The Bling Queen

by Allison Gutknecht

  “Sounds great,” I say. “I’m so excited!”

  “I am too,” Kayte agrees. “This is awesome.”

  “Oh, and I might as well give these back to you now,” Ms. Castleby says, walking over to her desk and retrieving our journals. “Needless to say, you each got an A+. I really enjoyed reading them.”

  We thank Ms. Castleby again and practically skip out the door. “Good thing we had that chat yesterday, huh?” I ask Kayte. “Or else this could be really awkward right now.”

  The comment actually makes Kayte laugh hard—the first time I have made her laugh this heartily in more than two years, and I’m surprised to realize how much I like hearing it again. “You’re right,” she says. “I assume you’re going to go by ‘Bling Queen’ on the site?”

  “Wow, I didn’t even think that far ahead yet,” I say. “But yeah, I think that’s a good idea. What about you?” I think back to what Kayte called herself on that ExtraUniverse post. “ ‘Glitz Girl’?”

  “Do you like that?” Kayte asks. “Or is it cheesy?”

  “No, I think it’s great,” I say. “Glitz Girl and Bling Queen.”

  “Middle school’s most opinionated fashionistas,” Kayte adds, which then makes me laugh. We are just approaching Dimmer’s door when Mrs. Latara appears at the other end of the hallway.

  “Hey, excuse me!” she calls. “Weren’t you the girl looking for a ring before?”

  “Yes!” I call down the corridor. “Yes, I was.”

  “Someone turned one in,” Mrs. Latara continues. “Earlier today I noticed one in a corner of a bin. Lucky I saw you here. You know I don’t normally police the Lost and Found.”

  “Wow, really? Do you think it’s mine?” I ask. “Can I go to your office and check?”

  “Be my guest,” Mrs. Latara says. “The door should be open.”

  “Do you mind telling Mr. Dimmer that I’ll be back in a few minutes?” I ask Kayte. “Make sure he doesn’t lock me out and all?”

  “Sure,” she says. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.” She gives me a small smile as she reaches for the doorknob.

  “Me too,” I call over my shoulder, hurrying to the Lost and Found. “Thank you, Mrs. Latara!” I walk briskly through the hallways all the way to the front of the school, trying my best not to run. I dart into the nurse’s office and over to the Lost and Found, and I rifle through the bins one by one. And there in the corner, all the way to the left, is my infinity ring. Looking a little less sparkly than it did last week, but there all the same. I pick it up carefully and slip it onto my ring finger, where it will be tighter than on my pinkie. Then I run my other hand’s index finger over the infinity symbol again and again, which gives me a great idea for Glitz Girl and Bling Queen’s first entry:

  Infinity Rings—The Symbol of Forever Friendships

  I pull my phone out of my pocket and text Kayte, What do you think about infinity rings becoming the new friendship bracelets? Like friends exchange them with each other, symbolizing that their friendships will go on forever?

  I walk back to Dimmer’s classroom and take my seat, while everyone pretends to listen to him drone on about the y parabola axis. I rip a sheet out of my notebook and write, Did you get my text? and then slip the paper onto Kayte’s desk.

  Yes. Friendship bracelets are so corny. Infinity friendship rings even cornier = we have our first entry! she writes back.

  I draw a smiley face on the paper before crinkling it and placing it on the corner of my desk. It seems the yin and yang of fashion advice are off to a blazing start.

  Chapter 22

  Once we return that afternoon from picking Toby up at his bus stop, I head to my room and send fast texts to all of the sixth graders who borrowed accessories from me for the dance. Hi, Ellie! I hope you and the suspenders have a bling-worthy time at the dance tonight! I personalize every text with the girl’s name and what they chose from Blingingham Palace, since I think the key to good business is making each customer feel special. Once that task is finished, I sit up straight on my couch and take a deep breath, dreading the call that comes next.

  I press Ava’s name on my phone before I can procrastinate doing so any longer, and I instantly regret it. She probably won’t answer me, and then what? Should I just hang up and wait for her to see my missed call? Should I try again later? Should I leave a voice message? But what would I say? I really should have planned this out better before placing the call.

