One Tiny Secret - By Adam Kunz Page 0,12

brown hair behind her ear. A huge smile shows on her face as she waves at me.

“Hop in,” I call out of the open passenger window.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this. This is so crazy. My mom will destroy me if she finds out,” Janice states while settling into the car.

“It’s not too late to change your mind if you don’t feel up to it,” I comment, throwing the car into park in case she has a change of heart.

“No, it’s cool. Just pre-party jitters, I guess. Did you bring the costume?”

“Yep. It’s in the basket back there,” I reply, pointing to the back seat.

Janice grabs the basket and opens it in her lap. Pulling the garment out, she says, “Wow. This is hardly what I’d consider clothing.”

I laugh. “Yeah, it’s a little skimpy, but I figured you could make a statement with it. You know, show those jerks who gave you a hard time that you’re not messing around. And if you get cold, I’ve got a jacket in there you can borrow.”

She sends me a look that I’m pretty sure is one of uncertainty. She starts to bite her lower lip like she’s mulling over the decision to wear the costume. “You sure this is a good idea?”

“Of course it is. I don’t even think people will recognize you tonight,” I reply with a grin.

“All right, you’ve convinced me. Let’s do this,” she says. “I only see one little issue though.”

“What’s that?”

“Where am I going to get changed? And isn’t there make-up involved in this getup?”

“Leave that to me. Don’t worry your little head about it,” I answer, putting the car into drive and pulling back onto the road.

Our next destination is the costume store. Rory’s working there until nine, and I’m sure he’ll let us use a dressing room to get Janice ready.

When we enter the store, the shrill scream from the doormat makes me jump. I hear Janice’s stifled laugh behind me, and turn to see her trying to hide her grin with her hand.

“A little jumpy, are we?” Rory asks, leaping over the front counter to greet us.

“That stupid little mat scared the hell out of me,” I laugh.

“I noticed,” he replies. “Uh, who’s the dame?”

“Oh, this is Janice, my next-door neighbor. She’s joining us for the party tonight. That’s actually why we’re here. I need a quick favor.” I drag Janice to stand beside me instead of hiding shyly behind.

“Oh, really? And what might that be?” he asks with an eyebrow raised.

“Could we borrow one of the dressing rooms to get her in costume?”

“I don’t know…what’s in it for me?” he asks with a grin.

“Come on, Rory.”

He laughs. “All right. I can’t bear to see you beg.”

He grabs the key from behind the counter and leads us to the dressing room area. “Make it quick, okay? I don’t want the boss giving me a hard time about this.”

“Got it,” I reply, guiding Janice into one of the stalls. “You’re so awesome, Rory, seriously.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re welcome. Now hurry up.”

After closing Janice in the dressing room, I notice I still have the basket in my hand. “You’re probably going to need this,” I say handing the basket over the top of the door.

“Thanks.”

A few minutes go by. After I hear sounds of struggling coming from within the stall, Janice emerges in full costume. She looks fantastic. I position her in front of the full-length mirror so she can see herself.

“You look awesome,” I squeal, smiling ear to ear. I notice that Janice also has a smile as she scans her reflection.

“Wow,” is all she can get out.

“I’ll say,” I laugh. “Now’s it’s time for the makeup.”

Pulling her back into the stall, I remove the makeup kit from the basket and have her sit down on the long white bench running the length of the dressing room wall. As I begin the application process, I delve into a reflective mood. Janice and I haven’t talked for what seems like forever, but here we are, acting like we did all those years ago. Like nothing’s changed. I’ve missed this. I see by the look on her face that she’s caught me reminiscing.

“This reminds me of when we used to have dress-up sleepovers,” she says.

“Yeah, those were some great times, huh?” I grab the black lip gloss. “I know I said it earlier, but I’m really sorry for being such a bad friend. I should’ve stood up for you, but I didn’t. I’ve regretted it so much