Hailey Twitch and the Wedding Glitch by Lauren Barnholdt Page A

away.
    This is making me very sad.
    It is making Maybelle very sad, too. Even though she does not look so sad right now. Right now she is curled up in a shoe in this store having a nap.

    â€œThat is not such wonderful news about Cousin Angela,” I tell my mom. “There is only supposed to be one flower girl.” And that one flower girl should be me. But I do not say that last part.
    â€œHello, Aunt Denise and Cousin Angela!” my mom is saying.
    Cousin Angela is wearing very dirty overalls. She is five. And she picks her nose. I have seen her do it lots and lots of times. “Hailey, say hello,” my mom says.
    â€œHello.”
    â€œNow, girls, you are going to have to pick out the same dress,” Aunt Denise says. I am worried about this for one minute. But then I remember that I am seven. And Cousin Angela is only five. So I am the boss of her for definite.
    â€œWhy don’t I show you some flower girl dresses that we just got in,” the saleslady says. She takes my mom and Aunt Denise over to some dresses. Some dresses that look like they were made for babies.
    â€œCousin Angela, wouldn’t you like to wear this wonderful, beautiful, perfect dress?” I show her that wonderful bride dress that I picked right out. It is very sparkly. “It has jewels all on it,” I say. “It is for princesses.”
    â€œNo,” Cousin Angela says. “That dress is ugly.”
    â€œIt is not,” I say. I am feeling very upset in my heart about all of this. That dress is very beautiful and very perfect, and I want it.
    â€œYes. It. Is,” Angela says. Then she puts her finger right in her nose. That is very disgusting.
    â€œThat,” I say, “is very disgusting. Nose picking is what disgusting babies do.”
    Angela makes her eyes look very small in her head. And then she stomps right down on my foot very hard.

    â€œOw!” I scream, jumping up and down like a maniac. “Ow, ow, ow!”
    â€œWow,” Maybelle says. She is waking up from her nap. On account of all the yelling, I think. “Cousin Angela is not very well behaved.”
    My mom and Aunt Denise are looking around to see what all this big fuss is about.
    â€œHailey,” my mom says. “Why are you screaming like that?”
    â€œI am screaming like that because Cousin Angela stomped right on my foot.” I hop, hop, hop right over to her on one foot only. Even though that foot is not really even hurting anymore.
    â€œNo, I did not,” Angela says. “Hailey is being a bad liar.” And then that little five-year-old baby starts crying. Right in the store. That is called having a meltdown in public.
    â€œYes, you did,” I say. I shake, shake, shake my finger right at her. “You stepped right on it and crushed my toes. And so now you need to have a punishment.”
    Aunt Denise picks Cousin Angela up into her arms. Cousin Angela is too old to be getting picked up, if you ask me. Then Aunt Denise says, “Girls, please. No fighting. Let’s go look at the flower girl dresses that are over here.”
    â€œCome on, Hailey,” my mom says. She walks to the back of the store. Aunt Denise follows her right away. And Cousin Angela sticks her tongue out at me! Right when no one can see.
    â€œThat girl is a brat,” Maybelle says.
    â€œYes,” I say, very sad. “She is. And me and her have got to be flower girl twins.”
    It is enough to make a girl very upset.

We have to leave that store without even getting a dress! And that is because Cousin Angela was in a very cranky mood. She was being very loud in that store. I read that sign right out loud to Aunt Denise about watching your children. But she just ignored me. Which is very rude if you want to know the truth.
    The one good thing is that we stop at the drive-through on the way home. I love stopping at the drive-through! We used to do it a lot more. But now we are only eating