Right Where I Belong

by Krista McGee

  “And you go there every summer?” Natalia wanted to think about anything but walking into a classroom of strangers.

  “No, my sisters and brothers and I take turns.”

  “How many siblings do you have?”

  “Seven.” Lexi shrugged. “I’m number six.”

  “What a large family.” Natalia had a half sister, but she barely saw eight-year-old Ari. Ari’s mother, Isabelle, only let Papa see her on holidays.

  “You’ll have to come out to the house sometime.” Lexi linked her arm through Natalia’s as they walked out of the parking lot. “We live on a lake. Ever been waterskiing?”

  “No, I’ve never waterskied. I’ve gone snow skiing, though. Is it similar?”

  “Not really.” Lexi held open the door, and Natalia saw teens scrambling into classrooms and throwing their backpacks into lockers against the wall. “When you snow ski, you have to lean forward. In waterskiing, you lean back. But don’t worry. I’m a great teacher. Aren’t I, Addy?”

  There was a story behind the looks the girls gave each other, but Natalia didn’t have time to hear about it. As soon as they walked into Mrs. Stevenson’s classroom, Natalia remembered the story Brian had told her, when he had fallen asleep and dreamed about algebraic equations.

  You are not going to start thinking about him first thing, Natalia Lopez.

  “Over here,” Addy said as she found a top locker and began unpacking the contents of her backpack. “There are three top lockers in a row. What are the chances of that?”

  “Jesus loves me.” Lexi opened the locker next to Addy. “Good thing you’re my best friend. Come on now, Natalia. You better claim this one fast.”

  Natalia opened the locker and looked inside. At least this is the same as back home. She dug through her backpack to find the magnetic whiteboard she had purchased. She stuck it to the inside door, and Lexi grabbed the marker from her hand before she could snap it into place. Lexi pushed Natalia aside and wrote in huge letters: WELCOME TO TCS!!!

  “There.” Lexi returned the marker to its place. “Now you are officially welcomed.”

  The locker next to Natalia’s opened, and she turned around.

  “Hi, Natalia.”

  Spencer Adams. Natalia tried to turn back, but he stopped her with a hand to her shoulder. “We’re neighbors. Isn’t that a coincidence?”

  “Yes, I suppose it is.” Natalia stepped back as Spencer stepped closer to her. But she miscalculated and bumped into Lexi, who lost her balance and bumped into Addy.

  Natalia turned around to apologize and found both girls falling to the ground. She tried to stop Lexi by giving her a hand. But Lexi, weighing about forty pounds more than Natalia, just pulled the lighter girl down with her. Before she knew it, Natalia was on the floor beside Lexi and Addy, the former laughing hysterically.

  “Now that’s how you begin a senior year, ladies.” Lexi stood and Natalia tried to do the same, hoping that, in her fall, she hadn’t flashed anyone.

  Spencer turned his broad smile on the girls. “Here, let me help you.”

  Lexi sat back down and held a hand out to him. “Why, certainly.”

  Spencer grunted as he heaved Lexi up, then put a hand out for Natalia. She scrambled to her feet in an attempt to avoid having to hold the boy’s hand.

  “Don’t be shy.” Spencer grabbed Natalia’s arm and pulled her up.

  “Senior year, Spencer.” Lexi smiled at the dark-haired boy. “You ready for it?”

  “Of course I’m ready.” He waved Lexi aside and looked at Natalia. “You have any questions, just come to me.”

  He walked to his seat and Natalia watched as Lexi’s eyes followed him. “Could I be you? Just for a day?”

  “What?”

  “To have Spencer Adams drooling over me. Just for a day. I could die happy.”

  Addy nudged her friend. “You can do so much better than Spencer.”

  Lexi raised her eyebrows. “Okay, Miss First Girlfriend. Whatever. I lose weight, get in shape. And does he notice? Do any of the boys notice? No. I’m still just plain old Lexi.”

  Lexi’s skin was a beautiful caramel color, her hair was dark brown and curly, pulled into a tight ponytail. Her uniform hung loose on her, but Natalia could tell beneath that was a strong physique.

