"It's useless," said Lizzie. "I can't go. You go on without me."
Miranda sighed and placed her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Don't be stupid. It'll be fine."
Lizzie folded her arms and pouted. She was currently wearing Miranda's leopard print one-piece. She had gone over an hour before the party to prepare, but it was discouraging when she had nothing to wear.
"It won't be fine," she huffed. "None of my old bathing suits fit, and none of your bathing suits fit, and my hair is horrible. I can't go to my ex- boyfriend's party looking like this. Especially not with Kate there."
Miranda, ever the cool-headed, tried to keep Lizzie's spirits up. "It will be fine," she repeated firmly. "Just leave it to me and you'll look fine." She clapped in her hands in a "let's get busy" manner. "Have a seat and I'll take care of your hair. As for the suit, you're going to wear my mom's old one-- its basic black and very exotic." She added those extra details before Lizzie could argue. "Now sit down, we only have half an hour left."
Lizzie threw up her hands in defeat and sat down where she was instructed. Miranda pulled out an assortment of rubber bands, beads, and combs from her vanity and began to violently mold Lizzie's wild blonde hair. Within twenty minutes, Lizzie's hair was pulled tight into chunky, beaded cornrolls.
Miranda motioned for Lizzie to get up and look in the mirror. "You like?" she asked, beaming at her masterpiece.
Lizzie smiled for the first time in a week and nodded. Miranda ran to her mother's room to fetch her mother's swimsuit and brought it back to Lizzie. "Now, hurry up, the clock is ticking!" She paused, and then snuck at glance at herself in the mirror. "Oh man. I still have to get ready!"
Sometime that century, they made it over to Ethan's party. Miranda was decked out her brand new suit with a multi-colored, homemade wrap tied around her waist. Lizzie was jamming with her cornrolls, black suit and Miranda's fringed denim shorts.
The first person Lizzie spotted was Kate, looking just as gorgeous and evil as ever. Fear simmered in the pit of her stomach. In the back of her mind she felt that seeing Kate was even worse than Ethan. After all, in her heart she knew she could forgive Ethan eventually, but her competition with Kate was never-ending.
Kate was wearing a shimmery pink binkini that delicately covered her generous endowments, empasizing her flat stomach and long, shapely legs. She giggled at a joke someone in her circle had told, and twirled her hair through her flowing mass of perfect hair. Her lips were shiny with pink lip gloss and her eyelashes were almost deadly when she batted them. Lizzie tugged at her own irregularly shaped bathing suit, knowing that her appearance wasn't anywhere near Kate's league.
Miranda strolled amongst the crowd waving and smiling at familiar faces. Lizzie followed, but was too self-concious to be her usual cheerful self. She spotted Gordo getting himself a drink and smiled. At least there was one person she never felt insecure around. She seperated herself from Miranda and walked over to Gordo.
"Hey," she said.
Gordo looked up and acknowledged her. "Hi Lizzie," he greeted. "I'm surprised you came."
Lizzie stared at him, taken aback. She hadn't expected to hear something like that from Gordo; Kate, maybe, but definitely not Gordo. "Why would you say that?"
He shrugged. "Well, you were pretty torn on the last day of school. I figured you were still moping about the unfairness of it all. Isn't that what girls do?"
Lizzie rolled her eyes and growled. "For your information, I'm totally over that. And I came here today because me and Ethan have decided to stay friends."
"Ethan and I," he corrected automatically. Then he looked at Lizzie and shook his head, apologizing. "That's a very mature and decisive action, Lizzie. I guess you're a bigger person than I thought you were."
"Yeah, well..." Lizzie picked up a tortilla chip and dipped in salsa. She wasn't sure whether or not she needed to agree with Gordo. Was he belittling her or complimenting her? She shoved the chip in her mouth and prepared another.
Gordo was looking over at the other end of the pool, distracted by something. LIzzie followed his gaze and found what was so distracting. It was Casey Miller, an extremely tall and lanky girl with frizzy brown hair. She was looking fabulous in her blue suit as she dipped her toes in the water.
"I'll, uh, catch you later, Lizzie," Gordo said, grabbing and extra soda and moving towards Casey.
