Sally snickered and fingered her chin.
"I drew all weekend. A dateless Saturday night, like usual," Margo said.
"Sarah doesn't talk."
"What do you mean?" Sally blinked and wrinkled her brow.
"She doesn't talk to anyone, except me. At least, I think it's only me."
"Is something wrong with her voice?" Margo put her hand on my arm, her expression all concerned.
"I don't know. I'm gonna look on the Internet during lunch."
"We'll help. You have first lunch, right?" Margo asked.
"Yeah."
"I've got study hall. I'll meet you in the library."
"No fair. I've got yearbook. We're in the middle of pages. Ms. Tucker will never let me go."
"I'll represent us both," Margo said.
A rush of warmth swept over me. "Thanks. Both of you."
Sally grabbed me in a quick hug.
Margo gasped and put her hands on her cheeks, shifting the mood. " A y , I forgot my mascara. Why didn't you tell me?" She hit Sally on the arm.
"I don't know. I assumed you forgot on purpose."
"Like I'd forget on purpose? Come on, hurry." She grabbed both of us and pulled us into the school, making a beeline to the girls' bathroom.
We nearly fell through the restroom door, all of us giggling over Margo's crisis. She stared in the mirror. "I have no eyes. Sally, I'm gonna kill you for this."
"Me? I didn't do anything."
"You should've told me."
Sally turned to me, shrugged, and grimaced. "She's my best friend, so I guess I have to dress her and put on her makeup, too."
Margo was digging noisily in her purse. "I know it's in here somewhere." She rummaged some more. "Aha! Here it is."
She pulled out some mascara and began layering it on. "Better. Much better." She turned to us and fluttered her lashes.
"Gorgeous, Margo." Sally shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You're vain and pathetic."
"I am not. I just like to have eyes on my face, is all."
I opened my purse and took out a small bottle of perfume I'd made a few months earlier. "Want some scent?"
Margo grabbed it from my hands. "What's this?"
Sally took it from her. "Emili makes perfume. I forgot to tell you." She unscrewed the lid and took a whiff. "Hey, it's nice."
Margo leaned in and sniffed. "Kind of fruity."
"It's a mixture of orange and honeysuckle. Like it?"
Sally put some on her wrists and behind her ears. Margo snatched it back and started dabbing away on her neck.
"We're gonna smell like twins," she said. "My tÃa would love this."
"Your tÃa ?" I asked.
"My aunt. She runs Cosas Preciosas. "
"Which is�"
Sally took the perfume back from Margo and replaced the lid. "It's a small-ish boutique on Markel Drive. It's actually kind of cute. Clothes, jewelry, and stuff."
"Does she need help?"
"Meaning�" Margo asked.
"A job. I need a job."
Margo fluffed her hair, which wasn't possible, because it must've weighed at least ten pounds dry. "Sometimes I help out for free, so I don't think there's an opening. Maybe. I could ask."
"Will you?" Inside, hope bubbled at the thought. This was turning into a great day.
"Sure. It'd only be minimum wage, you know."
"Minimum's fine," I answered.
****
I went straight to the library at lunch, and Margo was already there. The librarian glanced up as I entered. She didn't look much older than me, with her long brown ponytail and bright orange capris â even though it was freezing outside. She wore a navy sweater thrown over her shoulders as though she was fresh off the tennis court at a country club. I was always amazed sweaters worn like that didn't fall straight to the floor, but the librarian managed it fine.
"Research?" she asked in a perky voice as I walked by.
"Yeah. Is it okay?"
"Knock yourself out," she answered and flipped another page of her magazine.
Margo saw me coming. "I've already searched 'my sister won't talk'. All I'm getting is useless stuff about family feuds."
I plopped onto the heavy oak chair next to her. "I'll log into this computer, and we'll both search."
"Okay. I'll try something else. How about 'not
"I drew all weekend. A dateless Saturday night, like usual," Margo said.
"Sarah doesn't talk."
"What do you mean?" Sally blinked and wrinkled her brow.
"She doesn't talk to anyone, except me. At least, I think it's only me."
"Is something wrong with her voice?" Margo put her hand on my arm, her expression all concerned.
"I don't know. I'm gonna look on the Internet during lunch."
"We'll help. You have first lunch, right?" Margo asked.
"Yeah."
"I've got study hall. I'll meet you in the library."
"No fair. I've got yearbook. We're in the middle of pages. Ms. Tucker will never let me go."
"I'll represent us both," Margo said.
A rush of warmth swept over me. "Thanks. Both of you."
Sally grabbed me in a quick hug.
Margo gasped and put her hands on her cheeks, shifting the mood. " A y , I forgot my mascara. Why didn't you tell me?" She hit Sally on the arm.
"I don't know. I assumed you forgot on purpose."
"Like I'd forget on purpose? Come on, hurry." She grabbed both of us and pulled us into the school, making a beeline to the girls' bathroom.
We nearly fell through the restroom door, all of us giggling over Margo's crisis. She stared in the mirror. "I have no eyes. Sally, I'm gonna kill you for this."
"Me? I didn't do anything."
"You should've told me."
Sally turned to me, shrugged, and grimaced. "She's my best friend, so I guess I have to dress her and put on her makeup, too."
Margo was digging noisily in her purse. "I know it's in here somewhere." She rummaged some more. "Aha! Here it is."
She pulled out some mascara and began layering it on. "Better. Much better." She turned to us and fluttered her lashes.
"Gorgeous, Margo." Sally shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You're vain and pathetic."
"I am not. I just like to have eyes on my face, is all."
I opened my purse and took out a small bottle of perfume I'd made a few months earlier. "Want some scent?"
Margo grabbed it from my hands. "What's this?"
Sally took it from her. "Emili makes perfume. I forgot to tell you." She unscrewed the lid and took a whiff. "Hey, it's nice."
Margo leaned in and sniffed. "Kind of fruity."
"It's a mixture of orange and honeysuckle. Like it?"
Sally put some on her wrists and behind her ears. Margo snatched it back and started dabbing away on her neck.
"We're gonna smell like twins," she said. "My tÃa would love this."
"Your tÃa ?" I asked.
"My aunt. She runs Cosas Preciosas. "
"Which is�"
Sally took the perfume back from Margo and replaced the lid. "It's a small-ish boutique on Markel Drive. It's actually kind of cute. Clothes, jewelry, and stuff."
"Does she need help?"
"Meaning�" Margo asked.
"A job. I need a job."
Margo fluffed her hair, which wasn't possible, because it must've weighed at least ten pounds dry. "Sometimes I help out for free, so I don't think there's an opening. Maybe. I could ask."
"Will you?" Inside, hope bubbled at the thought. This was turning into a great day.
"Sure. It'd only be minimum wage, you know."
"Minimum's fine," I answered.
****
I went straight to the library at lunch, and Margo was already there. The librarian glanced up as I entered. She didn't look much older than me, with her long brown ponytail and bright orange capris â even though it was freezing outside. She wore a navy sweater thrown over her shoulders as though she was fresh off the tennis court at a country club. I was always amazed sweaters worn like that didn't fall straight to the floor, but the librarian managed it fine.
"Research?" she asked in a perky voice as I walked by.
"Yeah. Is it okay?"
"Knock yourself out," she answered and flipped another page of her magazine.
Margo saw me coming. "I've already searched 'my sister won't talk'. All I'm getting is useless stuff about family feuds."
I plopped onto the heavy oak chair next to her. "I'll log into this computer, and we'll both search."
"Okay. I'll try something else. How about 'not
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