The Year I Became Isabella Ande - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,24
Bridge, that we’ve had hardly any time to rest. “I think I’m going to crash early tonight.”
We’ve been on our trip for a couple of weeks now, so when she catches my eye and gives me the look, I know her feigned exhaustion is just a ruse. She really has a hidden agenda for us tonight. I’m excited to see what she has planned and cross my fingers that maybe it’ll wear me out enough I’ll pass out by the time we go to bed.
“That’s okay. I was thinking about going out with some of my friends, anyway,” Grandma says as the elevator doors glide open. She steps out into the hallway and we follow. “But could you two girls do me a favor?”
“Of course, Grandma Stephy, we’d be more than happy to.” Indigo lays on her charm thickly.
“Make sure the door shuts all the way when you decide to sneak out.” Grandma Stephy grins at us as she digs the keycard out of her purse. “Last time, you left it open. You were lucky we didn’t get robbed.”
Indigo gives her a guilty look. “That was all the way back in Paris. If you knew we were sneaking out all this time, then why didn’t you say anything?”
Grandma Stephy swipes the keycard into the slot on our room door. “Because I didn’t want to ruin the fun of sneaking out.”
“But you freaked out the one time you found out we left the room,” Indigo points out as the three of us enter the small, quaint room. “Why do you suddenly not care what we do?”
“I care. But I figured you two need to have some fun.” She looks at me, and I know by that you two she really means me. Grandma Stephy sits down to take off her shoes. “But now that we’ve got that all out into the open, I’d prefer if you two told me where you were going and I didn’t have to track you down with that little thing on your phone.”
“What thing?” Indigo asks as she unzips her suitcase.
“That little tracker thing that lets you know where your phone is,” Grandma Stephy gets up and heads into the bathroom to take a shower.
I flop down on the bed and stretch my arms and legs out. “So does it lessen our fun that she’s known this whole time what we’ve been up to? Because that whole we’re-being-so-rebellious-and-it-makes-this-so-much-more-fun speech you gave when we snuck out to go clubbing seems pretty insignificant now.”
“Nah, we still had fun, didn’t we?” she asks with her head tucked down as she rummages through her bag for the perfect outfit.
“That we did,” I agree, sitting up. “So what’re we doing tonight? Or is it another surprise?”
She looks up at me, grinning as she throws a shimmery black dress at my face. “Tonight, we’re going to find you a guy.”
I set the dress down on the bed and run my fingers along the glittery fabric, smoothing out the wrinkles. “I don’t need to find a guy.”
“Liar. You so need to find a guy, so you can get over that Kyler dude.”
During a drunken conversation, I told Indigo about Kyler. She wasn’t a huge fan of my crush on him, and said I deserved a guy who actually tried to spend time with me. I wanted to argue that we technically have spent time together, but knew my point was probably moot, since a few weekends doesn’t really count.
Knowing there’s no point in arguing with her, I get up and wiggle into the dress then curl my hair. I apply some dark red lipstick and kohl eyeliner then add a drop of eye glitter, just because I love looking sparkly sometimes. Since I’m a newbie at the hair and makeup thing, I make sure to get Indigo’s approval.
“You look fantastic,” she says, admiring my handiwork as she douses her hair in hairspray. “Seriously, you’ve caught onto this whole makeup and hair stuff way faster than I expected you to.”
“Thanks.” While I appreciate her approval, there are times where I still feel like the girl with shiny brown and green hair, wearing the glittery, probably too short dress isn’t me. That I look ridiculous and everyone around me knows it.
My phone suddenly buzzes from the nightstand. Indigo and I trade a quizzical look, because the thing never goes off.
I hurry over and pick it up, worried there might be something wrong at home. But my confusion only deepens when I see the message is