And that’s precisely why I don’t care if she swears a lot or not at all. Do what she wants to do, I say. Daisy needs to be Daisy for a change, and I’m actually excited to see her away from my mother’s neurotic, maternal claws.
She settles down and sets her elbow on my shoulder for support. Iamshort enough to be her arm-rest. “Lil,” Daisy says, “I know Lo isn’t here, but Ipromisethat I’m going to take your mind off of him tonight. No rehab talk. No mention of comics or anything that’ll remind you of him. Nada, okay? It’s just me and you and a bunch of friends.”
“You mean a bunch ofattractive people.” I use the correct terminology. I am surrounded by pretty people who could sprint along a beach, Baywatch-style, and cause a wave ofboners. Or they could walk down a runway and you’d probably be staring at their face more than their clothes.
At least I would.
Does that make me the ugliest person here? I’m probably the only un-model-ish girl. I nod. Okay. I’m cool with that. Surrounded by 10s and I’m probably a 6. I’ll take it.
She blows out smoke from her lips and smiles. “They’re all not that good looking. Mark looks like a gerbil in bad lighting. His eyes are too close together.”
“And he gets booked for jobs?”
She nods with a goofy smile. “Some fashion lines like the quirky thing. You know, the bushy brows, gap-tooth sorta look.”
“Huh.” I try to find Mark and his gerbil-ness, but he’s nowhere to be found.
“I kinda wish I had a cooler signature trait.”
Signature traits?Sounds like getting a badass patronus in the Wizarding World. Though I’m sure mine would be lame too. Like a squirrel.
I try to deduce her signature trait, scanning her black leggings, long gray shirt and army-green, military-style jacket. She doesn’t wear a single stroke of makeup, her complexion smooth, fresh and peachy perfect. “You do have great skin,” I nod, thinking I’ve solved the riddle. I’m so good. I nearly pat myself on the back.
Her eyebrows rise and she playfully bumps my hip with hers. “All models have good skin.”
“Oh.” I realize I’m going to have to come out and ask. “What’s your signature trait?”
She puts her cigarette in her lips and then grabs a wad of her hair shaking it towards me. “This baby,” she mumbles. She drops the strands on her shoulder and tucks the cig back between her fingers. “Long, long, long Disney Princess hair. That’s what my agency calls it.” She shrugs. “It’s not even that special. With wigs and stuff, anyone can have my hair.”
I would tell her to chop it off, but that’ll just rub in the fact that shecan’tdo a damn thing about it. Not when the agency controls her look. Not when our mother would go into cardiac arrest. “You dohave better hair than me,” I tell her. Mine is greasy half the time.
I should probably wash it more.
“Rose has the best hair,” Daisy says. “It’s the perfect length and super shiny.”
“Yeah, but I think she combs it a hundred times a day. Like the mean girl fromThe Little Princess.”
Daisy’s lips twitch with a smile. “Did you just compare our sister to a villain?”
“Hey, a villain with good hair,” I defend. “She would appreciate that.” At least, I hope so.
Daisy finishes off her cigarette and snubs it in a crystal ashtray on the fireplace mantel. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Well I am. You’re always so busy. I feel like we really haven’t talked much since you left for college.”
I feel even worse. Being so much younger than Poppy, Rose, and me must have been isolating and lonely. Me being an addict and shunning my entire family hasn’t helped. “I’m glad I’m here too,” I tell her with a large, honest smile. Even if this may be my biggest test since Lo’s absence, at least I know I did something right. Coming here, spending time with Daisy, itisprogress. Just a different kind.
All of a sudden, her eyes light up. “I have an idea.” She grabs my hand before I can protest. We exit the apartment and head for the hallway. She sprints towards the stairwell, tugging me along in tow.
I’m just getting used to this new impulsive Daisy. Who, Rose informed me, has apparently been around for the past two years. When we moved into our new house, we invited Daisy to help decorate. On her tour through the four-bedroom villa, she spotted the pool in the backyard. No mind that it’s still winter. A mischievous smile warped her face, and sheclimbed out of Rose’s bedroom window, onto the roof and prepared to jump in the water from three stories high.
I didn’t think she would do it. I told Rose, “Don’t worry. It’s probably just an attention thing.”
But she stripped into her underwear, took a running start, and splashed into the pool. When her head popped up, she wore the biggest, goofiest “Daisy” grin. Rose almost killed her. My jaw permanently unhinged.
And she floated on her back, barely even shivering.