  “I love fashion,” Natalia said to Lexi. “And I’ve always wanted to give someone a makeover. Head to toe—new clothes, new hair, new makeup.”

  “I’m listening.” Lexi smiled.

  “Would you let me make you over? We’ll make you so stunning that Spencer will be dying to ask you out.”

  Lexi’s grin widened. “You know what? You’ve got a deal.”

  Natalia shook Lexi’s outstretched hand as the bell rang. Natalia followed Addy to a desk near the front when Brian rushed in the door.

  “You’re late.” Mrs. Stevenson pointed to the clock above the lockers.

  “Sorry.” Brian ran to the back of the room, looking for a locker. “Truck wouldn’t start. I had to get a ride from my mom.”

  “I’ll let it slide today, but this better be the last time.”

  “Right.” Spencer laughed. “How many demerits did you get last year for being tardy?”

  Crouched down in the corner, Brian opened the only available locker. “I think it’s time to start class, Spencer. Don’t want to take up Mrs. Stevenson’s time.”

  Natalia couldn’t understand why Spencer would dislike Brian so much. He’s one of the nicest boys I’ve ever met.

  Mrs. Stevenson opened the class in prayer and then began discussing the student handbook. Natalia opened hers when she felt a tug on her hair.

  “Hey,” Brian whispered. His breath on her neck made the hair on her arms stand on end. “What’s your schedule?”

  Mrs. Stevenson glared at Brian, and Natalia no longer felt his presence behind her. She wanted him to lean forward again. No, what am I thinking? Stop it.

  “Here’s mine.” Brian slipped a sheet of paper onto Natalia’s desk.

  Natalia looked down. They would have Bible, speech, and choir together. Natalia held up three fingers.

  “Awesome.”

  Mrs. Stevenson stopped reading the handbook and looked at Brian. “Do you have something to share with the class, Mr. Younger?”

  “Just that it’s awesome to be a senior, ma’am.”

  Some of the kids in the class laughed, but Spencer and the guys around him simply rolled their eyes.

  The day went by quickly. Natalia was excited about Bible class, and she seemed to be the only one not upset that Pastor Younger jumped right in with his first lecture that day. Her AP classes were going to be hard. Especially AP United States History. The class was filled with juniors, so none of her new friends were with her. And what do I know about US history? Columbus, Washington, Lincoln. That’s about it. Her electives seemed easy enough. They were at the end of the day, and Brian was in both of them. Lexi and Addy were both in speech.

  The final bell rang and Brian jumped from his seat in the back of the choir room to walk beside Natalia. “So how was the first day?”

  “It was fine.”

  “Fine? That’s it? Could you be more specific?”

  Natalia smiled, trying to avoid brushing against Brian with her arm. The temptation was overwhelming. She remembered the school’s No Physical Contact rule and justified her distance. It’s not because whenever I touch him my skin catches on fire. It’s because I want to respect the rules of the school.

  “More specific? Like what?”

  “Like how was this different from your school in Spain?” He held the door open for her as they walked toward the high school building.

  “Students would never come late in Madrid.” Natalia smiled at Brian. “And they wouldn’t talk during class. And we’d have quite a bit of homework the first day.”

  “So we’re lazy, obnoxious Americans, huh?”

  She watched as Spencer walked toward her. “Some of you.”

  “Natalia.”
Spencer stood between her and Brian. “A bunch of us are headed to my place after school. And you are invited.”

  Natalia hated his tone, as if she should be honored to be among the chosen to come to his house. “Thanks, Spencer, but I’m going with Addy and Lexi to the Dream Cone.”

  “We’ve got ice cream at my house. The best. And tons of toppings. Come on.”

  Spencer obviously had little experience taking no for an answer.

  “I hope you have a wonderful time, Spencer.” Natalia turned her back on him and opened her locker. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Natalia looked down and noticed Brian’s smile covered his face.

  Chapter 23

  Your mother owns a boutique?” Natalia sat in the car and looked at Lexi. They were parked in front of an upscale clothing store, the window dressing sporting clothes straight out of Natalia’s favorite fashion magazines.

  “Yes.” Lexi unbuckled and groaned. “But I’ve always been a tomboy. My older sister, Sheri, is the fashionista. She’s always been the pretty one. My little sister, Mandi, is into art.”

