Chapter 1

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 Chapter 1

"The first day of school is tomorrow."

I looked up from my half-painted toenail to see my best friend, Chloe, looking down at me. In her perfectly tanned arms were magazines that I assumed she would begin reading while we talked. I looked back down at my toes, which were slowly being painted in a dark, sparkly blue.

"Yeah," I replied. "I know." I reapplied the nail polish on the tiny brush and continued to paint my toenails once more. Chloe sat on the edge of my bed and set the magazines down next to my feet. I looked at her up and down as she stared at me. She was wearing pink flannels with a pale pink tank top, and her blonde hair hung in a loose ponytail down her back. Her hair- I was so jealous of her hair. It was perfectly highlighted with different layers, while mine was jet-black and straight. There was a lot to be jealous of when it came to Chloe.

"So? Avery, it's senior year! Aren't you excited? At least a little?" she said, bouncing a little. Chloe was always excited about starting something new. Whether it was a new fashion or a new year at school, it didn't matter.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," I said, still not looking at her. "Are you spending the night?"

I heard her sigh. "Would I be over here at ten o'clock in my pajamas on a school night if I wasn't?"

This time I looked up, raising my eyebrows and smiling at her.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Okay, yeah, I would. But seriously, we need to find you something to wear for tomorrow."

It was my turn to roll my eyes, but it was anything but playful. It was full of frustration and irritation. "Chloe, I'm probably just going to wear jeans and a sweatshirt, like I always do."

She turned to me and gave me her death glare. "No way are you doing that this year. You lost so much weight over the summer! You need to start showing off what you worked so hard to get."

I sighed. She was right, I had to admit. "But I'm not comfortable in anything else."

"Well get used to it."

She got up and walked straight to my closet, then opened it. I watched in complete dismay as she pulled out clothes my mother had gotten me over the summer, but I'd never even attempted to wear. Some still had tags on them. Chloe kept rummaging through the clothes, until she pulled out a dark blue tank top with French lacing around the bust and on the straps. She threw it onto the bed. "This, with..." She turned back to the closet and pulled out a denim jacket. "This."

I stared at the clothes, then began laughing. "Yeah, like I would ever wear that stuff."

"You can and you will. Or I'll get your mom in here."

I cringed. The thought actually scared me. Chloe isn't as nearly as bad as my mother when it came to what I had in my closet, and what I chose to wear. Finally, I let out a sigh. "Fine. I'll wear the damn clothes."

She pulled out a pair of neatly folded jeans from the shelf on top. "And these. They make your butt look cute."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "So you like my butt?"

She smiled wickedly at me. "I never said that."

Not wanting to continue the conversation, I shrugged. "Whatever. What are you wearing?"

"An orange blouse and denim shorts," she answered, beginning to rummage through my jewelry box. "You have so many cute necklaces in hear, Avery. And earrings! Why the hell don't you wear them more?"

I continued to paint my toenails while listening to her comments on how I should wear more accessories with my clothes. As I finished the last toenail, Chloe sat on the bed and picked up the first magazine from the pile and flipped it open. I closed the bottle of dark polish and set it on my bedside table, then examined the color on my toes. Perfect and ever- just the way I liked it.

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