"Yeah, sure..." Lizzie began, but Gordo was already gone. What was she, chopped liver? And since when had Gordo been so confident? She watched as he fearlessly sat beside Casey on the side of the pool and offered her his extra soda. Casey started to giggle. Lizzie was shocked. Was it possible that Gordo had actually made a girl laugh? A real girl, not Lizzie or Miranda.
Lizzie tore her gaze away from Gordo, and her eyes fell upon her other best friend. Miranda was standing in a circle with a few other girls, and all of them were cracking up as she spoke. Miranda's face was animated and enthusiastic as she used her hands to illustrate whatever amusing story she was telling. Her dark skin sparkled with little droplets of pool water and her eyes were radiant with life.
Lizzie looked away. She munched on another chip and hunched over, wishing she could curl up in a ball and be invisible. She felt sick inside, as if she was a blob of nothing standing in a crowd of beautiful creatures. Then, at the worst possible moment, Ethan Craft appeared in her line of sight.
He had approached Kate's clique and was entertaining them with his "wit". He looked as fantastic as he ever did, and Kate looked fantastic standing next to him. *No wonder I got dumped* she thought miserably to herself. *I'm a nothing compared to someone like Kate* She began to chew nervously on her chips.
"Looking hot, Mcguire!"
Lizzie turned slowly in the direction of the speaker, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Thanks, Tudgeman," she replied darkly. It was not the type of compliment she needed to boost her confidence.
She turned away from him and found Miranda beside her. "Hey! Why are you standing here all alone?" she asked. She took Lizzie by the hand and tried to guide her over to the circle of people. "Come on over here and hang out."
Lizzie shook her head insistantly. "No way. I can't go ever there. I look like crap compared to all those people."
"Are you kidding? You look fabulous. Ethan's been looking this way like every five seconds."
"He's probably wondered why I bothered showing up," Lizzie muttered.
"Don't be stupid. It's all in your head."
Lizzie stared colody at Miranda. "Quit feeling sorry for me, okay? I'm a big girl. I can take it. Just leave me alone!" She stormed off from Miranda and went inside the Craft house to call her ride.
Miranda stood there with her jaw dropped. "Woah. That was... weird."
Miranda sighed and placed her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Don't be stupid. It'll be fine."
Lizzie folded her arms and pouted. She was currently wearing Miranda's leopard print one-piece. She had gone over an hour before the party to prepare, but it was discouraging when she had nothing to wear.
"It won't be fine," she huffed. "None of my old bathing suits fit, and none of your bathing suits fit, and my hair is horrible. I can't go to my ex- boyfriend's party looking like this. Especially not with Kate there."
Miranda, ever the cool-headed, tried to keep Lizzie's spirits up. "It will be fine," she repeated firmly. "Just leave it to me and you'll look fine." She clapped in her hands in a "let's get busy" manner. "Have a seat and I'll take care of your hair. As for the suit, you're going to wear my mom's old one-- its basic black and very exotic." She added those extra details before Lizzie could argue. "Now sit down, we only have half an hour left."
Lizzie threw up her hands in defeat and sat down where she was instructed. Miranda pulled out an assortment of rubber bands, beads, and combs from her vanity and began to violently mold Lizzie's wild blonde hair. Within twenty minutes, Lizzie's hair was pulled tight into chunky, beaded cornrolls.
Miranda motioned for Lizzie to get up and look in the mirror. "You like?" she asked, beaming at her masterpiece.
Lizzie smiled for the first time in a week and nodded. Miranda ran to her mother's room to fetch her mother's swimsuit and brought it back to Lizzie. "Now, hurry up, the clock is ticking!" She paused, and then snuck at glance at herself in the mirror. "Oh man. I still have to get ready!"
Sometime that century, they made it over to Ethan's party. Miranda was decked out her brand new suit with a multi-colored, homemade wrap tied around her waist. Lizzie was jamming with her cornrolls, black suit and Miranda's fringed denim shorts.
The first person Lizzie spotted was Kate, looking just as gorgeous and evil as ever. Fear simmered in the pit of her stomach. In the back of her mind she felt that seeing Kate was even worse than Ethan. After all, in her heart she knew she could forgive Ethan eventually, but her competition with Kate was never-ending.
