Beautiful People | wlw

Twelve: Damage Control

Everyone in the kitchen went dead silent, staring at Sharise and her phone. All the women and Jay had looks of abject horror on their faces. Vera's stomach was turning over, remembering that mortifying time in junior high when she bled through her jeans in the middle of class and spent half an hour panicking over how she was going to get up without anyone noticing. She had managed to make it to the bathroom doing a weird crab walk with her backpack held oh-so-subtly over her ass, but her bully had overheard her tearful phone call to her mom asking for a pickup. The following months were ones she preferred not to remember.

Sharise alone looked calm. Clicking her phone onto speaker, she set it on the counter. "Tell Jasper to turn around."

"You didn't bring a backup tampon?" Vera said, stupidly.

"I just said I use a cup, you dumb bitch," Carmen snapped.

Vera winced. "Sorry. I have an IUD. Haven't had my period in three years."

"Well good for fucking you, but I'm currently bleeding in the back of the fucking limo on my very fucking white pants and I need to know how the fuck you're gonna fix this."

Sharise pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers. "Jesus Christ, Carmen. Tell Jasper to turn around."

"He says we can't." Carmen's breathing was noisy and rapid. "We're stuck in this stupid traffic jam because of the road closures."

"So you'll be late. It doesn't matter. Turn around. Vera will find something else for you to wear." Sharise looked at Vera, who had panic rising like bile in her throat.

"We don't have anything ready."

"There must be something. You have thousands of ideas." Sharise stared at her with this cold intensity in her eyes. Vera would have jumped off a bridge before letting her down.

"The blue dress?" She spread her hands helplessly. "It's beautiful and fits like a dream."

Jay crowded in closer to the phone. "The blue dress is great," he said. "We don't need to change the hair or anything, the crown would totally work with it. Different vibe, but--"

"It won't be the same kind of moment," Vera said, thinking about all those wasted hours, this amazing look that would never see the light of a camera flash.

"That doesn't matter." Sharise crossed her arms over her stomach. "Carmen, tell Jasper to turn around."

"We can't! The traffic! Jasper says we wouldn't make it back to the theatre before the show started."

Sharise's jaw was set. "So you don't walk the red carpet. That's a loss you'll have to take."

"She has to walk the carpet!" the PR girl protested, elbowing in beside Jay. Vera had already forgotten her name, but she had limp blonde hair and a fiery passion in her brown eyes. "We don't have another big event lined up until July. If we let this go she'll lose all momentum."

"We can make it up later. I'll find something."

"If I don't walk the carpet it'll look like I'm giving in to Troy and Marina. They'll steal all my glory. Can you imagine the headlines? I'll look like such an asshole if I show up to accept the award but not to talk to the reporters. They'll wonder why I'm avoiding them. They'll think I'm hiding something--"

"Why don't we drive down and meet her?" Vera said. Her hands were shaking, picturing Carmen there in the car living every girl's nightmare on steroids. "It'd be faster. Jay and I can take the blue dress down and change you there--"

"You won't make it in time," Carmen sobbed. "I'm already half an hour late for when they wanted me. By the time you get here the show will have started--"