teased Emily. “Ask her a math question and you’ll see how fast she can answer it.”
“I’ve heard that Asian kids are supposed to be really good in math,” said Chelsea.
Amy seemed to bristle at this comment, but then she just smiled. “Well, your dad’s a banker, Chelsea, I’d suppose you’d be good at math too.”
Chelsea laughed. “Hardly.”
“Well, if you ever need tutoring, you’ll have to give me a call,” offered Amy.
“Yeah, right.” Now Chelsea reached over and flipped one of Morgan’s braids. “How do you take care of these anyway?”
“Huh?” Morgan studied her for a moment.
“You know, how do you wash your hair and stuff?”
Morgan kind of laughed, but it didn’t look like she thought it was funny. “Probably the same way you do, Chelsea, you know, with
shampoo and water.”
“Hey, did I tell you guys I’m getting my hair cut?” asked Carlie, although she knew for a fact she had already told them.
“Yeah,” said Emily quickly. “But you didn’t say
how
you’re getting it cut. What are you going to do anyway?”
“I’m not really sure,” said Carlie. “I was thinking I should ask Morgan, since she’s our local design and fashion expert.”
Morgan brightened as she sat up and studied the shape of Carlie’s face. “Well, you have kind of a heart-shaped face,” she said as she pushed Carlie’s wet hair back. “So maybe you shouldn’t get it cut too short.”
“Why not?” asked Chelsea quickly. “I think she’d look good with it short. And I’m going to get mine cut short. You know we’re going to get our hair cut together.”
“I know,” said Morgan, not even looking at Chelsea. “But I think you’d look better with it coming just below your chin, Carlie. Maybe layered a little around your faceto bring out your eyes.”
Carlie nodded as she considered this. “But how am I going to remember how to explain that to the haircutter person?”
“We’ll find a picture,” said Morgan, “in a magazine.”
“So how do you know so much about hair?” Chelsea asked Morgan with a creased brow, like she didn’t really think Morgan knew what she was talking about.
Morgan just shrugged. “I pay attention to fashion. That’s all.”
“Well, so do I,” said Chelsea. “And I think short hair would look totally cool on Carlie.”
And suddenly the two of them started arguing about Carlie’s hair. Carlie glanced nervously over at Emily and Amy, hoping they might help to end this craziness, but they looked just as surprised as she felt.
“Anyone want to run down to the beach?” asked Carlie, suddenly standing. “There’s a trail nearby. I’ll bet I can beat all of you guys down to the water!”
“I’ll bet you can’t,” said Morgan, leaping to her feet.
Not waiting for anyone else to join, Carlie took off and Morgan was right on her heels. Carlie knew that she and Morgan were the fastest runners of the group and, as expected, they made it to the beach far ahead of the others, tying as they reached the surf.
“They’re not even running,” said Carlie as she looked back at the beach behind them.
“Wimps,” said Morgan as she bent over to catch her breath.
“Hey, Morgan,” said Carlie between breaths, “I’m sorry Chelsea is being so —”
“It’s okay,” said Morgan quickly. “No biggie.”
“The first thing she told me about herself was that she has no impulse control. That means she just says whatever pops into her head without thinking whether or not it will hurt someone.”
“I know,” said Morgan. “Really, it’s no big deal. Just chill, Carlie.”
“Okay … ”
Then Morgan waded out through the breaking waves until it got deep and she started to swim. Carlie followed her lead, watching as the other three girls slowly made their way over to the edge of the water. Soon all five of them were swimming and splashing in the waves, and Carlie told herself that whatever had happened back at Chelsea’s house wasn’t a
“I’ve heard that Asian kids are supposed to be really good in math,” said Chelsea.
Amy seemed to bristle at this comment, but then she just smiled. “Well, your dad’s a banker, Chelsea, I’d suppose you’d be good at math too.”
Chelsea laughed. “Hardly.”
“Well, if you ever need tutoring, you’ll have to give me a call,” offered Amy.
“Yeah, right.” Now Chelsea reached over and flipped one of Morgan’s braids. “How do you take care of these anyway?”
“Huh?” Morgan studied her for a moment.
“You know, how do you wash your hair and stuff?”
Morgan kind of laughed, but it didn’t look like she thought it was funny. “Probably the same way you do, Chelsea, you know, with
shampoo and water.”
“Hey, did I tell you guys I’m getting my hair cut?” asked Carlie, although she knew for a fact she had already told them.
“Yeah,” said Emily quickly. “But you didn’t say
how
you’re getting it cut. What are you going to do anyway?”
“I’m not really sure,” said Carlie. “I was thinking I should ask Morgan, since she’s our local design and fashion expert.”
Morgan brightened as she sat up and studied the shape of Carlie’s face. “Well, you have kind of a heart-shaped face,” she said as she pushed Carlie’s wet hair back. “So maybe you shouldn’t get it cut too short.”
“Why not?” asked Chelsea quickly. “I think she’d look good with it short. And I’m going to get mine cut short. You know we’re going to get our hair cut together.”
“I know,” said Morgan, not even looking at Chelsea. “But I think you’d look better with it coming just below your chin, Carlie. Maybe layered a little around your faceto bring out your eyes.”
Carlie nodded as she considered this. “But how am I going to remember how to explain that to the haircutter person?”
“We’ll find a picture,” said Morgan, “in a magazine.”
“So how do you know so much about hair?” Chelsea asked Morgan with a creased brow, like she didn’t really think Morgan knew what she was talking about.
Morgan just shrugged. “I pay attention to fashion. That’s all.”
“Well, so do I,” said Chelsea. “And I think short hair would look totally cool on Carlie.”
And suddenly the two of them started arguing about Carlie’s hair. Carlie glanced nervously over at Emily and Amy, hoping they might help to end this craziness, but they looked just as surprised as she felt.
“Anyone want to run down to the beach?” asked Carlie, suddenly standing. “There’s a trail nearby. I’ll bet I can beat all of you guys down to the water!”
“I’ll bet you can’t,” said Morgan, leaping to her feet.
Not waiting for anyone else to join, Carlie took off and Morgan was right on her heels. Carlie knew that she and Morgan were the fastest runners of the group and, as expected, they made it to the beach far ahead of the others, tying as they reached the surf.
“They’re not even running,” said Carlie as she looked back at the beach behind them.
“Wimps,” said Morgan as she bent over to catch her breath.
“Hey, Morgan,” said Carlie between breaths, “I’m sorry Chelsea is being so —”
“It’s okay,” said Morgan quickly. “No biggie.”
“The first thing she told me about herself was that she has no impulse control. That means she just says whatever pops into her head without thinking whether or not it will hurt someone.”
“I know,” said Morgan. “Really, it’s no big deal. Just chill, Carlie.”
“Okay … ”
Then Morgan waded out through the breaking waves until it got deep and she started to swim. Carlie followed her lead, watching as the other three girls slowly made their way over to the edge of the water. Soon all five of them were swimming and splashing in the waves, and Carlie told herself that whatever had happened back at Chelsea’s house wasn’t a
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