“Okay, ha ha,” Hazel said with a roll of her eyes. “I’m glad you all find this so very amusing.”
“It’s not that,” Lulu said.
“You just made ‘fun’ sound so…” Emma trailed off.
“Criminal,” I finished.
“Exactly.” Emma said.
Hazel’s lips pressed together as she regarded the three of us. After a heartbeat, she finally said, “So, I guess you see now why it’s hopeless. I’m just going to wait until this passes.”
“What? No!” Emma leapt forward so suddenly, Hazel jerked back in surprise. “You can’t give up. You’ve never liked a guy before. This is a big deal. If you like him, he should like you back.”
Hazel eyed her friend doubtfully. “I don’t think that’s how it works. And besides… I might have a crush, but I’m not so desperately in love that I’m going to change who I am for some guy.”
I had no idea why that sentiment made me want to do a fist pump.
For the record, I’d never before pumped my fist. Not for any reason.
But right now… watching this kick-butt chick tell her friends how she’d never change for some dude. Yeah, I was mentally fist pumping to Eye of the Tiger and envisioning the comics line about this badass swimming phenom who sidelined as a spy for the CIA.
“Maybe you don’t have to change…” Lulu said slowly.
“Of course she doesn’t,” Emma said. “She shouldn’t.”
“But you could show this guy a different side of yourself. Just… make a change in appearance.” We all stared at the cute redhead, and she whipped a magazine out of her bag. “It’s all about appearances, right? I mean, Emma and I and all our friends...we all know how fun you can be.”
Hazel’s brows drew together in clear confusion. “You think I’m fun?”
“You can be,” Emma said. “When you let loose. And you have a great sense of humor, and you know how to laugh—”
“You just don’t do it often,” Lulu finished with a shrug. “But my point is...sometimes people only see one side of us. Especially at school. I become that weird art chick, Emma’s—”
“That friendly weirdo who won’t stop talking,” Emma finished with a laugh that made Hazel’s lips twitch.
I found myself staring at her lips, willing them to give up the fight and just smile already.
I really wanted to see that smile. It was a great smile.
“Will here…” She waved a hand toward me. “He’s that slacker who doesn’t care about anything.”
“Hey,” I interrupted.
They all looked at me, and I waved a hand. “Nope, that’s apt. Carry on.”
“And you,” Lulu continued, pointing to Hazel. “You come across as a serious athlete who doesn’t know how to have fun. But none of us is only that one aspect of our personality, right?”
Hazel shifted. “I suppose.”
“So what would be the harm in showing different sides of yourself? You’re not really changing who you are, just revealing more facets of the complicated gem that is Hazel Daly.”
We all stared at Lulu with that ‘complicated gem’ part, and then Emma’s smile widened in approval. “Lulu, you are a genius.”
I looked to Hazel, who seemed far less impressed. In fact, she looked wary.
I always knew she was smart.
“What exactly did you have in mind?” she asked.
“Show him you can be fun,” Emma said.
Hazel’s brows shot up. “What do you want me to do? Show up in the halls of Lakeview High in a cocktail dress, bare feet, with a bottle of champagne in my hand?”
The image had me laughing under my breath, which earned me another wary look from Hazel.
“No, silly,” Lulu said. “No one expects you to change your image overnight.”
She and Emma shared a look, and Emma added, “Not in real life anyway.”
Hazel glanced at me like she was trying to see if I knew what they were talking about. I shrugged.
A second later, we both had our answer when Lulu slapped a magazine down in the center of the table, and Emma opened it eagerly. “See? Right here.” She jabbed her finger at what appeared to be ten bullet points listing incredibly odd commands. Make him see you! Copy his body language!
A couple were highlighted, including one that said ‘A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words.’
I stared down at the magazine and read the little blurb under the heading in stunned shock. They wanted her to create a whole new persona...on social media. I glanced up to see Hazel eyeing the magazine with the same wide-eyed shock of realization.
Her eyes locked with mine, and for a moment there...we were on the same page. We even spoke at once.
“This is a terrible idea,” she said.
“This is a fantastic idea,” I said.
We spoke over each other, and it took a beat for us all to realize what Hazel had said. But she seemed more focused on what I’d said.
“You think this is a good idea?” She sounded so affronted. So...betrayed.
It was impossible not to laugh.
The girl was cute when she was offended.
“I think it’s a great idea,” I said again.
She frowned. “Why?”
Emma and Lulu both started talking, but her gaze was fixed on me, and the others fell silent. It was clear she already knew their thoughts on the matter—and by the sound of it, they’d all discussed this magazine article more than once because they were each well versed in it like it was some sort of textbook tome. Even Hazel seemed familiar with it.
Apparently she was looking at me to be the voice of objective reason.
Sorry, Hazey, you’re on your own there.
“Why?” she asked again. Her eyes narrowed. “Wait, are you joking?”
I laughed, which only made her eyes narrow further until they were slits.
“No,” I said, leaning over the table. “I’m not joking. I think it could be a good idea.”
She tilted her head. “Why?” she asked again.
I wasn’t walking out of here without answering, that much was for certain. “Because what do you have to lose?”
She blinked.
“I mean, think about it. It’ll be fun—”
“For whom?”
“For me.”
All three of them were staring at me now, and I rolled my eyes as I held up my camera. “Anyone else here an amazing photographer who’s willing to craft shots of Hazel in all her glory?”
They all exchanged a look I couldn’t decipher.
Emma muttered, “I just have a cameraphone.”
“I suck at photography,” Lulu said with a sigh.
Hazel shook her head. “Nuh uh. No way. This is a terrible plan.”
I arched my brows. “Do you have a better one?”
She shook her head. “No. Of course not. But I don’t need a plan because I’m not planning on doing anything about...this.” She wrung her hands in front of her like she was trying to rid herself of a pesky bug.
“You do know liking someone is not optional, right?” I asked.
Emma nodded and pointed at me. “Exactly. We don’t decide who we have feelings for or…” She gave Hazel a mischievous look. “Who we have the hots for.”