Picture Perfect #4: Between Us

by Cari Simmons

  Even though she stayed in the bathtub until she was basically a giant wet prune, she still didn’t feel ready to be in the same room with Hannah. She didn’t have a choice, though. It wasn’t like she could sleep in the tub.

  She got out, took her time drying off and putting on her pajamas, then dragged herself down the hall to her room. Hannah glared at her when she stepped inside. It took Bailey a few seconds to realize that her cousin was holding Bailey’s polka-dotted notebook in her hand. The notebook Bailey used to make her lists!

  “What are you doing with that?” Bailey demanded.

  “I needed some paper. When I opened it, I saw—” Hannah swallowed hard, then her eyes narrowed. “You hate me!”

  “I don’t hate you,” Bailey protested, guilt and anger getting her belly churning.

  “Oh, right. That’s why you made a list of reasons you wish I’d never moved here.” Hannah’s voice was low but filled with anger.

  “I was just—” Bailey began.

  “You wish I wasn’t here. That’s no different than hating me,” Hannah interrupted.

  And Hannah was right. At that moment, Bailey really did feel like she hated her cousin. She knew it was wrong, but that was how she felt.

  “Did you see the other lists, though?” Bailey forced herself to ask. She couldn’t actually admit she hated Hannah. Her parents would go ballistic. Her grandparents would be so disappointed in her. “There were lists about how to make you feel welcome, and how to help you with your parents’ divorce. I gave you a party!”

  Bailey had worked really hard on that party too. Didn’t Hannah know that?

  “What about that list about how not to be annoyed by me? Don’t try to say I’m not the annoying person your list was about.” Hannah threw the notebook at Bailey. It landed at her feet, its cover bent.

  “I won’t. You were the annoying person.” Anger won out over the guilt. “Just so incredibly annoying!”

  “How? What did I do? I did everything I could to be nice!” Hannah protested.

  “Like copying everything I did?” Bailey demanded. “You got yourself put in almost all my classes. Even drama. And you hate drama. And you’re really bad at it. And you glommed on to me every time we had an acting exercise to do with a partner. And you bought the same sneakers as me. And the same scarf, practically! And you painted your nails like mine, with the polka dots! And you agreed with every single thing I said. You were always all ‘Me too, me too, me too.’ It was sickening.” She couldn’t stop. All her frustration and anger came flooding out. “And you pushed Olivia out of the way because you wanted to sit by me in Spanish Club—and you don’t even take Spanish. You told Gus you were like his cousin, and you barely knew him. You got yourself invited along to Olivia’s birthday celebration. Why would you think we’d want you there? You’re not our friend.”

  “I thought we were starting to be friends. I didn’t know you hated me,” Hannah told her. Her face had gone pale, and her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “Does Olivia really feel that way too?”

  “Of course that’s what you care about. What Olivia thinks about you. I know you’re trying to get her as your best friend. Don’t deny it. Well, she was just being nice to you as a favor to me. She and Vivi and Tess had to go sneaking around behind my back so they could have some time away from you. I didn’t even get invited because they knew I’d have to bring you with me! You ruined my life.”

  “Well, don’t worry. I won’t anymore. I never even want to see you again.” Hannah snatched up her backpack and strode out the door. A few seconds later, Bailey heard the front door slam.

  And a few seconds after that, her mother appeared in the doorway. “What happened? Why did Hannah leave?”

  “She was homesick, I guess. She said she’d just sleep on the couch,” Bailey answered.

  Her mother frowned. “I’ll just call and make sure she got home all right. I would have driven her. I know it’s only a block, but I don’t like her out there at night by herself.”

  Bailey hoped that Hannah would keep their fight to herself. But even if she didn’t, at least the Hannah problem was over. She didn’t have to worry about Hannah never leaving her alone.

  Hannah had said she never wanted to see Bailey again, and that was perfect! Now Bailey could have every bit of her life back.

  CHAPTER 16

  HOW TO LOSE ALL YOUR FRIENDS

  1.Have stupid friends.

  2.Have a cousin who’s a traitor and can’t keep her big mouth shut.

