THIRTEEN (Evie's Perspective)

CHAPTER 7 - Hit Me

After that talk, Tracy and I went to her—soon maybe our—room, talking about everything from make-up, to celebrities, to boys. She told me about how much fun she had with Conrad but how she felt guilty because of Javi, so she planned to be extra nice to Javi today. Maybe they would have a date.

"But you have to help me, okay?" Tracy said, as she styled her hair in front of the large mirror on her counter.

"Of course, idiot," I agreed. "Why would I not help you? I mean, you're going to be my sister soon."

Tracy beamed.

"I can't wait for that," she enthused, turning away from the mirror to give me a hug.

"Girls!" I heard Mel call out from the kitchen. "Breakfast's ready, c'mon!"

Tracy added one last finishing touch to her hair before grabbing my wrist.

"Okay, let's go."

We rushed to the kitchen to see that Mel had prepared french toast again—mm, my favorite. And she knew it was my favorite. Maybe she really was going to adopt me? Maybe this was her way of saying yes?

"Wow, french toast," I remarked, as I glanced down at my plate. "Thanks, Mel!"

"Any time," Mel replied gratefully, beaming. I guess she was happy someone was appreciating her food.

We ate breakfast and then went to brush our teeth and do our make-up.

I applied a new light pink shade of lipstick I had stolen from this small make-up store yesterday and fixed my hair, and I was ready.
Tracy was still perfecting her make-up — she always had trouble with the eyeliner. I had actually recommended eyeliner for her, since it would make her eyes pop out. She was so lucky to have blue eyes.

"Come on, girls!" Mel yelled. "You're going to be late for school if you don't hurry up!"

"Shit, I didn't even apply my lipstick yet," Tracy cursed, wiping out a failed attempt at eyeliner and trying to do it again.

"Here, let me do it," I suggested, grabbing the eyeliner from her and doing it. She stood perfectly still as I did it. I had done it for Astrid multiple times, so I was pretty good at it. "Okay, let's go!"

"But—"

"You can apply your lipstick in the car," I reassured her. Tracy grabbed one of her lipsticks and I took a couple of sunglasses and we ran out.

Mel was already waiting for us in the car. I handed Tracy her pair of sunglasses as we both got in.

"Thanks," she mumbled, as she sat down. Mel started driving and Tracy got out her lipstick, ready to apply it, when I stopped her.

"No, the car's moving, it'll get smeared like that," I told her, and Tracy glanced down at her lipstick and sighed.

"You're right, I'll just do it when my mom drops us off," she said, putting away her lipstick.

We drove for about five minutes before arriving at our destination.

Tracy started doing her lipstick.

"Bye, Mel!" I called out, getting out of the car. I saw Malcolm, Javi and Josh a few feet away and approached them.

"Hey boys," I greeted, smirking slightly at them.

"What's up, Evie?" Malcolm replied.

"How you doin'?" Josh said, while Javi merely smiled at me. "You know, I ate two jalapeños yesterday at the same time without crying."

"No you didn't," I scoffed. Josh and I had this ongoing joke about him and jalapeños because he had bitten a piece of one once and instantly started crying. Ever since then, he's continued to try and convince me that he could eat jalapeños and he wasn't overly sensitive.