  “So you can’t be into fashion because your sister is into fashion?” Natalia opened the car door and followed Lexi to the shop.

  “I’ve never really wanted to.” Lexi shrugged. “You can’t play basketball in high heels.”

  “Oh, Lexi.” Natalia smiled. “You’ve been missing out on so much.”

  “Smile.” Addy held up a camera and snapped a shot of Lexi and Natalia. “I’m making a photo documentary of your day. It’ll be perfect for the yearbook.”

  “As long as you make sure there are as many pictures of me playing sports as there are of me getting a makeover,” Lexi said.

  “I’ll do my best.” Addy opened the door to the boutique, and Natalia breathed in the smell of new clothes.

  “This place is great.” Natalia looked around.

  “Thank you.” A beautiful Hispanic woman stepped out from behind the counter. Her name tag read “Sheri,” and Lexi hadn’t been exaggerating about her older sister.

  “Hey, Sheri. Natalia is going to give me a makeover. She promises that the boys at school will fall all over themselves once they see the new me.”

  Natalia laughed. “I promised that?”

  Addy snapped a picture.

  Sheri put a hand on Lexi’s shoulder. “I’ve been trying to get her out of these shorts and T-shirts for years. I can’t wait to see the final product.”

  Natalia walked over to a rack and searched through the clothes.

  “She needs everything, Natalia.” Sheri joined her. “Dresses, pants, blouses. Buy as much as you want. It’s on the house. Mom’s going to be thrilled.”

  “Don’t you have to go back to college soon?” Lexi stuck her tongue out at her sister.

  “Not for another few weeks, sister dear. Maybe I should help.”

  “Not a chance.” Lexi eyed her sister’s neon shirt and skintight skirt. “I’d like to keep my eyesight and my circulation intact, thank you very much.”

  Sheri rolled her eyes and walked into the back.

  “Seriously. I don’t do ruffles, lace, tight, or bright.”

  Natalia pulled out a purple shirt she had found. “Lexi, you have to broaden your horizons. Ruffles are so in right now.” Natalia pointed to the shirt layered in ruffles. “How cute is that?”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of”—Lexi flipped through a stack of shirts and pulled out a plain tan camisole—“this.”

  “That would be perfect.” Natalia grabbed the shirt and placed it behind the purple. “Under this.”

  “Addy, help me out here,” Lexi begged her friend.

  “You wanted this.” Addy smiled.

  Lexi groaned. “I’ll try it. But I’m not making any promises.”

  Natalia found a pair of black jeans and sent Lexi into the changing room with the outfit. “Ooh, this too.” Natalia handed a long, beaded necklace over the curtain.

  “More stuff?” Lexi said. “Aren’t the ruffles enough?”

  “Of course not.” Natalia threw a sundress over her arm and searched for bracelets to go with it.

  “You’re having way too much fun.” Addy sat in a chair by the dressing room and shook her head.

  “I love shopping.” Natalia tried on a silver bracelet inlaid with jade. “This is how I spent my weekends back home.”

  The curtain pulled back and Lexi stepped out.

  “Wow.” Natalia twisted Lexi’s shirt and pulled it down to her hips. “You look great.”

  “These jeans are too tight.”

  Natalia eyed the jeans. “They’re perfect. Any bigger and they would be baggy.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Jeans aren’t supposed to be baggy.”

  Lexi turned around and stared at herself in the full-length mirror. “It just feels so weird.”

  “Are you kidding? Perfect curves, great arms.” Natalia stood next to Lexi. “Spencer won’t be able to keep his eyes off you.”

  “Sold.” Lexi smiled. “Are we done?”

  “That’s just one outfit.” Natalia handed Lexi the sundress. “You need a whole wardrobe. Then we need shoes and makeup. We’ll end with hair.”

  “Can’t we do this in baby steps?” Lexi shut the curtain.

  “Clothes today, shoes next Saturday, makeup the next—”

  “Spencer’s back-to-school party is tonight,” Natalia said. “You’re going to walk in there and wow him.”

  Lexi sighed through the curtain. “Maybe this isn’t worth it.”

