True Colors

by Krysten Lindsay Hager

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. She shrugged and leaned on her arm.

  Later, when I saw her in science class, Devon seemed interested in her paperback. She’d answer me if I asked her a question, but we didn’t have a conversation. Still, she was talking to me, so I was happy. Mrs. Tamar wanted us to do the chapter questions, and Devon opened up her textbook.

  “Did you see Halle’s makeup today?” I asked. “It looks like her mascara smeared—”

  “What did you get for number one?” she asked.

  “Oh, I didn’t do it yet. Anyway, Kyle was flirting with Arianna in math. I bet Yasmin will dump him again,” I said.

  “Don’t care. Is it five?” she asked.

  “Huh?”

  She sighed and blew her bangs up. “Is five the answer to number one?” she asked.

  “I guess. What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Nothing. Can’t you give it a rest?” she said.

  “Are you mad at me?”

  “No, but I’m gonna be if we don’t finish this and I have to take it home,” she said.

  I couldn’t focus on any of the questions. I just flipped back and forth in my book like I was trying to find the answers. I tried to pull my bracelet off because it was pinching me. I was used to it being loose, but now it was almost too tight since Mr. Ivanov had fixed it.

  I called Peyton after school to see if she knew why Devon was acting weird.

  “India told me Devon thought you were bragging about getting an A on your math quiz when she found out she’s getting a D in math,” she said.

  “What? First of all, I haven’t gotten an A in math since the third grade, and I didn’t know she was getting a D. Why didn’t she just tell me?” I stopped to catch my breath.

  “Don’t worry about it. Devon’s always mad about something. And I don’t think she’s over not getting picked for the next round of the American Ingénue thing. Hey, did you see Vladi’s picture in the paper? It’s in tonight’s sports section. He’s moving to the varsity team,” she said.

  I told her we didn’t get the paper delivered, so she said she’d bring it for me. I took my bracelet off and threw it toward my dresser. I missed, and it fell on the floor. I thought about calling Devon to apologize, but for what? Getting an eighty-three percent wasn’t exactly bragging, and I didn’t know she was getting a D in math. I just hope she didn’t hold the Ingénue contest against me.

  I missed the bus the next morning, and Mom had to drive me to school. I could tell my day was going to suck the second I saw India at Devon’s locker. They were standing two inches apart and stared at me when I walked down the hall. I tried to smile, but I had no control over my facial muscles so I think I just twitched or something.

  “Hi,” I said.

  “Hey,” Devon said.

  India stood up straighter like she was Devon’s bodyguard and gave her a knowing look. That’s the thanks I got for helping her pick up those stupid colored pencils she dropped. I should have stepped on her hand while she was down there.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. Did I get your hand with my shoe?” I’d say, and then I’d find a way to “accidentally” cut off about two feet of her hair. I hated the way India always wrote down her hair color as “honey.” It was light brown, maybe dark blond. Honey. Maybe bees would attack her.

  Peyton told me later Devon thought I was throwing my “Croatian boyfriend” in her face. First of all, he was Russian, and second, she always talked about Doug and I never got upset over it. Peyton said I shouldn’t let it bother me, but it’s easy to say when no one is mad at you. I decided to confront Devon when we got off the bus, so no one would see me grovel. I told Devon I was sorry, and I would never try to make her feel bad. I ended up saying Vladi would never like me and how I just got lucky on the quiz because I sucked at math. She said it was okay and gave me a hug. We were friends again, but I still felt like crap. Ashanti thought I was crazy for kissing Devon’s butt.

  “What did you do? Promise you’d never do better than her on a test as long as you lived?” she asked. “And did she expect you to walk away from the American Ingénue thing just because she didn’t make it?”

  “No, I’m just glad she’s speaking to me again.”

  Peyton was also surprised when I told her I apologized to Devon.

  “For what? You didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. “You’ve gotta stand up for yourself.”

