Suddenly, Kenny, Mel, and Deanna tumble out of the bathroom, gasping for air.
“Disgusting!” Deanna yells at Kenny from where she fell on the rug.
Mel piles on top of her. “Seriously! What the hell did you eat?”
Kenny sits at the vanity laughing so hard she can’t respond. The others are laughing too, which makes me and Kayla crackup. Kenny looks at me with puppy eyes. “Jasmine, you too?” she says, covering her face. “I had dairy, it’s not my fault!” she squeals.
“I’m sorry, Kenny,” I say, “it just came out.”
“Yeah, that’s what she said!!” Mel laughs harder.
“You guys are ridiculous,” Alice says. She grabs my tote and adds it to the pile by her closet. A long slinky dress covered in sequins hangs on the door, in front of another dress I can’t see beyond some tulle at the bottom. The sequin dress looks like something you’d see on a red carpet, not in a teenage girl’s bedroom. Before I can take my eyes from it, Alice whispers in my ear.
“Those are our homecoming dresses. Top one’s Kayla’s. She’s gonna look better than all of us,” she says.
“What are you whispering about over there?” Kayla asks from the floor, where she’s sitting with the other girls. I make my way over to them and plop down next to her, letting Alice respond.
“She was admiring your dress, nosy,” Alice says.
Kayla nods approvingly. “I know it doesn’t look like it will fit my big ass now, but you’ll see by homecoming, watch,” she says.
Her reaction surprises me because I’ve never heard her comment on her body like that.
“Stop, you always look hot,” Kenny says.
We all nod in agreement. I don’t say what I’m really thinking, which isWill these girls still want me around by homecoming? Will I get to buy a dress and go to a dance like a normal teenager?
I shift my attention to Deanna, who tilts her head and smiles at me, like she always does. I missed her face. She mouthshiand I mouth it back.
Deanna turns to the rest of the group. “I’m more excited about the carnival than homecoming, to be honest,” she says.
“Oooh, I almost forgot that’s coming up,” Kenny says.
“When is it?” I ask. “And what is it?”
The girls laugh.
“In a couple weeks. It’s one of the biggest events in town—rides, games, junk food, the works,” Mel says.
“Everyone goes,” Kayla chimes in.
“Sounds fun,” I say, wondering if maybe I’ll be in a picture like the one on the fridge this year.
Alice claps her hands together. “All right, enough chitchat, ladies,” she says, standing up like she’s going to make a speech. “Welcome to the first official sleepover of the school year!”
The girls cheer, to Alice’s delight—and mine.
“We’re moving this thing to the theater. Mary set us up there for the night so she can put away laundry in peace. Change into your pj’s and let’s go!” she says.
Kayla shoots me a look, and I already know she’s expecting to see my mouth wide open at the mention of a theater. My face doesn’t give me up even though I’m screaming on the inside.
This might actually be fun.
The theater has eight oversize armchairs, four in the front and four in the back. Alice, Kayla, and I sit in the back row with an open seat at the end, and Kenny, Mel, and Deanna grab the front row with an open seat by the wall. Alice startsEverything, Everythingand we all settle in, munching on popcorn and sipping sodas.
I can see Deanna from my seat almost the same way I can in class—that side profile I’ve come to know so well. Halfwaythrough the movie, she catches me staring and a little smile plays on her lips.
When the credits roll, Kenny and Mel start talking about what we should watch next. Alice sniffles next to Kayla.
