Queen Bs

•Confession Time•

I'm woken up by my mother. "Blair, baby! Wake up."

"Mmm..." I rub my eyes and open them, staring in horror at my hands. Black mascara was smudged all over the backs of my hands. I forgot to take my makeup off last night!

"Agh!" I exclaim, jumping out of bed and running into my bathroom. My confused mother follows me as I use an exfoliation scrub to force the makeup out of my pores.

"Blair, since when do you wear makeup?" My mother asks. She's leaning in the doorway, wearing a long, silky robe. Her hair was tied up in its usual messy bun. The dark circles under her eyes and the croak in her voice told me that she was sick.

"Since yesterday," I mumble. I grab a towel and pat my face dry. I had scrubbed my skin pink.

"Wanna tell your father and I why you were out so late and how you got so much clothes without spending anything?"

I freeze.

My mom gave me a tired smile and walked over, giving me a hug from behind. I look at her in the mirror. My hard-working, tired mother is sick. "You have a cold?" I ask.

"No. The flu."

I squirm out of her grasp. "No way, I'm not getting sick from you."

She laughs, then starts coughing. I bite my lip. "You wanna go to school on Monday?" she asks.

"Yeah! I have new clothes to wear!"

"Speaking of new clothes..."

My father comes out of nowhere. I laugh nervously and tie my hair into a ponytail.

"Blair, where'd you get them?" Daddy asks.

"Oh, my! Urban Outfitters? Steve Madden? These are expensive!" Mom adds. She's rummaging through one of the ten overstuffed shopping bags sitting at the foot of my bed.

I sigh. "Okay... I was with a group of friends last night. They gave me a makeover."

My parents stare at me, confused.

So I tell them about the Queen Bs. How I could become one if I wanted to. How I'm on the road to becoming one. How it'll help Layla and I remain friends.

"I... I just can't be invisible anymore."

"You don't need to be popular, Blair," my dad sighs.

"It's peer pressure. I'm pretty sure you can stay friends with Layla without being in the popular clique," my mom adds.

I clench my fists. "I'm just gonna give popularity a try. Becky and Britney are really nice!"

"What about the other one? Bianca?" Daddy presses.

I bite my lower lip. "She's... stubborn." I left out the part where Becky caused a scene and stomped on Bianca's foot. "She wasn't that nice at first, but she got used to me. She just accepted the fact that Becky likes me."

My parents exchange uneasy glances. My mom coughs. "Okay, sweetie. Just don't let them distract you from what really matters."

With that, both of my parents left my room.

I put my Spotify playlist on shuffle and got started on organizing my closet. It took me about an hour to realize that Becky basically bought me a new closet. I ended up getting rid of most of my old clothes. I'll just have Tina drop them off at Goodwill later.

After my closet, I went over to my vanity that I don't use... like, at all. After dusting, I got started on organizing my new makeup products. Becky really went all out for me. I need to learn how to use these things. Chances are that Thalia won't help me on Monday. Plus, since I'm starting to hang out with the Queen Bs, I'll need to look like I belong with them.

"I'm a Queen B," I say to myself. I still can't believe it. I want to play it safe, just in case there's some kind of initiation I have to go through to officially become a Queen B.

I take out my phone and start looking for makeup tutorials. For beginners. Obviously.

•••

After two hours or so, my floor was littered with used makeup wipes. My face was burning from cleaning layers of makeup off. I've gone though many tutorials on YouTube, but nothing is working for me. I put the tube of mascara I'm holding down with a sigh. Then, I pick up my phone and call Layla.

After a few rings, she picks up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Lay!"

"Blair! What's up?"

I bite my lip, hesitating for a second. "I'm good!"

"How was your ride home with your dad?"
      
"My dad?"

What is she talking about?

"Um, didn't your dad pick you up yesterday?"
       
"Oh, yeah! It was cool. He took me to the mall."

There's a pause on her end. "You're lying to me, aren't you?"
        
I gasp, then start pacing around my room. "Why would I lie to you, Layla? You're my best friend."

"Save it," she hisses. "I saw you get into that limo with the Queen Bs yesterday. You're hanging out with them now?"
         
I nod, even though we're on the phone. "Yeah. Becky bought me a new wardrobe and more makeup than I need. I've spent the last two hours experimenting with it."

"So you came up with your own 'genius' plan to get in with them?"
        
I swallow hard. "Yes," I say, my voice cracking.

Silence from Layla's end.

And then, a sharp squeal rips through my ears.
"Blair, this is great! We're still friends! The cheer team is going to love you!"
         
I breath a sigh of relief. She's not mad. "Oh, I'm so glad you're not mad at me!"

She laughs. "I'm upset that you didn't tell me the truth. But you have a great excuse, so I'll let it slide. Just this once."
        
There's a knock at my door. "Blair, it's Tina!"

"Gotta go, Layla!" I say.
        
"Okay! Bye-bye, my Queen B bestie!"

I hang up and open my door. Tina stands there with a bowl of broccoli-cheddar soup. "You skipped breakfast, and I said I'd help you with organizing your closet!"

I take the soup and put it on my desk. "Thanks, Tina! But I already finished my closet." I gestured to the shopping bags that were now filled with clothes to donate. "But I have a ton of stuff for Goodwill!"

"Perfect! I was about to run to the store, anyways. I'm making chicken cordon bleu tonight. I'll drop those off on the way!"

I eat my soup and help her haul the shopping bags out to her car. It took a few trips.

"So, where were you last night?"

I take a deep breath and tell her everything I told my parents. When I was finished, she just nodded slowly. "Okay. I see."

I stood in the driveway and waved as she drove off.

"Back to makeup, I guess," I mumble.