Beauty's Only Skin Deep

by Sunshine G. Bruno

  On the Saturday after the first week of school, Meg and I attended our first Charm Club meeting at Marylin’s house. The other two new members were the new girl, Brittany, and Tiffany, who had been the most popular girl at our junior high school. I caught myself wondering why her two friends hadn’t been let into the club instead of Meg and me.

  “Alright everyone,” Marylin began. “Let’s welcome our newest members. We have Lauren-Anne, Meg, Brittany, and Tiffany. Ladies, why don’t you introduce yourselves? Tell us something about you.”

  “Wait, what about Evelyn?” One of the girls asked.

  “She’s running late. She said to start the meeting without her. Don’t worry.”

  “Lauren-Anne, go ahead. Tell us about yourself,” Beverly said.

  I stood up. “Hi, I’m Lauren-Anne. I- I’m not really sure what to say. I wasn’t prepared for this. Um, well, I’m not usually into all this stuff. But Beverly and Marylin said that they could teach me to better myself. It’s what Jesus would want, so here I am.”

  Everybody clapped politely as I sat back down.

  “Meg, now it’s your turn,” Beverly said.

  Meg stood up. “Hi everyone, I’m Meg. I have an older brother and a dog. I don’t know, that’s it, I guess.”

  Everyone clapped again and Marylin told Brittany to stand up.

  “Hey, I’m Brittany. I just moved here from Los Angeles and I’m really excited to become friends with all of you girls.”

  Once everyone had finished clapping, Tiffany stood up without being told to.

  “I’m Tiffany. I was the most popular girl at my old school and I’m excited to be a part of this group. You girls are pretty popular. So yeah, that’s it.”

  Suddenly, Ms. Ruffinio walked into the room. “Hello ladies, sorry I’m late.”

  “Evelyn!” Marylin and Beverly jumped up to hug her. “You made it! How are you?”

  Meg, Brittany, Tiffany, and I exchanged glances. Evelyn, I mean, Ms. Ruffinio, was a part of the club?

  Our principal sat down on the floor with the rest of us and asked, “What did I miss?”

  “The new girls just introduced themselves,” Beverly said.

  “Oh, well it’s very nice to see you all here.” Ms. Ruffinio said. “I know that you are all going to love it in the Charm Club. You see, the Charm Club is a lifelong club. Students that graduated when the school first opened are still a part of the club. And since you ladies are now a part of the club, I’m going to let you in on a secret. I’m the one who started the club. When I was asked to be the principal of White Grimm High School, I wanted to have a group of girls that the rest of the students could look up to. And because I saw that in Beverly and Marylin, I asked them to run the club for me. I mean, how many students would have wanted to be a part of the Charm Club if they found out it was run by the principal?” She laughed. “You have all been selected for a very special thing. You are going to become the most beautiful, graceful, popular students in all of Nevada. And all you have to do is make the pledge.”

  “Pledge?” I asked.

  Ms. Ruffinio nodded. “Yes, Lauren-Anne. A pledge.” She pulled a hand mirror out of her purse. On the back, it read, ‘decor enim vitae’.

  “What does that mean?” Brittany asked.

  “Beauty for life.” Ms. Ruffinio answered. “Because that is what you get from this pledge. Now put both of your hands on the mirror and repeat after me.”

  Brittany put her hands on the mirror.

  “You ladies too.” Ms. Ruffinio told Meg, Tiffany, and me.

  I rolled my eyes. This was getting kind of silly. Nonetheless, I did what I was told.

  “I promise,”

  “I promise,” We repeated.

  “To be the best that I can be. I will do everything I can to be better than the average girl. Upon promising this, I give myself to Et Splendidis. Decor enim vitae.”

  After we finished repeating her I asked, “What does ‘et splendidis’ mean?”

  “It’s nothing important.” Ms. Ruffinio grinned as she said, “You ladies are now officially part of the Charm Club. Your lives, from here on out, are going to be everything you’ve ever dreamed of.”

  Brittany

  As I was leaving Marylin’s house, I heard someone calling my name.

