" it's like you've got to give a little to get a little, right guys?"
"Uh, yeah sure Karyn."
"Yeah, just keep at it, Karyn."
They weren't even listening to her any more! And it was their project! She was going to turn Paige McMillan into a cool girl -- someone completely different than her sister Sarah, to prove once and for all if it was nature or nurture that made the girl what she was, and they just didn't care!
Leonard and Gladys could ignore her if they wanted, if anyone was going to prove the hypothesis right, she was going to have to do it on her own. If the past few weeks had anything to show for it, nurture was way out in front. Paige was well on her way to being a cool girl. The two of them tanned together once a week, gossiped on the phone almost every night, and Paige had even loaned her some clothes! Yep. If nurturing anyone could change them drastically, Paige McMillan would be the #1 case study.
But, as Karyn had said before, "if you want a little, you've got to give a little," and so she was. Today, Paige was going to give her a "makeover." Karyn had heard about these things before. Other girls in her class had attended parties like this. They'd get together, dress each other, and laugh a lot at how silly they looked. Piece of cake! She'd also get some more Paige time -- maybe she could talk her into coming to the arcade later in the week.
####
Karyn tiptoed across the carpet gently toward the closet, careful not to disturb the cotton balls placed strategically between her toes. With each step, she felt equal parts pain and comfort. The wax strips used all over her body earlier felt like they had torn away pieces of Karyn's soul, but at the same time when they were finished, it felt like she was starting anew. Before that point, she was pensive, but then, started to enjoy it a little. It was nice to be pampered, wasn't it? Why hadn't she done this before?
When Paige said "makeover," she didn't mess around. Karyn didn't really know exactly what was happening, but foil in her hair turned into a quick cut, which became green goop all over her face, then a tweezing, then the waxing, and then the nail painting and the makeup. The crazy part was, she wasn't even allowed to see herself until Paige was done! Whatever though, Karyn was going through this for the good of the project. Odds were, they were both going to have a good laugh together, and then Karyn would go home, all things back to normal. When it came time to get dressed, Karyn let Paige pick out the clothes she was going to try on -- might as well go all out, right?
####
The silence in Paige's room was broken only by the sound of a single glass shattering against the wood accents of the walk-in closet.
She shouldn't have gone all out.
The image Karyn saw in the mirror staring back at her wasn't the same Karyn that walked into this bedroom three hours ago. She didn't even recognize herself! It was a truth that burrowed to the core of her inmost being. To say she looked different was an understatement. Karyn just wasn't sure how she felt about it. Whatever her reaction was, that choice had the power to shape her future. Not just what clothes she might wear, or how she'd style her hair, but also the friends she'd have, the sports she'd join, her taste in music! This makeover with Paige was a fork in the road. Whatever she chose, that was it for life.
"Soooo, whaddya think Kare-bear?" Paige said, as the world slowed down to a crawl.
Images flashed through Karyn's mind. Sarah making her life a living hell, plugging quarters into Street Fighter IV at the arcade, dumb Mandi Valeo, Leonard and Gladys. Both lunch tables.
Her hands slowly moved up to her cheeks.
"I ." Karyn started to say, with more than a hint of uncertainty.
"Yeah?" Paige responded, blowing a bubble with her gum.
Karyn noticed the gum. She could really go for some of that, or at least something sweet to chew on. She felt the answer slowly starting to well up inside of her.
"Uh, Earth to Karyn?"
The bubble got bigger. Her feelings got stronger.
"You there Karyn?"
Had she ever noticed how pink the gum was before?
It was going to burst!
SNAP!
The feelings gushed out of her like a geyser.
"Oh my god Paige .I LOVE IT!
Totally the coolest thing ever!"
Her uncertain facial expression was instantly replaced by euphoric delight.
Karyn was a ball of energy. She swung back and forth, bounced up and down, tousled her hair left to right, gave Paige a big hug and then finished with dainty kiss on each of her cheeks; ultra-careful not to smudge her makeup.
Karyn studied herself a little bit more, elated by what she saw standing before her. She noticed makeup applied this way on most of the members of the cheerleading squads and usually dismissed it as being overly trashy. That was before she saw it on herself.
She also felt the same way about the clothes she was wearing. The hot pink and black animal print top had a scoop neckline that showed about as much of her chest as did the rhinestoned jean skirt for her legs, while polka-dotted pink pumps on her feet matched the wayfarer sunglasses perched atop her feathered bleach blonde hair.
Why did she think this stuff was ugly before? She looked so fetch! And all thanks to Paige. Karyn knew what lunch table she was going to be sitting at from now on.
As she flipped around to check out her backside, for the briefest of seconds Karyn caught a glimpse of what she thought to be a worried look on Paige's face, looking at her. But, as soon as it happened, it was gone. The old Karyn would've asked what the matter was, but this time, she wasn't going to worry about it.
In fact, Karyn decided, she wasn't going to worry about much anymore, either. Worrying really just dragged her down. She was going to be more like Paige.
That makeover was just what she needed!
