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I stare back at her reflection in thenaïve and iby players and don’t they usually fight a lot?” Not that I know anything about it, but I swear I heard somewhere they were kind of brutes, especially on the field

Muddy, dirty brawlers

Mariah shrugs “God, Teddy, who cares if they fight a lot? A party is a party, and it’s Friday night—what else is there to do?”

“I don’t care I was just asking” Why do I sound so defensive?

I swipe sohter Do her eyebrows Hand her the mascara wand

“Here, go apply two thick coats”

“Just two?” She steals it fro into et an up-close and personal look at what I’ve done to her eyes

I swear, if we hadn’t been best friends since ere seven, I’d wonder what the hell I was doing hanging out with her Soet, the more opposite we become

I catch a peek of ers through ht, un-styled hair Stare at my wide brown eyes My shiny skin, freshly scrubbed, co a speck of makeup

Glance at the clock I hung in the bathrooht o’clock class

8:32 Mariah wants to leave by ten to nine, which gives et completely ready

Fuck my life

“You can do this, Teddy You’re going to have a great tiht”

God, why a to myself in the mirror at a party?

It’s because I’ve been hanging out alone since we got here, that’s why, even though I’ve been in a room full of people

I take a deep breath, checkingmy jeans instead, I slidedark, damp streaks

Sos on the bathroom door

“Just a minute!”

Startled, ers to the dirty, lae when the cap cracks Pluck it off the disgusting floor like it’s a flammable explosive

“Daertips barely grasping the tube as I toss the entire thing into the trash can, wash lance in thethe room

I look good Cute and natural

Wearing way less et ainst the water-soaked counter and sternly give myself another lecture

“You’re going to put yourself out there tonight You’re going to step outside your co by the wall” I raise er atby the wall, you got it?”

I’ a lynchwomen who had to stand in line while I screwed around inside the bathroo-to in the mirror

My hand reaches for the doorknob Unlocks it

Clasps

Pulls

Loudwith the line outside the door I was right: some of them do look pissed off Others lean on the wall for support, totally drunk Not a surprise since this is a drinking party and everyone here is shit-faced

Except for me

Which reminds me…

I grab the red plastic cup off the counter, clutching it protectively in my hand as I nonchalantly breeze out the door as if nonplussed by the glaring, heavily made-up eyes

Coirl next door

I did what I could et ready, but it wasn’t enough; I wasn’t even able to doin a flat, shiny sheet down overon it