flushed with embarrassment, an emotion I was getting more and more acquainted with in recent days. “Well, now I feel stupid.”
“Hey, it’s no big deal,” he said with a chuckle. “No hard feelings.” He held out his hand to shake mine. “Just don’t be so quick to judge the next guy. Anyway,” he said, “I was thinking that if we’re going to be in here all night….” he trailed off as he gazed at something over my shoulder. I turned around to see Alfredo, leading a reluctant Ariel by the hand.
“
Voila
!” he said as he whirled her in front of him with a dramatic flourish. Admittedly, even I was surprised at how great she looked. She’d always been cute in a Keebler Elf kind of way, but now her best features really stood out. Her kinky hair was pinned up with just a few rivulets caressing her face. Light pink lip gloss and some subtle glitter shadow around her eyes—boy, Alfredo really knew his subject—completed Ariel’s transformation. She went from looking like my surrogate kid sister to becoming one of those ethereal fairies from
The Lord of the Rings
. If Chad’s face was pink, Ariel’s was red and getting redder by the second. Thankfully, just as it was clear that she was about to bolt back into the kitchen in embarrassment at all the fuss, someone started singing “Happy Birthday” and we all joined in.
“Blow out the candles,” I said to Ariel. “And don’t forget to make a wish.”
“Okay, I wish—”
“Don’t
tell
us!”
“Let me guess,” a cutting voice said from behind my shoulder. “She wishes she had a chance in hell of ever getting laid in her lifetime.” Ariel’s pink cheeks paled. What the..?! I swiveled on my heel and put a face to the voice I already recognized.
“I don’t remember inviting you, Brian,” I said, steam practically escaping my ears. I nodded toward the Itneys, who stood behind Rachel looking smugly satisfied with arms crossed. Britney blew a bubble with her wad of chewing gum and let it smack loudly. “That goes double for your hangers-on,” I continued. “And, really, for a guy so incredibly vocal about what an insult I am to humanity, you have an uncanny way of pseudo-stalking me. Now, please leave.
All
of you.”
“Gladly,” Rachel answered for the group, tossing her tacky blonde extensions over one shoulder in defiance. “We’re not interested in your little charity case’s birthday party, I can assure you. But since our shopping excursion morphed into getting stuck here for the night, we just thought we’d come see what all the bottom-feeders were up to.”
There was silence as the food courtesans all waited for me to respond. Once again, I felt my eyes sting and willed them not to pool up with tears. Wracking my brain for some clever retort, I found I was too enraged to speak. It was one thing for them to pick on me. I deserved it in some messed-up way. But Ariel and the rest of the geeks who worked down here were innocent and undeserving of their cruel scorn. How was it possible that I was ever friends with these arrogant SOBs? I shuddered, remembering the similar crown of condescension I wore back when I stood perched on a higher rung of the social stratum. Looking at the Itneys with their matching boots and Rachel with her pricey leather satchel—all three with scowls on their faces—was like having a mirror held up in front of me. Had I been such a bitch like them? Was I still? While these thoughts raced through my brain, the unlikeliest of allies entered the fray to give me a reprieve.
“Why are you guys down here, anyway?” Caleb said. “Didn’t you hear that the Highway Patrol is sending a helicopter to the south parking lot to start taking people out of here in small groups? You’re going to be at the back of the queue if you don’t get over there.”
Whitney’s eyes lit up, but then she eyed Caleb suspiciously, apparently on to his whopper of a lie.
“So why aren’t you guys heading over
“Hey, it’s no big deal,” he said with a chuckle. “No hard feelings.” He held out his hand to shake mine. “Just don’t be so quick to judge the next guy. Anyway,” he said, “I was thinking that if we’re going to be in here all night….” he trailed off as he gazed at something over my shoulder. I turned around to see Alfredo, leading a reluctant Ariel by the hand.
“
Voila
!” he said as he whirled her in front of him with a dramatic flourish. Admittedly, even I was surprised at how great she looked. She’d always been cute in a Keebler Elf kind of way, but now her best features really stood out. Her kinky hair was pinned up with just a few rivulets caressing her face. Light pink lip gloss and some subtle glitter shadow around her eyes—boy, Alfredo really knew his subject—completed Ariel’s transformation. She went from looking like my surrogate kid sister to becoming one of those ethereal fairies from
The Lord of the Rings
. If Chad’s face was pink, Ariel’s was red and getting redder by the second. Thankfully, just as it was clear that she was about to bolt back into the kitchen in embarrassment at all the fuss, someone started singing “Happy Birthday” and we all joined in.
“Blow out the candles,” I said to Ariel. “And don’t forget to make a wish.”
“Okay, I wish—”
“Don’t
tell
us!”
“Let me guess,” a cutting voice said from behind my shoulder. “She wishes she had a chance in hell of ever getting laid in her lifetime.” Ariel’s pink cheeks paled. What the..?! I swiveled on my heel and put a face to the voice I already recognized.
“I don’t remember inviting you, Brian,” I said, steam practically escaping my ears. I nodded toward the Itneys, who stood behind Rachel looking smugly satisfied with arms crossed. Britney blew a bubble with her wad of chewing gum and let it smack loudly. “That goes double for your hangers-on,” I continued. “And, really, for a guy so incredibly vocal about what an insult I am to humanity, you have an uncanny way of pseudo-stalking me. Now, please leave.
All
of you.”
“Gladly,” Rachel answered for the group, tossing her tacky blonde extensions over one shoulder in defiance. “We’re not interested in your little charity case’s birthday party, I can assure you. But since our shopping excursion morphed into getting stuck here for the night, we just thought we’d come see what all the bottom-feeders were up to.”
There was silence as the food courtesans all waited for me to respond. Once again, I felt my eyes sting and willed them not to pool up with tears. Wracking my brain for some clever retort, I found I was too enraged to speak. It was one thing for them to pick on me. I deserved it in some messed-up way. But Ariel and the rest of the geeks who worked down here were innocent and undeserving of their cruel scorn. How was it possible that I was ever friends with these arrogant SOBs? I shuddered, remembering the similar crown of condescension I wore back when I stood perched on a higher rung of the social stratum. Looking at the Itneys with their matching boots and Rachel with her pricey leather satchel—all three with scowls on their faces—was like having a mirror held up in front of me. Had I been such a bitch like them? Was I still? While these thoughts raced through my brain, the unlikeliest of allies entered the fray to give me a reprieve.
“Why are you guys down here, anyway?” Caleb said. “Didn’t you hear that the Highway Patrol is sending a helicopter to the south parking lot to start taking people out of here in small groups? You’re going to be at the back of the queue if you don’t get over there.”
Whitney’s eyes lit up, but then she eyed Caleb suspiciously, apparently on to his whopper of a lie.
“So why aren’t you guys heading over
Similar Books
