True Colors (23 page)

Thursday was the last day of school before winter break. Tori and I exchanged gifts at the bus stop. We both got each other the new Skylar Halston book. I had brought a big chocolate Santa in case Ericka had something for me, but she didn't give me anything on the bus. I always bring a couple of extra cards and some candy canes to school just in case somebody has a gift or a card for me, which I wasn't expecting, but I always end up bringing them all back home.

Thalia gave me a Christmas card and a stuffed snowman in homeroom, so I gave her the chocolate Santa. Mrs. Lacey let us sit wherever we wanted in math class, and Kyle moved to our table. He gave Arianna and me root beer flavored candy canes. Arianna ate hers, but I wanted to keep mine. I thought Kyle was kind of a jerk, but part of me still liked him so I gave him one of my candy canes just as Ericka walked into the room.

“Um, we can sit wherever we want,” I said.

“Move over by me,” Ericka said.

I wanted to sit with Kyle, but I couldn't tell her, so I got up.

“Wait, I have something for you,” Arianna said. “I almost forgot.”

She handed me an envelope with my name in big curly red letters and a marshmallow candy cane taped to it. I opened it up, and inside she had written she hoped I had a great vacation. I gave her one of my cards and a candy cane before I moved to Ericka's table. Arianna hadn't given the marshmallow candy canes to everyone, so I felt kinda special.

Ashanti and I exchanged gifts at lunch. She gave me a DVD of
Jane Eyre
,
and I gave her a subscription to
Soap Opera Hotties
magazine since I knew hers was expiring. Maggie and Halle brought their gifts for Ashanti to lunch, and I felt uncomfortable so I said I was going to talk to Devon and Hana. Maggie handed me a card with a cherry candy cane, so I gave her and Halle cards and candy canes before I went to see Devon and Hana. Hana and I had decided to exchange gifts, and she gave me a little stocking filled with different flavors of lip gloss and I had gotten her some cute notepads because she loves paper stuff. Devon unwrapped the purple journal I gave her, and she gave me one with a red and pink suede cover. I asked her if she wanted to go to the basketball game with Ashanti, Peyton, and me, but she and India were planning to go to the mall tonight.

“But we'll definitely get together when you get back from Chicago,” she said. “Maybe you can spend the night.”

I wrote out a card for India in history. I had already put her gift in the locker she shared with Devon. I realized I hadn't given Ericka a card yet, and I reached into my bag to get one. I pulled out the box, but it was empty. I've never run out of my backup cards before. Last year I only exchanged presents with Tori and Ericka, but this year I had gotten to know more people because of the fight. Ericka came over to my desk with a card for me.

“I kept forgetting to give this to you,” she said. I felt stupid because I didn't have anything for her. “How come you got so much stuff?” she asked, looking at the gift bags next to me.

I shrugged and noticed she only had one gift bag by her seat. India came in wearing the pink and black star earrings I had given her.

“These are so cute,” she said. “Open yours.”

Ericka watched as I opened up a baby blue picture frame. India had put in a picture of the four of us. It was the one Peyton's dad had taken the night of the field trip. Ericka raised her eyebrow, but didn't say anything. She had only given me a card so I didn't owe her a gift, but I still felt uncomfortable. India asked if I was going to the mall with them, but I told her Peyton and I were going to the game with Ashanti.

“Sounds like fun. We're supposed to meet up with Doug and Jeremy at the mall. I'm probably not allowed to talk to Doug though,” she said rolling her eyes. “Don't tell Devon what I said, okay?”

Mrs. Hearst put a movie on for us, but nobody paid attention to it. Normally, she'd bark at us for being “disorderly,” but she didn't seem to care today. India leaned over and told us how Tad had given presents to all the teachers.

“How pathetic,” she said, rolling her eyes.

I didn't say anything, but my mom had bought me some holiday towels to give to Mrs. Kharrazi since she had encouraged me with my writing. I left them in my locker when I went to her class earlier, but now I was glad I hadn't given them to her in front of everybody. I ended up dropping them off in her mailbox in the office after the final bell rang. As I was going out to the bus line, Thalia ran up to thank me again for the chocolate Santa.

“A bunch of us are going to the basketball game tomorrow night,” I said. “Do you want to go with us?”

“Sounds great. I can meet you there,” she said. “I'm dying to see what Vladi looks like.”

