Page 40 of New Growth
She rolled her eyes yet again, and I wondered if they ever got tired. “Girl, wake up. Nobody gives a fuck about that ratchet ass expo. Do yourself a favor and focus on being a celebrity stylist.”
I stared at her for a long moment before nodding stiffly. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good.”
I sat back, letting her words settle in my chest like dead weight. A long silence passed between us before I finally spoke again.
“It’s crazy you feel that way, Hope. I was actually going to ask you to be a hair model for the show.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Me? A hair model?”
I let out a small, humorless laugh. “I know. Stupid, right?”
“No, no.” She leaned forward, suddenly intrigued. “That’s actually a good idea.”
I blinked. “Huh? You just said—”
“Elliot, honey.” She smiled, tilting her head. “You still don’t get it. Me being in this little expo will automatically raise the value of it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?”
“Yes, of course! Do you know how many people will show up just because I’m there? You would’ve been stupid to do it without me.”
Wow. That changed her mind very quickly.
“So… you’re in?” I asked hesitantly.
“Of course I’m in!” She grinned, then took a slow sip of her drink before adding, “That is, of course, if you’re still doing Jasmine’s hair for Milan? Will Friday at twelve work?”
Friday? The busiest day of the week? During the busiest time?
I forced a smile. “Yup. No problem.”
?
“My head’s up my ass?!”
Esther’s voice exploded through the speaker the moment I finished talking.
I held the phone away from my ear as she continued.
“That bitch knew better than to say it to my face. I would’ve punched her in the stomach and undone some stitches, I’ll tell you that much.”
Was it messy to tell Esther what Hope said?Yes.
Did I care?Not really. No.
“Will you calm down?” I said, lowering my voice. “I told you this because I want to get to the bottom of your beef. You two are making the rest of us miserable.”
“There is no beef,” Esther shot back. “The girl is psycho, and that’s all on her.”
I sighed. “Can you think of why she feels this way about you?”
“Elliot.” She exhaled sharply. “The girl is jealous. She’s jealous of our friendship, she’s jealous of EL’evation, and most importantly, she’s jealous of you.”
I frowned.Hope? Jealous of me?
“Impossible.”
