Page 116 of We Shouldn't Be Together
“I told you,” she says with glee, “I’m never running in this uniform again.”
I gesture at my blazer and tie. “It’d be in solidarity today.”
“Thanks for doing that, by the way. I know you hate being in this uniform.”
As we wandered through the school halls, she asked me to stay in my uniform. I agreed on the caveat that she leaves a change of clothes in her locker from now on. Granted, I immediately loosened my tie, and couldn’t undo the top two buttons of my shirt fast enough.
We get to the strip mall, and Tabitha glances at the window displays, but her mind seems elsewhere. I follow her into a department store, and we ditch our backpacks by the front help desk.
I let her take the lead, and she dawdles through the makeup section. I might have a friend who’s a girl, but she's never worn a lick of makeup. I don’t even think Jamie would know what to do with mascara. Actually, she’d probably look strange if she wore any of it.
Tabby, on the other hand, looks flawless with whatever she puts on her face. Every feature is enhanced and basically hypnotizes me with her beauty. I can’t tell if her eyelashes look that long because of mascara, or if they’re natural. Either way, she looks great. But I can’t help noticing her gloominess as she scans the array of products.
“Aren't you into this?” I ask.
It’s like she jolts out of a trance. “Sorry, I was somewhere else.”
“That’s okay. Are you okay?”
“I was trying to zone out by thinking about my products at home.”
I smirk, following her into a section filled with handbags. “And it didn’t work?”
“It should have,” she says, smiling at herself. “Maybe it’s silly, but I really like this stuff. I enjoy blending eyeshadows and matching lip liners with lip gloss.”
“And you’re good at this stuff, right?”
She frowns at the handbags and then moves between racks of shoes with a sigh. “This stuff usually helps me get out of my head. Guess, this day sucked more than usual. Any kind of accessory usually does the trick. Especiallyjewelry. I like pairing it with new outfits. Actually, that’s what Camila likes about me.”
“Is that so?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nods at a pair of pale pink sandals. “She won’t wear a new outfit until I’ve picked the jewelry to go with it. Before every school dance, both she and Yvie need me to do their makeup. I guess that’s my contribution to the friendship.”
“Some friendship.”
She shrugs, her brown eyes duller than I’ve ever seen them. “It helps mask how crappy they treat me. Like I said, I like fashion and styling. It’s fun and makes me feel like I’m actually good at something. In those moments, it feels like there’s some life left in me.”
“Oof. That’s dark. Ah, how are you doing?“ I ask cautiously. “I mean, I assume you’d usually spend Friday afternoons with your friends. I’m guessing you need distance from them now?”
“Oh, definitely,” she blurts and then takes a deep breath in and out. “Cammy slapped me. She actually slapped me.”
I wince. “I’m so sorry. And you didn’t want to report it?”
She frowns, clutching her elbows. “It’d only make things worse.”
“You deserve better.”
“Do I?”
I clutch her upper arm, halting her in place with me. Staring into her big brown eyes, I could melt right here. “Of course you do. They make you miserable.”
When I let go of her arm, she releases her elbows and shakes out her tension. “Well, I’m with you now, so I don’t have to be miserable. Let’s talk about something fun.” Her brown eyes sparkle with excitement. “It’s your birthday this Sunday?”
“Don’t get too excited. I’m not throwing a rager or anything.”
Her shoulders droop and her chin wobbles. “I wasn’t thinking about a party. I was just happy about your birthday.”
“Oh.”
