My Best Frenemy Read Online Free Page B

are really noticeable. ”
    “Yep, ” I say.
    Brooke glances at me. “Okay, Ida, you’re next. ”
    “Me? But I didn’t say I wanted to—”
    Brooke loads the sponge stick with bright green shadow. “Close your eyes, ” she says.
    I close my eyes.
    I can feel the sponge enhancing my eyelids all over the place. A minute later, Brooke steps back. “There, ” she says.
    I blink my eyes open and see Stacey. “How do I look? ”
    “Good! ” she says.
    “ Better than good,” Brooke replies, holding the little mirror up to my eyes.
    I see lots of green glitter where my plain eyelids used to be.
    Randi frowns. “You look stup—”
    “Great! ” Stacey interrupts.
    “Older, ” Meeka adds.
    Jolene nods. “At least eleven. ”
    I smile and look at my reflection in the mirror again. I do look older. Even taller. Maybe even prettier.
    “Except for one thing, ” Brooke says.
    “What? ” I ask.
    “Your eyes are perfect, but the rest of you is too . . . I don’t know . . . plain. ”
    “What’s wrong with being plain? ” Randi asks.
    Brooke gives Randi a glance. “Nothing, ” she says. “Unless you count everything. ” She studies me again. Then her eyes brighten. “I know what’s missing, ” she says. “Earrings! ” Brooke gives her sparkly earlobe a flick. “You need glittery earrings to match your glittery eyes! ”
    “But I don’t have pierced ears, ” I say.
    “Well, what are you waiting for?” Brooke asks. “I’ve had my ears pierced since I was three .”
    “Don’t listen to her, Ida, ” Randi says, poking a thumb at Brooke. “She’s got too many holes in her head. ”
    I glance at Randi’s ears. They are bare. But all the other girls’ earlobes glitter with earrings. The kind of earrings I would be wearing if my parents would let me. And if I wasn’t afraid of getting poked.
    Brooke gives Randi a squint and then gets busy with Jolene’s eyelids. “All I’m saying is that Ida would look better with earrings. But if she doesn’t want pierced ears, that’s her choice. ”
    “Um... it’s not that I don’t want them, exactly,” I say. “It’s just that my parents won’t let me. ” I leave out the part about not feeling very brave when it comes to sharp objects.
    Brooke snorts. “All you have to do is make your parents feel bad about not giving you what your friends have. Jade taught me that ages ago. ”
    Jenna walks up to us just as Brooke finishes with Jolene.
    “Purple, please,” Stacey says, stepping up to Brooke and closing her eyes.
    “Copycat, ” Brooke says, all teasey. She flutters her purple eyelids and giggles. Stacey giggles back. Then Brooke rubs the sponge stick across the little pad of purple eye shadow. Pretty soon Stacey’s eyes match Brooke’s eyes perfectly.
    “What’s going on? ” Jenna asks.
    “Brooke got eye shadow for Christmas, ” I explain.
    Jenna studies all of our glittery eyelids. Then she lifts her chin. “That’s nothing,” she says. “Wait until you see what I got. ”
    “ You got makeup? ” Brooke says. “I didn’t think your mom would let you wear anything that didn’t come from an organic farm.” Brooke gives Jenna a tilted smile. “In fact, the last time I was at your house she wouldn’t even let us paint our nails. She said the fumes might cause brain damage. Ha. ”
    Jenna crosses her arms and squints. “Ancient history, ” she says. “See? ”
    Jenna holds up her hands. Each fingernail is painted bright orange.
    “Um, hello?” Brooke says back. “It was right before Thanksgiving. I remember because your mom was making a tofu turkey. She spazzed when she smelled the polish and chased us out of the kitchen. Then she opened all the windows even though it was at least below zero outside. ”
    “She was just worried about the fumes hurting the bay—the . . . the tofu turkey, ” Jenna says.
    “Ew,” Stacey says. “Tofu turkey sounds kind of gross. Did you actually eat it? ”
    “Well, duh, of course, ”