TTYL (3 page)

zoegirl:

angela, thank u for the daisy!!! that was SO sweet.

SnowAngel:

zoe! u found it—yay!

zoegirl:

i was all overwhelmed with first-day madness, and then i opened my locker, and voila!

SnowAngel:

i gave one to maddie too. they're to remind us not to get caught up in stupid school stuff. we've just got to be ourselves and have as much fun as possible.

zoegirl:

well, it totally made me smile.

SnowAngel:

a fabulous start to a fabulous year. and it *is* gonna be fabulous—i can feel it. i'm gonna meet the boy of my dreams, maddie's gonna stop being so down on herself all the time, and ur gonna… huh. what r u gonna do? ur already perfect.

zoegirl:

what?!! hardly

SnowAngel:

ok, then what's your goal for sophomore year? AND DON'T SAY STRAIGHT A'S, CUZ I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT SCHOOL.

zoegirl:

my goal?

zoegirl:

i have no idea

SnowAngel:

well, think of something

zoegirl:

i guess…

zoegirl:

i guess i just want something meaningful to happen. something BIG. my life is so boring compared to yours and maddie's. for once i want something exciting to happen, and i want to be the one it happens to.

SnowAngel:

yeah, baby. i can groove to that.

SnowAngel:

but u'll have to MAKE it happen. u can't just sit back and be good little zoe like u usually r.

zoegirl:

that's my point. i want to STOP being good little zoe. i want to try out whatever comes along.

SnowAngel:

excellent plan, just as long as it doesn't involve going to the sit 'n' snip. promise?

zoegirl:

silly. your haircut looks great.

SnowAngel:

right. i hate my hair!
even my mom was like, “well it's not the most flattering cut u've ever had, but it'll grow out.”

SnowAngel:

i always get these grand ideas of “oh, this style will be perfect,” and then afterward, all i wanna do is go back in time to the good ol' days of ponytails and braids. but noooooo, it's too late, and now i'm in clippie hell till it grows out.

zoegirl:

please. you couldn't look bad if you tried.

SnowAngel:

if i wore a t-shirt that said, “i got my hair cut at sit 'n' snip,” i'd put them out of business in an hour.

zoegirl:

angela, angela, angela. do you remember last year when you hennaed your hair? only, mary kate thought you said hint a', like just a hint a' red, not too much and not too little? and she went to walmart to buy some and was SO bummed when they didn't have any?

SnowAngel:

yr point…?

zoegirl:

that even though you hated your henna look, everyone else wanted to steal it for their own. mary kate's going to show up tomorrow in a jillion clippies, just wait and see.

SnowAngel:

ha. ur so full of it.

zoegirl:

anyway, must stop chatting. i've got to read three chapters of “The Great Gatsby” by tomorrow.

SnowAngel:

the horror!

zoegirl:

thanks again for the daisy!!!

SnowAngel:

zoe! ROB TYLER is in my French class!!! *breathes deeply, with hand to throbbing bosom*

SnowAngel:

on friday we have to do “une dialogue” together. i get to ask for a bite of his hot dog.

zoegirl:

you do not

SnowAngel:

yes, and it will be tres sexy. he is SO cute, zoe. today he was wearing this yellow button-down that was quite unexpected on a retro boy like him. he had the sleeves rolled up, and i'm telling u, he's got the greatest forearms.

zoegirl:

does he, now?

SnowAngel:

it's from doing construction work all summer. isn't that cool that he worked construction? it's so… manly.

zoegirl:

you two actually talked?

SnowAngel:

our seats are right next to each other. and tonight when i do my hw, i get to fantasize about his summer sausage. *nudge, nudge, wink, wink*

zoegirl:

while i'll be reading 5,000 pages of “The Great Gatsby” and answering probing discussion questions about the american dream. mr. h expects us to read a book a week. can you believe that?

SnowAngel:

like that'll be a problem for u.

SnowAngel:

did he stare at your boobs?

zoegirl:

mr. h?!

SnowAngel:

maddie and i had him for journalism last year, and he was always staring at some girl's boobs, mostly maddie's. he was always “reading” her shirts.

zoegirl:

ewww!

SnowAngel:

so watch out. he makes a big deal of being all christian, but what that MEANS is that he's majorly sexually repressed. whereas i, on the other hand, am not sexually repressed at all. speaking of, better start practicing for rob. bye!

mad maddie:

i hear angela's selected her first crush of the season.

zoegirl:

rob tyler?

mad maddie:

she's so funny. it's like she's got to have a guy to like, or she can't exist. it drives me batty.

zoegirl:

well, that's angela

zoegirl:

is rob a worthy candidate? i've never had a class with him.

mad maddie:

i guess he's nice enough, in a slouchy, hipster-boy kinda way. but i must say, he's got a weak chin.

zoegirl:

oh yikes! he kind of does!

mad maddie:

i know angela thinks he's hot, but he reminds me of that creepy weird brother in “arrested development.” NOT a good thing.

mad maddie:

that show, however, will never grow old

zoegirl:

think he'll fall for her?

mad maddie:

they always do, don't they?

zoegirl:

but then things never end up working out. why?

mad maddie:

cuz every new guy is, like, a god to her. she puts them on this total pedestal, and then they do something crappy and she falls apart. and WE have to pick up the pieces.

zoegirl:

well, let's not forget the time you fell deeply and madly in love with grier snelling…

mad maddie:

hold on, now—i was in the 7th grade!!!

zoegirl:

and you sent him that perfumed letter for valentine's day, only you were too chicken to put your name on it, and he was like, “ew, my desk stinks! ew, who put this here?!”

mad maddie:

thx for bringing up such a joyous memory. i was scarred for life, thank u very much.

zoegirl:

but angela and i put you back together, because that's what friends do. and if we have to, you and i will do the same for her.

mad maddie:

i am SOOOO pissed.