  “You didn’t dress up?” Olivia stared at Bailey when she showed up the next morning so they could walk to school again.

  It hadn’t even registered right away that Olivia was dressed as Zatanna, a superhero who was part of the Justice League. She wore a black top hat, white gloves, black pants, and a shiny tuxedo jacket that had been part of her dance recital costume last year, before she switched from dance to karate.

  Bailey looked down at herself, as if that would make a superhero costume appear. “I forgot. I totally forgot.” She felt weird, like her brain had been injected with novocaine. All numbed out. She’d spent half the night replaying her fight with Hannah, sometimes feeling bad for what she’d said, but more often feeling like Hannah deserved every single word.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Olivia pressed her hand on Bailey’s forehead.

  “Not really,” Bailey admitted. “I’m not sick or anything. Just . . . I don’t know.”

  “Come on in. We can find something for you to wear really fast.” Olivia tugged Bailey into the house, then down the hall to the kitchen. She opened the junk drawer and handed Bailey a roll of silver duct tape. “Make yourself some boots with this. Cover your shoes and go up to your knees.”

  “Who am I going as?” Bailey asked.

  “I don’t know. A brand-new superhero, I guess.” Olivia grabbed a roll of foil. She made a square several layers thick. “Hold still for second.” She pressed the foil against Bailey’s face, smoothing her hands over Bailey’s eyelids, nose, and lips. “Okay, back to the boots,” she told Bailey.

  While Bailey wrapped the duct tape up one leg, Olivia cut the foil square into an oval, then cut out the places where Bailey’s eyes had been and added nostril holes. “Where’s Hannah?” she asked. “She’s not walking with us today?”

  “No.” Bailey didn’t offer an explanation. Instead, she concentrated on making her tape boots.

  Olivia made holes at either side of the mask, then threaded a rubber band between the holes, making knots to keep the band in place. “Be right back. Gotta raid the tornado prep supplies.”

  Bailey had finished making her boots by the time Olivia came back with a silver Mylar emergency blanket. She tied it around Bailey’s shoulders, then helped her put on the mask. “There’s got to be a superhero who wears all silver, right?”

  “There’s a Silver Sable, I think,” Bailey answered. Sometimes she read comic books when she was hanging out with Gus.

  “Well, they aren’t judging costumes. It’s only participation points again,” Olivia said. “And you’ll definitely get those. If we aren’t late. Let’s get going.” She led the way back outside. “What’s Hannah doing this morning? Why isn’t she walking?”

  Bailey shrugged. “Not sure,” she answered. Could Hannah be standing in front of her house, waiting for Bailey? Bailey hadn’t checked. She hadn’t wanted to go anywhere near Hannah. And Hannah had said she never wanted to see Bailey again. So she definitely shouldn’t be waiting for Bailey to walk to school with her.

  With the last-minute costume creating, Bailey didn’t make it to homeroom until about three seconds before the bell. Bailey’s gaze went immediately to Hannah, then slid away. She hadn’t wanted to look at her cousin. She hadn’t been able to help herself. It didn’t seem like Hannah wanted to look at her either, her or anybody else. She’d had a book open on her desk, with her nose almost touching the pages.

  Bailey tried to concentrate on what Ms. Brower was saying, but w
ith novocaine brain—and the distraction of Hannah sitting a few seats over—it was hard.

  You’re going to be okay, she told herself when the bell rang. She didn’t have any classes with Hannah the rest of this morning, and she really didn’t think Hannah would try to sit with Bailey and her friends at lunch.

  Would she?

  Bailey rearranged the books in her locker by height instead of by the order of her classes, then switched them back. She was stalling. She knew it. She wasn’t ready to see Hannah yet.

  She won’t be at the table, Bailey told herself.

  But what if she was? What would Bailey say? What would Hannah say? Would they pretend nothing had happened? Would they give each other the silent treatment? Would Hannah yell at Bailey?

  She kind of deserved it. She had said some horrible things to Hannah last night. But Hannah shouldn’t have gone snooping in her notebook. If she needed paper, she should have waited and asked for it. It’s not like Bailey would ever have told Hannah she was annoying or that Bailey didn’t want her around. She wasn’t mean like that.

