“I’m looking for something with a little extra something.” Alice blushed. “That was really specific.”
Jenny laughed. “It’s good enough. I think I havesomethingover here.” She gestured to a rack with a forty-percent-off sign. “I ordered these shirts, thinking they would be here for the back-to-school rush, but there was a delay, and I just got them in. Unfortunately for them, I need the space for the holiday shoppers. Fortunately for you, they’ve been marked down, and there’s a good selection of colors and sizes.”
Alice picked up the three-quarter-length sleeve and rubbed the cotton blend between her fingers. The cut was simple, fitted in the right spots. Simple and elegant. And the best part was the discount. “They’re beautiful.”
Jenny picked one up and held it against Alice’s shoulders. “This dark teal would be stunning against your hair, and it brings out the color of your eyes.”
“I’m going to try it on.”
“Be my guest.”
She hooked her finger under the hanger and slipped into the dressing room. The top was perfect, and after changing back into her regular clothes, she floated out to the register.
A loud woman talked on her cell phone near the designer dresses, drawing attention from every corner of the store. Her voice grated on several levels. “Speak of the devil,” Alice muttered.
Gabriella Green threw dress after dress over Jenny’s outstretched arms, all the while talking to someone about a new screenplay she was ecstatic over. Since Gabriella ignored everyone in the vicinity, Alice took a moment to study her. She had on gray leather boots with a small heel, cream leggings, a black lace shirt, a cream cardigan, and a faux fur vest that hung mid-thigh. Her legs were shapely, and so was her chest, which was artfully displayed through a slit in her top. Not only were her clothes perfectly put together; her skin radiated youthfulness, and not a hair was out of place. Alice ran her hand over her own limp locks, which strangely mirrored her confidence.
Now, having seen Gabriella up close, she misjudged how dynamic she was and could only imagine the reaction Russ had to her. She scowled. She had no idea how to put together an outfit like that, but that didn’t mean she had to give up. She had a secret weapon up her sleeve: her baby sister. One emergency text and Stacy had the flat iron warming.
Jenny caught Alice’s eye.Sorry, she mouthed.
Alice waved off her concern. Instead of waiting to see when Gabriella would let Jenny out of her clutches, Alice took the shirt to the men’s department, where the place was devoid of television superstars and Botox.
Okay, the Botox thing was kind of mean.
In no time, she’d paid and was back home, new shirt on and glittering with a fresh coat of powder on her cheekbones and giving her sister a recap of her shopping experience. There wasn’t much time before she had to be at the library, but she sure as heck wasn’t going to show up looking like she’d walked out of A Dollar Does It.
She perched on a chair while Stacy put the finishing touches on her hair. She had several hair claws attached to the front of her shirt and used them to hold sections in place while she teased and twisted to get volume. The intricate braid would hang loose, like the ones on Pinterest that everyone re-pinned but no one could ever duplicate. Stacy promised it would stay in place.
“So she didn’t get off her phone?”
“Not that I ever saw.” Alice bit her lip. “You should have seen what she was wearing! I could never put together an outfit like that.” Alice looked down at her new shirt. She liked it, she really did, but it wasn’t a fur vest or leather boots. “I’m not even in her league.”
“Hey.” Stacy gave her hair a swift tug. “Hold still.”
Alice lifted her chin.
“No good ever comes from comparing ourselves to other women, because we always pick their best traits to compare to our worst.” Stacy forced in a bobby pin.
Alice winced. “First of all, thisismy best, and it’s nowhere near where Gabriella Green is on the fashion scale.”
Stacy grunted, several pins stuck between her teeth.
“Second, it’s not me I’m worried about comparing us; it’s Russ. Saturday was great. It really was. We got along, just like always, we laughed, just like always, and I was happy with that. Then … nothing. After seeing Gabriella, I’m wondering ifjust like alwaysis boring for him.”
“Valuable is never boring.” Stacy stared at Alice in the mirror. “Substance is never boring. You have just as much beauty as Gabriella. And you have kindness and humor on your side too.” Stacy stood back and grinned. “And your hair is amazing.”
Alice rolled her eyes. “I’m sure every guy out there is dying to kisssubstance.” Alice stood and inspected Stacy’s handiwork. “Although you’re right—the hair is pretty incredible.”
Stacy put her arm around Alice’s shoulders. “You’re incredible. If he can’t see that, then he doesn’t deserve you.”
Alice tipped her head against Stacy’s. “Thanks.”
She wondered at Stacy’s words. Was she supposed to feel better because she wanted someone who didn’t deserve her? Or was she supposed to dismiss his dismissal because he was in some way lower than her on life’s totem pole? Neither answer helped settle her nerves as she made her way to the library.
* * *
Ahalf dozen senior English students crowded the computers on the main level, furiously working through their assignments, which were due the next morning. Alice met up with Karleigh, but soon several others asked for advice, and she was buried in drafts and random questions. Apparently, each teen had a different book. She could only imagine the headache that created when it came time to grade papers.
