“Sure.” I force brightness into my voice.
“Great. I better go now. Tell Paige congrats on the TV show.”
“It’s not set in stone, you know.”
“But knowing Paige it probably will be.”
We say good-bye and hang up, and suddenly the realization that Blake and Sonya might possibly be at fellowship group tonight stops me in my tracks. Mollie was right—I do want to skip out on it. But I promised her that I wouldn’t. And yet the idea of being in the same room with them…well, it’s a little overwhelming.
“Hey, Erin.” Paige sticks her head in my room without even knocking.
“What?” I snap at her.
“Excuse me,” she says dramatically.
“Sorry. But you could at least knock.”
Now she’s all the way in my room and peering at me curiously. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” I snap.
She folds her arms in front of her, then shakes her head. “What’s going on, Erin? You look like you want to punch someone.”
“Maybe I do.” I press my lips together and tighten my fists.
“Why?” Her features soften. “What’s up?”
I really don’t want to tell her, but before I can ask her to leave, tears start filling my eyes. I really don’t want to cry.
“Erin,” she says gently, “tell me, what’s wrong?”
And then, to my own shock, I pour out the whole story. Sure, Paige knows all about the breakup. But she didn’t know how deeply it had hurt me. No one really did, except maybe Mollie. “And he and Sonya are going to fellowship tonight and I just really don’t want to see him, but I promised Mollie I’d go. And I actually want to go because it’s a cool group and I like it.” And now I’m really crying.
Paige hugs me. “You will go, Erin. And you’ll hold your head high and you’ll look like a million bucks too.”
I pull away from her and wipe my cheeks. “Yeah, right.” I point to the mountain on my forehead. “I’ll look more like a pathetic zit head.”
Paige just laughs. “Zit head? Really?” Now we’re both laughing. “Listen,” Paige says, “we can totally cover that up.”
“With what?” I ask. “A ski mask?”
Her mouth twists to one side as she studies me. “How about bangs?”
“Bangs?” I frown at her. “Cut my hair just to hide a zit?”
“You’d look good with bangs, Erin.”
I roll my eyes.
“Seriously. Why don’t you let me cut your hair?” She pushes me in front of my mirror, then pulls the bungee off my ponytail to let my hair fall down. “I’ll take a little off the length and give you some bangs, and you’ll love it.”
“I’ll love it, huh?”
“You used to let me cut your hair.”
I nod as I stare at my image. I look even more pathetic now with my puffy eyes and dirty hair stringing down.
“Come on, Erin, it’ll be fun. I’ll do a whole makeover on you.”
“I don’t know…”
“Please,” she pleads.
I just shrug. Really, what do I have to lose?
And so, like a lamb to the slaughter, I place myself in my sister’s hands. She pulls out all the stops and I feel like I’ve just arrived at Spa Forrester. And to my surprise, it’s not so bad. First, she applies a facial masque, including cucumbers over my eyes, and then she assigns me to soak in the tub. This is followed by an “exfoliating” shower, along with a shampoo and an “intensive hair treatment” that smells like coconut. When I’m done bathing, she sets me outside in the sunshine where she plans to cut my hair.
“I don’t want you to see yourself until I’m all done, okay?” she says as she begins snipping away. I’m a little worried that she’ll cut it too short, but instead of worrying, I just turn on my iPod and zone out. After the haircut she takes me to her room where she styles my hair and then starts to apply makeup.
“Please, don’t make me look like a clown,” I beg her. “Keep it natural, okay?”
“Trust me,” she says for the umpteenth time. Then she chatters happily about how great it will be to do the TV show, which she is certain is in the bag. I don’t say anything to rain on her parade. After all, she’s trying to help me.
She steps back and looks at me. “Perfect.”
“Can I see?”
“Not yet.” She frowns. “We need to dress you first.”