Kate was wearing a shimmery pink binkini that delicately covered her generous endowments, empasizing her flat stomach and long, shapely legs. She giggled at a joke someone in her circle had told, and twirled her hair through her flowing mass of perfect hair. Her lips were shiny with pink lip gloss and her eyelashes were almost deadly when she batted them. Lizzie tugged at her own irregularly shaped bathing suit, knowing that her appearance wasn't anywhere near Kate's league.
Miranda strolled amongst the crowd waving and smiling at familiar faces. Lizzie followed, but was too self-concious to be her usual cheerful self. She spotted Gordo getting himself a drink and smiled. At least there was one person she never felt insecure around. She seperated herself from Miranda and walked over to Gordo.
"Hey," she said.
Gordo looked up and acknowledged her. "Hi Lizzie," he greeted. "I'm surprised you came."
Lizzie stared at him, taken aback. She hadn't expected to hear something like that from Gordo; Kate, maybe, but definitely not Gordo. "Why would you say that?"
He shrugged. "Well, you were pretty torn on the last day of school. I figured you were still moping about the unfairness of it all. Isn't that what girls do?"
Lizzie rolled her eyes and growled. "For your information, I'm totally over that. And I came here today because me and Ethan have decided to stay friends."
"Ethan and I," he corrected automatically. Then he looked at Lizzie and shook his head, apologizing. "That's a very mature and decisive action, Lizzie. I guess you're a bigger person than I thought you were."
"Yeah, well..." Lizzie picked up a tortilla chip and dipped in salsa. She wasn't sure whether or not she needed to agree with Gordo. Was he belittling her or complimenting her? She shoved the chip in her mouth and prepared another.
Gordo was looking over at the other end of the pool, distracted by something. LIzzie followed his gaze and found what was so distracting. It was Casey Miller, an extremely tall and lanky girl with frizzy brown hair. She was looking fabulous in her blue suit as she dipped her toes in the water.
"I'll, uh, catch you later, Lizzie," Gordo said, grabbing and extra soda and moving towards Casey.
"Yeah, sure..." Lizzie began, but Gordo was already gone. What was she, chopped liver? And since when had Gordo been so confident? She watched as he fearlessly sat beside Casey on the side of the pool and offered her his extra soda. Casey started to giggle. Lizzie was shocked. Was it possible that Gordo had actually made a girl laugh? A real girl, not Lizzie or Miranda.
Lizzie tore her gaze away from Gordo, and her eyes fell upon her other best friend. Miranda was standing in a circle with a few other girls, and all of them were cracking up as she spoke. Miranda's face was animated and enthusiastic as she used her hands to illustrate whatever amusing story she was telling. Her dark skin sparkled with little droplets of pool water and her eyes were radiant with life.
Lizzie looked away. She munched on another chip and hunched over, wishing she could curl up in a ball and be invisible. She felt sick inside, as if she was a blob of nothing standing in a crowd of beautiful creatures. Then, at the worst possible moment, Ethan Craft appeared in her line of sight.
He had approached Kate's clique and was entertaining them with his "wit". He looked as fantastic as he ever did, and Kate looked fantastic standing next to him. *No wonder I got dumped* she thought miserably to herself. *I'm a nothing compared to someone like Kate* She began to chew nervously on her chips.
"Looking hot, Mcguire!"
Lizzie turned slowly in the direction of the speaker, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Thanks, Tudgeman," she replied darkly. It was not the type of compliment she needed to boost her confidence.
She turned away from him and found Miranda beside her. "Hey! Why are you standing here all alone?" she asked. She took Lizzie by the hand and tried to guide her over to the circle of people. "Come on over here and hang out."
Lizzie shook her head insistantly. "No way. I can't go ever there. I look like crap compared to all those people."
"Are you kidding? You look fabulous. Ethan's been looking this way like every five seconds."
"He's probably wondered why I bothered showing up," Lizzie muttered.
"Don't be stupid. It's all in your head."
Lizzie stared colody at Miranda. "Quit feeling sorry for me, okay? I'm a big girl. I can take it. Just leave me alone!" She stormed off from Miranda and went inside the Craft house to call her ride.
Miranda stood there with her jaw dropped. "Woah. That was... weird."