“Hey, Penelope.” I smile but realize it might look forced so I drop it.
“Please call me Pen,” she playfully scolds then directs her focus to Vi. “Hey, you’re Vienna, right?”
She grins, sitting up straighter. “Yeah, how did you?—”
“You’re on the aquarium’s brochure and I’ve seen your pictures around campus,” she explains. “Speaking of the aquarium, I need your ab and makeup routine because you just look…” She kisses the tips of her fingers and tosses them in the air. “Chef’s kiss.”
“Please, have you seen yourself, Pen? Can I call you Pen?” Vi asks and pulls the empty chair next to her and pats it for Pen to sit. “You can call me Vi.”
She happily takes the seat. “Yes, of course. So tell me all your secrets. Don’t get me wrong—I love the way I do my makeup, but I could definitely improve.”
I eat my sub as they get immersed in their conversation. I make myself invisible and watch them so casually and easily talk to each other as though they’ve been friends for a while. That’s how effortless their conversation is.
Maybe I should say something, but a wave of apprehension unwinds in my stomach and uneasiness prickles my body.
“What about you? What’s your secret because your skin is so glassy,” Penelope asks me.
My brows hike up. “Oh, me? No, I don’t?—”
“Don’t be humble now,” Vi cuts me off. “Your skin is flawless.”
“It is.” Pen nods earnestly. “Thanks to Accutane my skin looks so much better, but I still have a few acne scars and don’t get me started on my pores,” she says but not in a way like she’s fishing for compliments but something she’s just pointing out. “I’d kill to have your skin.”
“I know this is hard to believe, but I don’t usually break out.” I have no idea who my father is, so I don’t know what his skin looks like. But I know Mom’s skin was impeccably flawless, so I guess I should thank her for that.
“No, I believe it. Danny’s dumbass best friend, Angel, never breaks out.” Pen scrunches her nose. Disdain flickers in her eyes. “Lucky asshole.”
My lips slightly jerk up again.
The few minutes we have left, they talk about makeup and what works for them. Even though I can’t contribute much because I haven’t worn makeup since Mom passed, they still include me.
It’s weird but kind of nice.
Before we part ways, Vi creates a group chat and insists lunch together is a must. I agree only because I wasn’t really given much of a vote. I know I’m being pessimistic, but I can’t help but wait for the shoe to drop.
It’s happened before. I’ll make friends, group chats will be created, and then I’m being excluded and not told everyone is going to be wearing matching pajamas. Or finding out through Instagram that everyone went out for dinner and a separate group chat had been made.
I blink the memory away and trudge down the brick way to my hiking seminar class.
“You never came up with your superhero name or secret identity.”
I gasp, head snapping up to my right at the idiot next to me. Daniel leisurely walks next to me, the same smile fromearlier still displayed on his face. He’s wearing a hat, but it’s not backwards this time, and annoyingly, it looks good. And right as I turn, I catch gold from the corner of my eye and realize he’s wearing a chain with a safety pin on it.
“We need names and secret identities, Jos.”
“Have you been behind me all this time?”
“No, but I caught up to you. You’re kind of a slow walker,” he says, amused.
I scoff. “I’m not a slow walker.”
“No, of course not,” he sarcastically draws out. “So, names and secret identities.”
“Why are you still on that? The discussion board is over; we got a hundred.”
“I’ll let you think about it.”
I cast him a deadpan look and stop in my tracks. He quickly catches on and stops too. We step to the side as a few students pass, and I wait until they’re gone to say what I need to get off my chest.
