Ann Fox smothered them both with a hug, “Great outfits,” she said, throwing her arms around them. When she released her grip, she gave them a more thorough scan. “Alicia, those suede pants are to die for. And Olivia, I love your winter white cords. And that’s a
fab
poncho. Is it real rabbit fur or faux fur?”
“F—”
“It’s real,” Alicia interrupted. She pulled Olivia by the arm and led her toward the stretch limo that was waiting for them in front of the school’s entrance. Dean, her family’s driver, stood patiently beside it, his hands folded behind his back.
“Sorry about the pulling,” Alicia said once they were away from the crowd. “But you almost told Ann your poncho was fake.
Never
admit to a fake unless you’re dealing with a member of PETA.”
Olivia touched her index finger to her temple and said, “Got it.”
“Ready, ladies?” Dean asked when the girls got to the limo. His smile accentuated the tiny wrinkles around his eyes.
“Yeah,” Alicia said. But she didn’t move toward the open door. Instead she looked back at her adoring fans and waved goodbye. She noticed Claire’s friend Layne Abeley, standing off to the side of the crowd with her two Gwen Stefani–wannabe friends Heather and Meena. Layne wasn’t wearing a jacket, just a T-shirt that said
BORED WITH BRITNEY
and a pair of secondhand plaid pants.
“Did Layne say anything to you?” Olivia asked. “Like congratulations or anything?
“No, why?”
“Because she didn’t say a word to me. All she did was stand off to the side and whisper with Meena and Heather.”
“I bet she just came out to make fun of our fans,” Alicia said, blowing air kisses to everyone. “Ugh, that’s so Layne. She thinks she’s so above everyone because she has the guts to wear those used clothes.”
Olivia shrugged.
“Yeah, who cares.” Alicia stepped into the car and slid across the buttery leather seats and Olivia followed. Dean had turned on the seat heaters, so their butts were warm and toasty the minute they sat down.
As the limo pulled out of the parking lot, Alicia scanned the crowd one last time. After today’s fight Alicia didn’t expect Massie, but Kristen and Dylan had no excuse, unless of course they knew she cheated. …
Alicia felt a quick pang of guilt when she remembered what she had done to her friends but waved it away like a bad smell. It was time to have some fun.
Once they were on the road, Alicia cranked up the volume on the stereo and the girls sang along to Avril Lavigne’s latest song.
When they got to a red light, Alicia opened the sunroof, stood up on her seat, and sang the rest of the song with her head sticking out of the top of the limo. Olivia popped up beside her.
“SIT DOWN!” Dean shouted. “I am not moving this car until you SIT.”
The girls couldn’t hear him over the loud music and assumed the symphony of honking horns meant everyone was in love with their performance. They sang louder and waved their arms in the air.
Dean shut off the music and craned his head out the window. He slapped the outside of the door, then looked up at the girls. “Hey, ladies, these people don’t sound like they want to wait much longer.” His small brown eyes looked tired and puffy.
“Then drive! The light is
green,”
Alicia said.
“SIT!”
The girls quickly ducked back into the car, hysterically laughing. Tears ran down their faces as they rocked back and forth, holding their stomachs. Olivia started pointing at the seat across from her but was too breathless to speak.
“What?” Alicia said, wiping her eyes.
Olivia pointed again. “What is
that?”
she finally managed to say.
A white envelope wrapped in a red bow had been placed on the leather cushion. Alicia was about to sit on it.
For my Teen Vogue
—
have fun today. Love, Dad
had been written in black marker on the outside.
“I don’t know,” Alicia said, grabbing it out of Olivia’s hand. She gently pulled one end of the ribbon.
“Hurry,” Olivia said. She was bouncing up and down on the edge of the seat. “Gawd, you are
so
slow.”
Alicia purposely moved even slower. Once the bow was undone, she rested the sealed envelope on her lap and turned to face the window. She knew the anticipation was killing Olivia and thought it would be funny to milk it.
“Gimme that,” Olivia said, swiping the envelope and tearing it open. She reached inside and pulled out three concert tickets. She held them in front of her face like a hand of cards. “BEYONCÉ! TONIGHT! MADISON SQUARE GARDEN!”
“Yes!” they heard Dean say all the way from the front seat. He reached his arm into the backseat and plucked one of the tickets out of Olivia’s hand. “This one is mine.”
