"Is that what you're eating? It's almost bikini season, you know."
Sarah McMillan looked at the small bowl of potato chips in her hand, then up at her mother. She rolled her eyes. "Gawd mom, it's just a snack!" She had only had a tiny salad for lunch, and was starving by the time she got home from school. "Why do you always have to be so critical?!"
"And if I wasn't so critical, you probably wouldn't have been voted Homecoming Queen two years in a row. You want to keep the streak going, don't you?"
Sarah couldn't deny that her mother was right. Having a former model for a mother definitely shaped who she was. Head cheerleader, queen bee, and the star Quarterback's steady girlfriend. Not to mention her impeccable fashion sense. Still, she sometimes wished her mother would treat her like a person, and not a project. And since she was a teenager, there was no holding back the sarcasm.
"Well, not everyone is lucky enough to have a mother like you!"
Susan McMillan laughed and demurely raised a hand to twirl at her elegant pearl necklace. "Oh, if only! If parents raised their kids just like I raised you, maybe this town wouldn't be so drab!"
"Yeah," Sarah chirped, "Just what the world needs - more Susan McMillans!"
Susan huffed, then snatched the bowl of chips from her daughter before turning to leave the room. "Have an apple instead. Oh," she paused and turned back for a moment, "And I noticed your nails are chipped. I've already made a manicure appointment before school tomorrow. Be ready."
"Moooom!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Jon had just plopped onto the couch with a bowl of ice cream, his compulsive wish from earlier fading into memory. A minute later, his dad walked in. Jon looked up, surprised to see a scowl on the man's face.
"Is that what you're eating?"
"Yeah. Rocky Road. Want some?"
"Eugh. It's almost bikini season, you know."
"Um... so?"
"'SO'?" his dad replied indignantly. "So don't you have any pride in your body? It's a very important asset!"
Jon was thoroughly confused. "I guess. But what was that about bikinis?"
"What's so complicated? Your ass isn't gonna fit in one if you keep eating that crap! And we're really going to have to do something about your clothes, especially if you want a shot at homecoming queen."
Jon was starting to sense that something really weird was going on. He decided to play it as cool as he could.
"Um... sorry, dad."
Roger Madison huffed, then snatched the bowl of ice cream from his son before turning to walk away, muttering something under his breath. "I swear, I never have these problems with your siblings. They get it."
Jon suddenly thought back to his earlier wish, and became very worried. Also, was that a strand of pearls around his dad's neck?