  And there had been good lists in the notebook too. Like the list for making Hannah feel welcome, and the one on how to make the lunch really special for Hannah and Aunt Caitlin on their first day. Hannah hadn’t given Bailey any credit for that.

  Bailey slammed her locker. If Hannah was at the table, maybe Bailey would tell her exactly how ungrateful she was!

  She spun the dial on her lock, then turned around to start towards the caf. Olivia was coming towards her, Tess and Vivi right behind her. They looked mad.

  “What’s wrong?” Bailey asked.

  “You told Hannah we hated her?” Olivia demanded. “I can’t believe you did that!”

  “I didn’t. I would never say you hated her,” Bailey protested. Heat rushed up her neck and into her face.

  “You told her we sneaked around behind your back so we could hang out without her,” Vivi snapped.

  Bailey jerked her chin up. “Are you telling me you didn’t? You know you did! You said she was like tofu!” She whirled towards Tess. “And you said she acted sketchy.” She turned on Olivia. “And you said she was weird. And I know you weren’t happy she had to come with us for your birthday. Are you going to deny that?”

  “No, but why would you tell her any of that?” Olivia asked. “That was so mean, Bailey.”

  “We know Hannah better now,” Tess added. “It’s not like we’d still do that. She was obviously just really shy and nervous when she started school, and that’s why she acted the way she did.”

  “You really hurt her feelings,” Vivi said.

  They were all ganging up on her. They weren’t even giving her a chance to explain. They were just assuming she’d been mean and horrible on purpose. How could they do that, when they’d been her friends forever?

  “I didn’t mean to tell her. I really, really didn’t,” Bailey explained. “Actually, I didn’t tell her. She went snooping through my stuff and saw some lists I’d made.”

  “You had something about us getting together without her on one of your lists?” Olivia sounded skeptical.

  “Sort of. But it was just for me. It was private,” Bailey had to admit. “I can’t believe she went and tattled to you about that.”

  “It wasn’t like that,” Olivia told her. “In history, I could tell she was really upset. I asked her what was wrong. She wouldn’t say at first, but I kept asking and she finally told me. I’m glad she did. That way I could tell her the truth.”

  “The truth?” Bailey demanded. “You mean that you all found her insanely annoying at first? That you had to plan a secret meeting—without me—because you couldn’t stand to be around her?”

  “We shouldn’t have done that. I already told her I was sorry,” Tess said.

  “We all did,” Olivia told Bailey. “Now you have to too.”

  “You’re supposed to be my best friend, Olivia. But you’re acting like you care a lot more about Hannah. It’s all about how she feels. Don’t you even care that she’s ruining my life?” Bailey cried.

  “I would care if she was,” Olivia answered. “She’s not, though. She’s not copying you anymore. She’s not repeating everything you say or agreeing with you all the time. And those are the worst things she did.”

  “Yeah, and you wanted her to make new friends, and she did,” Vivi added. “Lots of people like her now.”

  “Including you, right?” Bailey asked.

  Vivi planted her hands on her hips, making her look even more like Supergirl, the superhero she’d dressed up like. “Right.”

  “And including me,” Tess said. She clutched her skateboard to her chest. She must have come up with a superhero who rode one, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to have it out of her locker at lunch.

  “You’re acting like we need your permission to be friends with somebody,” Olivia told Bailey.

  What Vivi and Tess had said had been bad enough. But now Olivia was turning against her too. “You don’t need my permission,” Bailey cried. “I don’t care what you do. Go ahead, be her best friend. You practically are already.”

  She rushed off. If she stood there one more second, she knew she’d start crying. She wasn’t going to do that. Especially not in front of her ex–best friend.

  She ran into the first bathroom she came to. Luckily, it was a girls’. She could stay in there until lunch was over.

  She could. But was she going to?

  Bailey braced her hands on one of the sinks and stared at herself in the mirror. She’d let stupid Hannah ruin weeks and weeks of her life. Was she going to let her keep on ruining it? No. She marched towards the door.

