登陆注册
10431800000005

第5章

Beauty tip: Lip-gloss is the perfect finishing

touch to any clothing ensemble.

usually take the bus to school, but Mrs. Ramal's driving us today. She has to drive Yamir anyway, because he's bringing in a huge sculpture of the earth showing the effects of global warming, and there's no way he could take that on the bus. It's probably some extra-credit thing for Science. Yamir always does everything extra that he possibly can. He's one of those kids who make everyone else look bad.

Mom and Grandma are already at the pharmacy, and it feels weird to think that I could just stay home today, play hooky, and they'd never know. By the time they usually get home, around six, I'll be home from school anyway. Or I could just go over to the pharmacy around three thirty, when I'd normally be out of school. Either way, I could spend the whole day on the couch watching daytime television shows that I only get to see when I'm sick. I could order in pizza or Chinese food. I could do anything, really.

Knowing this kind of makes me feel powerful, and knowing I'd never do it makes me feel like a wimp. But since they're not here, I decide I can wear a little more makeup than I'd normally wear to school. Usually, I wear colorless lip-gloss and a little blush. But today I put on green glitter eye shadow and my favorite new product: my Pink Lollipop Extra Glossy lip-gloss. Just these little touches make me feel more dressed up.

Mrs. Ramal honks to let me know they're here. I lock the front door and sling my heavy backpack over one shoulder. Walking over to the car, I see that Sunny's in the front seat and Yamir's in the back, with the huge model of the earth next to him.

He pushes the model over to the other seat and hops out of the car. "You're smaller than the earth, so you get to sit in the middle," he says.

So I slide in, and I'm smooshed between the earth and Yamir. I have to fiddle around for my seat belt, and Yamir doesn't even try to help me find it. I'm touching his thigh, and I don't want to be. God. Why do car companies make the middle seat belt so impossible to find? Sitting in the middle is bad enough, yet they found a way to make it even worse.

"Ooh, Lu-Lu, we're so close right now." Yamir laughs. He's right-we are close. I can smell onion bagel on his breath, and I try as hard as I can not to gag.

"Mah-ahm!" Sunny yells. "Tell Yamir to stop being disgusting."

"Yamir," Mrs. Ramal warns. "Please behave like a gentleman."

Sunny says, "Yamir, only you would make this huge, annoying project for a stupid club." She looks back at us. "Lucy, it's not even for Science. It's for Earth Club."

"Really?" I turn to look at Yamir.

"It will also be entered in the county science fair, which I only get to enter because of Earth Club. There's a five-thousand-dollar prize if I win," Yamir tells us. "And that's not all. There's a trip to-"

Mrs. Ramal interrupts him and says, "Sunita, it wouldn't be such a bad thing if you joined some after-school club. I'd like to see you take an interest in something meaningful."

Sunny turns to look back at me again, and she bursts out laughing.

"It's not funny," Mrs. Ramal says. "I have been thinking this for a while, and now is the time I've chosen to say something. I would like you to join some activity."

Now both Sunny and I are laughing, but I'm not even sure why.

"Lucy, you could do it too," Mrs. Ramal adds. "If your mother says it's okay."

Until recently, I took art lessons. That was my extracurricular. And Sunny does Indian dance. But I guess Mrs. Ramal thinks we should do a school thing.

"Yeah," Yamir says, sticking his tongue out at the back of Sunny's seat. Then he smiles all good-boy-like at me.

Yamir Ramal really knows how to start the day off wrong.

On our way into school I tap Sunny on the shoulder, right in front of the Juicy Juice machine. "Sun, I have to tell you something," I mutter.

Her shoulders perk up. "What? And are you wearing perfume today?"

"No, it's my Pink Lollipop lip-gloss. Doesn't it smell delicious?"

Sunny nods.

I let out a long breath. "Okay, I have to make this quick-first period starts soon. I think the pharmacy might be going out of business." It hurts to say that out loud. I love Old Mill Pharmacy. I love the memories I have from all the time I've spent in the store-like when I was little and Grandpa used to push me around in the shopping carts after the store closed. And when Grandma would make Claudia and me root beer floats at the counter, even though Mom really didn't want us to have soda.

Sunny's response is slow, almost like a delayed chemical reaction. First her eyes bulge and her mouth opens, but no words come out. And then she gives me a look. "Really?" She looks around and then whispers, "Why?"

"Business isn't good anymore. People just go to, like, big stores where they can buy groceries and clothes and their prescriptions all at the same time."

"But those stores don't usually give the personal touch," Sunny insists. "And my dad says a lot of those stores are bad to their workers."

I shrug. I know she's trying to make me feel better, but I don't know what else to say. Sunny and I walk through the hall silently. After a few minutes she asks, "How can you be so calm about this?"

"I'm not calm. I'm just tired, so it seems like I'm calm," I tell her. It's a relief to tell Sunny this, but it does make me tired talking about it.

