Telephone Wires

003.

MIA THOUGHT THAT getting ready for the Freshmen party would be very time-efficient and easygoing, but she was clearly mistaken when Harper showed up exactly two hours later with a makeup bag in one hand. 

For one thing, Mia agreed to go to the party, not to have her roommate cake her face in powder and makeup. Secondly, Mia realized that the only dresses that she ever owned and liked were safely hanging from her clothes hangers back at home, which left Mia with no dresses or party-gear to attend the party in.

Harper was sat in a chair directly in front of Mia, squinting her eyes as she powdered the makeup brush with a magenta eye-shadow color. Harper tilted her head to the side and lifted the brush up to Mia's face, but hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to grab the baby wipe for the seventh time and cleaning the makeup brush free of the magenta-colored powder. 

"What is it now?" Mia sighed, letting out a deep breath.

"I'm at the point where I feel like I should lie to you and tell you that you look great without eye-shadow because none of the colors look good on you," Harper said, swiping the brush with the last color that she hadn't tried yet. 

Mia obediently closed her eyes and waited for the makeup brush to run along her eyelids. In truth, Mia had only tried eye-shadow two times in the whole eighteen years of her life. Once, when her younger sister wanted to try out her new Barbie Makeup Kit that their grandma had given her, and a second time when Mia's seventh grade friend had forced her into Sephora for someone to try makeup on her for free. 

Both times, Mia hated the feeling of the rough makeup brush sliding against her lids and how sticky the eye-shadow had felt on her. In fact, she felt like makeup didn't even do anything to her. She still looked like the same person as she did before without makeup--except, with a few added colors on her face.

"Do you want a wing for your eyeliner?" Harper asked, unzipping her makeup bag.

Mia stared at Harper cluelessly, trying to remember all that she could five years ago when the lady working at Sephora started talking to Mia about makeup.

"Eyeliner," Harper repeated, raising her eyebrows. "You know...the black liquid thing..."

When Mia didn't respond back to Harper, Harper let out a sigh and rummaged through her makeup bag. "This," Harper said, almost shoving the black tube in Mia's face, "is liquid eyeliner."

When Mia gave Harper no reaction, Harper rolled her eyes and threw the tube back into her bag. "Forget it," Harper said, picking herself up from her chair. "All you need is a swipe of lipstick and you're done." 

Mia stood up from the bed and slowly began walking to the bathroom mirror. She was hesitant as she neared the bathroom, which was dark and gloomy and just waiting to duplicate Mia into the mirror as soon as she turned the lights on. 

For the first time in her entire eighteen years of standing on the planet of Earth, Mia wondered if she looked any different from just five minutes ago. Did she look...better now? Beautiful? Changed? Someone she isn't? Is there a chance people will actually like her at the Freshmen party just because she had a few swipes of eye-shadow on her lids and thicker, longer lashes?

The thought of it almost excited her;  it made Mia want to fling the lights to the bathroom on and run to the mirror to see how different she looked. Maybe this time, it'll change her because she's older. Maybe, five years ago in seventh grade, makeup had no affect on her because she was still young and going through puberty. 

Mia closed her eyes, step foot into the bathroom, and felt around on the wall for the light switch. As soon as she flicked it on, Mia peeked open one eye and slowly the other. From the doorway, it seemed like Mia was wearing hardly any makeup, but as soon as Mia stepped closer and closer to the mirror, her emotions changed completely.