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“No worries, I enjoy being in your jail,” I said, laughing, as I hoisted her up.
“You really are a sweet girl, Amy,” she said with a voice filled with compassion and the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes. I had almost gotten used to Jennifer’s extra weepiness.
“I know, I know.” I feigned a sigh before bursting into a laugh.
“There’s food in the fridge for you. Help yourself to anything in there. We got take out and I ordered extra just for you.”
“Oh, just for me, huh?”
Jennifer looked sheepish.
“Okay, it’s possible I got a little hangry and my eyes were bigger than my stomach.”
I laughed again. Spending this time with Jennifer was exactly what I needed after a weird end to the day.
“Any exciting plans tonight?” she asked. “I’m living vicariously through you, you know.”
“Nah, not really. Lila cornered me after school and invited me to a party at her house.”
“Oh,” Jennifer said, sitting up straighter and looking excited. Ugh, I knew where this was headed. “So will you-know-who be there? Could this be a special night?”
“Oh, please,” I said, waving my hand like she was ridiculous. “I’m so over him.”
“Are you now? But he might be at the party?”
“Yes, Jennifer. He might be at the party. Actually, he probablywillbe at the party.”
I marched into the kitchen, hoping that would be the end of that conversation. But like every person I talked to this afternoon, I had no such luck.
“You should wear something nice,” Jennifer said, following me slowly. “I have some fun dresses in my closet. You know, from when I used to be young and cool.”
I couldn’t help the face I pulled.
“I don’t know, Jennifer. They’re probably a little too sexy for me.”
Jennifer was a knockout and never shy about showing that off. She also had very different proportions than my much more subdued curves.
“Oh, stop,” she said, waving away my concern and starting to waddle up the stairs. Reluctantly, I followed her into the closet in her room. “This will be perfect.”
Jennifer pulled out a gorgeous–and surprisingly simple–lilac spaghetti strap dress. The neck was more square and actually not all that low cut at all. The back, though, was low cut with thin straps that delicately criss-crossed each other. There were subtle strands of silver running through the fabric that made the dress shimmer.
“What size shoe are you?” Jennifer’s head was fully buried under the rack as she was sifting through boxes. “I have a pair of matching heels.”
She pulled out a pair of low block heel sandals with two thin straps across the foot. I simply shrugged and stuffed my feet inside them and was as surprised as Jennifer when they fit.
“Can I do your hair and makeup?” Jennifer was practically bouncing with excitement as the knot of dread gathered larger and larger at the top of my stomach. What was I doing? Everyone would think I was ridiculous for trying so hard.
My throat felt like sandpaper and I couldn’t get my vocal chords to work, so I just slowly nodded instead. Jennifer jumped up and down and I looked worriedly at her stomach, but she just burst out laughing. I couldn’t help but match her laughter as she dragged me into her bathroom and sat me down at her vanity, where she very seriously got to work.
Almost two hours later, Jennifer had my dark brown curls tamed and looking glossy. Light makeup made my skin glowy and the dark mascara had my eyes popping. The light wash of nude gloss made my lips appear just a little bigger. Jennifer tucked gloss and makeup in a small bag for “touch ups,” she said.
Slipping into the knee-length dress and the shoes, I couldn’t help but feel like the “after” in a high school makeover movie. Was this really all it took? A little conditioner, styling cream, and makeup?
“One more thing,” Jennifer said, digging in a drawer. She pulled out a small travel-size perfume and spritzed my pulse points before slipping it in the bag.
“Amy,” she said, hands clasped in front of me. “You have always been beautiful, sweet girl. But you look stunning.”
“Really?” I couldn’t help the smile and the little twirl in the dress. Truly, I had never felt as good as I did at that moment.
