by Sheri Duff
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
I’m nervous for the dinner at Lily’s. Lily doesn’t make me nervous, but meeting Jack’s stepmom, that terrifies me. She was at the game but I didn’t see her. I force my mother to sit through eight different outfit changes. As I toss the closes on to the floor, my mom picks them up and puts them back on hangers.
“Massie, it’s dinner,” my mom says, like this dinner will be the same as when she and I sit down and eat some frozen meal.
“Mom, I want her to like me,” I say, tossing another shirt onto my bed.
“Your clothes aren’t going to determine that,” my mother laughs.
“You of all people know that’s not true.”
“You’re not going over there looking like a prostitute, so I think it’ll all be okay, sweetie,” she says. “Wear the khaki capris. No, nix that, you’ll spill. Wear your jean capris and the black t-shirt I brought you from London. That way when you spill, nobody will notice.” She hands me the t-shirt.
“Mom, it’s cold. Where is that cool scarf you got me with the London flag on it?”
My mom pulls it off the hanger in my closet. I find a pair of black leggings, and then make a draped skirt out of the scarf. It is short, but with the leggings I don’t look like a tramp. Then I pull out the black t-shirt with the London Flag on it. My short, black boots are comfy, so I slide them on. I look in my full-length mirror and then at my mom.
“Perfect,” she says.