  “Hello?” Ava answers after the third ring. No turning back now.

  “Hi,” I begin. “It’s Tess.”

  “I see that.” Cold.

  Uh-oh.

  “Look, I’m calling to say I’m sorry.” I decide to launch directly into my apology, like pulling off a bandage in one swift motion rather than dragging out the process. “I was really upset about the locket being missing, but I shouldn’t have accused you of taking it. And I definitely shouldn’t have sent you that text. I’m sorry.”

  Ava doesn’t respond at first, and for a moment I’m afraid she’s not going to at all. Just before I am about to apologize again, she finally asks, “Did you find it?”

  “The locket?”

  “Of course the locket.”

  “Yes,” I answer. “It turns out Mimi took it off my desk by accident. I think she forgot that she had given it to me. So when she saw it there, she must have assumed she had misplaced it.”

  “Wow,” Ava says. “So you found it in her room?”

  “No, she was wearing it at breakfast this morning,” I explain. “I don’t think I handled it very well, actually. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything about it at all. But I was just so shocked to see it that I couldn’t help myself.”

  “What happened? What did you say?” Ava asks. She still doesn’t exactly sound friendly, but at least she’s speaking to me.

  “I reminded her that she had given the locket to me,” I say. “But I think I embarrassed her, because I’m not sure how much Mimi realizes she doesn’t remember, you know? I just felt bad, but once it was out of my mouth, I couldn’t take it back.”

  “I wouldn’t feel too bad,” Ava tells me. “The memory stuff is hard to deal with, and you have to do it all the time.”

  “It’s really not so bad,” I say. “She’s just regular Mimi most of the time. Then there are . . . episodes. She called Toby by Uncle Carl’s name a couple of days ago. She doesn’t usually do that.”

  Ava becomes quiet, and for a second I think she must have hung up. “Are you there?” I ask.

  “Yeah, sorry,” Ava says. “That happened to me the last time Mimi was over. Not this past weekend but the time before. She forgot my name.”

  “She doesn’t mean to,” I say. “I don’t even think she realizes she does it at the time.”

  “She called me ‘Tess.’ ” Ava waits a beat. “Like, she thought I was you. And she said something about how much she loved you and all that.”

  I listen, reading between the lines of what Ava is saying. If Mimi told me to my face that I’m her favorite grandchild, maybe she told Ava this as well—only because she thought she was talking to me. I know Mimi would never purposely hurt Ava’s feelings. And I also know that she loves Ava to pieces, just like she loves all of her grandchildren.

  “She’s told me that you’re her favorite before,” I blurt out to Ava.

  “Really?” Ava asks.

  “Yes,” I say. “Sometimes you’re her favorite grandchild, sometimes Hayden or Harper, or Anderson or Toby. We all seem to rotate.” I figure I’m not exactly lying to Ava. Mimi has always said that she loves each of her grandchildren in his or her own unique way. And plus, I think this will make Ava feel better. No one likes to feel forgotten, whether Mimi means to or not.

  “Wow,” Ava says. “I’m really sorry, then. I took it out on you for no reason. I never knew she said those things. It just seemed like . . . like she still remembered everything about you, and nothing about me.”

  “So you got jeal
ous,” I say. “We all get jealous sometimes.”

  “That’s true,” Ava says. “So can we go back to being normal again? I really don’t like fighting with you, even though I know I’m the one who started it. Plus, I need to make sure I have my maid of honor lined up for my hypothetical wedding.”

  I laugh at Ava. Someday, we will be each other’s maids of honor in our respective weddings, just like Harper will be at Hayden’s tomorrow. After all, we’re just as good as sisters. We love each other like sisters, and clearly, we can fight like sisters too.

  “Of course,” I say. “Let’s forget the whole thing ever happened. I saw Mimi’s finished scarf, by the way. You really outdid yourself.”

  “Thanks,” Ava says. “And you’re going to have to tell me more about this business you started. It seemed crazy-busy there on Wednesday. Super impressive.”

