“Does he have a girlfriend?”
“No.” Meg paused before asking, “You don’t like him, do you?”
I shook my head. “No! I hardly even know him.” And then I thought, “But I’d like to.”
Tiffany
The entire walk home all I could think about was how weird the Charm Club meeting was. Somehow Meg White and Lauren-Anne Hilton became members. I wasn’t even sure why they applied. They spent all three years of junior high school acting like they were too good for this kind of thing. And then they let in Brittany? Brittany the traitor! Oh well, soon enough they’d see what a mistake they made by letting those three into the club.
And then there was the whole thing about the pledge. And the principal being there! And yet they were still somehow the most popular girls in school. Something wasn’t right. By the time I walked through my front door, I had made a decision. I would quit the Charm Club. Then Betty, Judy, and I would work on being popular on our own.
I picked up the phone and dial Marylin’s phone number.
“Hello?” A man answered.
“Hi, this is Tiffany Thomas. Is Marylin there, please?”
“Yes, I’ll get her for you.”
“Great, thank you.”
A moment later Marylin said, “Hi, Tiffany! How are you? Did you enjoy your first Charm Club meeting?”
“Actually, that’s what I called you about.”
“Uh-oh. What’s wrong?”
“I want to q-” I started coughing.
“Are you ok?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m qu- qu-” I couldn’t get it out. For some reason, I couldn’t get the word ‘quit’ out of my mouth.
“Tiffany, you can’t quit the club if that’s what you’re trying to say.”
“But I-” I couldn’t say that I wanted to. Something wouldn’t let me.
“Nobody can quit the club. Ever. That’s why girls who graduated years ago are still a part of it. You made a promise, Tiffany. Not just to us, but to Et Splendidis. You’re part of the Charm Club for life.”
“Marylin, what does Et Splendidis mean?”
“Nothing important, it’s just a word. Don’t worry about it. Now, Tiffany, we’re meeting tomorrow at Beverly’s house to go over outfit choices for the week. I know that I will see you there. Bye!”
The line went dead and I stared at the phone in my hand. What was going on?
Meg
At dinner, Graham asked, “Meg, I’ve never heard you mention Brittany before. Is she a new friend?”
I nodded. “She just moved here from California. Los Angeles.”
“That’s cool.”
“I guess. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. California’s just another place. Just like here, or Seattle.”
My mom said, “Yes, but California is such a beautiful place. Your father and I would love to go there sometime. Wouldn’t we, honey?”
My dad nodded.
“Well, then why don’t we move there? If you think that it’s so much better than here.”
“Young lady, I will not allow you to talk to your mother like that,” My father said.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“So, your friend Brittany, does she like anyone?” Graham asked.
I actually had a feeling that Brittany liked Graham. And I was starting to get the feeling that Graham liked Brittany.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, can you find out?”
“In the market for a girlfriend, son?” My dad asked.
Graham shrugged.
“That a boy.” My dad said, leaning over to clap Graham on the shoulder.
I rolled my eyes. “Ugh.”
“What?”
“She’s my friend.” I explained. “That’s gross.”
“Graham can date whoever he wants.”
“Oh, well that’s good to know. Because I was thinking that maybe Adam and I could see each other at Christmas time.”
“Absolutely not,” My dad said.
“Why not?”
“You’re too young to have a boyfriend. I let it slide over the summer, but that is over. You will not be dating until you are eighteen.”
“But Dad,” I whined.
“End of discussion.”
“Mom, it’s not fair.”
My mom smiled tightly as she said, “You heard your father.”
“This isn’t fair. It’s just because I’m a girl.”
“Meg,” My dad warned. He turned back to Graham as he said, “Now, listen son. If you want to get a girl’s attention-”
I shoved myself away from the table and stood up. “You suck.”
“Meg!” My mother ran after me as I walked away from the table, and away from my dad who was telling my brother how to get my friend to go out with him.
Chapter 4
Lauren-Anne
When I got home from Meg’s house, my mom told me that a girl had called. She had left a message saying that we were meeting at her house the next day to go over outfits for the week.
“Who was it?” I asked.
My mom thought for a moment before saying, “Beverly. I believe she said that her name was Beverly. I don’t remember you ever mentioning someone named Beverly before.”
“She’s a new friend.” I told her. “I met some new friends at school this week and joined the Charm Club. Our first meeting was today.”
My mom hugged me as she said, “Oh honey, that’s great! I’m so glad to hear that you’re finally starting to take care of how you look. Looks are an important thing, you know. It’s the first thing people notice about you.”
“Well, it’s about more than looks. It’s all about being the best that you can be.”
“I’m so excited for you,” My mom told me.
I faked a smile. “Thanks.”
I went upstairs and shut my door. As I looked for clothes to take to Beverly’s house the next day, I thought about what my mom had said. I didn’t wear makeup or anything, but I didn’t look that bad, did I? Did looks really matter that much to everyone else? Were people going to think that I was vain for joining the Charm Club? My mom had always said that Jesus didn’t want us to be vain. Then again, my mom put more time into her looks than anyone I had ever met.
Those thoughts stuck in my head for the rest of the day, and they were still there when I went to sleep. Then they were there again when I woke up.
When I went downstairs for breakfast, my mom greeted me with, “How’s my little Charm Club