  I’d rather have everybody like me than to prove something. Peyton asked if I wanted to do something this weekend, and we made plans to go to a movie on Friday. I was happy I had plans for the weekend, but it was kinda depressing knowing the modeling agency hadn’t called with any jobs for me. At this rate, I’d never get famous.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  India was the only one sitting in the back of the bus the next morning. I sat behind her, and she slid around to talk to me.

  “Hi,” India said. “Did you read for class?”

  I nodded. She was acting like nothing had happened, which annoyed me. Like I didn’t know she and Devon had been talking about me. I’m sure she encouraged Devon to get mad at me so they could be best friends again.

  “Want some gum?” she held out a pack. I took a piece and stuffed it into my mouth. “It’s so cold today,” she said. I didn’t say anything. “Uh, it’s weird it’s so cold because it’s all sunny outside.”

  “Yup,” I said looking straight ahead.

  She didn’t say anything else until we got to school. I headed to my locker and pretended not to hear her say goodbye. Ashanti came over and asked if I would sit with her at lunch since Halle and Maggie were absent. I said she could sit at our table, and she made a face.

  “No offense, but I don’t want to sit with Devon,” she said. “Is she going to get her panties in a bunch if you sit with me?” she asked.

  I said it would be okay, but Devon started to get an attitude when I said I was sitting with Ashanti.

  “I need to talk to her about a math test,” I said. “My mom will kill me if I don’t keep my grades up.”

  “Whatever. If you have to.”

  ****

  Later, Devon asked what we were doing this weekend, and I squirmed in my chair and said I was going to the movies with Peyton.

  “I wonder why she didn’t mention it to me,” she said as she colored in the spleen on our worksheet. “I thought we’d all go to the mall.”

  I didn’t say anything, but Peyton asked me why Devon suddenly thought we should all go to the mall instead of the movies.

  “I told her I was going to a movie with you,” I said. “And she sorta got the idea she was invited, too,” I said. Peyton rolled her eyes. “What could I do?” I asked. “Say, ‘Sorry, you can’t come?’”

  “Do you want her to?” she asked.

  “No, I just wanted to go to the movies and not have drama.”

  “And I don’t want to go shopping,” she said. “All she ever wants to do is walk around and look for guys,” Peyton cut off when India walked into class.

  “So we’re going to the mall tonight?” India asked. Peyton shrugged and later asked me what I wanted to do when we were walking out of class.

  “I don’t want anybody to get mad—”

  “No, what do you want to do tonight?” she asked. I said I’d rather go to a movie.

  Devon asked what time we were meeting at the mall when we got on the bus, and Peyton cleared her throat.

  “Um, Landry and I kind of want to see a movie. So I guess we’ll… sit this one out,” she said.

  Devon zeroed in on me. “You don’t want to go with us?” she asked.

  “Peyton asked me about going to a movie first, and I already said I’d go with her,” I said.

  “Fine, whatever,” she said. She and India planned what they were going to wear. I felt a little left out, but at the same time I had stood up to her. Well, kinda.

  Mom dropped us off at the theater, and we loaded up on popcorn, licorice, chocolate bars, and sodas. The be
st thing about going to a movie with Peyton was you could just pig out and have fun. I loved being able to relax and be myself. She didn’t even get grossed out when I got popcorn stuck in my teeth. She took a piece of licorice and bit off each end to use as a straw and I tried it, too. When the movie ended, we went into the mall to check out the bookstore.

  “Landry, they have the new Skylar Halston book. And they have number nine in the series. I don’t have this one,” she said.

  “I’m missing number ten.”

  We took our books and went over to the magazine rack. She grabbed a bunch of magazines, and we went over to the café to get a soda and look through them.

  “Those people over there are about to get off the couch,” she said. “Grab your stuff.” We flew over to the couch the second the couple got up. I had never gotten the couch at this bookstore. I was always stuck at the wobbly tables and uncomfortable chairs. Why someone would use spiky wood on a chair back was beyond me.

  After we bought our books, she asked if I wanted to walk around before she called her mom. We went into Connick’s Boutique, and she found a pair of earrings she wanted. I don’t have my ears pierced because my dad says he gets a million people coming into the clinic with infections from piercings. The man knows how to scare a person when it comes to medical stuff.

