Logan sighed. “Okay, look, you can hang out for a couple hours, max. But you’re also still just a kid, so when we say it’s time to scram, you need to listen. Deal?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’mnotjust a kid, I’m practically a teenager!”
“Millie.” Logan's voice was full of warning. “Deal or no deal?”
I made it a point to start painting my toenails again before I answered him. “Fine.”
“Good,” he said stiffly, and turned around to go back into the house. When I knew he wouldn’t catch me, I stole a glance in his direction to watch him slip inside of the front door. His hair was getting longer, practically reaching his shoulders. It looked nice, and I wondered if I should tell him that.
My parents leftthe house around four-thirty that night, leaving some cash on the table that they said we could use to order pizza. Logan, who had left about an hour after he got here earlier so that he could work a quick shift at the diner, had just gotten back to the house and was wielding a case of beer.
“Logan! Are youinsane?!” I sneered when I found him in the kitchen with the large blue box. “My dad is going to murder you, you know that right?”
Logan grinned, only half of his mouth rising up. “Mills, are you going to be cool or do we need to cancel your party pass?”
I crossed my arms over my chest in defiance. “You can’t cancel me, we have a deal. And of course I’m going to be cool, but mydadisn’t going to be cool when he catches you.”
Adam came barreling into the kitchen, likely having heard the sound of Logan’s car. His eyes grew wide at the box that Logan was loading into the refrigerator. “How did you score that?”
Logan looked up toward Adam and winked. “Mara got it from her older brother. She gave it to me at work.”
“Dude, your girlfriend is clutch,” Adam replied as he swatted Logan on the shoulder.
Girlfriend. I felt my body bristle in reaction to this foreign word. A word that surely had no place in any conversation that involved Logan or my brother. “Wait, you have a girlfriend?” I asked incredulously.
Logan’s honey-colored eyes flicked to mine. “Yeah, so what?”
“Since when?”
His gaze on me held steadfast. “I don’t know . . . a few weeks ago.”
“Huh.” I couldn’t come up with anything better, as I was trying to disguise the overwhelming feeling of jealousy that was suddenly spreading throughout my body like wildfire. “Is she nice?”
Adam rolled his eyes at me. “Amelia, mind your own business!”
Logan chuckled softly, keeping his eyes on me. “Yes,Millie. She’s nice. You can meet her tonight, actually. She’s coming over.”
I felt my eyes widen in response. I looked down at my outfit—an old lavender tank top with small, white daisies printed all over and cut-off denim shorts that had a marker stain near the hem—before spinning on my heels and racing up the stairs to change. I probably looked like a total idiot to the guys, but I didn’t care. This would be my first experience hanging out with teenagers who weren’t my brother and his best friend, and I’d be damned if I looked like a ratty little kid.
Especiallyin front of Logan’s new girlfriend.
Ugh, the mere thought of her existence in his life seriously bummed me out. Why was I feeling so jealous about this? It wasn’t like I liked Logan—he was practically my brother. Honestly though, I’d hardly seen Logan or Adam at all this summer and knowing thatgirlswere in the picture now meant I would see them even less.Thatwas why I felt upset. It had to be.
I tore through my closet, looking for something more “mature” to wear, when I found a pink T-shirt dress in the back. I had only worn it once for picture day at school, and it was just the right amount of casual-yet-sophisticated. Plus, I could easily dress it up a little with some jewelry.
I changed into it, realizing as I pulled it down that it was a little bit smaller on me than it had been last fall when I wore it to school. Checking myself in the mirror, I confirmed it looked tighter and didn’t quite reach the top of my knees like it used to, but it still worked. If anything, it was accomplishing what I was going for in my attempt to look a little older.
Keeping my steps light, I hurriedly snuck into my parents’ bathroom to use some of Mom’s mascara. I pulled the wand over my lashes a few times and decided that a swipe of a neutral lipstick wouldn’t hurt either. Perfect.
Back in my room, I spritzed myself lightly with some of my strawberry perfume and put on gold hoop earrings and a dainty gold bracelet to match.
Looking at myself in the mirror again, I felt elated. I didn’t look half bad, and I could definitely pass for at least fourteen. My boobs might not have been those of a fourteen-year-old’s, but all things considered—I looked good. I gave myself an air kiss before I left my bedroom.
I found Adam and Logan still in the kitchen. Adam was holding the wireless house phone between his ear and shoulder as he ordered pizzas to the house, distractedly doodling on the white board meant for messages that hung on the wall.
I found Logan at the breakfast table by the big bay window. He saw me as soon as I came around the corner, and the look on his face wasnota happy one.
“What the hell, Millie,” he said, looking me up and down, “is that makeup on your face?”
