GRAVEYARD | h.p.

𝖎. MAKEUP IS ANNOYING

I SPEND THE NEXT THIRTY MINUTES OR SO SILENTLY STARING OUT THE WINDOW. Because what else would you do when you're sitting next to a girl who peeves you to no end and another one who terrifies you? But in the silence, I realize how beautiful nature actually is. The houses disappeared a long time ago, and the train's passing through the countryside, with yellow, long grass and clear blue skies. Yes, I know. I sound like a cliche princess. But I'm too bored to care.

Raven continues to read while Tara's doing Salazar knows what with everything in her trunk. Then, she announces that she is going to apply a face mask.

"You should too, Octavia," Tara insists. "It's a honey, antioxidant, moisturizing face mask with cucumbers added to give it a refreshing feel and extra hydrant results! Five stars——the most expensive face mask out there. plus, you need it. Your skin's as dry as a shriveled-up cactus."

Of course, I take offense and say that Tara's personality is as dry as the roses used to make her lipstick.

At first, Raven tries to glare at me, but she can't hold in the guffaw that escapes her lips. On the other hand, Tara starts sobbing.

My hatred for Tara only increases when it takes thirty minutes to calm her down. And I swear, as pretty as she is, her sobbing makes me feel like I'm hearing the cries and snorts of a pig that's about to be chopped up.

And when Tara finally does calm down, one look at her reflection——with her face covered in her ruined, blotched makeup——is enough to get her to start screaming shrilly at me. Tara is probably cursing, but her voice has become nasal, and it sounds more amusing than frightening. I'm trying to hold in my snickers while Raven isn't bothering to hide her laughter.

Then a furious Tara leaves for the lavatory to redo her makeup, dragging me along with her.

"Tara, I'm not going to help you redo your makeup," I snap.

"You're the one who ruined it in the first place, Opal!" Tara yells back at me.

"It isn't my fault you can't handle an insult! And my name's Olivara——" I am going to say something rude again but suddenly realize who the people inside the compartment we are standing in front of are.

Inside, Connor is joking around with his friends Cade Williams, Patrick Bagby, and Cedric Diggory——the guy who had helped me out with my trunk. I blink, realizing that all of my brother's friends are handsome, but I can't keep my eyes off Cedric.

"Well, they're hot. Especially that hunk in red," Tara hums.

It takes me a second longer than it should to realize that the 'hunk in red' is my brother.

"Tara!" I scold. "That's my brother! An idiot, maybe, but he's my brother!"

I try to drag Tara away——which should be easy since I'm almost half a foot taller than her, but she stays put.

"As if!" Tara scoffs. "Someone as ugly as you can't be related to someone like him."

My grip loosens because Tara is right (for once). My whole family is blessed with good looks. Elenara is gorgeous, while I'm just there. Tall and lanky with boring hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. Maybe if I were prettier or smarter, my parents and brother would pay more attention to me.

"Do you wanna go talk to him?" I ask in an overly sweet voice. "Oh, sorry. Connor would just laugh at you and your ugly face."

Tara turns to face me, and I'm certain she is going to start crying again.

"Oh my god, you're right! Hide me!" Tara wails before hiding behind me. "I need to fix my makeup first! Thank goodness you reminded me, or I would've made a fool out of myself!"