Page 57 of The Summer of Christmas

Chapter 18

Ivy walked toward the high school where they were filming for the day. She wanted to put last night behind her. She was determined to appear upbeat and happy when she arrived on set. The sun was shining. She was wearing her favorite cute sundress, and she’d taken extra care with her hair that morning. She felt jubilant as she pushed open the front doors of the school and walked onto the set.

She saw Drew over in video village. She wanted to clear the air between them, but when she tried, he was frosty and wouldn’t talk to her.

“Sorry, can’t talk right now” was all he said. Then he turned away from her. She couldn’t believe that he was snubbing her. But maybe she deserved it, she thought. After all, she had walked out on him. Ivy tried not to let Drew deflate her upbeat feelings. The camera department was lighting the math class scene where Ilsa invites Rick to the Sadie Hawkins Christmas Ball using a complex calculus problem set. Ivy smiled at the memory. Griffin paced nervously. Almost as if he was actually going to do a math problem.

“You okay?” Ivy asked.

“Why did you make an invite using math? I hate math,” he grumbled.

“Nick and I were good at it. He solved the problem set and knew that I was inviting him.”

“That makes one of us.”

Ivy wandered over to where Amari was sitting. Olivia and Ella, the hair and makeup ladies, were giving her a last-minute touch-up.She’s so gorgeous,Ivy thought. Amari was sipping a matcha latte and reading over the scene they were about to film. She looked like a beautiful porcelain doll.

“Oh, hi, Ivy,” Amari said as she checked out Ivy’s sundress. Ivy waited for Amari to say something likecute dressorI like your outfit, but that didn’t happen. Instead, Amari returned to memorizing her script pages. Olivia curled Amari’s hair with a curling iron. Ella touched up Amari’s face with powder. Ivy realized that she could never compete with Amari.

Griffin watched all of it happening. He beckoned to her. “Have a seat.” Ivy walked over and sat down next to him. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but if I had to guess I’d say that Amari is really getting under your skin.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“It’s like you’re the star of your own real-life rom-com.”

“How can I compete with that? She’s a movie star.”

“We can help,” said Olivia, who seemed to be always listening closely.

“Great idea. Let’s give this girl a makeover,” Griffin enthused.

Ivy was whisked off to the girls’ locker room, where hair and makeup was staged. She was ushered into a chair facing a mirror.

“Just ’cause you don’t feel great doesn’t mean you can’t look great.” Ella held out a foundation sponge. “Come on. Let me touch up your face.” Ivy was thrilled. She had secretly always wanted to get a makeover but had always been too chicken. Even the makeup counters at the mall had been too intimidating for her.

“Not so fast. Let me wash and style her hair first,” said Olivia. “Hair is always first. Then makeup.”

“Fine. Is that okay, Ivy?” asked Ella. Getting a free blowout was something that Ivy would never turn down. She eagerly nodded yes. Soon she was feeling good as Olivia massaged her scalp and washed her hair. The heat of the hairdryer followed. Ivy watched as her hair became smooth and shiny. Olivia finished up and turned off the dryer. She removed the towel around Ivy’s neck.

“Thank you so much,” Ivy said. “My hair looks amazing.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Now it’s my turn,” Ella called out.

Ivy sat down in a chair facing the mirror, and Ella started to perform her magic. Ivy closed her eyes while Ella added foundation and blush. “You have amazing cheekbones,” Ella said, complimenting her.

“Totally,” Olivia agreed. “Much better than Amari’s.”

When Ivy opened her eyes, her complexion was luminous. Like Amari’s. The bags under her eyes had disappeared. “Ella, you’re a magician.”

Ella took out the mascara.

“Have you ever tried eyelash extensions?”

“No.”

“You’re about to. You’ve got a lot of natural eyelashes that would work well with extensions.” Ivy noddedokayand stepped over to a reclining chair. She leaned back and closed her eyes. While Ella painstakingly applied one lash at a time, Olivia struck up a conversation with Ivy.

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