dark hair and holding it up to her own head. “My hair’s decent but some days…” She rolled her eyes up to the True Value Hardware sign, which glared green above them. “Isn’t this place the worst?”
Janet now plunked down on the bed next to Lila and stared hard at Robin for several seconds. “It makes me so unhappy, Robin, that you won’t try to be a more popular person.”
Robin reached for Janet’s bottle and sipped long and hard. The wine tasted like rotten fruit—overlysweet and funky—and thinking this made her start to gag and she handed back the bottle.
“Listen, I hate to be boring,” Janet said in a low voice, “but there are some things you obviously don’t know.” She looked up to the ceiling, as if thinking, and from where Robin was sitting on the floor Janet’s underbite looked really, really bad. “We live in a highly structurized society,” Janet began. “Friends don’t grow on trees. You can’t go
pluck
one. You have to make friends. If you just set a little goal to talk to three new people tonight that could be three more friends for you. Don’t you see? It’s not enough to be pretty and just stare into space. You have to act the right way. I’ve had to work at developing my excellent personality.” Janet slid onto the floor next to Robin, her boobs jiggling into place. “Take Lila here,” she whispered, pointing up to the bed. “If she fooled around like a normal person she’d be fine. But no, she’s so obvious that everyone knows her business and so she’s just a slut.
Bor
-ing. I mean, who wants to be her friend? Well, I’m her friend, but you know what I mean. I’m going to be honest because I care about you, Robin; the thing is that sometimes you can be embarrassing…I haven’t hurt your feelings, have I?” She looked at Robin deeply. Janet had enormous eyes fringed with sparse, stubby lashes; they were the eyes of a strange, graceful sea creature gliding peaceably over coral reefs.
Robin quickly shook her head. In Janet’s presence, she often felt slow and clumsy as the sparky shower of Janet’s words rained down on her. Now she found herself jittery with gratitude and rage. “I can talk to three people.”
“See,” Janet said. “Really, I’m just trying to help.”
“Thank you, Janet.”
Janet nodded. Then she stood and frowned at Lila and wandered toward the door. “Coming?” she asked.
“Yep,” Robin said, unable to move.
“Good,” Janet said, disappearing into the hallway.
Go, Robin told herself.
Go now
, she commanded, otherwise she might be afflicted with her lousy personality for the rest of her life. She stared at Lila, who was snoring into the kid’s pillow. Yes, Lila was a little sloppy and slutty but she also had a zesty life.
Be a normal girl
, she commanded herself. Growing angrier, she loped down the hall and down the stairs until she found herself in the middle of the party surrounded by a roomful of lively kids, holding beer cans and waving cigarettes and talking, talking, talking. Robin’s anger instantly fled her body, and she felt deserted, standing there with a dried-out mouth and a twitchy eye. Directly in front of her was a loveseat. She made a beeline for it but two senior girls beat her to it, and she teetered for a second. A wall, a wall; she needed a wall. She quickly moved to the corner of the room, where she sat on the arm of a couch and let herhair fall over her face like a dark curtain. Then she waited for what might happen.
“Are you sleeping?” a guy sitting on the couch asked, giving her a poke.
“Nope,” Robin said, opening her eyes.
“Just checking.”
Robin smiled, feeling herself blush and grow warm. The guy turned back to the girl beside him, cocking his head and grinning as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. They were having a conversation in which they said things like, “I did not,” “Yes, you did,” “When?” “Come on, you know.” They kept at it for the longest
Janet now plunked down on the bed next to Lila and stared hard at Robin for several seconds. “It makes me so unhappy, Robin, that you won’t try to be a more popular person.”
Robin reached for Janet’s bottle and sipped long and hard. The wine tasted like rotten fruit—overlysweet and funky—and thinking this made her start to gag and she handed back the bottle.
“Listen, I hate to be boring,” Janet said in a low voice, “but there are some things you obviously don’t know.” She looked up to the ceiling, as if thinking, and from where Robin was sitting on the floor Janet’s underbite looked really, really bad. “We live in a highly structurized society,” Janet began. “Friends don’t grow on trees. You can’t go
pluck
one. You have to make friends. If you just set a little goal to talk to three new people tonight that could be three more friends for you. Don’t you see? It’s not enough to be pretty and just stare into space. You have to act the right way. I’ve had to work at developing my excellent personality.” Janet slid onto the floor next to Robin, her boobs jiggling into place. “Take Lila here,” she whispered, pointing up to the bed. “If she fooled around like a normal person she’d be fine. But no, she’s so obvious that everyone knows her business and so she’s just a slut.
Bor
-ing. I mean, who wants to be her friend? Well, I’m her friend, but you know what I mean. I’m going to be honest because I care about you, Robin; the thing is that sometimes you can be embarrassing…I haven’t hurt your feelings, have I?” She looked at Robin deeply. Janet had enormous eyes fringed with sparse, stubby lashes; they were the eyes of a strange, graceful sea creature gliding peaceably over coral reefs.
Robin quickly shook her head. In Janet’s presence, she often felt slow and clumsy as the sparky shower of Janet’s words rained down on her. Now she found herself jittery with gratitude and rage. “I can talk to three people.”
“See,” Janet said. “Really, I’m just trying to help.”
“Thank you, Janet.”
Janet nodded. Then she stood and frowned at Lila and wandered toward the door. “Coming?” she asked.
“Yep,” Robin said, unable to move.
“Good,” Janet said, disappearing into the hallway.
Go, Robin told herself.
Go now
, she commanded, otherwise she might be afflicted with her lousy personality for the rest of her life. She stared at Lila, who was snoring into the kid’s pillow. Yes, Lila was a little sloppy and slutty but she also had a zesty life.
Be a normal girl
, she commanded herself. Growing angrier, she loped down the hall and down the stairs until she found herself in the middle of the party surrounded by a roomful of lively kids, holding beer cans and waving cigarettes and talking, talking, talking. Robin’s anger instantly fled her body, and she felt deserted, standing there with a dried-out mouth and a twitchy eye. Directly in front of her was a loveseat. She made a beeline for it but two senior girls beat her to it, and she teetered for a second. A wall, a wall; she needed a wall. She quickly moved to the corner of the room, where she sat on the arm of a couch and let herhair fall over her face like a dark curtain. Then she waited for what might happen.
“Are you sleeping?” a guy sitting on the couch asked, giving her a poke.
“Nope,” Robin said, opening her eyes.
“Just checking.”
Robin smiled, feeling herself blush and grow warm. The guy turned back to the girl beside him, cocking his head and grinning as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. They were having a conversation in which they said things like, “I did not,” “Yes, you did,” “When?” “Come on, you know.” They kept at it for the longest
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