Page 100 of My Debacle with De Lorenzo

She stares at it then shakes her head. “I’m not wearing that.”

“Yes, you are. Go put it on.”

She groans then snatches it out of my hand and disappears into her bedroom. She calls me there five minutes later and disdain is written all over her face. “I look like a hooker.”

“You look great.”

“No way am I wearing this. Everyone at school is going to see me like this and?”

“Stop caring about other people.” My sister is introverted and doesn’t really know how to socialize because she has no friends. That’s Scott’s doing, but it’s time she came out of her shell. “Now, shut up and let me do your makeup.”

She reluctantly sits down on the edge of her bed, and I go back to my room to get my vanity bag.

“This thing doesn’t even fit me properly,” she complains when I return. “It’s just hanging in the front because I have no boobs. I wish I had breasts like yours.”

“I wish I had skin like yours, but we can’t win at everything.” I dig through my bag until I find what I need. “Close your eyes.”

I apply her makeup using all-natural colors because her skin is flawless, and she doesn’t need much.

When I’m done, I move behind her to start with her hair, and she looks at herself in the mirror. “I’m not sure if I should do this. What if they all make fun of me?”

I sweep her hair up, then twist it and push a pin into her thick curls. “You look amazing. Nobody’s gonna make fun of you. Besides, Scott will be there and...” I pause, not wanting to lie to her. I have no intention of going, but if I don’t say it, she might not go either and she needs to go out and enjoy her birthday. “...and I’m coming there later with Dylan. It’s going to be fine.”

She meets my eyes in the mirror. “How are things going with you and Dylan?”

I give a non-committal response. “Okay, I guess. He’s a nice guy...too nice for me. I keep trying to tell him that, but he won’t listen.” My heart feels heavy, and I take a deep breath to keep my voice steady. “He’ll figure it out eventually and leave me like the rest of them do.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“You should listen to the rumors about me, Cat. They’re all true. Guys don’t stick around with girls like me. Didn’t you hear? I’m just good for a one-night stand. You can’t turn a ho into a housewife. Dylan thinks he can save me, but he’s the one who needs to be saved from me.”

My mother taps on the door and pops her head in. “I’m looking for honest opinions.”

She steps in, looking sexier than I’ve ever seen. Tight blue jeans with a red low-cut blouse. She’s funked it up a bit with silver jewelry and a killer pair of heels.

I wrap a lock of Cat’s hair around a curler, then go back to staring at her. “Holy crap, Ma. You lookhot. And I feel disgusting for saying that.”

She exhales a nervous breath. “I’m going on a date tonight. It’s just dinner. Nothing too crazy and I’ll be back by ten.”

If she thinks that is a sufficient explanation, she is wrong. Cat and I start firing off questions.

“Who is he?”

“How old is he?”

“Is he creepy?”

“Where did you meet him?”

“Is he divorced?”

“Is he still married?”

“Slow down, girls. His name is Keith Hart. He’s forty, never been married.”

Keith Hart? Keith Hart? Why do I know that name?

“He’s one of those fancy lawyers who never stops working, so he said he never had time to find a wife.”

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