and rolled her eyes and made that annoyed face that she always seems to make around me and no one else. “Emily, the day will come when you're going to have to learn that—”
I stopped shaving my armpit and finished the sentence with her. “—that we're all living in a global village, and that means we have to care for each other, no matter what our nationality.”
She stuck her tongue out at me, which was a really juvenile thing to do. I threw my fwoofy soapy thing at her. As if it's not bad enough I have a father who thinks everything medieval is cool, I get stuck with a perfect sister who spends a couple of days in England and she's already made a ton of friends, and has a BF, and doesn't need to wear makeup to look good, and doesn't get put back a grade, and most of all, she can do whatever she wants just because she's two years older than me! Mom and I are the only normal ones in the family, and sometimes I have my doubts about her.
Speaking of that, I used my time trapped in the car with Them to open up negotiations about school. Unfortunately, Brother claims there's nothing he can do, that he sent the headmaster (Sounds kind of bondage-y and kinky, doesn't it? I bet this headmaster guy is the perv who thought up girls wearing miniskirts during hockey) my grades for last year, and the HM said I had to go into the fifth form because I hadn't taken my SATs yet. Well of course I haven't! That's supposed to happen next spring! Evidently only kids who are planning to go to college are allowed into the sixth form. If I had taken the SATs—which would mean I was serious about going to college—then the headmaster of this school might have bent the rules, but instead I'm being punished because we don't take the SATs until spring. How unfair is that? Mega unfair! So despite the fact that I have a 3.8 GPA, despite the fact that I was scheduled to have a whole year of AP classes, despite all that, I get shoved back into the equivalent of tenth grade.
It's going to be hell. Pity me, Dru. Come tomorrow, I'll be a sophomore again.
An American sophomore.
One who's a whole year older than everyone else.
And I won't know a single, solitary person!
Sniffle.
Catch me up on everything that's happened while I've been gone. As for Vance—forget him. You can do better! He's a creep if he can't see that you are the perfect girl for him. I'm sorry he made you cry—if you like, I can ask Tommy Delarosa to break his kneecaps. Bet that would teach him a thing or two. E-mail me as soon as you get up.
Hugs and kisses,
~Em
WEEK TWO
Subject: OMG
From: [email protected]
Date: 8 September 3:36 pm
Before I get to your trouble with V, you have to hear about my day. I have never, ever, ever been so humiliated in my whole, entire, horrible life! Dru, I could die, I could just die! I almost got expelled! On my first day! All because of some STUPID rules some STUPID person made for this STUPID school. I cried in the bathroom, and you know I never cry in the bathroom! That's always been a code of mine, hasn't it?
Let me tell you what happened—I got dressed in the horrible maroon and teal uniform and then, of course, I had to think seriously about what makeup to apply that wouldn't clash with it. Visualize the girl: I wore Kiss Me Mauve lipstick, Moonlit Teal eyeliner, Nautical Navy shadow (highlighted with Crisp Linen shadow), Raven mascara (I know you think I'm too blond for Raven, but I'm thinking of coloring my hair darker), and Glamora blush, with just a really light dusting of bronzing powder. Tasteful and yet subdued, yes?
Unfortunately, not even having all my makeup on made me feel good. But despite being so nervous I could barf, I trotted downstairs. Mom was waiting for me. “My, don't you look...eh...yes. All set to go?”
I didn't make a face because I didn't want the Kiss Me Mauve to go all over my teeth, so I confined myself to a Look. “You can't be serious! You don't expect me to have my mother take me to school the first day. I have my reputation to think about! Do you want me to be a hermit for the rest of my