The Olive Theory

Chapter 7

AMICA

"Ow," I hissed, as I accidentally poked my eye with the tip of my eyeliner. I rubbed my eye and tried to blink away the stinging sensation. Natalia was beside me, expertly applying her eyeshadow in bright shades of pink and blue. I could see her reflection in the mirror, her eyes flickering with amusement as she watched me struggle.

After a few moments, my eye finally stopped stinging, and I leaned in closer to the mirror to finish drawing my cat-eye. "Does my makeup look okay?" I asked Natalia, turning to face her with my back against the bathroom counter. Lily was perched on the closed lid of the toilet seat, her long orange hair being curled with an iron that was plugged into the wall. Taylor Swift's music was blasting from her phone, making it hard to hear anything else.

Natalia stepped over the wire of the iron to inspect my face. "It looks good, but maybe use some concealer; I can still see those pesky freckles of yours," she suggested as she turned back to the mirror, popping open her red lipstick. I looked at my reflection and saw that she was right. My freckles were still visible, despite my makeup.

"I'm so glad I don't have freckles," Lily sighed, shaking her head. "I would hate having to cover them up every day since I hate wearing makeup." I tried not to roll my eyes at her comment since she wore more makeup than I did, and yet she claimed to hate it.

"Right? I feel bad for you, Amica." Natalia chuckled. I forced myself to join in the laughter, even though I didn't really feel like it. I used to love my freckles when I was younger, until Natalia told me they were not an attractive feature to have. Nona used to tell me how jealous she was that I had freckles like my Nonno. I never met him. He fled like a bird when Nona's pregnancy test came out positive. Nona had to raise my mama and my zia on her own, just like how my mama takes care of us on her own, because my father was always too busy with work to be around. But then again, he was the one who got me into the fashion world and inspired me to become a designer. I longed to share my designs and ideas with the world, but it was hard to find the confidence to do so. For years, I had tried so hard to fit in, to be like everyone else, that I had lost sight of who I was. Today, though, I was wearing something I made- As I finished fixing up my makeup, I couldn't help but admire the exquisite stitching of my Catwoman costume. I gazed at myself in the mirror and tried to suppress a smile as I realized how good of a job I did making it. I picked up the black headband from the counter and put it on my head, tucking back my dark hair as the cat ears poked out of the top. I hummed along to Lover as I brushed through my hair, and when I finished, I turned to face my friends.

"How do I look?" I beamed, wanting their approval. Natalia was admiring her reflection before she turned to face me.

"Holy crap, you look hot!" She grinned. I felt a little proud of myself. I looked over at Lily, who had rolled her eyes at me.

"Sorry you didn't get to be Catwoman," I apologized. She made a face.

"It's fine, I don't care anyway. And..." She glanced at me, her eyes moving up and down before looking away. "You look good," she added, grudgingly. I smiled at her and told her the same because, in all honesty, she made a pretty good Ivy.

"I just texted Michael, he'll be here in five," Natalia said to me as she looked up from her phone. "You guys are getting a ride with Vivian, right?" She asked. Lily shook her head.

"Her bike only has one extra seat," Lily replied, "And she promised she'd take me." I sighed, realizing that Vivian, one of the only people in our friend group who could drive, owned a red Kawasaki instead of an actual car. So, I guess my only option was to go with Michael and Natalia. Ugh.

"Nat, do you think Michael would mind taking me as well?" I asked, picking at the skin around my nail. I would have asked Emma for a ride, but she was handing out candy for trick-or-treaters, and I felt bad every time I asked her for a ride because I did it all the time. I should have been the one paying for gas, not gonna lie.