tied on the sides. "Oh well. It was fun to see how it looked, anyway." As she was sliding it off, she glanced at the price tag. "Ee! I couldn't afford it even if my mom would let me buy it! How can they charge this much for something like a bathing suit?" She held up the red bikini and looked at it in awe. "I mean, there's hardly anything there. There's no way it could be worth that much!"
Lizzie tried to laugh, but it was too hard. Miranda was trying to cheer her up, but to no avail. Lizzie was in no mood to go bathing suit shopping. She far too depressed, not to mention bloated.
She was currently wearing a sparkly purple two-piece, but she didn't like the way it looked on her. She immediately took it off and tried on a simple, navy blue one-piece. She hated it, too.
Miranda finally decided on a bright blue two-piece that had a halter top and boy-cut bottoms. Lizzie followed her to the check-out counter, carrying nothing.
Miranda frowned. "You're not getting anything?"
"I didn't really find anything I liked," Lizzie said meekly.
"Well, we could go to another store."
"No, it's okay." Miranda sighed and left the subject alone.
* * * *
"Do you think we have time to get a slice of pizza before your Mom comes to pick us up?" Lizzie asked. They had just exited American Eagle, where she managed to forget about her sadness long enough to pick out of pair of red spongy sandals.
Miranda gave her a look. "Are you really hungry again?" she asked.
Lizzie shrugged. "It just sounds good right now. I need something saucy to balance out all the sweet stuff I had this morning."
Miranda looked at her watch. "Well, yeah, I guess we have time. The line doesn't look too long."
"Cool."
When Miranda's mom pulled in to Lizzie's driveway, Miranda jumped out of the car and walked Lizzie to the door.
"It's gonna be okay, you know?" she said in her sweetest best-friend voice. "I know it hurts now, but it'll get better soon. I know it will. Bad things just don't last long around good people like you, Lizzie."
Lizzie smiled and nodded to her friend. "Thanks. Maybe you're right." She gave her friend a quick hug and went inside her house. She tossed her AE bag onto the couch and went into the kitchen. She fixed herself a plate of peanut butter on celery sticks and took it into the living room.
She vegged out and watched some TV as a distraction, but at every commericial break, or whenever there was nothing left on her plate to munch on, thoughts of Ethan flooded her mind.
"Later, Mom!" Lizzie hollered to the other end of the house. She hurried out the car and slid into the backseat.
Miranda turned around and looked at Lizzie from the passenger's seat. "So, ready to find a hot new swimsuit?"
"You bet," replied Lizzie. It actually gave her a pain inside to think about swimsuits, because it reminded her of Ethan's pool party. *What's the point of getting a cute swimsuit?* she thought sadly to herself, *There's no way I can show up there now.*
Inside the mall, the first place they passed was the pretzel stand. "Mmmm," said Lizzie. "I'm craving sweets. How about a cinnamon pretzel to get energized before we shop?"
Miranda grinned and nodded. "Sure. I'm feelin' that."
Lizzie treated herself to two cinnamon pretzels and lemonade icy. After all, she was dealing with heartbreak and she was cramping. It was the least she could do for herself.
* * * *
"There's no way my mom would ever let me wear this!" Miranda said with a giggle. She was wearing a skimpy red bikini that tied on the sides. "Oh well. It was fun to see how it looked, anyway." As she was sliding it off, she glanced at the price tag. "Ee! I couldn't afford it even if my mom would let me buy it! How can they charge this much for something like a bathing suit?" She held up the red bikini and looked at it in awe. "I mean, there's hardly anything there. There's no way it could be worth that much!"
Lizzie tried to laugh, but it was too hard. Miranda was trying to cheer her up, but to no avail. Lizzie was in no mood to go bathing suit shopping. She far too depressed, not to mention bloated.
She was currently wearing a sparkly purple two-piece, but she didn't like the way it looked on her. She immediately took it off and tried on a simple, navy blue one-piece. She hated it, too.
Miranda finally decided on a bright blue two-piece that had a halter top and boy-cut bottoms. Lizzie followed her to the check-out counter, carrying nothing.
Miranda frowned. "You're not getting anything?"
"I didn't really find anything I liked," Lizzie said meekly.
"Well, we could go to another store."
"No, it's okay." Miranda sighed and left the subject alone.
* * * *
"Do you think we have time to get a slice of pizza before your Mom comes to pick us up?" Lizzie asked. They had just exited American Eagle, where she managed to forget about her sadness long enough to pick out of pair of red spongy sandals.
Miranda gave her a look. "Are you really hungry again?" she asked.
Lizzie shrugged. "It just sounds good right now. I need something saucy to balance out all the sweet stuff I had this morning."
Miranda looked at her watch. "Well, yeah, I guess we have time. The line doesn't look too long."
"Cool."
When Miranda's mom pulled in to Lizzie's driveway, Miranda jumped out of the car and walked Lizzie to the door.
"It's gonna be okay, you know?" she said in her sweetest best-friend voice. "I know it hurts now, but it'll get better soon. I know it will. Bad things just don't last long around good people like you, Lizzie."
Lizzie smiled and nodded to her friend. "Thanks. Maybe you're right." She gave her friend a quick hug and went inside her house. She tossed her AE bag onto the couch and went into the kitchen. She fixed herself a plate of peanut butter on celery sticks and took it into the living room.
She vegged out and watched some TV as a distraction, but at every commericial break, or whenever there was nothing left on her plate to munch on, thoughts of Ethan flooded her mind.