Peyton came over after dinner to exchange presents. She gave me an enamel bracelet, which matched the ring we both had.

“I love the colors. It's perfect,” I said.

I gave her a Skylar Halston biography and the earrings she liked from Connick's.

“I wanted this book, and you know I love the earrings. I'll wear them to the game,” she said.

“I am so nervous about going,” I said. “What if Vladi was just asking to be polite and when he sees me he's like, ‘I didn't actually care if you came, stupid little girl',” I said.

“You do the accent quite well,” she said, and I hit her with a pillow. “Landry, he won't. Did he e-mail you back when you told him you were coming?”

“No, because he doesn't care. He probably just needed someone to watch his girlfriend's purse while they go make out,” I said.

“Nah, she could just take her purse with her,” she said.

“Oh, thanks a lot.”

“I'm kidding,” she said.

She asked me what I was going to wear tomorrow, and I shrugged. She went to my closet and pulled out my yellow Franciszka T shirt, but I said there was a stain on it.

“Sick, what is it?” she asked.

“Chocolate… blood? I got it at the movie theater so I'm hoping it's chocolate,” I said. “I keep hoping it'll come out because I spent a lot on it.”

“Ew. How about this one?” she asked as she pulled out the light blue sweater my grandma had given me.

“I wondered what happened to it.” I put it in front of me, and she said it would look good on me.

“But does it look like a Hillcrest sweater?” I asked. “I don't need to remind him I'm a sheltered private school girl.”

“It's perfect,” she said. “Is Tori coming with us tomorrow?”

“No, but Thalia's going to meet us there,” I said. “When did going to the game seem like a good idea?”

“It'll be fun,” she said. “I bet Vladi's counting down the minutes until he sees you again.”

“Yeah, right. He probably found my e-mail address in his pocket and confused me with some hot girl who had given him her e-mail address,” I said. “He's expecting some tall, gorgeous blonde to show up, and instead, he'll find me.”

“You are a tall, gorgeous blonde,” she said.

I couldn't eat before the basketball game, and I went to the bathroom six times. Mr. Urich picked Ashanti and me up, but I wished my mom had driven us because I didn't want to puke in the Urich's car. Thalia met up with us, and the four of us stood in the doorway trying to find a place to sit.

“There's Tad's mom,” Thalia said. “Let's sit in front of her.”

Tad's mom started to ask us something, but I missed it because all I heard was the girl who was sitting in front of me say she couldn't wait to meet up with Vladi after the game. I couldn't get mad at him because,
A
, this girl was definitely an upperclassman;
B
, he never said he didn't have a girlfriend; and
C
, I hadn't asked the ticket people if the money was going for starving puppies. Why would I think Vladi might like me? I was just a stupid kid with bad hair. I said I was going to the bathroom, and Peyton came after me.

“I am so stupid,” I said. “She's gorgeous. She could do a shampoo commercial.”

“So what?” Peyton said. “You don't even know if she's his girlfriend.”

She convinced me to go back to watch the game, and I found out the girl's name was Carey. It was so annoying the way she cheered every time Vladi touched the ball. She fluffed her wavy dark hair a million times, and it kept getting in my face. I wanted to call my mom when the game ended, but Ashanti said we should wait in the hall and let Vladi see I showed up.

“He's not going to care. I'll look like a groupie or something, and I don't want to see Carey all over him,” I said.

“But then you'll know for sure,” Thalia said.

“I could be happy not knowing,” I said.

Vladi came out of the locker room, and Carey and her friend moved in on him. The three of them walked past us without even looking in our direction. I tried calling my mom, but the cell phone wasn't working, so I had to go outside to get a signal. Vladi was out there talking to Carey. Peyton said I should walk by and say, “Hi,” but I just wanted to go home.

“Hey Landry, you came.”

I saw Vladi was calling me over. “We're going for ice cream. You want to come?” he asked.

My brain and mouth weren't working together and I said, “We don't have a ride.” How stupid, we could have walked. I am so dumb.

“We can give you a ride,” he said.

My mother has lectured me about not getting into cars with strangers since I was four, yet I got into this guy Steve's car. Carey didn't go with us because her friend was able to drive there. Meanwhile, the four of us were so crammed into the tiny backseat that I lost all feeling in my right leg. Steve wasn't the worst driver I had ridden with if you counted the half-crazed taxi driver who almost killed Mom and me last summer. We got to Ignatowski's Ice Cream Palace alive, and I swore I would never drive with anyone I didn't know again.

