The girls entered the mall like they were the queens of the world. They had nothing to prove to no one. Not even Sarah McMillian, who was gabbing with her friends near the fountain.
"So, what do you want to do to her?" Jaime asked Karyn. They stood on the other side of the mall, looking right at Sarah.
"I don't know. Maybe it would be funny if her hair got all puffy and red, like a clown's." Karyn stopped and looked at Jaime. "I wish that Sarah was dressed like a clown." The stone flashed, and when the girls looked at Sarah they broke into laughter.
Their nemesis was now wearing a yellow, polka-dotted dress with a wire hoop. Red bloomers and lime green tights covered her legs and her oversized clown shoes were yellow with red polka dots. Best of all was her head, though, with red circles painted on her cheeks. Sarah's hair was massive and colored an audacious green with little red and yellow bows.
Karyn and Jaime broke into laughter. So, too, did Sarah's 'friends.' They sneered at the clown and pushed her out of the way. Sarah flopped down onto the ground, her legs flying way up into the air before coming to a rest.
The clown slowly picked herself up and dusted herself off. She was visibly in anguish. Sarah looked around and saw the girls giggling at her, and hung her head. She slowly walked away.
"Gimme the stone," Jaime said, and Karyn acquiesced. "I wish that Sarah tripped right . . . now!" Suddenly, the clown tripped over her oversized shoes and took a tremendous plunge into the mall fountain.
"Jaime!" Karyn hit her friend.
"What! It's Sarah; this is a fraction of the torment she did to us." But Karyn just shook her head and walked over to the sobbing clown. She sat down next to her and put her arm around Sarah.
The girl was shocked, "Why are you being nice to me?" That was a good question, Karyn thought, but then realized that she was by nature a nice person.
Karyn visibly shrugged, "I'm just too nice, sometimes. So, what's with the get-up?"
"It's not a get-up!" Sarah almost yelled, "This is who I am. I've always wanted to be a clown and make people laugh. I'm tired of hiding my true self from the world. I'm tired of being mean to nice people just to hang out with the popular kids. I'm tired of trying to live my parents dream." The clown stood up, "Take a good look, Karyn. I'm not Sarah McMillian anymore. I'm Lolli the Clown." With that, the girl walked off, her shoes squirting water over the floor.
"That's the craziest thing ever." Jaime said as she walked up to Karyn. The girl tightened her grip on the stone.
"Jaime, don't. Leave Lolli alone." Karyn was quickly coming to dislike her friend, but Jaime had the stone and Karyn couldn't do much about it right now.
"Pooper. So, what store do you want to go to now?"
