Hummingbird Heart Read Online Free Page B

her hands to dry the polish and said nothing for a long moment. Finally she shrugged. “Well, if you want to talk about it…”
    â€œThanks. But I’m fine.” I sat down on the edge of the bed. “Okay. Maybe I should wear something else. What do you think?”
    â€œActually, you look gorgeous, as usual. And that shade of blue suits you.” She tilted her head to one side thoughtfully. “You just need something…here, try this lipstick.”
    I took it and ran the color along my lips. I wouldn’t share lipstick with anyone else—I was too germophobic—but Toni didn’t count. “There. Better?”
    â€œPerfect.” She sighed, lower lip sticking out, blowing air upward so that her curly hair lifted off her forehead. “You are so beautiful, Dylan. Seriously. Sometimes I wonder why I hang out with you. I’m so totally jealous.”
    I didn’t think I was beautiful at all. I was tall and kind of clumsy, with long straight brown hair and blue-green eyes. My mouth was too wide, my eyebrows too heavy; and I wasn’t sure what I thought about the slight cleft in my chin. I did like my nose though, and at least my teeth were all right. I stared at my reflection and wondered for about the millionth time whether I looked anything like Mark. The lipstick was startling: dark red against my too-pale skin. I brushed my hair and held it away from my face for a moment, trying to see myself objectively; then I let it fall forward so that it partly covered one eye.
    Maybe I would refuse to meet him. Let him see how it felt to be rejected.

    The party was only a few blocks from my place, so Toni and I walked over together. Karma followed us for the first block. She was pretending that she was going for a bike ride, but she was just tagging along to be annoying. She was so good at it, you’d never guess she hadn’t been a younger sister her whole life.
    â€œIs your boyfriend going to be there?” she asked Toni.
    â€œHow exactly is that any of your business? Anyway, it’s too dark for you to go for a bike ride. You don’t even have a light on your bike.” Toni made a face at her. “Shouldn’t you be in bed, little girl?”
    Karma was unfazed. “I’m fixing my light. Anyway, it’s not even eight thirty yet. I bet Dylan’s going to kiss boys. Are you, Dylan?”
    â€œKarma! Get lost.”
    â€œI know what high school parties are like,” Karma said, her bike wobbling on the sidewalk and almost hitting me. “My friend’s sister goes to them all the time. Everyone gets drunk and makes out.”
    â€œYeah? Well, I don’t, okay? I’m not like that.” I gave her handlebars a gentle shove.
    Karma put her feet down as her bike started to tip over. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Good bye , Karma.”
    She stood there for a minute before she hopped on her bike and sped off toward home.
    â€œSometimes I’m glad I’m an only child,” Toni said.
    â€œShe just wants to be older already, you know?” A cool wind was blowing straight down the street, and I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering. Personally, I didn’t think being sixteen was that great. It was true, what I’d told Karma: I wasn’t the type to get drunk and fool around. In fact, though I’d never admit this to her, I’d never fooled around with anyone. Parties made want to crawl out of my skin, run away and hide in a hole somewhere.
    Still, this one should be okay. Jessica wasn’t exactly a close friend, but I’d known her forever. We’d gone to elementary school together, ridden bikes around the neighborhood, trick-or-treated at each other’s houses at Halloween. And besides, even though I didn’t enjoy parties, I couldn’t stand to miss them either.
    â€œYou have FOMO,” Toni had told me when I tried to explain