I ordered a large caramel sundae and noticed Carey and her friend had only ordered diet sodas. You could tell Steve liked Carey, but she didn't seem to notice. Vladi and I talked about school, but Carey kept interrupting us. I felt so out of place next to her and her friend. I wanted to stay and talk to Vladi, but part of me just wanted to get out of there. I knew Carey was judging me, and it was pretty obvious she didn't think I was good enough for Vladi. As soon as she and her friend got up to go to the restroom, I got up, too.

“Are you leaving?” Vladi asked me.

“I should call my mom.” Why couldn't I stop saying stupid stuff?

“We have to go, um… wash our hands,” Ashanti said grabbing Thalia's arm. Peyton got up and followed them.

“I'm glad you came,” he said.

“Oh, yeah. Me too,” I said as I sat back down.

“I was kind of nervous playing in my first varsity game.” He rolled his eyes.

“You were great,” I said. Carey was now standing by the door. “I think she's waiting for you,” I said.

“She's got a ride home,” he said.

“Isn't she your girlfriend?” Even saying the word was like a knife through my gut.

“No, Steve likes her, but I don't think she likes him too much,” he said.

“Vladi, we're going,” Carey said.

“Okay. Bye,” he said without turning around.

“Aren't you coming?” Carey sounded just like Ericka when she was annoyed.

“No, I'm going to hang out a while and finish my ice cream,” he said. Steve offered to walk the girls to their car.

“Whatever,” she said and Steve walked out behind them.

“What are you doing for Christmas?” he asked. I told him I was going to Chicago to see my dad, and he said his grandpa was coming to visit. Steve came back just as Peyton, Ashanti, and Thalia returned from the bathroom.

“Struck out,” Steve said.

“She's not worth it,” Vladi said.

“Easy for you to say,” Steve said. “She likes you.”

“Until she finds out I'm only fifteen and won't be able to drive anytime soon,” Vladi said.

Thalia kicked me under the table.

“Landry, will you e-mail me from Chicago?” he asked.

“Yeah, I can use my dad's laptop,” I said.

“Good. Can I get your number so we can text, too?”

Steve offered to take us home, but I wasn't going to risk it again so I called Mom and the guys waited with us until she showed up. I didn't think things could get any better, but then Vladi stopped me as we were walking out. He reminded me to e-mail him, and then he put his arms around my shoulders and gave me a hug. A hug. Like it was a normal thing to do. I managed to put my arms up and keep the screaming inside until I got in the car. Mom thought I was insane.

“He's fifteen,” I said. “We're just a year apart, and Dad says I'm mature for my age.”

“If only your father was,” Mom said.

We took Thalia, Peyton, and Ashanti home. They were all happy for me, and Thalia wanted me to ask Vladi about Steve when I e-mailed him because she thought he was hot.

When we got home, Delilah had left a message on our answering machine about the stain removal commercial. It was supposed to air tomorrow morning on channel seventy-eight at nine o'clock. I couldn't wait to see it. Unfortunately, there was also a message from Grandma reminding us to bring a tape of the
Ingénue
competition with us when we came for Christmas.

“Lucy and Bryan will want to see it,” Grandma said.

Not gonna happen. I would bring over my commercial tape though… unless the director used the footage where the sauce splattered in my face. I still e-mailed a bunch of my friends about the commercial, but not Devon, India, Ericka, or Tori. I didn't want to rub it in Devon's face or have her hear about it from India, and I didn't need Ericka and Tori to get mad again.

The next morning, I finished packing for Chicago while my mom watched TV, looking for me. She was recording it on the DVR so we wouldn't miss the commercial, but I kept checking it to make sure we didn't have too much stuff saved so it'd turn off or get deleted. I was super paranoid I'd miss it. It came on, and there I was at the picnic table looking all happy in my white Capri pants. Then the jerk dumped the sauce on me. Mom said I was “precious,” which was exactly the problem. I appeared about twelve years old. Still, at least I was in a commercial. I didn't have any other jobs lined up, but Delilah had said the spring fashion shows would be coming up soon. She said Kasia from Wee Fashions was interested in having me pose for some store advertisements, which would be cool. It wasn't exactly
Teen
Dream
, but what were ya gonna do?