  I walked over to look at the rings, and they had a pretty one with red, yellow, and blue enamel in it. I slipped it on my finger, and it was a perfect fit. Usually rings slide right off me because I’m thin, which is why I lost my bracelet in the vent. I decided to get it, and Peyton said it was pretty. I said there was another one if Peyton wanted to try it on.

  “I don’t want to copy you,” she said.

  “It’s okay, try it,” I said.

  She put it on, and the colors were different on her. She decided to buy the ring instead of the earrings, and we went to meet her mom.

  “Your father’s going to throw a fit,” Mrs. Urich said pointing to the dog carrier on the front seat. “But look at her little face.” We peered in and saw a brown puppy. “I went to the pound with your Aunt Rita, and I swear this puppy asked me to take her home with me,” she said. “Her name is Bambi.”

  “She’s so cute,” I said.

  “Landry, do you want to come over, or do you need to get home?” Mrs. Urich asked.

  I went over to their house and Mr. Urich was okay with having another dog, but Truffles didn’t seem to like her too much. We took Bambi up to Peyton’s room, and she flew under the bed. Peyton had to get on her hands and knees to get the dog to come out. She pulled Bambi onto her lap and told me she thought she was getting a new tablet for Christmas.

  “Are you going to Chicago for Christmas?” she asked.

  “Yeah and we’re going to go shopping before Christmas so I can pick out my presents,” I said.

  “See, I like to know what I’m getting, but I also want at least one surprise,” she said.

  Bambi tried to walk on the bed. I’m usually a little nervous around animals, but I picked her up. I could feel Bambi trembling so I held her close, and she seemed to relax.

  “I love going to the big toy stores when I’m there,” I said. “I know I’m too old to ask for toys, but sometimes I want them anyway.”

  “Oh, I know. I got a Cadia doll for my birthday last year and India thought it was weird I wanted a doll, but I love Cadia,” she said.

  “She is cute.”

  Truffles ran in the room, and Bambi shot out of my lap. Peyton grabbed her before she flew off the bed.

  “Stop it. No, Truffles — stop! Mom! The dog’s panicking.”

  Mrs. Urich came upstairs and picked up Truffles. “You don’t like the competition, do ya?” Mrs. Urich said, nuzzling her.

  “Do you want to exchange gifts?” she asked after her mom left.

  I nodded. Last year I had bought books for Tori and Ericka, and I knew Ericka didn’t like the one I gave her. I wondered if they were expecting gifts this year. We hadn’t talked about it, but I’d probably at least get Tori something. Ashanti and I were exchanging gifts and Devon and I decided to get each other new journals, but we were calling them Christmukkah gifts since her family celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah.

  I checked my e-mail when I got home. Most of the messages were junk, but there was one which just said “Hi,” in the subject line. I figured it was either a sneaky way to get you to open it and then it’d be the address to a porn link or something, but I opened it anyway.

  To: Albright@ alphamail.com

  From: VY0062@us.com

  Re: Hi

  Hi Landry,

  How are you? Is school good? Are you coming to our game? I’m on varsity now, so it’s the later game if you want to come.

  See ya,

  Vladi

  He e-mailed me. About time. I didn’t know what to write so I called Ashanti, and she told me to forward his message to her. She called back and said it sounded like he wanted to see me again.

  “But what if he had to get a bunch of people to come to the game because the ticket money is going to feed starving puppies or something?” I asked.

  “I doubt it, but even if it was true, he still thought of you,” she said. “What are you going to say?”

  “I have no clue. Any ideas?” I asked.

  “I would wait a little bit before I wrote him back but not too long,” she said.

  She asked me about Cristian, and I told her he never e-mailed me back. Then she asked if Vladi made my stomach hurt.

  “No, I can’t stop smiling when I think about him,” I said. “Will you go to the game with me?”

