The Miraculous Makeover of Lizard Flanagan (12 page)

Suddenly I realized what I was doing. Wasn't this something all those stupid girly-girls did? Was I getting sucked into The Change? Would I turn into a zombie like all the others?

I looked into my eyes in the mirror. They still looked the same. I still
felt
like the same Lizard Flanagan.

“Just because you try something different with your hair,” I told myself in the mirror, “you're not going to turn into Ginger Rush. Or Lisa St. George. Or any of the squealers.”

I looked at my hair again. Maybe I could braid it. It would look more organized that way.

I put it into a ponytail, then braided it to the end.

It didn't look too bad.

Then I put on some blush very, very faintly.

I stood back. That wasn't bad, either.

“Lizard, are you going to hog the bathroom for the rest of the night?” Sam said from outside the door. “You've been in there since supper.”

“Just a minute.”

I grabbed some toilet paper, wiped my face, then quickly unbraided my hair. I opened the door.

Sam was standing here, glaring at me.

“It's about time,” he growled.

“Be sure and shave every bit of peach fuzz from your soft little face,” I said.

“Stick it in your ear,” he said, and slammed the door.

Sam and I never used to fight or say nasty things to each other. The Change was doing weird things to everybody.

I walked into my parents' bedroom and sat on the bed. I picked up the telephone receiver and dialed Mary Ann's house.

“Hi, Mary Ann.”

“What's up?”

“Well, I was just—trying something new with my hair. Do you think a braid would look okay?”

“It'd look nice,” she said. “Come over and show me.”

“Okay.” I hung up.

I told Mom where I was going and sprinted to Mary Ann's house. She was waiting on her front porch. We went upstairs to her bedroom.

“Okay,” I said, “go away and I'll call you when I'm ready.”

“I'll be right outside the door.”

She left and I combed out my hair and braided it in front of the mirror on the back of her bedroom door. Then I put on some blush I'd brought over in my pocket.

It looked as good here as it had at home.

“Okay,” I called.

She opened the door and came in smiling. “Turn around.” I did a 360-degree turn. “That's nice, but you should try a French braid. It starts high at the back of your head. I read how to do it in a magazine. Want me to try it?”

“Sure, why not?”

I sat cross-legged on the edge of Mary Ann's bed and she stood behind me.

A couple of times I heard her whisper, “Darn!” while she worked, so I figured it was going to look horrible.

Finally she said, “Okay, I'm done. Want to look?”

She handed me a small mirror and I stood in front of her full-length mirror and checked out my hair.

“Hey, you did a good job,” I said. “Do it again, and I'll watch this time.”

She took the braid out and rebraided it while I watched in the mirror.

I went home and, just for the heck of it, tried to fix the French braid in my hair. I looked in the mirror over my dresser when I was done.

It was pretty messy, but not as bad as I thought it would be.

Someone tapped at my door. “Honey, I have some laundry for you.”

“Come on in.”

Mom walked in. She stopped in the middle of the room when she saw me, then came closer and looked at my hair.

“Honey, you look very nice with your hair braided.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I'm sorry about Sam's teasing lately. Don't pay attention to him.”

“I know.”

Mom put the laundry in my drawer and left. I took the braid out of my hair. Then I took my Cubbies team jersey into the bathroom to take a shower.

I closed the door and went to the bathroom. I looked down at my underwear.

I'd started my period!

Just like that. No gushing of blood, no horrible pains, no embarrassment in front of the class.

“Wow,” I said. I felt kind of weird.

I pulled up my shorts and opened the door.

“Mom?” I called. “Can you come up here a minute?”

I felt a little flutter in my stomach. For some reason, I wasn't embarrassed to tell Mom the way I thought I'd be. It was hardly a “celebrate the moments of your life” event, like the commercial says. But I had a weird feeling that I'd remember this.

Mom came up the stairs and I led her into the bathroom.

“I think I started my period,” I whispered.

Mom's eyes got big. “I wondered when it would happen. I have just what you need. Hold on.”