Before we left I got a bunch of e-mails about the commercial from Ashanti, Peyton, Hana, and Thalia. I started to wonder if Vladi might have heard about the competition and maybe that was the only reason he was interested in me, so I wrote him a quick e-mail about the commercial just to see what he'd say. He was online and instant messaged me saying he didn't know I was doing commercials and stuff. He seemed surprised, and I realized he had no clue I was ever on the show.

Mom and I boarded the train to Chicago at eleven. I finished reading
Jane Eyre
while on the train, so I leaned back in my seat and watched the houses roll by. I asked Mom if we could drive to Chicago next time so we could bring some of Dad's stuff back with us.

“I, uh, don't think your Dad's been actively looking for a position—”

“So he's not moving in with us? Great.” I slumped in my seat. “Why are we even bothering to go there now? I can't believe this.”

She told me to calm down and said she had put Dad on hold because there was a chance she might be changing companies soon.

“So?”

“So your Dad would have to relocate twice then and—”

I sat up. “We'd move? What are you talking about? We can't move.”

She said she had been talking to a company in Battle Creek. My mouth dropped open, and she said it was only about an hour and a half away.

“Then you can drive there and back every day,” I said.

She gave me the “settle down” look and said nothing had been decided yet.

“It was just an offer.”

“Yeah, an offer which could ruin my life. Do you know how hard it is to move right before high school? I have my friends here, and what about the modeling agency?”

This time I got the “end of discussion” look. “Nothing will probably even come from it, okay? I like where I am right now, so calm down. You're just like your father. Always overreacting like the sky's falling in.”

I could have said telling someone their life was about to end was a pretty good reason to freak out, but I didn't want to start anything since we were going shopping for my presents tomorrow.

“Oh, your magazine came in the mail this morning,” she said, pulling the new issue of
Young and Fun
out of her tote bag.

Talisa was on the cover with some other girls looking gorgeous as usual. I tried to relax as I read the article where she talked about her early days in modeling before the
American Ingénue
competition. She said she was taking online classes to get her business degree.

“I want to be able to read my own contracts and not rely on someone else telling me what they say,” Talisa said. “You need to look at modeling as a business — a real career, and you always need a backup plan for the future. It looks like fun and glamour, but it's hard work. Even on my days off I'm always working toward a goal. I read all the time, too. Sometimes for fun and sometimes to learn. I don't want to be a stereotypical model. I worked hard to get where I am today.”

She also talked about how many years she tried to get work in the industry. I didn't even realize she had struggled to get noticed as a model for so long. I thought her success had pretty much come overnight with the show. No wonder she had gone farther than the rest of the contestants.

“Before
Ingénue
, I was so happy to get any job,” she said. “I did kiddie fashion shows where I was almost two feet taller than the other girls. You never know when your big break will come. But in the last month I've learned you can't neglect your family and friends for your career. I used to think I would get famous and leave all those girls who were mean to me in school behind, but you have to focus on the positive and not let all the other stuff bother you.”

I was surprised to read even Talisa had problems. And she had issues with her forehead breaking out. I guess she was human after all. I put the magazine down and started to think about the competition. Maybe I would let Grandma see my commercial, but not the competition. No one would ever see it if I had my way.

“I won't make a decision until at least after New Year's,” Mom said. “I do like that you seem settled at school. It's a big decision.”

She looked unsure, and I relaxed. It didn't sound like she was leaning toward moving. I just had to convince her to stay in Grand Rapids. For now, all I wanted to do was to get to Chicago, see my dad, sleep in my old bedroom, and e-mail Peyton, Ashanti, Thalia, and Vladi.

I used to get nervous when I would go to Chicago for winter or spring break and I'd have to be away from Ericka and Tori for so long. I was always afraid I'd come back and they would have decided to be best friends without me or something. My biggest fear was getting back to school and being left out. But things were different now. I had other friends besides the two of them, and this time I felt like I had true friends I could count on. No matter what, Ashanti, Peyton, and Thalia would always be there for me. Plus, things were getting better between Devon and me. And now I had my modeling stuff to focus on, too. Maybe things weren't perfect, but for the first time in my life, I was looking forward to going back to school after vacation. I just had to convince my mom to stay in Grand Rapids, and my life would practically be perfect. Well, except for the fact the guy who played Colin on
As the Days Roll On
wasn't my boyfriend, but it seemed like I might have a guy in the running to be my real boyfriend. Sure, I didn't have any music video auditions lined up, but I could work on it. The future was looking bright right now.