"Well, I'm going to tell my mom to shop at the pharmacy every single day from now on. She already gets prescriptions there, but I'm gonna tell her that she has to buy at least one thing there a day. Even if it's just gum."

"Thanks, Sunny," I say. "Oh, but guess what? I do have some cool news!"

"What?" Sunny's shoulders perk up again.

"So this girl Courtney Adner," I start. "She's in high school, you probably don't know her. I only know her because of Claudia. But anyway, she came into the pharmacy after she had this really bad hair situation at a salon on the night of homecoming, and-"

"Lucy! Get to the point!" Sunny says.

"And I fixed her hair. Right there in the pharmacy! I knew these two products would work, and they did!"

"You gave her a makeover?"

I throw my hands up. "Yeah! I guess so!"

"That's awesome, Luce," Sunny says, putting her arm around me.

It's good to hear that from Sunny, because I do feel really awesome about how I was able to help Courtney.

We get to our lockers, and I'm taking some books off my top shelf when someone bumps into me, really hard. "Move out of the way," I hear Erica Crane say. "You're blocking my locker."

Very unluckily for me, Erica Crane's locker is next to mine this year. Erica's been mean to me for as long as I've known her, since we were five, but there's never been a real reason for it. She's just always hated me. She never shared the toys in kindergarten, and she threw my lunch in the garbage for four days in a row in third grade. And in fifth grade, when her mom forced her to invite the whole class to her birthday party, she handed out the invitations in school but "accidentally" lost mine and never found it.

It's just a fact of life: Erica Crane hates me. Always has, always will.

"I'm not in your way," I say. "I'm in front of my locker."

"Shut up, Lucy," Erica says. "And by the way, lay off the scallion cream cheese. Your breath stinks, and you have scallion pieces in your teeth."

I turn away from her and clamp my lips shut. I grab Sunny by the arm and lead her into the bathroom so I can check my teeth.

同类推荐
  • Cult

    Cult

    In the dead of night, Naomi Forman receives a phone call. Barney Harrigan, the man she once loved—now happily married with children—utters, "My wife Charlotte has been captured by the Glories." What began as a rude interruption of her night becomes a horrifying interruption of her life, as she is unable to ignore Barney's cry for help.Drawn into the Glory Church doomsday cult by her estranged sister, Charlotte Harrigan succumbs to the will of the enigmatic Father Glory. Brainwashed beyond comprehension, she is now only one of many who have been entrapped by the cult's promise of rebirth into a new, idyllic life.
  • Christmas Forever (The Inn at Sunset Harbor—Book 8

    Christmas Forever (The Inn at Sunset Harbor—Book 8

    "Sophie Love's ability to impart magic to her readers is exquisitely wrought in powerfully evocative phrases and descriptions….This is the perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but evolving psyches. It's a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads."--Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan re For Now and Forever)CHRISTMAS FOREVER is book #8—and the finale—in the #1 bestselling romance series THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR, which begins with For Now and Forever (book #1)—a free download!Winter is coming in Sunset Harbor, and Emily Mitchell is nearing her third trimester. While they continue to develop their new private island, a new opportunity arises—one Emily had never anticipated, and which could change everything.
  • Generations
  • Ride The Nightmare

    Ride The Nightmare

    At 32, Chris Martin lives a conventional life. He's married with a daughter, runs his own small business, and is working to save up money for a bigger home with his wife, Helen. He is happy and content with this staid but comfortable existence—until a late weeknight phone call turns everything upside down.Chris hasn't always been the model family man he appears to be. And when his past catches up to him, the terror comes into his home—just where he thought he was safest. As Chris finds all that he loves under attack, he must go to heroic lengths to keep his family and his life together.
  • The Inconceivable Life of Quinn

    The Inconceivable Life of Quinn

    Quinn Cutler is sixteen and the daughter of a high-profile Brooklyn politician. She's also pregnant, a crisis made infinitely more shocking by the fact that she has no memory of ever having sex. Before Quinn can solve this deeply troubling mystery, her story becomes public. Rumors spread, jeopardizing her reputation, her relationship with a boyfriend she adores, and her father's campaign for Congress. Religious fanatics gather at the Cutlers' home, believing Quinn is a virgin, pregnant with the next messiah. Quinn's desperate search for answers uncovers lies and family secrets—strange, possibly supernatural ones. Might she, in fact, be a virgin?
热门推荐
  • 万世魔缘子树花开

    万世魔缘子树花开

    我是一只上古神兽,貌美、力强、还机智过人。初见他时,他只是个倔强纯傻的小小少年郎。再见他时,他竟已成性情暴戾魔界魔尊继位者。无意间,我被卷入魔界权位的争夺阴谋中。渐渐发现,在他那暴戾残酷的表象下,藏了几千年的纯纯爱恋之心。好吧,既然,你都爱惨了我了,那我就勉为其难的接受你吧!这是一部上古神兽与天地间魔尊后裔的酸甜苦辣的爱恋宠文,天地间第一对打破种族界限在一起的神魔眷侣。
  • 三字经(普及版)

