“I call everyonebitches,” she says, waving her hand dismissively. “I’m terrible with names.”
“Oh,” I say.
“Look, when I offered to help Charlie out with Sadie, he said you’d be here and we could end up hanging out. I mean, he got thattotallywrong.Boy,” she says, rolling her eyes. She’s right there.Boy. “But I can see why he wanted to.”
Again. This conversation has gone off the tracks.
“You can?” I say, blinking at her.
She nods. “You’re ridiculous; it’s adorable.”
“Isit?”
“It’s been so much fun,” she says, smiling and nodding.
“Hasit?” I ask, wondering what convention she’s been at.
“I’ve never been to a convention,” she says, her eyes sparkling as she looks around. “I had no idea it would be this cool. The competition, the cosplay, the people. Getting to know Roxy.” She smiles wider when she says her name. “Seeing Sadie fall even harder for the show. And Dorothy! I mean, where did she come from?”
We both turn to see Dorothy in the middle of the foyer juggling some fake oranges for the queue outside the coffee shop. She throws one up high, spins round, then catches it in her mouth.
“Nobody knows,” I say, gobsmacked.
We turn back to each other, and Vivian reaches forward and flicks the toggle on my hoodie.
“I’ve had the best time with you guys,” she says, smiling, “and even though I have total hair envy, I’ve really enjoyed our fun little rivalry.”
Fun?
“Really?” I say, my mouth hanging open.
“Really,” she repeats.
Her phone vibrates and she picks it up. There’s barely a frown line on her forehead, whereas I’ve already got a perma-line from being constantly livid at the world. But IthinkI have good hair, so swings and roundabouts. Getting a compliment from Vivian has boosted me in a way I didn’t know I needed. I kind of don’t blame Roxy for wanting to kiss her.
“Charlie’s asked me to help with Sadie.” She puts her phone in her bag and gets up. “She’s in the middle of an eleven-year-old breakdown.”
“You better go.”
“Didn’t you want to ask me something?”
“It can wait,” I say, mentally checking the time and knowing it can’t really but Sadie, and Charlie, need her. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” she says, shrugging. “Been through a million of these with my brother and sisters.”
“How many do you have?”
“I’m the oldest of five.”
“Whoa.”
This explains the winner-takes-all mentality.
“Yep. It’s why Charlie asked me along. To be honest, she’s been a breeze. I’m so glad I came.”
Her eyes twinkle as she recalls the weekend, and her smile is like a prize to anyone watching. Ipromiseyou I’m not in love with her, but I can see what Roxy sees. The redhead has layers, but I’ve been stuck on the first one.
“Good.”
