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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 Alyâs friend Charlotteâs mom had given a silly name.
Most Mondays after school, Aly and Brooke headed to True Colors, their momâs nail salon. It was their âhome away from home.â 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 Caneâs house eating ants on a log and studying an Auden Elementary School flyer spread out in front of them on Charlotteâs kitchen table. Lily, Aly and Charlotteâs 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 Schoolâs Picture Day
NAME: __________________________
GRADE: _________________________
TEACHER: ________________________
Background choice (check one)
âI canât believe Momâs finally letting me pick a background color for myself,â Brooke said, looking at Aly. âI think this might be the best Picture Day ever for me.â
Aly smiled at her sister. âMom let me pick for the first time in third grade too.â That year, Aly had chosen the background that looked like a blackboard. It wasnât the most exciting choice, but the photos had come out nice.
Picture Day wasnât 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 hardestâand most importantâSchool Picture Day decision.
Charlotte inspected the paper in front of her. âItâs too bad you canât draw some backgrounds, Brooke. The ones you made for the photo booth at the Angelsâ soccer party were awesome.â
Brooke held up her flyer and pointed to a row of lockers that were the color of Purple People Eater nail polish. âI wish I could. If I added sparkles to this one, it would be so much cooler.â
âLast year the lockers that look like Yellow Submarine polish were my background,â Aly said, âand 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 donât mess up and wear a yellow shirt on a yellow background. Otherwise, you blend right in.â
Brooke laughed. âYou would look just like a head with arms and legs! I hope someone does that so we can see. Maybe Caleb would.â Caleb was Charlotteâs twin brother.
âMy mom would totally ground him,â Charlotte said. âShe picks out his background and Picture Day clothes anyway. He doesnât care. None of his friends do.â
âI bet the boys donât even know itâs Picture Day,â Brooke said. âHey, 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?â
Aly studied her sister, who was wearing a unicorn T-shirt that used to be Alyâs when she was in third grade, and a Some Like It Hot Pink ruffled skirt that sheâd picked out at the mall. âNot yet, Brookie. Probably next year,â Aly said. âWhen youâre in fourth.â
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 Brookeâs new favorites, like the unicorn T-shirt. Aly had worn it a few times, but Brooke lived in it.
âMaybe I could wear my teal dress,â she said. âYou know, the one with the fringesâbut Iâm not sure
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