[WATTYS 2016 WINNER!] [COSMOPOLITAN Featured!]
Trapped in her white trash hell, Layla Danner is failing at life.
Her friend Peyton? Everybody thinks he's perfect, a staggeringly rich, handsome, and well-mannered story book prince. But they don't kn...
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Mom and Buck had company again that night so I'd been stuck in my room for hours while the house shook with eardrum busting music and yelling people. The smell of alcohol, cigarettes and weed permeated the air, making me feel a little queasy.
On the bright side, Buck had fixed the ceiling fan, so the temperature was bearable.
Sitting cross legged on the bed, I chewed my thumb and surveyed the pile of swimsuits I'd gathered from mom's closet. I preferred a one piece, but the only one she had was hot pink and cut indecently high. All the thongs were out. That left three bikinis.
I FaceTimed Beth.
"What the hell, Layla?"
"I need help picking out a swimsuit."
"It's midnight."
"Is it? Sorry."
She made a face and sat up, leaning back against her pillows, pillows with Pheonix and Valentino's faces screenprinted on them. "What's going on at your house? It's so loud."
"My mom's having party."
"Oh."
As she felt sorry for me, I let myself wallow in a fit of self pity for a moment, envying her as she sat safely cocooned in her pretty room at her loving parents' house.
"Anyway," she said. "I'm not the best person to give fashion advice."
"Well, you're all I have. Black, blue or yellow?" I held each one up for her to see.
She placed her glasses on her nose and squinted at the screen. "I can't even tell what I'm looking at."
For the next five minutes, I put each of the tops on and modeled them for her.
"I really don't know. I guess blue. To match your eyes."
"Too much side boob though, don't you think? Plus, it's not really blue, more like blurple. And blurple's a weird color."
"Black then."
"You don't think that's too boring?"
"Yellow?"
I nodded. "That's what I was thinking too."
Beth rolled her eyes. "Why did you even call me? You already had your mind set on that one."
"Just double checking."
Beth pulled her glasses off and plunked them down on her nightstand. "Good night."
"Wait!" When I was certain I had her attention again, I leaned back against the wall and got comfortable. "I really loved the routine you came up with. It works super well with the music, and Pheonix is incredible. Did you train her yourself?"
Beth spazzed into a sitting position. Wide awake now, she described the training methods she'd used along with the philosophies behind them. I listened, interrupting with questions when I sensed her getting particularly enthusiastic.
