chapter 17

"Hey, Sadie?" I asked.

"Huh?" she mumbled, mouth full of poptart.

"Why don't guys like me?" I asked. She was sure to know, maybe a rumor was being passed around about me or something.

Sadie laughed. "Eve, you're the most wanted girl at school."

"What?" That can't be true. That makes absolutely no sense.

"They're just afraid of Peter, that's all." she added.

"What do you mean, AFRAID of Peter?" I asked suspiciously.

"He's so lovesick that he's called dibs on you. You should SEE Peter when you occasionally go to the lunchroom to eat with Delilah. He starts to drool, I'm telling you." she smiled at the memory.

"I've never noticed," I said.

"Eve, you are the most out-of-it person I know. You wouldn't realize a guy liked you until he asked for your hand in marriage."

"True," I agreed. Sadie smiled.

"When this is over and done with, I am going to give you a complete closet makeover, and lessons on how to be normal. You're going to say yes when I persuade Peter to ask you out, and you're going to be the most popular girl in school. Got it?"

I nodded. I would do almost anything to get Peter back, and if going out with him was the only way, I guess I would have to do it. But Peter…. staring at me? Calling dibs? That didn't sound at all like the Peter I knew.

"Has Peter... changed since 7th grade?"

"Sure," Sadie said, "Everyone does."

"He has no right to call dibs though," I gazed off into the clear blue sky.

"Eve, if you knew how lovesick he was, then you'd understand,"

I watched the birds fly over the horizon, wishing my life was that simple.

I entered the studio, knees shaking in my shoes. Sadie laughed.

"Don't show them that you're scared!" Sadie whispered, "Those knees are a dead giveaway."

"Lay off!" I snapped. She sprang back.

"Someone's angry..." she tut-tutted.

"Whatever," I muttered. I didn't want to be doing this. I didn't want to have to shed my shell and sing in front of a ton of people. Then why am I doing it? Ugh, this is so complicated...

"Hello?" Sadie pulled me to the lady standing impatiently in front of us. "This is Eve. She is one of the ten contestants."

The lady said nothing for a few seconds, evaluating me. Then she nodded, not totally disgusted with me.

"Come this way." I clutched Sadie's arm as I walked, the only sound I could hear was the deafening noise of the woman's five-inch heels clicking on the cold, hard floor.

"Here," she led me to a small room, throwing open the door magnificently. Light dwelled from within, entrancing Sadie and I.

We entered, ushered in by a slightly overweight lady. Her eyes were a huge magnificent green, and she had a round baby face. She had a truly wonderful smile, with cute dimples. A grandmother type, I told myself.

"Hello! My name is Jenni, and I will be your makeup artist. Who are you?"

"I'm Eve," I answered. Sadie looked at me in surprise. Until now, I had always let her do the talking. However, I really felt comfortable with this lady. "This is Sadie, my twin."

"You both certainly look like twins!" she smiled, "But not identical."

"We're paternal twins," I told her.

"Okay," she brought me over to the middle of the room, I stared at it in awe. It was a gorgeous room, with pale peach walls and a light yellow ceiling. It reminded me of a light summer day. The furniture was a glossy oak, a delightful change from the granite trend. As soon as I walked in, I realized this was my favorite room in the whole world.

On the tables was an incredible number of hair accessories, ranging from rubber bands to big, giant clips. A few girls were lounging casually by the wall, and another woman was standing in front of the huge mirror doing a girl's hair. Jenni led us to her.

She was a skinny pencil, with twig like arms and long, long legs. Her face could only be described as cute, with adorable brown eyes and sweet little lips. She smiled at us, measuring us, than quickly turned back to her "client".

"Wendy, this is Eve and Sadie."

"Hello, Eve and Sadie. I'm guessing..." she stole another quick glance at us, "You're the one singing?" she nodded at Sadie.

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