The faint smell of nail polish wafted down the hallway as Sarah tiptoed slyly to the other room.
She always liked to peek in at the most opportune times; the times when Paige was blissfully unaware of how far she'd come.
Tonight was a real treat. Through the sliver of light, she could make out her little sister's figure, lying on her stomach, feet in the air, prattling away on her custom bedazzled iPhone as she painted her fingernails a bubblegum shade of vibrant color.
She only wished she could know if Jon was still in that little teeny-bopper head of hers. If so, she figured, he'd probably have already submitted to transforming himself into what he was now.
Who could blame him, though? Any boy would be lucky to be a McMillan girl. Why did he fight so hard before? Surely giving up being a guy for the ultimate leisure life was a perfect trade.
All it took were a few "suggestions" from her. How to dress, how to act, how to be cute. The usual.
Sarah didn't mean for it to end up this way, but since Karyn had made that scatterbrained wish that caused Jon to listen to her when she gave advice, she had the power to end it. Jon was just going to have to accept that he was going to be the perfect princess from now on, whether he liked it or not because that's what she was going to do.
And wow, what a perfect princess he was becoming! She already noticed a difference in his everyday demeanor. Paige was getting flirty! She could see it in his eyes. Now, instead of the dull stare of a death sentence, Jon's eyes lit up like the fourth of July whenever and wherever he was interested.
Naturally, though, she made sure that now he was only interested in the stuff that mattered, like the Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale, and Cosmo. His favorite color was electric pink. He was hopelessly addicted to the Real Housewives of New York. He had a penchant for leopard print, zebra stripes, and strappy heels.
Sarah smirked to herself. Served him and Karyn right for messing with her. She wondered if Karyn knew that she had chosen her future. What poetry it was! Karyn's overachieving, witty attitude was what finally did her in; a couple ill-timed jokes vaporized her bright intellect, long sarcasm and straight-a's up into a dim cloud of hairspray, short skirts, and a pair of pushed-up double-D's. Maybe Sarah would tell her someday about what she had done. It was just too bad that Karyn was now too ditzy to appreciate the irony of her situation. She'd be too preoccupied trying to style Sarah's hair and chew bubblegum at the same time.
/
"Nine-hundred ninety-eight, nine-hundred ninety-nine..." Karyn tried hard to remember what came after that one. She always forgot! Especially when counting that high. It might as well have been a bazillion or gagillion, but whatever it was, her silky platinum blonde hair appreciated all the attention she gave it while combing through it so many times.
After she got out of the shower, she'd blowdry then comb and comb and comb. That's why her hair was her best quality! Well, either that or the two cannons she had mounted on her chest. Karyn sang to herself a rhyme she heard somewhere. "If you don't show 'em off, it's a big big waste, so push 'em up, push'em out and give the boys a taste!" She always giggled at that last part, but it was so true!
Other people thought her brains were one of her best qualities too. They always called her "space cadet," "Einstein" and "rocket scientist Barbie." Such smart jobs! She could get into the rocket science program, but the only problem was, she'd have to pass Algebra 1. That, and rocket scientists always wore such ugly labcoats and glasses! If she was a rocket scientist, she'd make the uniform super hot. Maybe like a bolo jacket instead of the lab coat, and a flouncy party dress with red candy apple heels. Yeah! And she wouldn't work on rockets either, just the design of everyone else's hair. That would be like the best job ever. It was just too bad she wasn't going to be a rocket scientist. She casually unwrapped a hunk of bubblegum from her hidden stash and smacked her lips in anticipation. It was soooo sticky and sweet and soooo good! She had to have at least a pack a day or she'd go crazy.
She looked at her drawers. God, her clothes were so boring! But, she perked up thinking how they'd be replaced soon. Especially the sweatshirts. Karyn had just finished pulling on her new set of underwear, the pin-size polka-dotted plunge push-up and a black bikini with "Smarty Pants" in block-lettering stretched across her butt, when her Mom walked in. God, it was always so annoying! And all she did was ask questions Karyn couldn't answer. Stuff like "what happened to you," "why don't you think any more," and "why are you acting like this?" She'd also tell people that Karyn was just in "a high-school phase," "under a lot of peer pressure," "acting vapid to fit in," and that "she'd get out of it soon," but Karyn didn't get what the problem was. Especially when her mom used such big words like "phase" and "vapid!" They sounded like some kind of outer-space thingies.
For all intents and purposes, whatever her mom was worried about wasn't a big deal. It had to be all those nasty outfits she had. Karyn would wonder what happened to someone who had those rags in their closet too! After it was filled with pleats, bows, lace and ruches, her Mom would come around. But for now, she just kept on buggin' out!
At least this time, when her Mom's mouth dropped after seeing her daughter primping in the mirror, Karyn knew it was because of how hot she looked in the new lingerie. She put her hands on her hips, cocked one knee to the side, and blew a big bubble for added effect. "So, whaddya think Mom, your daughter's like a totally awesome sexy-babe!"
/
"...I know, right? And like, it's only because she slept with him at Steve Farber's party. We should really try some ultimate sabatoge on their relationship. Ya know, like the movies?"
Paige twirled her hair in her right hand. Mandi and the squad had such juicy gossip for her! She needed the lowdown though, because one of the foundations of being mega-popular was knowing everyone's secrets. She learned that from Sarah.
The slight chill that came with rubbing lotion up her freshly waxed legs jolted Paige from her daydream. It was a game day tomorrow, so as the pale pink babydoll nightie wisped quietly around her body, she gingerly pulled out the blue and gold trimmed uniform from her closet and laid it carefully on her dressing table.
She loved wearing the uniform. When she walked the hallways, her pleated skirt swaying back and forth with every step, all eyes were on her. Boys and girls and in some cases teachers were watching her, lusting after her, appreciating her. It was the best feeling. The rest of the squad looked great too, but none of them filled out the uniform like Paige did. It was almost as if the uniform was custom-tailored for her. Paige's little secret was that it was. When the four-piece uniform was given out, her mother immediately sent it for altering. "We have a reputation to keep up," she'd say, and had the bust darted, seams repaired, and most importantly, the skirt shortened. With the same legs as her mother and Sarah, Paige had to make sure that they were flaunted to their best.
In fact, she was one of the lucky ones to be able to share anything with Sarah. She couldn't imagine having a sister like Nadine Ferguson. Barf! Of course, she'd still be pretty, but pretty with an ugly family was like social suicide. She'd have to watch Jersey Shore alone, and no one would be able to be jealous of her off-runway bikinis by the pool. How embarassing!
Sarah was a lifesaver. She taught Paige all she knew about flirting, fashion, and how to control people to do what you want. They talked about it all - since that day in the locker room, Paige had become a little chatterbox! She soaked it all up, too. Paige wasn't a professional yet, but she was shaping up into a perfect mini-Sarah, which didn't bother her in the slightest. What was wrong with wanting to be the most popular girl in school, especially if that girl was your sister? A little voice in her head told her she should be fighting this, and that it wasn't her life - after a shopping spree though, the voice shut up. Whatever it was, it couldn't resist a new pair of Manolo's or a Stella McCartney original either! There were girls doing her homework, boys giving her rides to school, and still others who only wanted to be just like her. Sarah must've felt the same way. Life was like, so cool.
And that's when everything flashed a bright white...
