Page 36 (1/1)

"My help hat?" Paige asks, turning her attention back to her own reflection

"First, you have to proet pissed," Cass says, and I feel like I’ the world’s e puts the lid back on her lip-gloss and slides her lips together, puckering closely to the mirror while her eyes move to look at Cass in the reflection "Pretty sure I can’t proaze and gripping the edge of the sink

"Nate invited Rowe to coht…tonice to wear, and I’ood atin our attempts for the last two hours, and we have to leave in like thirty h when she’s done

Paige doesn’t say a word She doesn’t even blink But her eyes slowly move fro ainst e and I are worlds apart, and I can’t say I’ve war to win some contest over Nate I can’t even truly be with hiet, and I keep waiting for Cass to break the silence But she doesn’t Finally, after seconds that felt like e pushes back from the sink and spins around

"Stand up," she says, her chin in her hand "Jewel tones You’re definitely jewel tones"

She spins around, and starts thuers on her side of the closet I look at Cass when she does and e, telling ood at this," she whispers

"How do you feel about ju…that is like a tank top and shorts sewn together I scrunch h "Fine No juers, but I notice there’s one she keeps co back to Finally, she just stops and looks down, her hand on a deep-blue cotton dress "Come here," she orders, so I slideCass, my back to her

If I weren’t so shell-shocked fro But without warning, Paige unzips the back of the dress I’areons who fixed me are the only ones who have ever seenthe froe: deep divots, where bullet fraged theeons had to go in and relued open, wide, as I turn; when I finally square e is, perhaps, the last person I would ever want to see this I try to keep aze focused on the clothes beyond her shoulder when I face her, but she reaches her hand up to my chin and tilts my eyes to meet hers

"This…" she ss hard, and then her lips curl into a soft, tight smile--her eyes sympathetic, and, for the first time since I’ve h that you can sit at a game and not have to worry, but it will show off your shoulders and really accentuate your legs and the color of your eyes Arof the skirt down quickly overthe the back, and she pushes them in place before she reaches her hands into ather the waves into her hands She moves me closer to the mirror as she does this, and then she meets my eyes "You should wear your hair up Like this It’s pretty," she says, givingface I’, so I wipe the palm of my hand up both cheeks and sniffle

"Thanks," I say, and she reaches for o

Chapter 13

Nate

"Yeah Mom, we’ll just meet you there You’re already parked It would take you and Dad a long time to walk over here…Okay, love you" My parents wanted to come see our room, but it’s still pink In fact, Ty and I decided just to leave it pink--and, just to show Cass and Ro et in the city and bought Barbie comforters and pillows for our beds