A Picture-Perfect Mess by Jill Santopolo

one
Some Like It Hot Pink
    A ly and Brooke Tanner were eating ants on a log. Not real ants or a real log, of course. It was an after-school snack of cream cheese and celery with raisins on top that Aly’s friend Charlotte’s mom had given a silly name.
    Most Mondays after school, Aly and Brooke headed to True Colors, their mom’s nail salon. It was their “home away from home.” Not only did they know the name of practically every customer, they also knew the name of practically every color nail polish.
    But today Aly and Brooke were not at True Colors. Or at the Sparkle Spa, the salon they had started for kids their own age. Instead, the sisters were at Charlotte Cane’s house eating ants on a log and studying an Auden Elementary School flyer spread out in front of them on Charlotte’s kitchen table. Lily, Aly and Charlotte’s other best friend, was going to come too, but then she remembered that she had basketball practice. So just the three of them were looking at flyers.
    Auden Elementary School’s Picture Day
    NAME: __________________________
    GRADE: _________________________
    TEACHER: ________________________
    Background choice (check one)
    â€œI can’t believe Mom’s finally letting me pick a background color for myself,” Brooke said, looking at Aly. “I think this might be the best Picture Day ever for me.”
    Aly smiled at her sister. “Mom let me pick for the first time in third grade too.” That year, Aly had chosen the background that looked like a blackboard. It wasn’t the most exciting choice, but the photos had come out nice.
    Picture Day wasn’t for a few weeks, but the flyers were due back to the teachers the next day, and the girls had to pick the backgrounds, which, as far as Aly was concerned, was the hardest—and most important—School Picture Day decision.
    Charlotte inspected the paper in front of her. “It’s too bad you can’t draw some backgrounds, Brooke. The ones you made for the photo booth at the Angels’ soccer party were awesome.”
    Brooke held up her flyer and pointed to a row of lockers that were the color of Purple People Eater nail polish. “I wish I could. If I added sparkles to this one, it would be so much cooler.”
    â€œLast year the lockers that look like Yellow Submarine polish were my background,” Aly said, “and then I wore jeans and a red shirt with tiny blue polka dots. The colors looked really good together. You have to figure out what you want to wear so you don’t mess up and wear a yellow shirt on a yellow background. Otherwise, you blend right in.”
    Brooke laughed. “You would look just like a head with arms and legs! I hope someone does that so we can see. Maybe Caleb would.” Caleb was Charlotte’s twin brother.
    â€œMy mom would totally ground him,” Charlotte said. “She picks out his background and Picture Day clothes anyway. He doesn’t care. None of his friends do.”
    â€œI bet the boys don’t even know it’s Picture Day,” Brooke said. “Hey, Aly, do you think the shirt you wore in fourth grade would fit me yet? Because if it does, maybe I could wear it against this green grass background. What do you think?”
    Aly studied her sister, who was wearing a unicorn T-shirt that used to be Aly’s when she was in third grade, and a Some Like It Hot Pink ruffled skirt that she’d picked out at the mall. “Not yet, Brookie. Probably next year,” Aly said. “When you’re in fourth.”
    Every summer before school started, Brooke went through the clothes Aly had grown out of. A lot of times tops and shirts and sweaters Aly hardly wore became Brooke’s new favorites, like the unicorn T-shirt. Aly had worn it a few times, but Brooke lived in it.
    â€œMaybe I could wear my teal dress,” she said. “You know, the one with the fringes—but I’m not sure