I feel like I’m about three years old as Paige takes shirts out of her own closet, holding them up to me as if I’m a paper doll. I’m surprised that she’s willing to let me wear something of hers, but then I realize that I’m her project and it’s all about the final results. Although Paige is taller than me, we wear about the same size in a lot of things, including shoes because her feet are small for her height whereas mine are a bit large.
It’s getting close to six when she finally decides on the outfit, which turns out to be a cute little denim skirt—which she tells me I can keep—topped by a simple white T-shirt and her black suede jacket. I’m surprised she lets me wear this jacket, but I have to admit that it feels really nice. The leather is soft and buttery. I’m even more surprised when she lets me wear her Frye boots, since she just got them last fall. Like the jacket, they’re black and are almost too tall for me, but Paige assures me they look great. I’m still not allowed to look in the mirror as she chooses accessories, finally deciding on simple hoops and a silver chain necklace.
“Hey, girls,” Mom calls as she comes into the house. “Anyone home?”
“In here,” Paige calls back.
Mom comes into Paige’s room and blinks in surprise to see me. “Oh, Erin,” she says with wide eyes.
“What?” I demand. “Do I look ridiculous?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “Not at all. You look gorgeous.”
“Really?”
“You haven’t seen yourself?” Mom looks puzzled.
“I told her she can’t see the results until the makeover is all done,” Paige says as she does a final touch-up to my hair.
“Did you do this yourself, Paige?”
Paige nods proudly.
“Well, I’m impressed.” Mom looks like she’s about to cry.
“Okay,” Paige says as she turns me around so I can look in the full-length mirror on her closet door. “Voila!”
I stare at my image in wonder. “It doesn’t even look like me,” I finally say.
“Yes, it does,” Paige insists.
“It just shows how beautiful you really are,” Mom adds.
Now Paige looks upset. “You don’t like it?”
I’m still staring at the strange girl in the mirror. She looks stylish and pretty—her hair is cut just above the shoulders in a glossy bob and the bangs, which look good, totally cover her zit. “I like it,” I tell Paige. “I mean, it’ll take some getting used to. But you did a good job.”
“Thanks!” Paige is beaming now. “You look hot, Erin.”
“I’m just in shock,” I say, still trying to absorb my new look.
“I’m getting my camera,” Mom says suddenly.
I look at the clock by Paige’s bed. “You better hurry. I need to get going.”
So Mom snaps shots of me by myself, then me with Paige. Afterward, I grab my backpack and am about to leave.
“Wait!” Paige yells. “That backpack will NOT do.”
I wait as she dashes back to her room, finally emerging with a small red purse. “It’s a fake Fendi,” she admits, “but a good one.” Then she helps me transfer some things from my pack.
“Have fun,” Mom tells me.
“You look fabulous!” Paige calls as I leave. “Knock ‘em dead.”
I almost feel like giggling as I head downstairs. And I feel something else too…kind of hopeful. Not that I haven’t been hopeful before, but I suppose I have been kind of gloomy lately. Still, I don’t think that the hope I feel is tied to my appearance exactly. And it’s certainly not tied to Blake.
I honestly believe my makeover is like a God-inspired kind of hope. Kind of like a rainbow or a promise…like something really good is coming my way. I get into my Jeep and realize I can’t wait to see Mollie’s reaction to my makeover.
Chapter 5
"What happened to you?" Mollie’s jaw is literally hanging as she stares at me, then makes me turn around. “You look stunning, Erin!”
“Thanks. I’m Paige’s newest makeover project.”
“Man, do you think she’d do me?”
I shrug, feeling encouraged. “You can ask her if you want.”
“You look awesome, Erin.” She keeps staring at me as we go out to my Jeep. The sky is clouding up and I hope it doesn’t rain, because I really do like how my hair turned out and the idea of getting all wet doesn’t appeal to me.
“Did you do this because of Blake?” Mollie asks quietly as I drive toward the church.
