“I guess it’ll just take time. If you can just start coming to the parties, people would see you as cooler.”
“You know I can’t.”
“Spend the night at my place and go with me.”
Macy shook her head. “Your mom knows I’m not allowed to go to those. She’d never go behind my parents’ back and let me go with you.”
“Then sneak out. It’s your only option if you want a life before you turn sixteen. A year is way too long to wait.”
Macy dropped her bag on the grass and sat next to Zoey. “A year and two months. And yeah, my social status will be permanently sealed by then. No hope of turning around.”
Zoey’s eyes lit up. “I have an idea.”
“I can’t sneak out.”
“No. Let’s take some pictures and post them on your profile. Show off your figure. Make them all feel stupid for still calling you that name.”
“What am I supposed to wear?” she asked. She didn’t have any revealing clothes. No way her parents would ever let her wear anything like that. Especially not her dad. Well, mostly her dad. She’d heard her parents fighting about Macy lately. Her mom was more on her side than her dad, but when it came down to it, he won. And he would never stop seeing her as his little girl.
Macy realized Zoey was talking. “Slow down. What did you just say?”
“It’s perfect! Grab your bag. Come on.”
“Well…” Macy had no idea what she was getting herself into. But her mom’s car was gone, so that meant she had some time.
Zoey ran down the walkway. Macy grabbed her backpack and chased after her, following her to Zoey’s house.
“Want a snack?” Zoey asked. “I’m sure we have something vegan.”
Macy’s stomach rumbled from skipping lunch. She’d hidden in a bathroom stall to get away from the name-calling. “I’m not hungry,” she lied.
“Me, neither.” They both dropped their bags in the entryway and ran upstairs to Zoey’s room. Zoey put on some music with a lot of bass. She grabbed a pack of cigarettes and stuffed it in a drawer. Macy pretended not to see, picking up some of Zoey’s makeup.
“Good,” Zoey said. “You got the right idea. Want me to put on the makeup for you? I can give you some super-sexy smoky eyes?”
“They’ll never look like yours.”
Zoey was half-Japanese, and Macy had always been jealous of her gorgeous eyes. Zoey had never met her dad, who lived in Japan, but she’d definitely inherited his eyes.
“Of course not, but with a little eyeliner and color, your eyes are gonna pop. Sit.”
Macy took a seat at the vanity and Zoey got to work. It was hard to sit still with a pencil so close to her eyeball, but Macy managed.
Maybe, just maybe, some sexy pictures on Instagram or Facebook would help the kids at school see her differently. It was her only chance, really. Her mom would never let her out of the house looking the way Zoey was going to have her when she was done.
As Zoey went, she chatted excitedly about how great Macy was going to look. This was going to be a game-changer if half of what Zoey said was true. Macy’s heart raced.
Finally, Zoey stepped back. “A masterpiece!”
Macy turned to look.
“No peeking.” Zoey grabbed her shoulders and turned her back around. “Now let’s fix this hair.”
“What’s wrong with my hair?”
“Nothing. You have a lot to work with.”
Which meant she hadn’t been making it work on her own.
Zoey reached around her and turned on her flat iron and curling iron. Then she grabbed a brush and moved Macy’s part to the side. She kept brushing, but Macy couldn’t tell what she was doing. Soon, she pulled out the flat iron and gave Macy some fake side bangs, clipping the long part to the side. Then she curled the ends.
“Can I look yet?” Macy asked. She was starting to feel like a new person. Older. Pretty. Sophisticated.
“Not yet.” Zoey put the brush down and went to her closet. “No peeking.”
Macy’s pulse pounded in her ears. Zoey had a lot of clothes that didn’t meet the school’s dress code. She tried to imagine what she would have her wear. Probably nothing her parents would approve of. Hopefully she could keep the pictures online long enough for the kids to see before Macy was forced to take them down.
Zoey pulled out a pile of clothes.
“What’s this?” Macy asked. “A fashion show?”
“Yep. And we’re going to start with this baby.” Zoey held up a short, clingy green dress.
Macy’s heart nearly pounded out of her chest. Her parents would kill her. She would never get to go out again until she graduated. But if it got the kids at school to stop making fun of her, it would be worth it.
“Let me help you. You can’t mess up your hair or face. ‘Kay?”
She swallowed, but nodded. Her hands and feet felt cold as she slid out of her boring school clothes and into the little dress.
“Turn around,” Zoey said once it was on.
Macy spun around and checked herself out in the mirror. Her eyes widened. She hardly recognized herself.
“See?” Zoey asked. “No one’s gonna be able to say anything after this. Let’s go in the rec room for pictures.”
“Sure.” Macy kept staring at her reflection as she walked away from the mirror. She caught up to Zoey and posed for the camera. Her change in appearance gave her more confidence than she’d had in a long time.
They had a blast with their photo shoot. Macy loved wearing the clothes her parents would hate. She didn’t know how long they would stay on her account, but she hoped everyone from school would see them.
After Macy’s last outfit, her outdated, second-hand phone alerted her of a text. She groaned.
“Parental unit?” Zoey asked.
“Yep. My mom.”
