Kendra grabbed me by the arm and sat me down on Alicia’s chair. She grabbed Alicia’s huge tackle box, not the one with the potions, the red one with the makeup, brushes, and nail polish. “Do you ever wear make-up?”
“Not really.”
“Do you want to try it?”
I smile, wondering what I would look like with it on. “What the hell… why not.”
“And we should totally do her hair,” Alicia broke in. “She has such amazing hair,” she added, a finger playing with a strand of my mousy dark hair.
They worked well in unison, as if they’d done this a million times. Kendra worked on my makeup, giving me soulful smoky eyes and a flirty red pout. Alicia worked magic with my hair, creating big bouncy curls. I hadn’t even realized that my hair could do that.
I felt their energy as they were working on me – it was overwhelmingly positive. I was their little pet, a fluffy bunny they could play with. I was new and fresh.
“And if you drink too much and get a hangover tomorrow, Alicia’s got you,” Kendra pointed out with a wicked grin. My heart raced – there would be alcohol. I’d never drunk before.
“Uh…” I said nervously, “but I’ll have to cough up twenty bucks.” Twenty bucks I didn’t really have.
Alicia laughed. “I’ll give you another freebie, sweetie.”
They were excited about the party. They didn’t have to tell me much about it. I could see it all in their minds; the dark sky, the bonfire, the moon reflected on the lake and the crowd. My heart raced a little. I wasn’t sure I could handle a party. I’d never really been to a party. I was the girl who stayed home every night binge watchingThe Vampire Diaries, playing Yatzee with my little sister, or jamming with my dad on the guitar. I wasn’t the girl who partied.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror above Alicia’s desk, and I could hardly recognize myself. I looked amazing; my hair was anything but mousy, my green eyes popped, and I actually had gorgeous lips – I’d never noticed that before.
And then, Alicia added, “But don’t drink if you don’t want to. I don’t drink much, personally. We’ll have a great time. It’s such a blast.”
Kendra was standing behind me, her lively reflection staring back at me in the mirror. She was holding up a sparkly black tank top, something I would never ordinarily wear. “This would look fabulous on her.”
“Ooooh,” Alicia cooed. “Yes… with my black leather pants… and my Jimmy Choos.”
Uh-oh.
“Um… this is a party on the beach right?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Well, I’ll wear the top and the pants but I’m sticking with my Converses… thank you very much.”
They both nodded, grinning from ear to ear. They both knew they’d taken me as far as I would go. This little bunny was done hopping.
10
At sunset, we walked down the hiking trail looping around RAMS.
There was a chill in the air and I wished I’d worn a sweater. Alicia and Kendra were wobbling on their heels, and I was hopping around in my sneakers, almost as if to say, “You silly girls and your silly shoes.”
Kendra smiled as she grabbed my hand and then Alicia’s – we were all connected. We were all nervous, me most of all. Boys, boys, boys. I could see them in their thoughts. They had gotten all dolled up and had worn the heels for them.
I wasn’t thinking about boys. I was just hoping I wouldn’t make a complete fool of myself. I was silently begging Alicia and Kendra not to leave me, although I knew they could probably not hear me. I wondered about Kendra. What were her skills?
“So Kendra,” I ventured as we made our way around a curb, the night settling down on us. I saw the lake. “How did you get here… at RAMS, I mean… what’s your thing?”
She smiled, a freakish grin. “I love that I can tell you this, and you won’t think I’m a total weirdo,” she started. “I’m a medium,” she told me, a proud gleam in her eyes. “I can communicate with those who have passed.”
My eyes grew wide. It was one thing to read people, but this was crazy. It brought into question all my beliefs, namely the belief that once you died, you were a goner. “Wow.”
Alicia laughed. “She thinks you’re a total freak.”
Still holding my hand and Alicia’s, Kendra shot both our arms up. “Freaksters!”
