by Desiree Day
“You’ll look—”
“Tamia!” Chloe’s yell shattered through the din.
Tamia shot a terrified glance across the room. “I got to go.”
“Are you going to the party afterwards?” Jessica asked, but she was talking to herself, Tamia was halfway across the room, Jessica shrugged and began pulling off her clothes and replacing them with Samantha’s selections.
“Would you stop tugging at your clothes,” Samantha scolded.
“There too short,” Jessica complained. She had never worn a skirt this short in her life. Even her shorts covered her knees. The denim skirt exposed her knees and cottage cheese legs.
“Check yourself out. You look good,” Samantha praised.
Jessica took halting steps toward the mirror. Samantha wrapped her arm around her friend’s shoulders. Jessica nervously studied her reflection. “I look horrible, and you know it. You’re my friend, you’re supposed to tell me the truth.”
Samantha sighed. “I’m telling you the truth. You’re gorgeous. Come on, let’s put your makeup on.”
Jessica’s eyes widened. “I’m wearing makeup? I didn’t know I had to wear makeup. I hate makeup!”
“It’s not that bad,” Samantha soothed, as she led Jessica across the room. Chloe and her crew snickers followed them. “Ignore them.”
“Nothing dramatic,” Jessica said while settling in front of the mirror. “I don’t need anybody else laughing at me.”
“I’ll hook you up,” Samantha promised as she pulled out a sponge and began dotting foundation on her friend’s face. “We’ll give those butt holes something to cry about. After the show, we’ll be the ones laughing. We’ll just make them turn sideways, that way they’ll disappear.”
Just then the rest of the classmates that Jessica and Samantha had recruited showed up. They all looked as panicky as Nicole Richie at an all you can eat buffet.
“We’ve changed our mind. We’re not going to do this,” Leslie moaned.
“Yes you are,” Samantha replied calmly as she brushed Jessica’s hair into a wild ponytail.
“No we’re not,” Valerie insisted.
“Sure you are.”
“No, we’re—”
Samantha slammed down her hairbrush and stalked over to the group of girls. “You will go out there. You will have fun and you will shimmie and shake your butts, just like we practiced. And if any of y’all don’t go out there and work the runway like I taught you then I’m going to tell Chloe and her crew that y’all are intimidated by them,” she hissed.
“But we are,” squeaked Kathy.
“But they don’t have to know that,” Samantha said. She got an idea. “Why don’t you each go out twice and if you don’t like it, then I’ll let you go home.”
The group huddled together and whispered amongst themselves. Leslie pulled away and said, “Okay we’ll do it. But if we’re booed, or something get thrown at us, we’re gone.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Samantha grumbled, but inside she was shining. The show would go on. “Do you guys think anyone would boo or throw anything at somebody looking this hot?” She asked before twirling Jessica around.
The group gasped. Their friend had been transformed into a beautiful young lady. Her normally curly hair had been pulled into a sexy ponytail. Samantha had given her cheekbones and sultry eyes and lips.
Jessica placed her hand on her hip and jutted it out. “So?”
“Wow!” Leslie murmured. “I want to look like her.”
“Go get your outfit. They’re all marked,” she told them and pointed to the clothes rack.
Jessica turned to the mirror and studied her reflection. “I feel so beautiful,” she said awed. “Thank you.” She hugged her friend.
“You’ve always been beautiful, it’s just that you finally see it.”
“I guess,” she said tentatively.
“No guessing involved. You’re beautiful.”
“Do you think Matt’s here?”
Samantha grinned. “I bet he is. Marco is here and you know they’re always together.”
Jessica beamed. “You really think I look nice?”
“Hot girl! You look hot!”
Just then, Chloe and her crew sauntered by. “Oh my God! There’s a denim shortage. You just used it all up with that skirt,” she said meanly. Her friends burst out laughing.
“Oh my God! I heard your nose job was a two for one special,” Samantha shot back. “Maybe you should go back for the second one, because the one you have now looks like crap!”
Chloe stepped up to Samantha so that they were nose to nose. “At least my face doesn’t look like it was run over by a herd of horses.”
“What did you say?”
Chloe repeated herself.
“Well, you’re a butt crack! An ugly little butt crack.”
They stared each other down. Chloe was the first to break contact. “You’re lucky I don’t want to mess up these clothes.”
“Yeah right!”
Their teacher busted into the room. “Okay ladies we’re ready. Line up. It’s standing room only.”
Jessica gulped as she found her place in line. Akon’s latest song thumped through the room.
“Do it ladies!” Samantha shouted as her friends filed out.
Jessica stood at the edge of the stage and peered out. The teacher was right. The auditorium was jam packed. Her knees began shaking and her feet suddenly felt as though they had been slathered with cement. She saw Chloe out of the corner of her eyes. “I won’t let her win,” she vowed, then forced her legs to move.
Stumbling on stage, the lights blinded her and the music hurt her ears but she pushed back her shoulders, held her head up high and worked it.
With Samantha’s instructions and threats echoing in her head she strutted to the end of the runway.
Jessica raced behind the stage to the dressing room.
“Did you see me? Did you see me? Did you hear the cheers? I was hot!” Jessica pranced over to Samantha. “I was awesome,” she said, her face glowing with excitement.