Where are you?
“Looks like my fun’s over.”
“Ask if you can stay for dinner.”
At Zoey’s. They want me to have dinner here.
It’s family dinner night.
Of course. How else would an almost-fifteen year old want to spend her Friday night?
Okay. Be home soon.
“I can’t,” Macy said. “Family dinner night.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Zoey rolled her eyes dramatically. “Well, let’s see if anyone’s seen the pictures yet.”
“You already uploaded them?” Macy’s voice squeaked.
Zoey laughed. “Of course.” She pulled out her phone. “Lots of views. This might be a new start for you.”
Macy’s breath caught. “Are there likes?” she whispered. “Comments?”
She didn’t say anything.
“What?” Macy exclaimed.
“Nothing,” Zoey said too fast. Her smile faded into a frown.
“Let me see.” Macy reached for Zoey’s phone.
Zoey pulled it away.
“Zo!”
“We better get you back into your clothes.”
Macy grabbed her cell and went to her social media apps. She opened the first one and waited as it loaded. She really needed a new one. Finally, the app opened and she saw the pictures.
There were comments. Plenty of them.
Nice photoshop work.
Still a cow.
Moo.
Can’t suck in a muffin top 4ever.
Makeup can only hide ugly.
Fatso.
Loser.
Still a reject.
Byotch.
Once ugly, always ugly.
Tears blurred her vision. She couldn’t read the rest. Macy shoved her phone into her pocket and then grabbed her clothes.
“Macy,” Zoey exclaimed.
“I can’t do this.” Macy ran into the bathroom, locking the door. The tears streamed down her face, ruining the makeup. Not that it mattered. She’d have to wash it off before going home, anyway. She grabbed a washcloth and scrubbed her face clean before getting into her own clothes.
She ran back into Zoey’s room and threw the clothes on the bed.
“Macy…”
“Thanks for trying. I gotta get home.”
“Wait.”
Macy shook her head. “No. You can’t fix me. Have fun tonight.” She made sure she had her phone, and then she ran down the stairs. She could hear Zoey just behind her. Macy grabbed her bag and turned around. “Don’t worry about me.”
“This is just the start. When we get back to school, we’ll meet early and I’ll help you with—”
“Don’t.” Macy ran out the door, slamming it behind her.
Three
Macy barely made it through dinner. Her mom had made her a vegan version of dinner, but she could barely swallow any of it. Mostly, she pushed it around her plate, hoping it would disappear into thin air. She kind of wished she could do that, too.
Her younger brother, Alex, kept glancing up at her. He’d obviously seen the pictures, and by some miracle, he hadn’t told their parents. Usually, he wouldn’t miss an opportunity to get her into trouble.
“Anyone want to play cards?” asked her dad.
“No,” Macy said.
“What’s with you lately?” he asked.
“I just don’t want to.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You never want to do anything I suggest.”
“Chad,” said Macy’s mom.
“Alyssa, stop. I know she’s a teen, but she doesn’t have to fight me on everything.”
Macy sighed. It didn’t matter where she went—home, school—she could never make anyone happy. The only place she could really relax and just be herself was over at Zoey’s. Or maybe her own room if anyone would leave her alone.
Her parents continued to stare each other down.
Alex gave her a knowing glance. What was that? Sympathy?
Macy didn’t want to stick around to find out. “I need some space.”
Her dad slammed his hand on the table. “What you need is to be respectful. I get that you’re a teenager and need your independence.”
Macy laughed.
He glowered at her. “We’re going to spend some time together as a family, and you’re going to like it.”
Good luck with that. “Fine.”
“Help your mom clean up. Alex and I are going to get the game ready.”
Alex shot Macy an apologetic look before leaving the kitchen with their dad.
“Your dad’s under a lot of stress from work,” her mom said as she gathered plates from the table.
“Whatever.”
Her mom lowered her voice. “I know he’s being a jerk, but if we humor him, he’ll probably relax and be nice the rest of the weekend.”
Macy picked up the glasses from the table, nearly spilling Alex’s leftover milk on her shirt. “He’ll probably be on his computer all weekend, anyway.”
“He really thinks his blog is his ticket to quitting his job.”
“Then you think he’ll be nice? Quit making fun of me for being vegan?”
“He doesn’t make fun of you.”
Macy arched a brow.
“He’s just worried that you’re not getting the proper nutrition.”
“He sure has a rude way of showing it.”
They got the rest of the dishes in the dishwasher in silence.
Macy barely made it through the four rounds of card games without snapping at her dad.
Alex yawned and stretched. “I’m going to bed. A growing boy needs his rest.”
Macy rolled her eyes. He was full of it. Every weekend, he would sneak out and get away with it. Though two years younger, he got away with murder. It wasn’t fair.
They all exchanged goodnights and Macy trudged to her room. When she went into the bathroom, Alex was just exiting. He wore new clothes.
“Nice pajamas,” Macy said sarcastically.
He stood taller. Taller than Macy, in fact. “Nice pictures.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re not going tell Mom and Dad?”
“Of course not. You should wear makeup more often.”
“You think they’d let me?”