  “Hey! Brittany, wait up!”

  I turned around to see Lauren-Anne coming towards me.

  “Oh, hi,” I said.

  “That was some weird stuff, huh?”

  I nodded.

  “What are you doing after the meeting?”

  “Going home. I’m going to do homework.”

  “That’s boring. Why don’t you come over to Meg’s house with me?”

  I thought about it for a moment. It certainly sounded better than going home alone and doing school stuff. “Will Meg be ok with it?” I asked.

  “Yeah, of course. We’re all a part of the Charm Club, we have to stick together.”

  “Alright, it sounds fun.”

  “Great! Let’s go!”

  Lauren-Anne lead me to Meg’s house. When she rang the doorbell she said, “You’re going to be really impressed when you see the inside. Meg’s parents have a lot of money and the house has been beautifully decorated.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded.

  A guy about our age opened the door. I immediately noticed how cute he was.

  “Lauren-Anne!” He cried.

  “Hi, Graham, how are you? I haven’t seen you all summer,” She said as she hugged him.

  “I’m great. It’s so good to see you!”

  “Graham, this is Brittany. She’s friends with Meg and me. Brittany, this is Graham, Meg’s brother.”

  I smiled. Someone wanted to call me their friend. I held out my hand. “Hi. How are you?”

  “I’m good, thank you. It’s nice to meet you.” We stared at each other for a moment before Graham said, “Meg is upstairs in her room. You two can go up.”

  “Great. Thanks.” Lauren-Anne grabbed my hand and pulled me inside with her. As she led me upstairs she asked, “Isn’t this place beautiful?”

  “It really is.”

  All of the furniture was antique. It looked like it belonged in a palace. There were statues and paintings that I recognized from my art class. Whether they were originals or replicas, I wasn’t sure.

  Lauren-Anne didn’t bother knocking on Meg’s door, she just walked right in.

  “Lauren-Anne! Brittany! Hi!” If Meg was surprised to see me she didn’t show it.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I brought Brittany along,” Lauren-Anne said.

  Meg shook her head. “Not at all.”

  “Great. Lauren-Anne saved me from going home and doing homework,” I told Meg.

  “I was just doing some myself. Do you have Mr. Matthews for history?”

  I nodded.

  “Do you have to do that project for the civil war?”

  “Yeah. I can’t believe we were assigned a project during the first week of school. I’ve never had that happen before.”

  “Right? It’s so weird.”

  The three of us talked for a while, but I couldn’t get my mind off Graham. Finally, I said, “Tell me about your brother.”

  “Why would you want to know about my brother?” Meg asked.

  I shrugged, trying to act casual. “He seems nice. I don’t really know anyone around here, I’m just trying to find out what I can.”

  “Oh. Well, he’s a junior this year. He’s on the football team. He’s all excited because he just got his first car. He saved up for it after he got a job last year. He’s kind of upset though because our parents make him drive me to and from school every day.” Meg thought for a moment before adding, “Even though I don’t like to admit it, he’s pretty popular.”

  “Does he have a girlfriend?”

  “No.” Meg paused before asking, “You don’t like him, do you?”

  I shook my head. “No! I hardly even know him.” And then I
thought, “But I’d like to.”

  Tiffany

  The entire walk home all I could think about was how weird the Charm Club meeting was. Somehow Meg White and Lauren-Anne Hilton became members. I wasn’t even sure why they applied. They spent all three years of junior high school acting like they were too good for this kind of thing. And then they let in Brittany? Brittany the traitor! Oh well, soon enough they’d see what a mistake they made by letting those three into the club.

  And then there was the whole thing about the pledge. And the principal being there! And yet they were still somehow the most popular girls in school. Something wasn’t right. By the time I walked through my front door, I had made a decision. I would quit the Charm Club. Then Betty, Judy, and I would work on being popular on our own.

  I picked up the phone and dial Marylin’s phone number.

  “Hello?” A man answered.

  “Hi, this is Tiffany Thomas. Is Marylin there, please?”

