Emma began.
“Who cares? It’s gross,” Lexie said. “You can’t expect us to sit with you. You smell.”
“Emma’s going to jump in the shower, aren’t you?” Holly raised her brows meaningfully at her friend.
“There’s no time.” Lexie turned to go.
“She’s super fast. She’ll be ready in seconds,” Holly promised.
“Please! She needs a spin cycle in the washing machine” Ivana raised her arms, shooting the cuffs of her electric blue top from her jacket. “Shannon and Kevin are meeting us. We can’t be late. We’ll get bad seats, and I hate bad seats.”
“She’s right,” Clayton agreed. “Plus the opening sequence is supposed to be killer.”
“We’ll go.” Lexie linked her arms through Jackson’s arms. “You guys could try to meet us. Or not.” She pulled Jackson out of the kitchen. Ivana followed with Clayton.
“But Emma will shower fast.” Holly’s voice came out high and pleading, as she followed behind. Emma knew she was calculating the potential damage of leaving Clayton with Lexie, Ivana, and Shannon.
“You go,” Emma nudged Holly toward Clayton. “Go to the movie now.”
“You’ll be there?” Jackson reached out to touch Emma’s wet sleeve.
“Sure.” Emma stared down at his hand.
“Really for sure?” His voice was quiet, so the others couldn’t hear as they left the apartment.
“Really for sure.” She had no interest in watching a movie with the Ivana-Bees, but she’d ditched Jackson once already. He seemed to really want her there. She had to show this time. “I promise.”
“Okay.” Jackson grinned and left with the others.
“Awkward much?” Charlie asked when they were, once again, alone in the apartment.
“I’m toast if Ivana posts those photos.”
“You’re probably toast on Monday with or without the hard evidence,” he pointed out.
“Wonderful.” Emma dashed into her parents’ clean bathroom and did a power scrub in their shower, while Charlie watched TV in the family room. She knotted her wet hair into a fishtail braid and threw on her favorite worn jeans, and the three layered tops she’d planned along with tan suede booties. She added a last-minute accessory—a fuzzy gray scarf that she wrapped around her head like a hoodie to hide her yellow-infused hair. The shower hadn’t completely erased her turmeric tinge. She wondered if now wasn’t time to come up with a new design of the burka—the full body covering Muslim women wore—for when girls like her needed to conceal as much skin and hair as possible.
Charlie gave an exaggerated sniff as she entered the room. “Interesting scent. A woody, Oriental perfume with undertones of curry.”
“Okay, so I couldn’t completely mask the smell. But it’s better, right?” Emma gave a hopeful smile. “The bottle promised an air of mystery.”
“Yes, one could say this whole night is quite the mystery.” Charlie leaned back onto the sofa cushions.
“You’re coming with me?” Emma asked. “You’re not sending me into that movie theater alone like this?”
“No way! You ordered the popcorn, not me,” Charlie said. “No movie, but I will walk you to the theater, but only because it’s on my way home and because I’m a good friend.”
“I’ll remember that,” Emma said, as they walked the three blocks in the unseasonably warm January night. Emma knew she should hurry. The previews were probably wrapping up. She admired the extra-long grey cashmere cardigan sweater the woman ahead of them wore. The soft material was laced with threads of silver that glimmered in the streetlights. A cocoon with style. Exactly what Emma could use tonight.
“Ivana-Boy and the crew of clones awaits you,” Charlie said as they reached the movie theater.
“Don’t call him that. He’s nothing like Ivana.” Emma hesitated on the sidewalk, staring up at the movie posters promising action and adventure. How had she ended up as part of this group outing? This was so not her
“Who cares? It’s gross,” Lexie said. “You can’t expect us to sit with you. You smell.”
“Emma’s going to jump in the shower, aren’t you?” Holly raised her brows meaningfully at her friend.
“There’s no time.” Lexie turned to go.
“She’s super fast. She’ll be ready in seconds,” Holly promised.
“Please! She needs a spin cycle in the washing machine” Ivana raised her arms, shooting the cuffs of her electric blue top from her jacket. “Shannon and Kevin are meeting us. We can’t be late. We’ll get bad seats, and I hate bad seats.”
“She’s right,” Clayton agreed. “Plus the opening sequence is supposed to be killer.”
“We’ll go.” Lexie linked her arms through Jackson’s arms. “You guys could try to meet us. Or not.” She pulled Jackson out of the kitchen. Ivana followed with Clayton.
“But Emma will shower fast.” Holly’s voice came out high and pleading, as she followed behind. Emma knew she was calculating the potential damage of leaving Clayton with Lexie, Ivana, and Shannon.
“You go,” Emma nudged Holly toward Clayton. “Go to the movie now.”
“You’ll be there?” Jackson reached out to touch Emma’s wet sleeve.
“Sure.” Emma stared down at his hand.
“Really for sure?” His voice was quiet, so the others couldn’t hear as they left the apartment.
“Really for sure.” She had no interest in watching a movie with the Ivana-Bees, but she’d ditched Jackson once already. He seemed to really want her there. She had to show this time. “I promise.”
“Okay.” Jackson grinned and left with the others.
“Awkward much?” Charlie asked when they were, once again, alone in the apartment.
“I’m toast if Ivana posts those photos.”
“You’re probably toast on Monday with or without the hard evidence,” he pointed out.
“Wonderful.” Emma dashed into her parents’ clean bathroom and did a power scrub in their shower, while Charlie watched TV in the family room. She knotted her wet hair into a fishtail braid and threw on her favorite worn jeans, and the three layered tops she’d planned along with tan suede booties. She added a last-minute accessory—a fuzzy gray scarf that she wrapped around her head like a hoodie to hide her yellow-infused hair. The shower hadn’t completely erased her turmeric tinge. She wondered if now wasn’t time to come up with a new design of the burka—the full body covering Muslim women wore—for when girls like her needed to conceal as much skin and hair as possible.
Charlie gave an exaggerated sniff as she entered the room. “Interesting scent. A woody, Oriental perfume with undertones of curry.”
“Okay, so I couldn’t completely mask the smell. But it’s better, right?” Emma gave a hopeful smile. “The bottle promised an air of mystery.”
“Yes, one could say this whole night is quite the mystery.” Charlie leaned back onto the sofa cushions.
“You’re coming with me?” Emma asked. “You’re not sending me into that movie theater alone like this?”
“No way! You ordered the popcorn, not me,” Charlie said. “No movie, but I will walk you to the theater, but only because it’s on my way home and because I’m a good friend.”
“I’ll remember that,” Emma said, as they walked the three blocks in the unseasonably warm January night. Emma knew she should hurry. The previews were probably wrapping up. She admired the extra-long grey cashmere cardigan sweater the woman ahead of them wore. The soft material was laced with threads of silver that glimmered in the streetlights. A cocoon with style. Exactly what Emma could use tonight.
“Ivana-Boy and the crew of clones awaits you,” Charlie said as they reached the movie theater.
“Don’t call him that. He’s nothing like Ivana.” Emma hesitated on the sidewalk, staring up at the movie posters promising action and adventure. How had she ended up as part of this group outing? This was so not her
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