  “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow,” I promise. “I actually presented my pitch to my language arts class today, and it went really, really well. I think I might have scrounged up a few more customers from it.”

  “That’s awesome,” Ava says. “I can’t wait to hear about it.”

  “And I’m just glad I won’t have to avoid you during the whole wedding now,” I tell her.

  “Me too,” Ava says. “See you bright and early at the church.” We hang up, and I swear I can feel a gallon of weight lift off my shoulders. I walk over to the dress section of my closet and push through each hanger. I decide that I can save the blue dress for the next big event. Tomorrow I’ll wear something a different color from Ava’s so that we can both stand out, each in our own unique way.

  Chapter 23

  The next morning I slip into a dress Mom purchased for me at Threads last year. It’s magenta with silky tissue-paper-like pieces curling around like the thinnest of ruffles from top to bottom. I pair the dress with gold, shiny flats, and then I turn to my accessories. I place my infinity ring on my right hand and a ring with a large pink gemstone on my left middle finger. I put my watch, beads, and Sparkle is my favorite color bangle on their usual wrist, and then I choose a gold cuff with weaved detail for the left. I poke a pair of infinity drop earrings through my holes. They’re small, but they dangle just enough to make me happy, with the infinity symbols hanging vertically, so that from a distance they almost look like the number eight.

  I leave my hair down and free of decorations, and even though my dress comes all the way up to my neck, I clasp on my locket and Tess necklace, and then tuck them both beneath the collar. Even if no one can see them, I like knowing that they’re there.

  I walk up two flights of stairs and pass Toby’s room, where Dad is trying to wrangle him into a suit. I knock on Mimi’s bedroom door, which is partially open. “Mimi?” I call.

  “Come in, dear,” Mimi says. “Maybe you can help me arrange this scarf.” I enter and see Mimi all decked out in a pale pink dress with the silky soft jacket from Aunt Rebecca, which is simple enough that she is able to accessorize it to the max. Long sparkly earrings shimmer from either side of her head, swaying back and forth each time she moves, and she has put on her fanciest pair of beige chunky heels. As always, her hair and makeup look just as perfect as her ensemble.

  Mimi, I think, is beautiful.

  “You look stunning,” I tell her honestly, maneuvering Ava’s scarf around her neck so that it falls just right on one of her shoulders. It is the perfect completion to her look.

  “Oh, you’re sweet, Tessie,” Mimi says. “Stand back now. Let me have a look at you. Give me a twirl.” I back up and spin around so that Mimi can see the dress in action. “Just the prettiest girl in the world.” Mimi takes one more glance at herself in her vanity’s mirror, and then she sticks a tube of pink lipstick into a matching pink handbag.

  “Oh, I almost forgot a bag!” I exclaim. “I’ll meet you downstairs.” I run back to my room and choose a small clutch from my handbag shelf. It catches the light in all the right ways, and it instantly makes me feel more glamorous.

  Plus, while it looks glittery from a distance, it’s actually made of teeny tiny rhinestones. So not only do I love it, but it also proves my point about the benefits of faux glitter items. A win on both counts!

  I do one last check of myself in my full-length mirror, smoothing out the gloss on my top lip. Then I go back upstairs to the kitchen.

  “Well, don’t you look lovely?” Mom greets me. “But what happened to that new blue dress we got for today?”

  “I decided to go with something different,” I explain. “Plus, I can wear that to Harper’s wedding. I’m sure she won’t let Hayden be the only one married for long.”

  “You’re probably right,” Mom says. “So I received an e-mail this morning from Ms. Castleby. One about you writing your own fashion column?”

  “Oh . . . yes,” I say. “But I promise it won’t take away from my schoolwork, and I promise I’ll keep my grades up and do responsible things and be conscientious.” I talk quickly, hoping the sound of my voice will delay Mom’s announcing that I’m not allowed to do the Miscellaneous Moxie blog. “Please, if you just let me do a few entries, I’ll show you that it won’t change—”

  “I think it’s fantastic,” Mom says. “It’s an amazing opportunity for you. We already knew that no one loves accessories like you do, but Ms. Castleby says that based on the journal you did for her class, you really know how to write about them too. I’m proud of you, Tess.”

