I blinked as we stared at each other. Then, finally, he walked toward me, his feet getting wet on the grass.
“Life isn’t shit all of the time. You’re allowed to laugh and be happy.”
I nodded and glanced at my house, seeing a curtain twitch upstairs.
Elijah.
“I’vemanaged so far. I’m okay, honestly. I don’t want to sleep around or be mean to everyone to get my kicks, do drugs, or drink excessively, whatever the popular girls do. Thanks again for the ride.”
I looked at him then, his blue eyes staring at me like they were reading my thoughts; I could only hope he didn’t have any kind of superpower— that would really end my day just about right.
Eight
Does It Matter?
The days that followed passed without any event, and although I kept my new appearance up to date, the fashion gods were not about to let me slip through their net so easily. Connie met me from school with a wide grin.
"Annabelle! Hey!"
The students around me looked at me in confusion as this goddess moved gracefully towards me, grabbing me into a hug when she reached me.
"So I got you the appointment! I was hoping I would catch you after school because we need to be there in thirty minutes! Eeek, get in."
I followed her to the car, clipping myself in as she handed me some hair magazines to look through. She was an erratic driver and kept slamming her breaks on as she cursed nearly everyone, but finally, we made it to the mall in one piece. She dragged me into a hair salon, and I shrunk back in fear. Everywhere I looked, there were exotic-looking beings just prancing around like gazelles, their hair looking like it was straight from one of the magazines.
"Darius!" She called as a small tanned guy peered at me over her shoulder.
"Oh, Annabelle, is it? Come and get yourself comfortable."
My hair was examined, washed, colored, and sliced away expertly as it fell to the floor around me.
An hour later, I stared at my reflection, unable to believe these silky tresses were mine. I raised my finger slowly, as though checking it was real and not a trick.
Connie clapped her hands together as Darius smiled proudly.
"Girl, you look insane."
My hair was styled with a sweeping side fringe curling over my right eye, and the soft highlighted curls complimented my skin perfectly. I thanked Darius and paid as Connie declared we needed to get me some clothes to match my new look. She must've seen my fear because she whispered that she hated Barbie dolls and that I certainly wouldn't be looking like that. She loved the clothes I liked, but instead of the baggy hoodies, we swapped them for denim skirts and tights, with baggy jumpers, dresses over leggings, and skin-tight jeans and tight shirts.
I had such a great time until I spotted Elena and her cronies eyeballing me as I held up a t-shirt.
"Hey,Anna," Elena called as her friends erupted with laughter. "You can dye your hair, but you can't polish a turd. You willneverbe good enough for the likes of Chase Dallas or Bailey Fenton, so take my advice, quit while you're ahead." She sneered, and I felt my cheeks burn until Connie stepped forward, waving her finger at the girls.
"Oh, you all look familiar. Wait, which one of you was at my house last weekend? Was it you? No,you. Wait, it must've been you. Wow, how confusing."
I held a giggle as Connie tilted her head, addressing them individually. "Either way, Bailey doesn’t want to see any of you, so takemyadvice and stop harassing my brother."
Elena opened her mouth to retort, but Connie raised her eyebrows in warning, so she thought better of it.
"Fucking hell, I don't miss high school. Annabelle, I'm so glad you aren't friends with bitches like that." Connie shook her head as we watched them leave, then she glanced at me. "Speaking of which, I like you. I loved hanging out with you, and we should do it more often. Can I get your number, or are you on Instagram?"
I didn't know what to say. I cleared my throat to buy me time.
"Ah, I don't have a phone, but I think I will have to invest. Any advice?"
"Seriously? Come with me. Tell me you have an Instagram account?"
I probably should lie and say yes, right?
