Page 23 of Zero Chance

“Ooh.Good idea.”Oaklynn brought the scissors close again.

A handful of snips later, she pulled back once more.

Both women blinked at me before Xander breathed, “Holy shit.”

“Oh my God, what?”I demanded and whirled to find a mirror.But when I did, I pulled up short.Lifting my hands to my cheeks to make sure it was really my own reflection I was looking at, I breathed, “Holy shit.”

Oaklynn nodded her agreement.“I suddenly see how no one could figure out Clark Kent was Superman.”

Still touching my face and gaping at myself, I said, “I’m…pretty.”

“Oh, whatever.”Xander nudged my arm and rolled her eyes.“You’ve always been pretty.”

I shook my head, not agreeing, but neither girl cared.

“Seriously, have her lips always been that…full?”Oaklynn asked, glancing at Xander in question.

“I mean.”Xander lifted her hands cluelessly.“They had to have been.Right?”

“We are totally capitalizing on them,” Oaklynn decided with a flourish as she swept toward a counter full of Xander’s makeup.“If we shiny them up with a bit of gloss, those things are going to pop like nobody’s business.”

“And smoky eyeshadow too, don’t you think?”Xander asked, rushing to follow her.

“With eyes as deep brown as hers?”Oaklynn snorted.“Definitely.”

Another ten minutes passed as the two sat me down in a chair and hovered over my face, applying all kinds of things that had never touched my skin before.Makeup just hadn’t been much of an interest for me.But after the giddy way Oaklynn and Xander kept congratulating each other, I was beginning to get curious.

Both girls were talkers, so I wasn’t required to join their conversation as they worked.It relaxed me enough that I actually added a word or two on my own every once in a while, though.I was pretty freaking proud of myself, to be honest.I acted almost…normalaround them.

When they finally finished and gave each other a smug nod of approval, I pushed from my chair to look at the finished product, only for a breathless, panting Hope to dash through the doorway, announcing, “Okay, I brought three different outfits for—holy shit.”

She pulled up short to blink at me.Then she gaped at the other two.“What did you do to her?”

“What can I say?”Making a show of breathing on her knuckles and buffing them off against the front of her shoulder, Xander announced, “We’re awesome.”

Hope took two slow steps toward me and asked, “Waverly?Is that really you?”

“Well, now I have to see.”I turned to face the mirror.

But Xander caught my arm, stopping me before I could behold for myself what they’d done.“Let’s wait until you’re completely done with the outfit and everything before you take in the final result.”

“Why?”I demanded suspiciously.“What’s wrong?”

“Not a damn thing!”She bounced her eyebrows happily.“Just trust me.”

I winced but let it drop even as a fresh quiver of anxiety bloomed in my belly.I couldn’t be as apathetic about this as I wanted to be.

“So what did you bring?”Oaklynn asked Hope, and the three of them huddled together discussing their options without asking for any input from me.Every few seconds, one would glance over to study my complexion and height before going back to their conference.

When they finally came to a decision, the three turned as one, looking proud and expectant before Hope stepped forward and handed me a top and a skirt attached to two hangers.“Go ahead and change in the bathroom,” she said, nodding her head toward the hall bathroom that Alec had emerged from earlier.

I nodded and eyed the other two who smiled back in encouragement.Then I took the clothes and stepped from Xander’s room.

The air was still damp from Alec’s recent shower, and the mirror was fogged, so I changed quickly to escape the humidity.I didn’t pause long enough to really study what I was putting on.The skirt was short, and I felt a breeze flow up it, which made me shiver.The emerald green top was probably super snug on Hope, but it was pleasantly loose on me.I couldn’t hide the straps of my bra while wearing it, though, so I just shed the bra altogether.

Once dressed, I tiptoed barefoot back to Xander’s room, glancing toward the stairs as I went, unable to help but wonder what Keene was doing down there right now.

Clutching my bundled street clothes to my chest, I entered the room, where Hope, Xander, and Oaklynn stared at me without speaking.

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