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CHAPTER 1 Brittany

Everyone knows I'm perfect My life is perfect My clothes are perfect Even h it's a complete lie, I've worked my butt off to keep up the appearance that I have it all The truth, if it were to coe

Standing in front of my bathroom mirror while music blares from my speakers, I wipe away the third crooked line I've drawn beneathsenior year of high school and seeing my boyfriend after a suotten off to a disastrous start First, nals and died Then the button on my favorite shirt popped off Now, my eyeliner decides it has a mind of its own If I had any choice in the matter, I'd stay in my comfy bed and eat warm chocolate chip cookies all day

"Brit, co from the foyer

My first instinct is to ignore her, but that never gets

"I'll be there in a sec," I call down, hoping I can get this eyeliner to go on straight and be done with it

Finally getting it right, I toss the eyeliner tube on the counter, double and triple check myself in the mirror, turn off my stereo, and hurry down the hallway

Myhteen and shouldn't care what my mom thinks But you haven't lived in the Ellis house My mom has anxiety Not the kind easily controlled with little blue pills And whenwith her suffers I think that's why , so he doesn't have to deal with, well, her

"Hate the pants, love the belt," Moer at each ite oodness it's off "

"Gooddown the stairs and giving her a peck on the cheek The ss et She already looks like a million bucks in her Ralph Lauren Blue Label tennis dress No one can point a finger and criticize her outfit, that's for sure

"I bought your favoriteout a bag from behind her back

"No, thanks," I say, looking around for my sister "Where's Shelley?"

"In the kitchen "

"Is her new caretaker here yet?"

"Her na in an hour "

"Did you tell her wool irritates Shelley's skin? And that she pulls hair?" She's always let it be known in her nonverbal cues she gets irritated by the feeling of wool on her skin Pulling hair is her new thing, and it has caused a few disasters Disasters inthem is crucial

"Yes And yes I gave your sister an earful thisup, we'll find ourselves out of another caretaker "

I walk into the kitchen, not wanting to hear o on and on about her theories of why Shelley lashes out Shelley is sitting at the table in her wheelchair, busily eating her specially blended food because, even at the age of twenty, my sister doesn't have the ability to chew and s like people without her physical limitations As usual, the food has found its way onto her chin, lips, and cheeks

"Hey, Shell-bell," I say, leaning over her and wiping her face with a napkin "It's the first day of school Wish me luck "

Shelley holds jerky arives me a lopsided smile I love that smile

"You want to giveshe does The doctors always tell us the ets, the better off she'll be

Shelley nods I fold myself in her arhten, asps It sounds too to school like that "

"Like what?"

She shakes her head and sighs in frustration "Look at your shirt "

Glancing down, I see a large wet spot on the front of my white Calvin Klein shirt Oops Shelley's drool One look at my sister's drawn face tells me what she can't easily put into words Shelley is sorry Shelley didn't mean to mess up my outfit

"It's no biggie," I tell her, although in the back of my mind I know it screws up my "perfect" look

Frowning, my mom wets a paper towel at the sink and dabs at the spot It makes me feel like a two-year-old

"Go upstairs and change "

"Mo carefully so this doesn't turn into a full-blown yellingI want to do is make my sister feel bad

"Peaches stain You don't want people thinking you don't care about your appearance "

"Fine " I wish this was one ofme about stuff

I givesure she doesn't think her drool bothersto keep thecheerful "To finish our checker tournament "

I run back up the stairs, taking two steps at a tiet to my bedroom, I check my watch Oh, no It's ten after seven My best friend, Sierra, is gonna freak out if I'ht blue scarf out of my closet, I pray it'll work Maybe nobody will notice the drool spot if I tie it just right

When I co in the foyer, scanning ain "Love the scarf "

Phew

As I pass her, she shoves the muffin into my hand "Eat it on the way "

I take theto my car, I absently bite into it Unfortunately it isn't blueberry, my favorite It's banana nut, and the bananas are overdone It rely perfect on the outside, but the inside is all mush

CHAPTER 2 Alex

"Get up, Alex "

I scowl at my little brother and bury my head under my pillow Since I share a room with my eleven- and fifteen-year-old brothers, there's no escape except the little privacy a lone pillow can give

"Leave h the pillow "No estes chingando "