Alicia grabbed the other two. “Box seats! Perfect!”
“You know this means we’ll have to call off the sleep-over with Catherine and Meredith,” Olivia said.
“Given,” Alicia said, trying not to sound upset that she had ruined her friendship with Massie for basically no reason.
“How did your dad
get
these?” Olivia asked. “I heard Jay-Z couldn’t even get tickets.”
“His law firm has gotten like a million celebrities out of jail, so he has tons of connections,” Alicia dropped nonchalantly. “He can get me into
anything,
even Fashion Week.”
“The only way this day could possibly get any better is if I suddenly grow boobs,” Olivia said.
Alicia smiled and folded her arms across her chest. She would have gladly given Olivia hers if she could.
In less than two hours Alicia and Olivia were standing in midtown Manhattan staring up at 4 Times Square. The
Teen Vogue
building took up an entire city block and Alicia couldn’t wait to see the inside.
“Look, it’s one of those hot dog guys. They’re always in movies about New York.” Olivia pointed to the heavily mustached man standing in front of a silver cart. “I
have
to buy something. This is so cool.”
“What’s so cool about a hot dog?” Alicia asked quietly, trying not to offend the guy.
“It means we’re in New York City.” Olivia reached inside her Dooney & Bourke hearts bag and pulled out a matching wallet. “Look, he even has those big soft pretzels.”
Alicia rolled her eyes. “Olivia, we have to go; we’ll get something after.” But Olivia ignored her.
“One pretzel and one orange soda, please.” She looked back at Alicia and smiled excitedly.
“Want one?” Olivia waved a five-dollar bill in the air.
Alicia shook her head and turned away, wondering if Olivia would have obeyed Massie. “I’m not hungry.”
“It’s almost three,” Dean said, checking his gold Rolex. The watch was last year’s Christmas gift from the Riveras, and Alicia saw him check it at least fifty times a day. “We should head on up.”
Alicia shellacked her mouth with a fresh coat of clear M·A·C Lipglass and checked her side part in the reflection of Dean’s sunglasses.
“That’s okay, Dean, you don’t have to come with us.” Alicia reached up and put her hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you get a coffee at Au Bon Pain? We’ll meet you there when we’re done.”
“I promised your mothers I would go with you,” he said. “If I don’t go, you don’t go.”
“Puh-lease, we don’t need a babysitter, do we, Olivia?”
Olivia licked a blob of mustard off her thumb and shook her head.
Alicia put her hands on her hips and looked up at Dean with her big brown eyes. She had
I told you
written all over her face. While Alicia stared at Dean, she couldn’t help noticing his bushy unibrow. It was just one more reason why she didn’t want to be seen with him at
Teen Vogue.
But the piercing sirens of a rush of passing police cars startled Alicia and she heard herself scream.
“Lead the way,” she said to Dean, forgetting all about his embarrassing facial hair.
Alicia walked in between Olivia and Dean as they fought their way through the sea of fast walkers that scurried by.
“Look at this revolving door. It’s huge!” Olivia gasped. “All three of us can fit in at the same time.”
“It’s just a door,” Alicia said, but she was secretly relieved they wouldn’t have to separate even for a second.
The door spit them out into the massive lobby of the building. The walls and floors were made of the same shiny white marble and the ceiling seemed a mile high.
“I feel like we’re in heaven,” Alicia said, looking up at the gigantic Christmas tree that towered above her head.
“You will be if you don’t watch where you’re going.” Dean put his arm in front of Alicia to keep a husky man in a business suit from banging into her.
Alicia pinched the sleeve of Dean’s itchy blue wool coat so she could continue looking around and stay safe.
She passed a newsstand that had a huge display of glossy fashion magazines all around it.
“I haven’t heard of
half
of these,” Alicia said to Olivia when they walked by.
“Me either,” Olivia said. “What’s up with that one?” She was pointing to
Vogue Italia.
“They totally ripped off
Vogue’s
name. That’s so cheesy.”
Alicia wanted to laugh but bit her lip instead. There was so much to look at, she didn’t have time to explain the facts of life.
“This way,” Dean said, leading the girls through a maze of people. He stopped in front of the security desk.
“Names and ID, please,” said the guard. He was seated behind a console of TV monitors and telephones.
Alicia and Olivia took out their OCD cards and Dean took out his New York State driver’s license.
