Bad News Nails by Jill Santopolo Page B

frown. “What did you say to her?” she asked.
    â€œ We didn’t say anything,” Aly told her. “Our mom did.”
    Suzy closed her eyes for a second. Then her face looked like it usually did: bored. “Whatever,” she said. “I see you brought stuff. The soccer girls probably won’t want to do whatever it is anyway, since a pool is cooler than any of that.” And then she walked out of the kitchen into the hallway.
    â€œI don’t like this,” Lily said.
    â€œMe neither,” Aly said, “but we have a job to do. So let’s get going.”

    Blue cereal bowls, rolls of paper towels, the round kitchen table, four chairs, the granite counters—the girls used everything they could to set up a makeshift salon.
    While they were setting up, they tried to ignore the conversation going on in the hallway. But it was hard to ignore. Suzy’s mom was speaking firmly: “I bought this for you so that you could learn how to run a business with kids your own age. What happened?”
    The girls weren’t sure, but they thought they heard Suzy crying.
    Aly felt her stomach sink, as if she were the one getting in trouble. That was the worst feeling, disappointing your parents—especially when it wasn’t on purpose.
    â€œMaybe Sophie was right,” Brooke said quietly. “Maybe we should’ve tried harder to be friends with Suzy.”
    A few minutes later Suzy came into the kitchen with their records folder. She was still crying a little, and she wasn’t even trying to hide it. “I was going to give your files back,” she said. “And once everyone was here, I was going to call you. I just . . . It’s just . . . everyone liked the idea of a pool party, and you wouldn’t listen, so I . . . I did it myself.”
    â€œThanks,” Aly said, taking the folder. “It was a good idea, Suzy. But when you’re working somewhere, you can’t just do whatever you want and take whatever you want. And you definitely can’t keep secrets from the people who are running the business.”
    â€œYou kept the extra surprise for the soccer party a secret from me,” Suzy said. “And you acted like I wasn’t even a real part of your salon.”
    Yikes, that hurt. But Aly thought about what Suzy said. She wasn’t entirely wrong.
    â€œYou’re right,” Aly told her. “I’m sorry about that.But you have to learn how to be on a team if you want people to trust you. Anyway, let’s get through this party, and then it won’t even matter, because after today your internship is over.”
    â€œI know that, Aly,” Suzy said. And for a second, Aly thought Suzy sounded sorry that her time at the Sparkle Spa was over.

    After the last Angels player got out of the pool, Brooke announced: “The exciting parts of the party are officially starting! We have pizza, Unicorn Treat cookies, polka-dot manicures and pedicures, bracelet-making supplies, and . . . a surprise photo booth!”
    â€œPhotos? Cool! Are you going to e-mail them to us later?” Mia asked.
    Brooke shook her head. “It’s magic! You get to see them right after they’re taken.”
    â€œAwesome!” Mia said. “I want to go first.”

    The photo booth was the most popular part of the party, and the soccer girls took a ton of pictures wearing Celegrape Good Times on their fingernails with Not Number Blue polka dots. They liked that color combination the best. And they liked the Unicorn Treat cookies, too.
    â€œI can’t believe we can eat glitter,” Giovanna, who played defense, said as she took a second cookie.
    â€œIsn’t that the best?” Brooke agreed as she took a second cookie herself.
    Before the team left, Jenica took Aly aside. “Great party, Aly. It totally made us feel like champions.”
    Aly smiled. And she even smiled a little at