“Do I have to stick a pin in your big head Jessica? ‘Cause I will you know.”
“Call me Jess,” she said with a smile. “I finally feel like a Jess.”
“What? Get a little attention and you get all sassy.”
“This is exactly what I needed. All those cheers made me feel sexy. And they were cheering not laughing. How cool is that?” She threw her arms around Samantha. “Thanks for making me do it.”
“You’re welcome. You know you got more cheers than the Zeros.”
“I know, probably because nobody could see them they’re almost invisible.”
Suddenly Leslie rushed into the room. “We were hot girls.” They all high fived each other.
Out of the corner of her eyes Samantha saw the Zeros huddled together looking like a crew of emancipated cheerleaders, they were pointing and glancing at them.
“What are you looking at? You got super models in your midst. Don’t look too hard you might break an eyelash,” Samantha shouted.
“You know those were just pity cheers,” Chloe sneered. Her reception on the cat walk was less than lukewarm. The attention she had anticipated didn’t happen.
“Girl go sit down,” Samantha snapped. “It’s summer time go somewhere and buy a body.”
“Oh something like yours? I don’t think I have that much money?” Chloe answered and her group of cohorts cheered.
“You’re right, bitch,” Samantha said as she jutted out her hip. “Because I’m priceless and you’re nothing but a cheap imitation of a piece of art. A forgery I think that’s what they call it.”
“Woo hoo!” Leslie shouted as Chloe’s face turned the color of a ripened watermelon.
“I hate you,” she hissed, she turned on her heels and stalked off with her crew stumbling after each other to keep up with her.
“Tootles, enjoy your summer,” Samantha sang after her.
“You’re too funny,�
�� Jessica said. “I’m so glad I have you in my corner other wise I’ll be in trouble.”
Samantha rolled her eyes. “You never do anything.”
“Sure I do. I just don’t tell you,” Jessica said.
“Right!”
Suddenly Jessica’s eyes grew wide. “Oh my God!” Jessica stuttered as she stood rooted to the floor. All the blood had raced from her face and she felt like she was one breath away from passing out. “Oh no!” Coming toward them was Matt with his arm lassoed around Tamia’s waist. Tamia grinned up at Matt. Jessica stormed up to them. “What is this? What’s going on here?”
“Hi Jessica,” Tamia drawled.
“Matt?” Jessica turned to Matt, totally ignoring her former best friend. This was the same girl who had not less than thirty minutes ago told me how pretty I looked. Phony bitch!
“Bitch,” Tamia mumbled under her breath.
“Whassup?”
“By yourself,” Jessica hissed. Tamia clung to Matt’s arms. She reminded Jessica of a sneaky cat hanging on to its scratching post. “Do you think you can let me talk to him.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want to talk to you,” Tamia replied nastily.
“Maybe you need to take your skinny ass somewhere and sit down,” Samantha said.
Tamia snorted. “You need to sit your big ass down. You don’t scare me. You might scare Chloe…but not me.”
Samantha’s eyes narrowed then she reached out and grabbed a handful of Tamia’s caramelized hair. She yanked it back. “What did you say?”
“Stop it! You two stop tripping,” Matt ordered. “Sam let her go. I’ll talk to Jessica.”
Samantha loosened her grip but pushed Tamia and she stumbled. “Don’t mess with me,” Samantha barked.
“Come on,” Jessica said and Matt followed her into a corner. “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing.”
“Let me be specific, what’s going on between you and Tamia.”
“We’re just kickin’ it. Nothing serious.”
“Just kickin’ it. I know what that means.”
Matt smirked. “What do you think it means?”
Jessica blushed. “That you two are fooling around.” Matt shook his head. “Why are you with my best friend?”
“Former best friend,” Matt corrected her.
“Still Matt, what you’re doing is wrong.”
“Like you and Marco, my former best friend.”
“I didn’t encourage that boy to do anything. He almost raped me and you refuse to believe me. I don’t understand it,” Jessica said, her voice wavering.
Matt almost took a step toward her so that he could pull her into his arms so that he could comfort her, but the image of her and Marco in the hallway squashed any desire to do so. “Whatevah,” he replied coldly.
“You wanted a Zero all this time didn’t you? All the times you were telling me how much you loved the way I looked and how you said my weight didn’t matter, you were really fiending for a Zero.”
“That’s not true!” Matt protested. “I liked everything about you,” Matt admitted.
“You did?” Jessica asked and her heart jumped and she looked up at him expectantly. “Maybe we could…”
Matt shook his head. “No. I don’t do re-runs, I don’t believe in giving second chances no going back.”
“Matt don’t look at it as going back, just look at it as us having taken a break,” Jessica said. “Now we’ve both had a chance to think about things and we both have some things to work out, but we can do it…together. Please,” she pleaded.
“I don’t think so. I’m with Tamia now so deal with it,” he said then strolled off. Tamia raced to catch him and when she did, she grabbed his hand and they walked of together hand-in-hand.
Tears ran down Jessica’s face as she watched Matt’s and Tamia’s silhouettes. “What am I gonna do?” she asked Samantha.
“Well, girl, we have the whole summer to think about it. And you know chubby chicks rule, remember that and the rest of your life is gravy.”
