The Girls Read Free Page A

posture. I wondered how Candace would imitate me.
    â€œCandace, you should come to the audition with me!” Brianna squealed. “You’re an amazing actress, and we’d have a blast being in the play together.”
    â€œI think not,” Candace said.
    â€œHard to picture Candace standing around on stage with no lines to say or anything,” Darcy said. “No offense, Brianna.”
    Brianna smiled and looked at the floor.
    Candace struck a pose and in a regal English accent said, “But of course, the chorus would simply never do. It’s the starring role or nothing for me!” She smiled as if she were kidding, but I don’t think she was.

Darcy
    Y OU’D NEVER KNOW IT if you saw her now, but years ago, my aunt was a model. After she quit, she gave all her old wigs to me and my sister, Keloryn. My mom suggested I bring out the wigs for my party, but I thought that was a lame idea. My mom is NOT an expert on parties. In fact, the only two parties my parents ever threw were their wedding, which was small and held in a judge’s chambers, and a tea when my mom graduated from law school before I was born.
    But it turned out my mom was right—my friends loved the wigs! Everyone was clowning around and having a blast. It looked like my party was a hit and I almost relaxed—but not quite. Every now and then I’d glance at the clock and my throat would close. We had so many hours left until tomorrow. What if Candace and everyone got bored? It would be my fault. My party means my fault.
    Candace looked fabulous in every single wig. She was so gorgeous, and funny too. She could do impressions of people that were absolutely astounding. Her imitation of Maya was a scream!
    Renée put on one wig and then just sat there in a trance. I didn’t worry about it, though, because Renée gets quiet that way. Brianna says it’s because of her parents’ separation, but I think Renée has always been kind of moody. When everyone but Renée got bored with the wigs, we put on our suits and went for a swim. I don’t know what Renée did. Maybe just sat up in my room wearing that witchy black wig and daydreaming. After a while she came outside and curled up in a deck chair.
    Brianna floated around on the blue raft, knocking against the side of the pool and bouncing off to float in another direction, like a leaf.
    I looked around at my friends and felt lucky. Sometimes, I secretly used our first initials to make up names for our group. It was lame, I know, but I liked to do it. Until yesterday, we’d had M for Maya, and my favorite names for us were Really Dumb But Cute Monsters, and My Big Dorky Rubber Chicken. Now it was time to drop the M, so I had to think of ones with just D for me, C for Candace, B for Brianna, and R for Renée. Dark Clouds Bring Rain?
    Candace is a great swimmer and her dives are perfect, even when they’re silly ones. She could probably be in the Olympics if she wanted to. She announced, “The Dive of the Shy,” and timidly minced to the edge of the board, head down, shoulders hunched, then stepped meekly into the pool without making a splash. Next she did The Dive of the Oasis, crawling to the edge of the diving board gasping, “Water! Water!” and tumbling in. She hauled herself out, sleek as a seal, and wrung the water out of her long black hair, saying, “Any requests?”
    â€œThe Ballet Dive,” Renée said, at the same time as I said, “The Bird Dive.”
    Candace bowed, saying, “Presenting the Ballet Bird.” She flapped her arms and did a perfect pirouette off the board. I wanted to scream out to the whole world, “Eat your heart out, everyone! I’m her best friend! Me!”
    When Candace was tired of swimming, we played cards. Candace suggested dress poker instead of strip poker. So over our swimsuits, we added layers of clothes. Brianna, who doesn’t play games very well,