She disappeared out the door and returned with a blue-and-white box. She opened it and pulled out a white pad.

“I think I know what to do,” I told her.

Mom nodded. “How do you feel, honey?”

I smiled a little. “No weirder than usual.”

Mom laughed and squeezed my shoulder. “You're growing up, Lizard.” She sighed. “So fast.” She went back downstairs.

In the shower, I thought about what had happened. I wasn't really different now, but somehow I felt a little bit changed. Not like the girls at school who had gotten goofy and stupid. Just changed. It was weird, but also kind of interesting. I felt more grown up somehow.

Mom came back upstairs to say good night.

“Everything okay?” she asked, sitting on the edge of my bed.

“Yeah. I can feel some of the cramps I've heard about.”

“If they get stronger, you can take some Advil.” She smiled and kissed my forehead. “Good night, honey.”

“Mom?”

“Hmm?”

“Do all women wear tights?”

“No,” she said, still smiling. “Lots of women bare their legs, especially in the warm weather, or they live in jeans and dress pants.”

“Good. Because even though my body's starting to act like it's older, I don't see why I have to make it wear those awful things.”

“I don't blame you.” She stood up. “Night.”

“Night, Mom.”

She turned off the light and left.

I stared up into the darkness. I'd gotten my period. I had the feeling I was one of the first girls in my class to have it.

It was hard to believe that I'd worried about it so much. And there was one really good thing about it: I wouldn't have to take a shower in P.E. this week.

I rolled over and snuggled down into the covers.

This was the only interesting thing to happen since middle school started, I thought. This was one part of The Change that wasn't all bad.

I hoped this was a sign that things would get better.

15

Cramps woke me up a half hour early the next morning. I went into the bathroom and took care of things. Since I was up, I thought I might as well get dressed. I put on my favorite pair of jeans and a red short-sleeved T-shirt.

I stared at myself in the mirror. I sure didn't look any different because I'd started my period. Maybe it was time for a small change. I picked up my hairbrush. It was only six forty in the
A.M.
I had plenty of time to practice the French braid I'd learned yesterday.

Fixing the braid was easier today. When I was done, I checked myself out in the mirror.

Not bad. In fact, it looked almost as good as it had when Mary Ann had braided it.

I made my bed, got some Advil from the medicine cabinet, and went downstairs for breakfast.

“Your hair looks nice, hon,” Mom commented, pouring her coffee at the kitchen counter.

“Thanks.” I slid into my chair across from Dad and Sam. “Hi, Sam,” I said. “Like my braid?” I turned my head so he could see.

He looked surprised that I'd asked. “It's all right,” he mumbled.

“It's better than all right. It looks good.”

My dad laughed. “You tell him, Lizard,” he said.

After breakfast I went upstairs and took another look in the mirror.

A ribbon
, I thought.
Right at the end of the braid.

I remembered we had some fabric ribbons in the wrapping-paper box in the hall closet. I pulled out a red one that went with my T-shirt and tied it on.

I brushed on a little blush and stood back.

If someone had told me I looked pretty right then, I might have believed him! “Looking good, Lizard,” I told my reflection.

Zach will be surprised, I thought.

Sam and I met Mary Ann at the corner on our bikes. Mary Ann got a big grin on her face when she saw me.

“Turn around,” she said. “It looks great!”

“Stinky called and said he had a flat tire,” Sam said. “So he and the other guys went to Zach's to blow it up.”

I'd have to wait for their reactions to my braid. I figured Ed would either tease or compliment me or both. Stinky was still mad at me, so he'd probably ignore me. I wondered what Zach would say.

After we'd gotten to school and locked our bikes, I pulled Mary Ann aside. “I got my period,” I whispered.

“You did?”

I grinned. “It wasn't any big deal. It started kind of slow.”

Mary Ann's eyes were big. “What does it feel like?”

I shrugged. “Like nothing. I had some cramps, but they weren't so bad.”

