being afraid of what other people think.”
“That’s so…brave.” I picture Martha and Mr. Scott dressed in period garb. It makes me smile.
“This one’s pretty.” I touch a sculpture of girl that’s playing some type of guitar by a river. Butterflies and birds surround her, listening to her song.
“I’ve dubbed her Katrina. It almost looks like she could charm anyone, doesn’t it? Even the creatures of the forest.”
“Must be nice.” I set my overstuffed bag on the bathroom counter.
“You can’t start thinking like that, Maddie. You can do this, you just need to be charming, like Katrina here. And fearless.” She smiles and nods her head before closing the door.
“Do you really think the bright fairies will be up for this?” I ask as I change into Laowyn-wear.
“Absolutely, you just have to be confident. You need to be a leader.”
I trade my blue jean shorts for a pair of tight black pants that make my legs look great. The blouse I picked out for tonight is silver and silky with a beaded flower on the shoulder. I slick my hair back in a high ponytail.
“Have you checked back in with Mes Amis and Mi Pueblo about tomorrow? Everything still a go?” Her voice is muffled by the door.
“Yep, they have their tents and tables ready to go.” I peek my head out. “Does Logan suspect anything?”
“He knows something’s happening, but I don’t think he has any idea about the enormity of it. He hasn’t really been interested in life here lately. Just goes to the shop, does his show, then comes home and holes up in his room.” She shakes her head.
I would say “good” since he doesn’t suspect anything, but it’s not good he’s been so depressed for these past two weeks. Although, I know how he feels. Luckily, I’ve had tonight’s events and tomorrow’s festivities to pour all my energy into.
Just as I finish applying the blue face paint, I hear Martha say, “Crap! Maddie, be quiet. Logan’s home.”
Crap, indeed!
I hear the front door slam, followed by angry stomps on the stairs. I open the bathroom door just as Martha goes into the hall. Thankfully, she leaves her door cracked. I tiptoe over and watch.
“Hey, honey, what are you doing home? I thought you had the game tonight?” she asks, the whole time wringing her hands behind her back.
“I’m not going.” He looks disheveled, sneakers untied, dark circles under his eyes. I just want to give him a hug.
“Why not? I think you should go. It’ll do you some good, get you out of this funk, maybe.”
“I just don’t want to, okay?” His voice rises a notch on the last word.
She follows him to his room, and the conversation gets too quiet. I press my ear to the opening and strain to hear. She says something about knowing how “it” feels. He mumbles something back. There’s a long pause, and he says something else. She responds with a loud, “Good, good, you won’t regret it!”
She closes his door behind her and scurries back.
“Crisis averted,” she says quietly when she comes back in. Then, she lays her eyes on me, and they widen with a quick intake of breath. “You look perfect.”
“Thank you.”
She smiles softly. “Come on, I’ll help you with the eyeliner.”
“Really, I mean it, thank you. For everything. After what happened, I was surprised you wanted to help me. You’d known me for just a little while, and I hadn’t exactly been the type of girl a mom wants her son involved with.” I hop up on the bathroom counter.
“Honey, I’ve known you’re a good kid since you were in ninth grade when Logan came home with that picture of his English Honors class and tacked it up on his wall. You were the cutest girl in the bunch. Then, he started moaning about how he wasn’t popular, that he was gangly and goofy. We’ve always been close, he’s always confided in me. He confided in me about you. You two took different paths, but I always knew he hadn’t given up on you.”
I stare at the ceiling as she draws the swirlies around my eyes and over my cheeks. Tears try to form in my eyes, but I fight them back. To think of all the time I’ve wasted being so secretive. I could’ve been so much happier.
“There, you’re ready to go. Just one more thing.”
After I gather up all my random costume-creating things, I follow her back into her room. She hands me a beautiful, white