    三字经(普及版)

    《三字经(普及版)》的特点是,对《三字经》全文做了通俗易懂的讲解,并设置5个板块,以帮助读者全面领会它的内涵。例如,每段句子依照内容,精选一则故事,用故事形象说明道理;用一则知识链接,开拓读者的视野。这正是《三字经(普及版)》的不同之处,相信每一个青少年都会从中真正受益。
  • 名人教子的100法则

    名人教子的100法则

    通过阅读《名人教子的100法则》一书,让您教育子女不再迷茫,不再无的放矢,不再走弯路,不再做无用功!在本书中,我们精选了古今中外名人的良好的教育方法、成熟的教育思路、独到的心得体会以及成功的教育经验,以榜样的力量教育子女,书中细致地描绘了众多名人在家庭琐事、生活细节中以身作则,在为人处世、求知做事的过程中循循善诱,在孩子面临困难和挫折时与之携手共进,以及他们用勤劳和智慧去构筑一个充满阳光和谐的家园。
  • 这个系统有点傻

    这个系统有点傻

    它注定是与众不同的烟火,它注定会遭受苛责,它注定会打破现有的规则……不一样的系统文
  • 滨江膳祖

    滨江膳祖

    这是一九〇〇年的北京城。早在两千多年前的战国时期,这里就是七雄之一的燕国的都城——蓟城。星移斗转,经秦、汉、隋、唐、宋、明、清各朝代,它不仅仅是北方名城,而且还是交通要道,曾名涿郡、幽州、范阳、燕山。1153年,金海陵王占领后,改称中都。由此开始了作为封建王朝统治中心的历史。1276年,忽必烈攻占中都,认为其右拥太行,左注沧海,南抚中原,北枕居庸关,背靠朔方,萦畿带甸,负山引河,天府之所,于是在中都的东北郊外大建新都——大都。参照汴洛中都旧制,分外城、皇城、宫城三重,呈南北长方形,外城周60里,11座城门。其东西分别相当于今北京的内城东西旧城,南至今长安街一带,北城在德胜门外。
  • 藏地白皮书(十年爱情见证版)

    藏地白皮书(十年爱情见证版)

    众多驴友及文艺青年心中的“爱情圣经”!连和菜头、姬十三等网络毒舌及科学宅男都感动推荐的爱情小书!2003年,当21岁的傅真遇到25岁的铭基时,她是即将赴英伦留学的大四女生,而他是沉默内敛的香港男生。他们不约而同地在“非典”时期揣着一本《藏地牛皮书》,背着行囊来到西藏。他们对彼此的倾慕干净而透明,但各自的未来却显然通往不同的方向。然而年轻的爱因简单执着而自有一种力量。他们在拉萨分别后,克服重重阻碍定情于大理,最后飞越大半个地球于一年后在伦敦结婚。这个在网上被众多网友奉为“爱情宝典”的故事,却展示着比童话故事更丰富多彩的结局。十年已过,他们依然并肩走天涯,看尽长安花。
  • 青梅竹马之有你真好

    青梅竹马之有你真好

    “这位想必大家都不陌生,她就是当红小花旦童晨曦!也是这部剧的女主角……”著名主持人介绍童晨曦。童晨曦脸上带着礼貌的微笑,看着主持人,心里却想着她实现梦想了,可是一直守护他的人呢?他又在哪里呢?坐在沙发上看着屏幕里的童晨曦,他嘴角牵出一丝微笑,她终于实现梦想了,可是他们还会再相遇吗……
  • 我们说好的,一辈子

    我们说好的,一辈子

    谁会想到,媒体眼里手腕绝决的商界新贵秦渊,曾经卧薪尝胆多年,不惜与父亲兄弟决裂,最后以雷厉风行之势一举夺走家族企业。而他所做的一切,竟是为了兑现自己当年与一个女孩的承诺。可是,再次照面,她却已忘了,他们曾说好的一辈子……这个世界上最远的距离,不是我站在你面前你却不知道我爱你,而是我们四目相对时,你却忘了,你爱我。
  • 金鳞开

    金鳞开

    一个成熟的职业经理人,重生为皇明末代太子朱慈烺。从不接受失败的灵魂,因此掀起了复兴大明的风暴。从这一刻起——让别的民族瓜分大地和海洋的时代已经一去不返,皇皇大明也需要更多的土地来阵列自己的大炮!============新书《大国医》发布,恳请支持!书号是:1003467253
  • 焰娘

    焰娘

    《焰娘》生死相随,心心相依,为他,她甘之如饴!受再多的苦,言再多的情,都不足以表达她对他的爱!可,他的眼中,始终是容不下她!想想放弃或者更好些,先前所做的一切都是枉然,情到深处无怨尤……轻言放弃她实在做不到,那么,海角天涯地追随他总可以了吧!