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Chapter One
“Stop touching your face so much.” Lillian smacked my hand away for the tenth time.
“We’re almost done.” Hazel leaned close enough for me to stare at her slightly parted lips as she put more makeup on my face and then used her finger to mess with it. I swore she was giving me clown eyes.
“Why is there so much makeup? The costume isn’t that hard.”
“We’re doing that pop-punk look—it takes creativity. You’re a beautiful girl, Cadence, but the whole ‘I’m gonna kick your ass’ isn’t you.” Lillian flashed a big smile. “You’re bubbly.”
“I’m…bubbly?” I tried to understand what that even meant. Bubbly? Wasn’t that about being a happy-go-lucky person who laughed all the time? Wasn’t that for people who lived only in happiness?
Hazel laughed. “If you were a social girl, you’d be giving us a run for our money. You could probably take over the school if you wanted to.”
“You’re adorable,” Lillian said in agreement. “You easily put people at ease when they see you. Draw them in.” She smirked, her eyes sparkling with humor. “The guys would agree with us.”
I didn’t know what to do with their compliments. It was hard for me to believe. My looks had never been a priority in my life. I knew I was decent enough, looked fine in what I wore, but that was as far as my thoughts went. I didn’t have time for anything else as I focused on music and surviving.
“So, you’re trying to turn me into Avril Lavigne,” I remarked, doing my best to change topics. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t see what they saw. I saw a girl who carried enough of her dad’s features to make her mother despise her. I saw a girl trying to fight to breathe each day. I saw the pain I felt every day.
As if sensing my downward spiral of thoughts, the dull pain in my back spiked to life, but only briefly. Then it went back to the dull ache that seemed to follow me around today. The only remaining physical proof of my mother’s attack that sent me to the hospital and left me with a spinal injury that didn’t want to go away.
Everyone kept telling me it could be worse. That I could have been stuck in a wheelchair. I didn’t feel so lucky when I woke in the middle of the night with back spasms. Or ached just trying to lift things from the floor. The most frustrating thing was when I needed to sit at my piano for a long span in the proper position. My back really didn’t like me doing that. My music, the one thing I had that I loved, suffered because of an injury my mom caused. It was a bit comical, really, considering Lindie had always prioritized my music over anything. It was what’d allowed her to live comfortably. And then she’d even damaged that.
The doctors were hopeful my spine was going to heal. The longer the pain lasted, the less sure I was. But they all kept saying the same thing over and over again. Spinal injuries took time to heal. I just needed to be more patient. To keep waiting. To keep dealing with the pain.
Lillian broke me from my thoughts as she said, “Avril’s style has always been kickass. She’s a classic icon. Edgy with that rock and roll attitude.”
“You are going to be the perfect Avril Lavigne as soon as we sharpen your features more,” Hazel said.
“And darken your eyes more,” Lillian added.
I sighed and let them keep working. I had asked for their help after all. Well, more like I told Micah the theme this year, and he got them on board to help me. They were the last people I had expected when I opened my front door though, and they’d been more than happy to torture me for the last two hours.
My plan had originally been to just work up until the Halloween party, then toss on a boy band black T-shirt with dark jeans and head over to Seth’s to join everyone.
The twins, Lillian and Hazel, arrived early enough to let me know my plans had changed. A text from Micah verified it. I’d been tricked for Halloween, apparently.
Unfortunately, the twins made it really hard to be mad at them. While they were the most popular girls at school, top grades, top players in volleyball, and respected all around by everyone, including teachers, they were still down to earth and cared more than most people our age did.
There was a story there. It’d been hinted at, but I let it go. These last few weeks, they’d made it a point to claim me as their friend, and they had no trouble standing up for me. They acted like we had been friends for years, not for a month.
I didn’t have the heart to make them leave.
Now they were turning me into Avril Lavigne. The theme tonight was music bands. I picked out the boy band for the guys and they picked out mine. I had originally wanted to dress up like an obsessed fan, but Toby and Paxon refused to let me get away with it.
“Damn, the angsty teen look is coming out perfectly.” Lillian’s grin stretched all the way across her face. “We need to tease the hair a bit more. The makeup is spot on though.”
“Great, time to go,” I said.
My phone buzzed, and I picked it up, expecting a text from one of the guys.
Micah: If I knock any harder, my knuckles are going to bleed.
Me: Isn’t that what a doorbell is for?
“Micah is here,” I said.
Hazel visibly brightened. “I’ll go get him.” Then she disappeared before anyone could say anything else.
