The Silver Heart

15

About an hour later, while reading Grimm's Fairy Tales on the living room couch, I got a text. I snatched my phone from the coffee table, hoping it would be Brad asking where I was.

It was someone asking where I was, but not Brad. The text was from Alex.

Are you sick again? No one knows where you are.

I scoffed. No one knew where I was even when I was at school.

No, I typed. I just had stuff I had to do today, with- I looked at the ceiling. Beyond it, somewhere, was Liss. I knew she was still here. I could hear her humming.

- with my mom.

Oh, came the reply. Well, Ms. Russell liked your paper- the one about Scout's feelings about gender conformity? She read it out loud to the class.

Liss plopped down on the couch next to me and leaned in to look at the text. "Hey, that's cool!"

I screamed. How had Liss gotten so close to me without my hearing it? "Come on, don't do that."

Liss ignored me, instead reaching to tilt my phone so she could see it better. "See? That's so great! And it was a really good paper."

I smiled a little. "You're right. It was."

Wow, I typed to Alex, that's amazing! I paused, glancing sideways at Liss. Then I shrugged. What did Brad say? I asked. Did he notice I wasn't there today?

Alex took a minute to reply, and I looked over at Liss in suspenseful agony. But she was just rolling her eyes.

Finally the response came: Um. He wasn't here either.

I raised an eyebrow even though I knew Alex wouldn't see it. Really?

Yeah. Anyways, I gotta go. Have fun with your mom! See you tomorrow.

Ok, bye.

I turned to Liss. "That was weird. Do you think she's hiding something?"

"Maybe." Something looked weird about Liss's face. And then I realized what it was.

"Are you wearing my makeup?"

Liss shrugged. "My zits looked bad. So I tried to cover them, just a bit, and then-"

"You had to layer." I sighed. "I know." I squinted at Liss. "You know, I think you look better without the makeup."

"Maybe." Liss shrugged. "You look like you're having a hard time seeing. You should wear these." From beside her on the couch she produced my glasses case.

I shook my head. "How did you find that?"

"I'm you." Liss laughed. "I know everywhere you've hidden stuff." She pulled the glasses out of the case.

I covered my eyes with my hands. "No way. I can't wear those! I look ugly in them and I don't need them!"

"I'm you." Liss rolled her eyes. "I know you need the glasses."

"They're hideous. Without them I'm kinda just neutral-looking. With them, I'm hideous."

Liss shook her head. "I think they'd make your eyes look bigger. Besides, why do you care what anyone thinks of your looks?"

"You put the makeup on! You're one to talk about not caring about looks."

"The makeup was a matter of artistry," Liss said airily. "Personal taste."