  “Definitely,” she said. “Ugh, my mom wants me to get off the phone, but let me know what you decide to write.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Thursday was the last day of school before winter break. Tori and I exchanged gifts at the bus stop. We both got each other the new Skylar Halston book. I had brought a big chocolate Santa in case Ericka had something for me, but she didn’t give me anything on the bus. I always bring a couple of extra cards and some candy canes to school just in case somebody has a gift or a card for me, which I wasn’t expecting, but I always end up bringing them all back home.

  Thalia gave me a Christmas card and a stuffed snowman in homeroom, so I gave her the chocolate Santa. Mrs. Lacey let us sit wherever we wanted in math class, and Kyle moved to our table. He gave Arianna and me root beer flavored candy canes. Arianna ate hers, but I wanted to keep mine. I thought Kyle was kind of a jerk, but part of me still liked him so I gave him one of my candy canes just as Ericka walked into the room.

  “Um, we can sit wherever we want,” I said.

  “Move over by me,” Ericka said.

  I wanted to sit with Kyle, but I couldn’t tell her, so I got up.

  “Wait, I have something for you,” Arianna said. “I almost forgot.”

  She handed me an envelope with my name in big curly red letters and a marshmallow candy cane taped to it. I opened it up, and inside she had written she hoped I had a great vacation. I gave her one of my cards and a candy cane before I moved to Ericka’s table. Arianna hadn’t given the marshmallow candy canes to everyone, so I felt kinda special.

  Ashanti and I exchanged gifts at lunch. She gave me a DVD of Jane Eyre, and I gave her a subscription to Soap Opera Hotties magazine since I knew hers was expiring. Maggie and Halle brought their gifts for Ashanti to lunch, and I felt uncomfortable so I said I was going to talk to Devon and Hana. Maggie handed me a card with a cherry candy cane, so I gave her and Halle cards and candy canes before I went to see Devon and Hana. Hana and I had decided to exchange gifts, and she gave me a little stocking filled with different flavors of lip gloss and I had gotten her some cute notepads because she loves paper stuff. Devon unwrapped the purple journal I gave her, and she gave me one with a red and pink suede cover. I asked her if she wanted to go to the basketball game with Ashanti, Peyton, and me, but she and India were planning to go to the mall tonight.

 
“But we’ll definitely get together when you get back from Chicago,” she said. “Maybe you can spend the night.”

  I wrote out a card for India in history. I had already put her gift in the locker she shared with Devon. I realized I hadn’t given Ericka a card yet, and I reached into my bag to get one. I pulled out the box, but it was empty. I’ve never run out of my backup cards before. Last year I only exchanged presents with Tori and Ericka, but this year I had gotten to know more people because of the fight. Ericka came over to my desk with a card for me.

  “I kept forgetting to give this to you,” she said. I felt stupid because I didn’t have anything for her. “How come you got so much stuff?” she asked, looking at the gift bags next to me.

  I shrugged and noticed she only had one gift bag by her seat. India came in wearing the pink and black star earrings I had given her.

  “These are so cute,” she said. “Open yours.”

  Ericka watched as I opened up a baby blue picture frame. India had put in a picture of the four of us. It was the one Peyton’s dad had taken the night of the field trip. Ericka raised her eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. She had only given me a card so I didn’t owe her a gift, but I still felt uncomfortable. India asked if I was going to the mall with them, but I told her Peyton and I were going to the game with Ashanti.

  “Sounds like fun. We’re supposed to meet up with Doug and Jeremy at the mall. I’m probably not allowed to talk to Doug though,” she said rolling her eyes. “Don’t tell Devon what I said, okay?”

  Mrs. Hearst put a movie on for us, but nobody paid attention to it. Normally, she’d bark at us for being “disorderly,” but she didn’t seem to care today. India leaned over and told us how Tad had given presents to all the teachers.

  “How pathetic,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  I didn’t say anything, but my mom had bought me some holiday towels to give to Mrs. Kharrazi since she had encouraged me with my writing. I left them in my locker when I went to her class earlier, but now I was glad I hadn’t given them to her in front of everybody. I ended up dropping them off in her mailbox in the office after the final bell rang. As I was going out to the bus line, Thalia ran up to thank me again for the chocolate Santa.