“Gee,” she said as we headed into the school, “I hope I'm as lucky.”

I wondered if Ginger would make a scene over my hair. I didn't see any of them until I got to my locker. Ginger was there. Lisa leaned against the next locker.

I've started my period,
I thought,
and they haven't yet.

I don't know why, but just knowing that made me feel a little superior.

They turned to me.

“Hey, Lizard!” Ginger said. “Great braid!”

Lisa smiled a little but didn't say anything.

“So you think Sam's going to the high school game on Friday?” Ginger asked.

“What about Zach?” Lisa said. “I want him to see me do the hula. I'm going to be dancing out in front of
everybody.
”

“Lisa's going to be the star of the show,” Ginger said. “She's the best-looking dancer, so her teacher put her out front.”

“I'm sure Zach will go,” I said, feeling a little disappointed they didn't say more about my hair. “We always go to the games.”

“Great!” Ginger and Lisa grinned at each other.

“Did you tell Zach about my hula?” Lisa asked.

“Uh, no, I guess I forgot.” I had no intention of telling him.

“Maybe he already knows,” Ginger suggested. “Everybody else seems to.”

“True.” Lisa tossed her hair. “Everyone's talking about it.”

I looked up then to see Shannon, Angie, and Cheryl standing nearby. They were leaning in, listening. Shannon turned and grinned at Angie.

“Oh, get a life, will you?” Lisa snapped at them. “You're such losers, you have to stick your noses into everybody else's business.”

Instead of getting mad, Shannon snickered. She and Angie walked away, whispering to each other.

Lisa made a face. “They're such dweebs. I don't know how they can stand each other.” She turned to me. “Has Zach ever mentioned my hula?”

“No.”

“Well,” she said, “I guess I'll have to tell him myself.”

“Wait till Zach sees you in that adorable wrap skirt and halter top,” Ginger said. “His eyes'll bug out of his head!”

Lisa smiled slyly. “My dance will be just for him.”

Oh, boy. I couldn't take any more of this. I pulled out the books I'd need for the morning.

“See you guys.” I escaped down the hall.

“Hey, Lizard!” Ed Mechtensteimer stood in front of his locker. “Let's see!” He pointed to his head.

I turned my head so he could see my braid.

He grinned and gave me a thumbs-up.

“Thanks!” I called back and continued down the hall.

I found myself looking at the older girls as I walked, the seventh and eighth graders. I bet most of them had started menstruating. It was kind of funny, as if we were all in this secret club together.

The Menstruating Girls' Club. No, make that the Menstrating
Women's
Club.

That's it, I thought. We're different from the girls who haven't gotten their periods yet. The MWC. I wished Mary Ann would get her period so she could join.

At lunch, I sat down at the table with the guys. Zach was talking with Ed and Stinky, so he didn't look over at me right away.

“And then a horde of bumblebees came swarming down on him,” Zach was saying.

“Did your uncle live through it?” Ed asked, leaning forward to hear.

“Yup,” Zach said. “He dove into the lake, deep, deep down. He held his breath for nearly two minutes.”

“Nobody can do that,” Stinky said.

“My uncle did,” Zach said. “And when he finally came up for air, the bees were gone.”

“Wow,” Ed said. “He sure was lucky.”

“He sure was.”

He looked over at me. I turned around to show him my braid. “What do you think?” I said.

Zach grinned. “It looks good on you. Real good.”

I grinned back. “Thanks.”

Stinky looked at me and scowled but didn't say anything. He looked back at Zach. “So did your uncle ever go into that part of the woods again?”

“Nope,” Zach said. “He learned his lesson.”

Zach looked over at me several more times during lunch. Each time he gave me a funny smile. I don't mean funny ha-ha. It was a strange smile I'd never seen before.

I wished I knew what he was thinking.

When lunch was over we got up and left. Zach walked out with Ed talking about a science project his class was doing.

I looked over to see a couple of boys, walking down the hall, looking at me. They grinned and mumbled something to each other.

Did I hear the word
cute
?