“Put it on in the bus.”
“In front of everyone?” she exclaimed. They’d ridicule her even worse.
He shrugged. “Just sayin’. Maybe people would leave you alone.”
Alex knew about that? She gave him a once-over. “Have fun sleeping.”
They exchanged a knowing look before Alex walked away. Jealousy ran through her. Why did he get away with whatever he wanted, but she never did? More than likely, one of her parents would discover the pictures Zoey posted before Macy even finished brushing her teeth.
Her dad would go down to his office to work on his blog for hours like he did each night. Eventually, he would find his way onto social media and check her profiles.
The only way Macy was allowed to keep her profiles was if she added them as friends. If she tried hiding any posts from them, they would delete her online presence before she could bat an eye.
If he didn’t see the pictures, then her mom surely would. She was as active on social media almost as much as Macy.
Macy ran to her room and locked the door behind her. Not that it would keep her parents away. Especially after seeing the pictures. She grabbed her laptop and put it on her pillow. Macy got on her stomach and scrolled through the pictures. She couldn’t help smiling—she really did look amazing.
She ignored the comments as she went through them. Maybe she could find one that wasn’t too revealing and make it her profile picture. There was a closeup of her face and shoulders with her wearing a pretty teal tank. Surely, her parents couldn’t argue with that one. Aside from having makeup on, it wasn’t revealing in the slightest.
Macy set it as her profile picture on all the sites. Just as she was about to scroll the feed for anything interesting, she received a notification that she had a private message.
Her heart sunk. It was probably someone taking the rude comments to a new level.
She checked, anyway. It was a cute guy she’d never seen before. He looked to be about her age and he had on a baseball uniform. His name was Jared and they had about a hundred mutual ‘friends.’ He was probably someone from a rival school that everyone knew but her.
Maybe he’d seen her pictures when someone commented on them. What if he’d read the comments?
She took a deep breath and clicked the message. If he was a jerk, she’d just block him. Who cared what some random kid thought?
The message popped up into the middle of the screen, making his picture bigger. He was even cuter than the small picture made him out.
Hey there. Don’t think we’ve met.
Macy’s face warmed. Was he being nice, or did he really want to get to know her?
No, we haven’t.
That’s too bad. We should change that.
Her heart skipped a beat. Her mind raced. What could she say? Her parents would never let her meet a boy from online.
You’re really pretty.
Macy covered her face with her hands. Was he for real? Or had someone set him up to mess with her? She had to say something quick or he’d figure out that she wasn’t popular.
Brb.
I’ll be waiting. :-)
She forced herself to breathe normally. What could she tell him? It would be too easy to scare him off. She needed Zoey’s advice.
Macy picked up her phone and texted her friend.
I’m talking to some guy who thinks I’m pretty. Help!
Lol just b yourself.
That’ll scare him away.
Tell him he’s cute. Is he?
I can’t do that! Yeah, he is.
Just butter him up. Say how great he is. Ask questions about him. Gotta go.
Okay. Thx.
Macy stared at Jared’s picture. He was adorable, but what would he think when he found out Macy didn’t usually look like she did in all the new pictures? At least, not without Zoey’s help.
She c
licked over to his profile page. The only thing he had public was a bunch of baseball pictures. She recognized the uniform. He went to a rival school. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.
Macy took a few deep breaths and then went back to the message conversation.
Sry about that. Parents.
Tell me about it. Mine never leave me alone.
Well, that was a good starting point.
You, too?
Always on my case.
I wonder if they exchange notes.
Lol pretty and funny.
Macy’s face burned hotter. You’re cute, too.
Just cute?
What would Zoey call a cute guy? Hot. Sexy. Macy wasn’t going to say either of those.
Luckily he responded first. Lol j/k. What are you doing tonight?
Parents won’t let me out.
Grounded, too?
Kinda. What did u do?
Skipped practice and lied 2 my coach.
A bad boy. Macy smiled. Nice.
Haha. He didn’t think so.
I bet.
Hold on. Gotta let my dog in.
Np.
Macy’s mind raced. Jared was so cute and just talking to her like… like she was normal.
Back. My dog won’t stop barking at squirrels. Pisses the neighbors off.
Lol yeah I bet.
U got any pets?
Just got a ferret.
Don’t they stink?
Not really. Just gotta clean the cage.
What’s his name?
Ducky.
Cool I just got boring pets. Cat and a dog.
Not boring. I had a cat.
Had?
Snowflake died not long ago.
Sucks. Sry.
Thx.
It was still hard to talk about losing Snowflake. The cat had been her source of comfort so many days coming home from school upset over the name-calling and everything else. She couldn’t talk to her parents or brother. Her pet had helped her to feel less alone. She hoped Ducky would help. Or maybe even Jared. She smiled.
There was a knock on her door. Macy groaned and closed the message conversation. “What?”
Her mom came in. “What are you doing?”
“Just on the computer.”
“Are you okay? You seemed on edge this evening.”
One of her new pictures popped up on her news feed. A new comment she didn’t want to read.
That Moment When: An Anthology of Young Adult Fiction Page 55