Prom Queen of Disaster Read Online Free

The girls walking out were glowing and golden. We were almost there. Amy stood behind the counter. The salon was decorated with reds and whites, the smell of cleaning bleach and lotions welcomed us in the air conditioned breeze.
    “Amy!” We called out collectively.
    “We’re doing tanning beds.” Char circled a hand over everyone but Libby and Jade. “They want a spray tan.”
    With finesse, Amy moved toward Char. She was probably 5’11” with her red satin Manolo’s. She appeared taller with her tan legs and the split in her skirt, riding up her thigh. I was in awe; she had been a senior when I was a sophomore. My eyes made my way up to her chest, and suddenly I felt out of proportion. Dressed in a white blouse with the top buttons undone and a push-up bra to hold herself in place.
    “Char,” Amy said, pushing back her wavy brown hair. “How’s the squad?”
    “In desperate need to get some color before homecoming,” she said. “What’s happened to the sugar d-a-d-d-y?”
    Sugar daddy? I’d heard Char mention Amy’s boyfriend , but not that he was an old man.
    “He’s okay, he’s not that old , well he doesn’t take Viagra,” she said. “I think he wants to get serious. He’s talking about buying another cat.”
    “Isn’t one enough?” Char asked.
    Amy grabbed a handful of key cards from behind the desk. “Lola is in the room at the end, she’s got a client in at the moment, but she knows you’re waiting.” She handed me a card. “I love your blond hair, Zoey.” She reached for the messy ponytail. “You think I’d suit it?”
    “Like an ombré? Or full?”
    “Ombrés are in,” she laughed.
    In the tanning room, I’d undressed completely and turned around to the shock of seeing my reflection in the long mirror hung on the door. I dipped my hand on my hip and swung slightly. I could see where my tan had faded.
    I slathered myself in moisturizing lotion. It smelled exactly like the cream my mom used on me when I was younger at the beach. The tanning beds themselves were like little tombs you close in on yourself. I’d placed the timer on for 8 minutes and listened to pop music in the surround speakers.
    “Surely you’re tan enough,” I heard someone shout, knocking on the door.
    I’d just finished getting dressed and wiping off the excess moisturizer. I pulled the hair elastic tight in my ponytail, watching myself in the mirror. I sucked the rest of the cola from the Chicken Shack cup, throwing it in the trashcan before leaving.
    “How do I look?” I asked as Ava, walking out of the room opposite.
    “You look more tan than me,” Ava said. “I need an extra 9 minutes and a nap.”
    “Only had 8 minutes,” I said. “I just wanted to look—you know, sun-kissed, like it was summer again.” I could see Hannah from the corner of my eye.
    “Yeah, I can see that,” Hannah said. She was only a little more tanned than she had been. “It won’t wash off, at least.”
    The other girls were waiting at the entrance of the salon. Libby was significantly darker from the spray tan. It always lighter after you washed, but you couldn’t for 24 hours.
    “Remember girls,” Char announced, rounding us up on the seats. “As of Monday, it’s homecoming week. So for the rest of the weekend, practice your pep , brush up on team spirit , and most importantly, get those lockers decorated. Naturally, Zo has Dylan’s locker, but we’ll group text the rest of the lockers.”
    “You need to beat the San Rafael High School cheer squad, that’s on you ,” Amy said. “Let them play the sports, and you show those bitches who they’re dealing with. Go, Marin County!”
    “I heard you bleached the other cheer captain’s hair?” Jade asked.
    Amy smiled. “We did.” She laughed. “We were ruthless.”
    Char snapped her fingers. “Yah! Ruthless.”
     
     

Chapter Three
     
    Life at home was different in the idyllic suburban Payton Lane. Quiet waved me in as Char dropped me at the end of