  “Really?” I say. “I mean, thank you.”

  “And don’t think I haven’t noticed how great you’ve been with Mimi these past few months. I know it wasn’t easy having her move in with us, and you’ve really stepped up to the plate, caring for her.”

  “I love Mimi,” I say. “You know that.”

  “Of course you do,” Mom says. “But that still doesn’t mean this hasn’t been an adjustment, for all of us. I mean, you even have a new room.”

  “And it’s the best room ever,” I say. “Really, I’m glad Mimi moved in. Because I like seeing her every day, but I also love my new space. I named it Blingingham Palace.”

  “Well, that sounds perfect,” Mom says. “So in case you were wondering, that jewelry exhibition at the museum in a couple of weeks? We’ll go. After that A+ you received on your language arts journal, you definitely deserve a little reward, and I figure it will be good business research for you anyway.”

  “Thank you!” I say. “I can’t wait. I promise you’ll love the show too.”

  “If you love it, that’s good enough for me,” Mom says, smiling. “Now let’s get going before we’re late.” Mom places her arm across my shoulders and leads me outside. We pile into the car, Toby squirming in the middle seat between Mimi and me, pulling at the dinosaur tie that Dad has knotted around his neck. I look around at each of them and grin. If nothing else, we are definitely one another’s best accessories.

  Dad pulls into a parking space directly next to Ava’s family. Ava and I are so eager to get out of the car that we both almost open our doors directly into each other’s.

  And then the minute that we’re outside, we burst out laughing.

  “What are you wearing?”

  “What is that dress?”

  “I thought you were wearing blue.”

  “I thought you were wearing blue.”

  Ava stands in front of me in her very own magenta dress. Hers is different from mine, with a thick belt circling her waist and a large poof at her shoulders, but it is the exact same color.

  Just like the cornflower-blue dresses we were supposed to be wearing were also the exact same color.

  “I decided to wear something else,” Ava tells me. “You know, since that dress was part of the reason behind our only fight ever, I thought it had bad energy.”

  “Oh my goodness, me too,” I tell her. “Plus, I knew you really liked yours, so I figured we could each wear our own color. But this is even better.”

  “Absolutely,” Ava agrees.

  “Well,
look at the two twins,” Aunt Rebecca says when she sees us together. “And here I thought Hayden and Harper were going to be the only twins around today.”

  “Come on, Toby.” Anderson places his hand on the top of Toby’s buzzed hair, leading him away from us. “What do you say we find our own seats in the church, away from these weirdos?”

  “Yeah!” Toby calls, running beside Anderson happily. Our parents and Mimi follow them, with Ava and me trailing behind.

  “Your scarf is gorgeous, by the way,” I tell Ava. “It really looks amazing on Mimi.”

  “Thank you,” she says. “I hope she likes it.”

  “She loves it,” I assure her. “Now, I have a very important question for you. Do you think there’s any chance at all that Hayden and Harper are going to switch places today? I mean, how would any of us know if it were actually Harper getting married?”

  “That is an excellent point,” Ava says. “Haven’t they always said that the only thing distinguishing them is a freckle that Hayden has above her belly button or something?”

  “Can you imagine—that sounds like a movie, right? The bride and maid of honor switch places the day of the wedding?”

  “I really wouldn’t put it past them,” Ava says. “Those two are crazy. Must be a twin thing.”

  “Agreed,” I say. “Promise me that when you’re my maid of honor, you won’t try to marry the groom.”

  “I promise,” Ava laughs. “And you do the same.”

  “You got it,” I say as we walk through the front doors of the church, the sounds of a hundred bells chiming all around us. And as we do, I begin to fantasize about my own wedding day: my bridal party, my dress, the flowers. . . . And even though it’s still many years—and the ability to find a husband—away, imagining it still makes me very excited.