"Eh! This is our day," Noelle said, lifting her finger. "No men."
I glanced at her pocket. What was I going to do, tackle her? Not likely. No one wanted to see the repercussions of that. Instead, I surrendered. I was not going to argue now. Not when I was feeling this good.
"Josh, huh?" Kiran said. "You two sure have been talking a lot lately."
Everyone was staring at me now, their faces green and purple and white. They were all silent, and for the first time since Noelle and the others had joined us, the soothing bamboo flute music that was being piped in from hidden speakers was actually discernable. I felt the familiar sourness of Thomas-guilt creeping over my shoulders and into my chest, but I refused to let it settle.
"I thought the rule was 'no men,'" I said, walking over to get a drink. "So I suggest we change the subject."
"She's right," Ariana said lightly. "What were we talking about again?"
"What were we talking about?" Kiran said, dropping her empty glass and reaching for another. "Oh, yes! Plastic surgery. Would you guys ever do it?"
"Are you kidding? To maintain this?" Noelle said, pointing at
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her purple face. "Of course. In fact . . ." She looked around conspiratorially as she slid back into one of the facial chairs. "I've already done it."
"You have?" I gasped.
"No! How did I not know this?" Kiran demanded.
"Come on, people. A nose like this does not exist in nature," Noelle said.
I stared at her nose. It was darn perfect. But I couldn't believe that Noelle hadn't been born her own, beautiful self. It felt almost wrong somehow, that she was even slightly less blessed that I'd believed.
"I had my chin fixed," Kiran put in. "When I was twelve."
"Your parents let you do that?" Natasha asked, appalled.
"My mother insisted on it," Kiran said with a shrug. "She said I'd never have a career with my wicked-witch chin, so . . . slice!"
She made a cutting motion with her hand under her chin. I cringed. This was very enlightening.
"Oh my God. That is just evil," Taylor said. "Even for your mother."
"Clarissa Hayes has been evil as long as I've known her," Noelle said matter-of-factly.
Kiran stared at a fixed point somewhere on the floor. 'Yeah, well, I wouldn't have a billboard in New York if she wasn't."
She swallowed an entire glassful of mimosa in one gulp.
"Has anyone else in Billings had something done?" Natasha asked. I got the idea she was changing the subject for Kiran's sake,
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rather than because of any real lust for dirt. Aside from the strawberry milk story, I'd never known her to gossip.
"I heard Cheyenne took growth hormones from age ten because the doctors predicted she'd only be four-eleven," Taylor said.
"So obvious," Noelle said. "Check the arms. Have you ever seen her sitting in class? They practically drag on the floor!"
Soon everyone was laughing and gossiping and drinking away any uncomfortableness caused by Josh's call or Kiran's evil mom. I had nothing to contribute, so I sat back in my chair, closed my eyes, and listened to the chatter.
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SAVING TAYLOR