After Hours

Red lips

The next morning I sat perched on the edge of Beth's white vanity chair waiting to see what I would look like with foundation covering every freckle that is scattered imperfectly across my face, with mascara accentuating the length of my seemingly short lashes, with my lips no longer a flesh tone shade. I'm not going to lie, I like when Beth does my makeup. No matter how many YouTube videos I watched about 'cut creases' I couldn't tell foundation from concealer. It was nice to look in the mirror and see something beautiful, and not boring, staring back at me.

"So..." Beth spoke after a long time of tickling my face with bushes that varied in size. "The girls will be at the mall around 6, its 4:50 right now, we should probably leave in like, 40 minutes."

"Sounds good." I spun my body around to see that nothing had changed drastically. I still looked like me, my lips were glossy and my eyelashes were a bit longer. I was disappointed, but I didn't really care about impressing Monica, Ada, and Sarah that much, and I knew Beth probably didn't want me to either. Beth saw my expressionless face and began to speak.

"You look silly with too much make up on. And make up can't do that much regardless. You look good like this Liz." It was almost as if each word Beth spoke was to attack my confidence so all that was left of me was an insignificant brunette. I thought about how this wasn't the first time Beth made me feel like this.

What a stupid, pathetic fool I was. Time after time my 'friend' had revealed her true colors, yet I stuck around believing she was sorry. Beth was friends with me for her own benefit. I knew I was just there to remind her how good she looked in her heels and how pretty her hair was when it cascaded down her back. I didn't worry. I just held on to the hope that Beth would someday regret how terribly she had treated me.

The forty minutes consisted of Beth picking the perfect outfit. She rambled on and on about how it was her first time hanging with the girls outside of school, and that she needed to make an impression. It was strange how obsessed she was with them. After she settled on some designer sun dress that was gold with emerald detailing, and gold heels to make her even taller than her impressive 5'8, we got into the car and headed for the mall.

The only time I have ever been around Monica Smith was when she sat at the back of my classes and laughed with her friends as she turned up her nose to anyone who wanted to know what the laughter was about.

Beth and I walked towards the three girls laughing and twisting their hair. Ada's hair was like ink, it was black and curly, and beautiful. Sarah's hair was like ice, it was white, not even blonde. However Monica's hair was a caramel blonde. She had brown eyes that were four shades darker than her hair. She was tan in contrast to Sarah who was almost as pale as her hair and Ada who had a dark complexion. Monica air kissed Beth's cheek and then hugged her as she whispered something in her ear. I shifted uncomfortably and awkwardly. I instantly regretted saying yes, I as such an outcast. I thought I was a complete opposite of Beth, however Monica was my true opposite.

Monica turned to me after whispering to Beth and hugged me. Everyone introduced themselves to me. Monica stared at me observing my features, she laughed.

"Beth, you're no friend. You let her leave like this? You know we are going to a party afterwards, what, do you hate her?" I felt bile begin to form in mouth. My throat felt tight, and dry, and I wanted to crawl out of my skin and hide. Beth failed to mention we were going to a party. I looked so stupid, and was so under dressed. "First, and please trust me, you need lipstick." And just like that, our first interaction consisted of them degrading me. I prayed for it to end quickly.

Monica pulled my arm into Nordstroms, to a makeup booth. The rest of the girls followed and Beth was silent. She sat me down in a black chair and whispered to a woman that had horrendous highlights and a black apron that had pockets filled with makeup brushes similar to the ones Beth owned. I  watched as the woman, who I presumed to be a make up artist, eyed my face meticulously before picking a bright red shade to paint on my lips. It didn't look like a lipstick to me. The bottom part of the lipstick was matte black, it had a pointed tip with ridges. There was a ring of gold right below the actual product, and the lid was a diamond. It was the fanciest packaging for a make up product I had ever seen. When she applied it on my lips it was cold and sticky and incredibly drying.