SnowAngel:

oh no. why?

mad maddie:

one word. well, two. JANA WHITAKER.

SnowAngel:

the queen bee of our entire class? *gasps* what'd she do this time?

mad maddie:

i hate her. she's evil.

SnowAngel:

i KNOW that. TELL ME WHAT SHE DID!!!!

mad maddie:

we had a substitute for last period study hall and he insisted on taking roll, cuz god forbid one of us had snuck off to do something productive. when he got to me he called out, “madeleine kinnick?” and jana turns around, all batting eyes and innocent, and goes, “um, isn't your name madigan?”

SnowAngel:

yr name IS madigan.

mad maddie:

which jana totally knows!

SnowAngel:

so what's the problem?

mad maddie:

r u serious?!!

mad maddie:

it was the way she said it, like she was honestly confused. like, “oh my goodness, i THINK i know u, don't i?” WHEN WE'VE GONE TO SCHOOL TOGETHER SINCE 7th GRADE!!!

SnowAngel:

oooooh.

SnowAngel:

i can see how that would be annoying.

mad maddie:

it's like she thinks she's so much better than all the rest of us, and she's doing us a favor if she remembers our names. it bugs the hell out of me how she walks down the halls in her too-small shirts, her belly-button ring shouting, “look how cool i am! worship me! adore me!” as if she's such a rebel just cuz she pierced her navel.

SnowAngel:

as if piercings are *any* sign of badass-ness anymore. margie walker pierced her tongue, and no one cared. oh, and she dyed her hair blue.

SnowAngel:

(personally, don't think it looks that great)

SnowAngel:

but jana whitaker pierces her belly button, and everyone wants to run out and copy her so they can be little jana clones.

mad maddie:

i know. pathetic.

SnowAngel:

anyway, jana's totally backstabbing margaret cheney. did u know that?

mad maddie:

exsqueeze me?

SnowAngel:

it almost makes me feel sorry for margaret, cuz she and jana r supposed to be best buds. but it's margaret's fault for trusting jana in the first place.

mad maddie:

explain

SnowAngel:

i was in the bathroom after 5th period. jana and terri were there, and jana was going on about what a bitch margaret was for flirting with rex saunders. i guess rex is like jana's property cuz they went to some party together over the summer.

SnowAngel:

jana was all, “she is such a whore,” and then she lowered her voice like she was telling some big secret and said something REALLY gross.

mad maddie:

and that wld be…?

SnowAngel:

don't think i can say

mad maddie:

say.

SnowAngel:

well, she said that margaret… er… ejaculates.

mad maddie:

????!!!

SnowAngel:

actually she said she squirts when she comes. and then she was like, “shit, i can't believe i told u. u've gotta swear not to tell, terri. u've gotta swear!” while the whole time i was two sinks over going, “HELLO! do u even know i'm here?”

mad maddie:

disgusting

SnowAngel:

i know. i was like, “margaret is yr friend, asshole. how wld u like it if she went around spreading rumors about u?”

mad maddie:

i meant the other part. about margaret.

SnowAngel:

oh

SnowAngel:

some girls really do, tho. i read it in “our bodies, ourselves.”

mad maddie:

ick

SnowAngel:

not NECESSARILY. i wldn't know, but if it's just biology…

SnowAngel:

it's not *necessarily* ick, is it?

mad maddie:

does jana truly NOT know my name? is that possible?

SnowAngel:

if so, it's her loss.

mad maddie:

it made me feel so loser-ish. christine and amber giggled when she said it, and i wanted to crawl under my desk. not that they would have noticed, since to them i'm totally invisible.

SnowAngel:

ur not invisible, not to the ppl who matter.

SnowAngel:

hey! *lightbulb binging in head* want me to bring u some krispy kremes to cheer u up?

mad maddie:

YEAH!

SnowAngel:

ok, only i'll have to wait for mom to get back so she can give me a ride.

mad maddie:

nvm. in that case i'd rather just sulk.

SnowAngel:

poor sad maddie. i can't wait till we get our licenses. then we can do stuff like that whenever we want.

mad maddie:

four weeks and a day for yrs truly.

mad maddie:

now if only i could get the moms to buy me that jeep…

SnowAngel:

dream on. maybe your grandmom's old gremlin…

mad maddie:

the gremlin OWNS. it runs, anywayz.

mad maddie:

wanna hear my post-driving-test fantasy?

SnowAngel:

i dunno. do i?

mad maddie:

it's probably impossible, but wldn't it be awesome if u, me, and zoe cld go on a road trip together, just the three of us?

SnowAngel:

omg, that would be so cool.

mad maddie:

crank up the music, roll down the windows, and just GO.

SnowAngel:

we cld drive to tuckaway. or hilton head! we cld be beach blanket bimbos!

mad maddie:

and we cld get away from everything having to do with school. we cld just leave it all behind us.

SnowAngel:

that would be so awesome.

SnowAngel:

SHIT, maddie, why do u put these ideas in my head? now i totally wanna do it!

mad maddie:

but the rents will never let us. well, mine might if i begged hard enough, cuz they don't give a shit what i do. but yours and zoe's wld freak out.

SnowAngel:

i know. that so sucks.

mad maddie:

one day, tho…

SnowAngel:

well, i call shotgun on our first krispy kreme run.

mad maddie:

u got it!