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05: Stupid Counselors

Thank you, @OrlaAlice for the beautiful cover!

05: Stupid Counselors

Although Emmett and I hadn't really talked about the argument, it was obvious everything was okay.

When I walked back into the school after leaving for an hour or two, Selena found me immediately. I frowned as she grinned and said, "After school, we're getting our nails done. Kind of a spa day after school."

"We are?" I asked in confusion, having forgotten making those plan.

"We are."

"Who all?"

"The two of us."

I nodded distantly and frowned at the ground. "Wait, why?"

She shrugged. "Fun." I nodded and stopped when I remembered Emmett's words at Wendy's.

"Actually, I don't think I can," I said with a frown. She came to a halt and frowned at me.

"Why?" she asked in annoyance. "I was hoping we could have the day together after school."

"How much does it cost?" I asked uncertainly. "All the stuff you do for spa day, I mean."

"Nails and toes, that'll be about eighty. Then, we'll get massages and that'll be around one hundred for full body. Then, if you want to, um, cut your hair," she began, looking at my long, brown hair, "It'll be another forty."

My eyes practically bugged out of my head and I shook my head. "That'll add up to more than two hundred dollars, Selena," I said in disbelief. "Absolutely not."

"It's no big deal. Your parents won't mind giving you that much, will they?" she asked incredulously. "It's really not that much."

"It's a lot," I said unsurely. "I don't have that much."

"Of course not, silly. You don't have, like, a job or whatever," she said with a laugh. Then, sobering up, she quickly said, "Do you?"

"Yeah, actually. I have work today after school. My hours are really short, though. Just from around three thirty to five," I shrugged. "Some after school babysitting thing. Ten dollars an hour."

Then, you go to Wendy's with Emmett for an hour. Don't forget that. That's the highlight of your day.

I rolled my eyes at my thought and shook my head. "I really can't blow that much money, Selena," I said apologetically. "Sorry."

With that, I went to first period and suffered through the first half of they day until lunch. I stood at my locker and switched my binders. When I walked past the cafeteria, going to the courtyard. Usually, Emmett would tag along, but I passed him in a group of guys laughing about something.

Probably some idiotic guy thing.

When I made it to the courtyard, I sat down at an empty table. A few trays plunked down next to me and I looked around nervously at the girls, one if which wore a bright smile.

"Hey, can we sit with you?" Selena asked with a grin. "This is Kinley and Spencer. Y'all, this is Louise." I smiled shyly and they smiled back.

"I've never seen you around here," Spencer said with a frown. "How long have you gone here?"

"Since halfway through eleventh grade," I said.

"Why'd you move halfway through the year? Most new kids around here come at the beginning of a year," Kinley said in confusion.

I shrugged. "Just happened to be halfway through the year when I moved," I said. They nodded and began eating and I looked around to realize I didn't have my phone.