“Who are you seeing?” the guard asked, grabbing their cards with his chalky old fingers.
“Lucinda Hill at
Teen Vogue
,” Alicia said, applying a fresh coat of pink gloss.
The security guard typed their names into a computer, and three badges slid out of his printer. Their ID pictures were on them.
“We’re being interviewed,” Olivia said, hooking a long strand of blond hair behind her ear. “And photographed.”
“Yeah, for
Teen Vogue,”
Alicia said with a proud smile.
“Thirty-fifth floor,” the guard said, handing them their badges.
“They’re doing a whole story on us,” Olivia said, leaning over his desk and peeking at his high-tech setup.
The guard used his coffee-stained clipboard to push her elbows off his desk. “Elevators are to your left,” he said, replacing the clipboard with a roast beef on rye. He lifted the sandwich to his mouth and took a bite. “Next,” he called with his mouth full, and the bike messenger who was in line behind them stepped forward.
Once they were on the crowded elevator, Alicia let out a huge sigh. Everything finally felt still. She squeezed past the woman in a navy sweater set and caught her own reflection in the thin band of brass that separated the black leather panels on the walls. She fished around the inside of her purse for a brush. Her hair looked healthy and shiny despite the dry winter air and her side part had held up nicely despite the strong winds. Alicia winked at her image. She didn’t need the brush after all.
“I am totally saving this,” Olivia said, admiring the badge that was clipped to the bottom of her poncho. “I bet I could get a fortune for it on eBay.”
A few of the adults in the elevator snickered when Olivia said that and Alicia was embarrassed.
“She’s just kidding,” Alicia said to the panel of numbers that lit up above their heads … 25 … 26 … 27. …
“No, I wasn’t,” Olivia insisted.
Alicia widened her eyes and looked right at Olivia, hoping her friend would start acting less like an amateur.
The elevators opened up on the thirty-fifth floor, and a girl in her twenties was there to greet them. She had short brown hair that had been combed to the side and still looked a little wet. The boys in Alicia’s grade styled their hair the same way for dances. The girl had huge blue eyes and her skin was porcelain white. Her bright red lipstick provided the only dash of color she needed, because she was one of those girls who looked good pale. She reminded Alicia of an airbrushed photograph of a New York model.
“You’re the OCD girls, right?” she asked when she saw them. “I’m Lucinda Hill, fashion editor at
Teen Vogue.”
She smiled with her mouth closed and extended her right hand. The stack of thin gold bangles on her arm swayed and clanged together. Alicia studied them, trying to think of a store in Westchester that might sell them. She could tell Olivia was thinking the same thing, because she was staring too. Dean was the only one who realized Lucinda was waiting for them to shake her hand.
“I’m Dean, the Riveras’ family driver,” he said, flashing his new professionally bleached teeth. “This is Alicia Rivera and Olivia Ryan.”
Both girls followed Dean’s lead and shook the woman’s hand.
“Super, well, let’s go,” Lucinda said in a pinched tone. “Follow me.” She led them toward a maze of cubicles and offices.
Alicia and Olivia started giggling when they realized they had to trot if they were going to keep up with her manic pace.
“Everything okay back there?” Lucinda asked when she heard them laughing. But she didn’t turn around, because she was typing an e-mail into her BlackBerry. “Ugh, my inbox is flooded. Not a good day for my assistant’s grandmother to die, you know?”
A gaggle of trendy girls dressed in a variety of different-colored ballet flats, tank tops, and miniskirts raced by carrying brown paper bags overflowing with clothes.
“Aren’t they chilly?” Olivia whispered to Alicia. “It’s freezing outside.”
“It’s more important to
look
hot than to feel hot,” Lucinda said to her BlackBerry.
Alicia studied the back of Lucinda’s head and wondered how she could have possibly heard Olivia. It must be the short hair—there was nothing covering her ears.
Lucinda was a different kind of beautiful than Alicia was used to. Her nose was bold and her eyes were slightly bugged out. Yet it was these imperfections that Alicia found so interesting and attractive. She even admired Lucinda’s outfit—gray wide-legged suit pants, a tight lime green T-shirt with cap sleeves, and a brown leather cowboy belt with a big round buckle that said
EARL
on it. Not one bit of it was designer. Alicia tried to get a look at her boots, but she didn’t want Lucinda to notice her giving the obvious once-over, so she decided to sneak a peek later.