“Not exactly. I was feeling bummed after you told me about Blake and Sonya maybe coming to fellowship group. Then Paige popped in and I’m sure she felt sorry for me. But what you said made sense, Mollie. I guess I had let myself go…and I’m sure it was because I was unhappy about Blake and other things. The weird thing is that I don’t even feel that bad about him now. But it’s not just because of this makeover. It’s more like something in me just clicked into place earlier today—like I suddenly believed that God has something better for me. I know I say that a lot, but today as I was coming to pick you up, I really felt it.”
“That’s so cool.”
Thanks to Mom’s photos and Paige’s last-minute purse exchange, Mollie and I arrive “fashionably” late. Although the worship time hasn’t begun, most of our friends are already here, grazing on munchies and chatting. I can’t help but notice that some heads turn as we enter the room. I do my best to act oblivious, but I’ve barely stepped inside when I notice Blake standing with Tony. Sonya is right next to him, but she seems uncomfortable—in an attractive sort of way, of course. I always find it ironic that Sonya has a similar look to my sister—tall, blonde, stylish, and pretty. Maybe this is God’s way of making me deal with any envy issues.
But instead of obsessing, I silently pray that God will help me to handle this awkward situation in a mature and civilized manner. And because it’s only natural that we go talk to Tony, since he is Mollie’s boyfriend and she plans on riding home with him afterward, I go ahead and lead the way toward the trio. “It’s cool,” I say quietly to Mollie. I can tell she’s worried for my sake.
“Hey, Blake,” I say in a normal tone. “Good to see you. Hi, Sonya.” I smile at her as if we’re old friends. “How’re you doing?”
“Good.” She nods. “How about you?”
“Really good.” I smile and wish I could think of something else to say.
“Did you guys hear the news about Erin and Paige?” Mollie says suddenly.
“Huh?” I glance curiously at Mollie.
“The TV show.”
“Oh, you mean the spot on Channel Five News,” Sonya says. “I saw that. Paige was hilarious.”
“No, that’s not what I’m talking about,” Mollie continues. “It’s even bigger.”
“What?” Sonya looks really interested now.
I’m stunned silent that Mollie is bringing this up.
“Paige and Erin might get their own TV show,” Mollie tells them.
“Well, we don’t know that for sure yet,” I point out, finally able to speak. Although I have to admit I like the look I’m getting from Blake and Sonya. Kind of a mixture of shock and respect. “There’s still the screen test next week. And Paige is really the one that—”
“And Erin gets to help on the camera crew as well as be in the show,” Mollie rattles on. “And they’ll travel all over the world covering fashion shows and doing interviews with models and designers and things. It’s called On the Runway.” Mollie beams at them and I have to keep from laughing at how my best friend sounds like she knows more about this gig than I do.
“Seriously?” Sonya looks truly wowed.
I nod. “Yeah. Helen Hudson is the producer. She’s done a lot of—”
“I know who she is,” Sonya says eagerly, rattling off some of the reality shows that Helen is involved in. “Wow, that’s really cool. When will you know for sure?”
“Probably pretty soon,” I tell her. I know it’s kind of premature to talk about this, but I’m getting a little rush from Sonya’s reaction. “Helen seems eager to get things going.”
Then the music begins to get louder, and that’s the signal that it’s time to find seats. Still feeling Blake’s eyes on me, I just smile and say, “See ya later,” then head over to where Mollie and I usually sit.
“That was perfect,” Mollie says quietly as we sit down.
“Thanks,” I say.
I can feel myself holding my head higher than usual. And I think Paige would be proud of me. Then, as I sit there and participate in the worship time, I thank God for helping me to move a little beyond my old heartache. And, sure, I suppose the makeover didn’t hurt either. There’s still a part of me that wants to crane my neck to peer at Blake and to see what he’s doing. But I resist that urge.
Instead, I watch Lionel, playing the drums with the worship team like he usually does. It feels like he’s watching me back, and I wonder if it’s because of my makeover. I know he considers me to be more of a casual, earthy kind of girl, not the kind who’s a slave to fashion. And I know he appreciates this since he’s pretty laid back too. Lionel and I are kind of alike in a lot of ways. We even ended up taking some of the same classes last term. Mollie doesn’t get why we don’t date, but I just think we’re too much alike—more like brother and sister than boyfriend and girlfriend. Although I could be wrong.