  “Yes, I’ll get her for you.”

  “Great, thank you.”

  A moment later Marylin said, “Hi, Tiffany! How are you? Did you enjoy your first Charm Club meeting?”

  “Actually, that’s what I called you about.”

  “Uh-oh. What’s wrong?”

  “I want to q-” I started coughing.

  “Are you ok?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I’m qu- qu-” I couldn’t get it out. For some reason, I couldn’t get the word ‘quit’ out of my mouth.

  “Tiffany, you can’t quit the club if that’s what you’re trying to say.”

  “But I-” I couldn’t say that I wanted to. Something wouldn’t let me.

  “Nobody can quit the club. Ever. That’s why girls who graduated years ago are still a part of it. You made a promise, Tiffany. Not just to us, but to Et Splendidis. You’re part of the Charm Club for life.”

  “Marylin, what does Et Splendidis mean?”

  “Nothing important, it’s just a word. Don’t worry about it. Now, Tiffany, we’re meeting tomorrow at Beverly’s house to go over outfit choices for the week. I know that I will see you there. Bye!”

  The line went dead and I stared at the phone in my hand. What was going on?

  Meg

  At dinner, Graham asked, “Meg, I’ve never heard you mention Brittany before. Is she a new friend?”

  I nodded. “She just moved here from California. Los Angeles.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “I guess. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. California’s just another place. Just like here, or Seattle.”

  My mom said, “Yes, but California is such a beautiful place. Your father and I would love to go there sometime. Wouldn’t we, honey?”

  My dad nodded.

  “Well, then why don’t we move there? If you think that it’s so much better than here.”

  “Young lady, I will not allow you to talk to your mother like that,” My father said.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  “So, your friend Brittany, does she like anyone?” Graham asked.

  I actually had a feeling that Brittany liked Graham. And I was starting to get the feeling that Graham liked Brittany.

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Well, can you find out?”

  “In the market for a girlfriend, son?” My dad asked.

  Graham shrugged.

  “That a boy.” My dad said, leaning over to clap Graham on the shoulder.

  I rolled my eyes. “Ugh.”

  “What?”

  “She’s my friend.” I explained. “That’s gross.”

  “Graham can date whoever he wants.”

  “Oh, well that’s good to know. Because I was thinking that maybe Adam and I could see each other at Christmas time.”

  “Absolutely not,” My dad said.

  “Why not?”

  “You’re too young to have a boyfriend. I let it slide over the summer, but that is over. You will not be dating until you are eighteen.”

  “But Dad,” I whined.

  “End of discussion.”

  “Mom, it’s not fair.”

  My mom smiled tightly as she said, “You heard your father.”

  “This isn’t fair. It’s just because I’m a girl.”

  “Meg,” My dad warned. He turned back to Graham as he said, “Now, listen son. If you want to get a girl’s attention-”

  I shoved myself away from the table and stood up. “You suck.”

  “Meg!” My mother ran after me as I walked away from the table, and away from my dad who was telling my brother how to get my friend to go out with him.

  Chapter 4

  Lauren-Anne

  When I got home from Meg’s house, my mom told me that a girl had called. She had left a message saying that we were meeting at her house the next day to go over outfits for the week.

  “Who was it?” I asked.

  My mom thought for a moment before saying, “Beverly. I believe she said that her name was Beverly. I don’t remember you ever mentioning someone named Beverly before.”

  “She’s a new friend.” I told her. “I met some new friends at school this week and joined the Charm Club. Our first meeting was today.”

  My mom hugged me as she said, “Oh honey, that’s great! I’m so glad to hear that you’re finally starting to take care of how you look. Looks are an important thing, you know. It’s the first thing people notice about you.”

  “Well, it’s about more than looks. It’s all about being the best that you can be.”

  “I’m so excited for you,” My mom told me.

  I faked a smile. “Thanks.”

  I went upstairs and shut my door. As I looked for clothes to take to Beverly’s house the next day, I thought about what my mom had said. I didn’t wear makeup or anything, but I didn’t look that bad, did I? Did looks really matter that much to everyone else? Were people going to think that I was vain for joining the Charm Club? My mom had always said that Jesus didn’t want us to be vain. Then again, my mom put more time into her looks than anyone I had ever met.

