Part 4 (1/2)

”Forget it,” Jade said, b.u.mping me with her shoulder. ”And may the best girl, you know...not make a fool of herself over him.”

”Right,” I agreed.

She swiveled around in her seat toward Serena, whose sulk instantly brightened. ”Doesn't Allison's hair look cute today, Serena?”

”Yes! I was just going to say-”

Jade cut her off, turning back to me. ”Not frizzy at all, in the front. Do you want me to do a loose braid in the back, Allison?”

”Sure,” I said. I turned away and closed my eyes while her gentle fingers tugged at my hair and then tied one of her hair bands around the bottom.

She and Serena flanked me all day long, and Roxie hardly spoke to me. That night when I got dropped off at Jade's, Serena was already there. We hung around for a while, and then Jade's dad drove us over to the mall. We wandered around until the movie started, then sank into our seats twenty minutes early, because Jade likes to get tenth row center seats and settle in without rus.h.i.+ng. We slumped down, knees against the seats in front of us, and watched the ads and then the previews and then the movie. Afterwards, Jade's dad picked us up and drove us all home. I got dropped off first.

”Hi,” Mom said when I walked in the door. She was sitting at the kitchen counter, bent over her laptop as usual. ”Have fun?”

”A blast,” I said, and clomped up to bed.

Another large weekend in the fabulous life of a glamour girl.

But then Sat.u.r.day morning, Roxie called me. I picked up my phone from a sound sleep and it took me a minute to figure out that it wasn't Jade I was talking to. What gave it away was when she asked, ”Is there anything at all to do in this town?”

”Nothing at all,” I said, and sat up in my bed.

”Want to come over and watch movies all night at my house, then? Or we could play Guitar Hero, or stare at the walls until our eyes fall out?”

”Sounds awesome,” I said. I took a shower, attempted to do something with my hair, gave up, and packed my bag. When I went downstairs, n.o.body was around, so I left a note saying where I'd be. I considered how to sign it-Love? Love ya? Love you all? I just wrote I just wrote Allison Allison and left. and left.

The sky, finally gloomifying after weeks of gaudy blue, pressed down on everything. No birds were singing in the trees; n.o.body was out walking a dog or even driving too fast down our perfect street.

Hallelujah.

My phone buzzed. Jade.

Serena and I are gonna play tennis at the town courts. Want to come?

I so didn't, even though I knew Ty and those guys often hung out there, shooting hoops next to the tennis courts. I knew Jade was being generous, not wanting to sneak around and get an advantage without giving me a fair shot at equal time. If I want any chance with Ty, If I want any chance with Ty, I told myself, I told myself, I should ditch Roxie and go I should ditch Roxie and go. The thought made me feel incredibly sleepy. I stood there holding my phone in the middle of the road.

Before I could figure out what do, Jade texted again: What r u doing? What r u doing?

I considered for a moment what to say, and then decided on something kind of bold: I told her the truth.

Going over to Roxie Green's.

In two seconds, she'd texted back ????.

She's great, I answered, walking fast toward Roxie's. I answered, walking fast toward Roxie's. We should be nice. We should be nice. Jade was all about being nice, good manners, the importance of acting appropriate, so there was nothing she could say to that. I hit Send and skipped up Roxie's steps. Jade was all about being nice, good manners, the importance of acting appropriate, so there was nothing she could say to that. I hit Send and skipped up Roxie's steps.

Absolutely. Just be careful, Jade sent back. Jade sent back. She's not like us. I don't trust her & I don't want u 2 b hurt. She's not like us. I don't trust her & I don't want u 2 b hurt.

Thanks, I texted her. I texted her. Have fun. Have fun.

I slipped my phone into my pocket and rang Roxie's doorbell. She flung it open and said, ”Great! You're here!” and pulled me in. ”Do you like cookie dough?”

”Ice cream?”

”No,” she said. ”Just dough. I made some.”

”Excellent,” I said. We sank into the deepest couch I'd ever seen, surrounded by dozens of pillows, eating raw cookie dough and watching stupid stuff on TV for the rest of the afternoon. I left my phone in my bag in Roxie's front hall and didn't give it another thought. It was awesome.

At night we changed into pajamas and went to her rec house next door with flashlights. We spent about an hour jumping on her trampoline until we were sweaty and exhausted, and then we just lay there making ourselves seasick on it. Then we ran back to her regular house through the rain. We stayed up in her room until it was starting to get light out, listening to music and laughing, like when I asked her if my lips disappear when I smile. That completely cracked her up, and then me, too.

”I like the sound the rain makes against windows,” she said as we were settling down to sleep under puffy comforters.

”I'm just glad the weather has finally caught up with my personality,” I said.

We fell asleep giggling and didn't wake up until noon.

Over bowls of cereal on that dreary Sunday afternoon, Roxie's mother, Jenny, brought up the idea that changed everything.

”There's an open call tomorrow,” she said from behind a newspaper called Backstage. Backstage.

”Modeling?” Roxie asked.

”Yes,” Jenny answered. ”Hey, Allison, you know zip zip?”

”Yeah,” I said, feeling myself blush. ”Approximately.” What had I done that was so stupid?

Roxie, laughing, went and found a copy of a magazine called zip zip in a basket near their back door. I recognized it as the same one I had taken from Phoebe's room the other night, but I just shrugged. I hate those magazines-all those skinny, perfect girls selling junk. in a basket near their back door. I recognized it as the same one I had taken from Phoebe's room the other night, but I just shrugged. I hate those magazines-all those skinny, perfect girls selling junk.

Jenny shoved over the ten boxes of cereal she had taken out for us to choose among and laid down the paper. Her smile and dimples were as bright and cute as Roxie's, though her voice was deeper and more ragged.

She pushed her long, wavy hair back from her forehead with her thumb and pinky and read the ad out loud to us: ”'Zip magazine, looking for edgy but clean-cut non-pros for feature on the new teen. All types, open call. Monday, May nineteenth, ten a.m. to one p.m.' magazine, looking for edgy but clean-cut non-pros for feature on the new teen. All types, open call. Monday, May nineteenth, ten a.m. to one p.m.'

”Then the address and all that. What do you say?” Jenny looked at us, full of gung-ho enthusiasm. ”You two are definitely edgy but clean-cut!”

”We are?” Roxie asked dubiously.

”Compared to how I was at your age, h.e.l.l, yeah,” Jenny said, and laughed. She propped her knees up on the table and shook her head. ”At least clean-cut. And edgy is easy: all in the clothes.”

”Modeling?” I said. ”Not me, obviously.”

”But you're exactly the type,” Jenny said. She leaned forward to get a closer look.

I ducked my head and said, ”I'm not.”

”Oh, come on, Allison,” Roxie begged. ”You're my right-handed man. Let's just go. Gotta be better than school, right?”