Anyway, I’ll have to assure Lionel that besides my little makeover I haven’t really changed. I know that without Paige’s intervention I couldn’t have pulled this off. And no way will I look like this on a regular basis. Really, I’m still a blue jeans kind of girl at heart.
After the worship and teaching is free time, so I head straight for Lionel. “Hey,” I say to him. “I thought you might’ve been gone by now. Aren’t you still going to Tahoe for winter break?”
He nods, sticking his drumsticks in his back pocket. “Yeah. But I promised Travis I’d play tonight. I’ll head out tomorrow.” He then makes a funny smile. “What have you done to yourself, Erin?”
I just laugh. “Paige wanted to play makeover today and I complied.”
“You look different.”
“I know. I’ll go back to my old scruffy self again.”
“Why?”
Now that surprises me. “Why not?”
“Because you look good…in an uptown sort of way, that is.”
“Oh, well…thanks…I guess.”
Now Sonya, with Blake trailing her reluctantly, comes alongside me. She wants to hear more about the TV show.
“TV show?” Lionel looks surprised, so I fill him in. I try to play it down as they all listen, but as I’m talking I can feel Blake’s eyes on me. And after a few minutes, I feel like I’m in over my head and I want to escape. I mean, it’s one thing to realize I’ve made a huge step in getting over my broken heart. It’s another thing to be forced to socialize with Blake so suddenly like this.
“Hey, Lionel.” I grab his arm. “I’ve got to show you something.”
Thankfully, he acts like this is the most natural thing in the world as I drag him out in the hallway. “Sorry,” I say quickly. “But I just had to get away.”
He smiles. “That’s okay. I figured you were getting stressed.”
“Did it show?”
“Not at all. But I know you used to go out with Blake…you never talk about it, but I kind of guessed that the breakup wasn’t pretty.”
Lionel is a year older than me, so he was out of school when Blake and I broke up. He’s never asked me much about it, and I’ve never told him much. Still, I’ve always felt he under
stood. He has a strong sense of empathy.
“Yeah,” I admit. “And I haven’t really spoken to him since then. It’s a little awkward.”
“So that whole TV show thing? That’s for real?”
“Like I said, nothing is written in stone. But Paige is really hoping for it.”
“How about you?”
I shrug. “I’m not really sure how I feel. At first I was totally opposed. But it would be a chance for me to be on a real camera crew. That would be cool.”
“You might even be able to get credit for it at school.”
“That’d be great.”
“Are you still planning to go to the desert to shoot some photos?”
“I want to.” I frown. “I wish you could come.”
“Me too…Maybe I can cut the time in Tahoe short without offending my family too badly. Do you think you could wait until after Christmas if I can get away?”
I think about it for a second. “Sure, why not.”
“Hey, Lionel,” interrupts Travis, the leader of the worship team, “you got a minute to come down to my office and pick up the music for next year?”
“No problem.”
Travis grins at me. “Looking good, Erin. New hairstyle?”
I nod. “Thanks.”
“I’ll be back in a few,” Lionel promises.
So I go around by the stairs and take a nice long drink from the drinking fountain, trying to gather my wits before I head back into the room where everyone is still hanging out. But when I turn around I run smack into Blake and nearly jump out of my sister’s boots.
“Sorry,” he says quickly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Oh.” I blink and catch my breath. “Well, you did.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I force a tolerant smile.
“Can I talk to you?”
“Talk?” I peer curiously at him.
“Yeah.”
“Right now?” I glance around, wishing that Mollie would pop in. Or that Lionel would come back.
“Do you mind?”
I shrug. “Guess not.”
Blake then leads me around a corner to where some chairs are situated in an informal waiting area. “Want to sit?”
Premiere Page 4