  “Of course it is.”

  “You’re just saying that because you want to keep shopping.” Lexi threw the shirt and jeans over the curtain rod. “Just take these to the counter.”

  Natalia walked the outfit to Sheri, who smiled her approval. Whispering, she said, “Mom and I have been trying to get her to do this for years. I don’t know how you managed it, but thanks.”

  Natalia smiled at Sheri and walked off in search of a casual outfit to replace Lexi’s basketball shorts and worn T-shirts.

  At the end of the day, Lexi had five new outfits, a bag full of jewelry, red highlights in her brown hair, and she was wearing eyeliner for the first time in her life. Natalia put the finishing touches on Lexi’s outfit before walking her to the full-length mirror in Addy’s bathroom.

  Addy put the camera down, her eyes wide. “Wow, Lex. You look incredible.”

  Lexi wore a silky floral tank top. The browns and creams in the shirt perfectly suited her new hair. Her makeup was understated but added just the right touch of sophistication.

  “Your eyes seem huge,” Natalia noted.

  Lexi shook her now-tamed curls and smiled. “I never thought I’d wear anything like this.” She turned around and gazed at herself in the cream pants and brown heels. “But I sure do look good. Addy, you better take a few more pictures. This is definitely going on my Facebook page.”

  Addy laughed and did as she was told. “We’d better head out.”

  “I can’t believe we’re going to Spencer Adams’s back-to-school party.” Lexi took one last glance in the mirror before walking out. “We never get invited to this.”

  “Really?” Natalia asked.

  “We’re not exactly the ‘in’ crowd,” Lexi said. “Or we weren’t until Miss Addy here got herself on TV. And now that we have you and my brand-new made-over self, we may just make ourselves the new in crowd.”

  Addy laughed as she walked her friends into the garage and clicked the door open. “It’s just a party.”

  “It’s Spencer Adams’s party.” Lexi raised her eyebrows.

  “Since when are you so into Spencer?” Addy waited as the girls got settled into her car.

  “Years.” Lexi buckled up. “But you had a crush on him, so I didn’t say anything.”

  “You liked Spencer, Addy?” Natalia asked.

  “Of course she did.” Lexi smirked at the blushing Addy. “Not that she ever did anything about it. But it doesn�
�t matter now. She’s got Jonathon, and I am finally free to crush on Spencer to my heart’s content.”

  Twenty minutes later the girls pulled into Spencer’s circular driveway. The house was enormous. Huge white pillars supported a three-story entryway. A brass chandelier hung above the door. Lights lined the long walkway from the driveway to the entry and music blared from the backyard.

  “I don’t know if I can do this.” Lexi shrank down in her seat.

  Natalia reached over the backseat and squeezed Lexi’s shoulder. “Your outside matches your inside. Fierce and beautiful. Go show Spencer what he’s been missing out on.”

  Natalia didn’t say she wished they would all change their minds and go back home. She loved giving Lexi a makeover. But she didn’t love huge crowds, and she hated all the attention she was given for being the new girl.

  Not to mention, Brian won’t be here. He had invited Natalia for dinner that evening with his family and him. Natalia was relieved to say no. Being around him so much was not good for her. But she hated the disappointment in his eyes when she told him she would be going to this party.

  The girls made their way to the large mahogany door and rang the doorbell. Its chime was loud and deep, and the door was opened by a maid wearing the traditional black and white ensemble. Used to fancy parties, Natalia felt at home with the formality that greeted her. Looking to her side, she noted that her friends didn’t seem nearly as comfortable.

  “The guests are in the back.” The maid pointed down the marble hallway. That opened up to a formal living room decorated in so much white, it made Natalia’s head hurt. Glass doors opened to reveal a lush backyard and a white tent that covered a dance floor. The DJ stood at the end, his large headphones covering his ears.

  “Let’s get this party started,” the DJ yelled into the microphone. Dozens of teens spilled onto the dance floor and began moving together to a song Natalia had never heard.

  “Natalia.” Spencer walked over to the threesome. He looked like a model in his striped button-down shirt and expensive jeans. Natalia turned her gaze on Lexi, hoping Spencer would do the same.