  Then paused. The knowledge that she’d have to walk into the cafeteria and see all her friends—the girls who had been her friends—sitting with Hannah made her feel almost dizzy, with Jell-O knees.

  “If they’d rather be friends with her than me, that’s fine,” she whispered. “All I did was tell Hannah the truth. All I did was tell her how we all felt.”

  Well, how they used to feel, that voice in Bailey’s head piped up. She ignored it. She strode down to the cafeteria, just in time to hear Principal Lopez describing that day’s game, the second-to-last game of Spirit Week. “Let me remind you that the sixth grade and the eighth grade are tied,” the principal told them. “A win today by one of those grades will put them into the lead.”

  Everybody but the seventh graders cheered. Bailey screamed her lungs out. It felt good to yell, even though she’d rather be yelling at Hannah. “But a win by the seventh grade will make them contenders for the big win!” Principal Lopez explained. The seventh graders made as much noise as they could, stamping, clapping, and shouting.

  “What do you have to do to win? That’s the big question,” the principal continued. “Here’s the answer—stand on tiptoe. Whoever stands on tiptoe the longest gets a win for their grade. So if you want to participate, get in a big circle around the outside of the room.”

  Bailey was in. She bet she could stand on her toes for days. Even before she’d started taking track, she had liked to run, and that meant strong calves. She took her place in the ring of contestants. When Principal Lopez gave the signal, she got up on her tiptoes. As the “Happy” song began to play, Bailey noticed that Olivia was standing almost directly across from her, all the way on the other side of the cafeteria. Hannah, Tess, and Vivi were grouped next to her.

  Olivia isn’t going to last long, Bailey thought with a jolt of satisfaction. She can hardly stand on both flat feet without tripping. Yep. Her arms were already starting to windmill. And there she went! The first one out.

  The next kid didn’t put his heels down until about twenty-three hippopotamuses later. Bailey had started counting by hippopotami in her head. By three hundred hippopotamuses, about two-thirds of the people were out. Bailey’s legs were trembling, but only a little. She had this thing!

  After another sixty hippopotamuses, there were only about ten kids le
ft. Vivi and Tess were out, but Hannah was still in. There was no way Bailey was letting her cousin beat her.

  “Okay, everyone who’s left, tiptoe into the center,” Principal Lopez called. Bailey minced over and found that the clear space in the middle of the room had been covered in plastic. “Make a new circle,” the principal continued.

  Bailey was so busy keeping on tiptoe that she hadn’t realized she’d stepped into a spot next to Hannah until it was too late to move. Well, good. It would make it extrasweet when Bailey won! She glanced around and realized that she and Hannah were the only sixth graders left. That meant Bailey could win for her grade! That meant she’d be extremely valuable. And Olivia could forget about Bailey taking her to the Katy Perry contest if she was chosen MVP.

  “Now we’re going to make it a little more interesting,” Principal Lopez told them. She signaled to Mr. Paulson and a couple of other teachers. They each walked over holding a carton of eggs. They began putting eggs under the heels of each kid still on tiptoe. That meant the next time someone went down, it would be with a splat! Make that a splat, splat!

  “You stole all my friends,” Bailey said under her breath, just loudly enough for Hannah to hear her over the music. “You’re not going to win this too.”

  “I didn’t steal anyone,” Hannah answered, not bothering to lower her voice. Bailey was sure at least the kids closest to them had heard.

  “Yeah, you did. You told them what a horrible person I was the first second you got the chance,” Bailey told her, giving up on trying to speak softly.

  “Well, if you weren’t such a horrible person, I wouldn’t have been able to tell them anything,” Hannah shot back.

  “Bailey! Hannah! Focus!” somebody yelled.

  “You can do it, Hannah!” somebody else shouted. Bailey recognized the voice. Olivia. Cheering for Bailey’s competition.

  “You’re the horrible person. You went tattling to my friends. And before that you went snooping in my private stuff!” Bailey cried.

  Hannah jerked towards Bailey, teetered—then her feet came down. Splat! Splat! “That’s not fair,” Hannah said, raw egg spreading into little puddles around her heels. “I only wanted some paper. And Olivia asked me what was wrong.”