  Those thoughts stuck in my head for the rest of the day, and they were still there when I went to sleep. Then they were there again when I woke up.

  When I went downstairs for breakfast, my mom greeted me with, “How’s my little Charm Club daughter? If you need to borrow my makeup or hair rollers just ask. Do you want me to take you shopping for some new clothes? Do you need help with picking out an outfit for today?”

  “Mom, calm down. Please.” When I saw her frown slightly I said, “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t need to go shopping or use your makeup or anything like that. But I do need something to carry my clothes in. Do you have anything that might help?”

  My mom grinned. “I’ll go get my suitcase!”

  Brittany

  When I got to Beverly’s house, her mom led me to Beverly’s room. Everybody else from the Charm Club was already there. Including the principal.

  “Brittany! How are you?” One of the girls, whose name I hadn’t remember, ran over to hug me.

  “Um, hi,” I hugged her back.

  Marylin looked up for half a second to smile at me before turning back to Ms. Ruffinio. “Evelyn, you can’t wear gray with black pinstripes, it’s too teacher-ish. You’re going to look like all of the other teachers who have no sense of style whatsoever.”

  “But it was a forty-dollar outfit!” Ms. Ruffinio cried.

  “You should have consulted the other members of the Charm Club first.”

  “Brittany, come over here.” Beverly said. “I’ll help you choose your outfits.”

  As we were deciding what shoes to pair with my yellow skirt for Tuesday, Beverly said, “So, I heard you like Meg’s brother.”

  I quickly turned around to look at Meg and Lauren-Anne. “They told you?” I asked in shock.

  Beverly laughed. “No, not them. She did.”

  “She?”

  Beverly nodded. “She. Et Splendidis.”<
br />
  “What?”

  “Et Splendidis. You made your pledge to Her, remember?”

  “I... What? What do you mean Her? I thought that Ms. Ruffinio said that it was just a silly phrase.”

  “No, it means ‘the gorgeous one’. She is the one who gives all of this to us.” Beverly gestured around the room. “She wants us to be the best that we can be, and she helps with that. She helps us figure out how to look good, what to say, how to act. She’s amazing.”

  “Who is she? When are we going to meet her?”

  She laughed. “You don’t meet her, silly. You feel her. She’s all around. She was a goddess of beauty. Now she’s devoting herself to us.”

  “I don’t, I, I don’t know what to say.”

  “You should thank her. She’s here to give us the lives we’ve always dreamt of.”

  I stared at Beverly for so long, she asked if I was ok.

  “I’m fine.” I told her. “It’s just that I told my mom I’d help her with something. I totally forgot about it. I have to go.”

  “Alright, I’ll walk you to the door.” As we walked down the stairs Beverly said, “I’m glad that you like Graham. He’s a very good choice for a boyfriend. Just remember that you have duties to the Charm Club.”

  I nodded as I blankly said, “I’ll remember that.” And then I shut the front door behind me.

  Tiffany

  Since I didn’t need help choosing outfits for the week, I was walking around the room, listening to everyone’s conversations. I stopped when I heard Beverly telling Brittany about some goddess of beauty. Brittany got pretty freaked out and left. I didn’t blame her, though. If Beverly, Marylin, and Ms. Ruffinio were crazy enough to believe that some goddess was making them popular than who knows what else they were crazy enough to think? Not to mention Ms. Ruffinio’s husbands’ deaths. Anyway, they were going to be seriously surprised when they realized that nothing could make Lauren-Anne or Meg popular.

  When Beverly came back up to her room I walked over to her. “Tell me more about Et Splendidis.”

  “I can’t. That’s all I know. If you want to learn more, you have to ask Evelyn.”

  Yeah right. Like I’d ever be caught talking to the principal. But if being in a club with my school’s crazy principal and pretending to believe in some goddess was what it took to raise my social status, then so be it.