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glowing!"

She laughed, and I wondered if she really

believed it or was just having fun and teasing me. Just under an hour later, Stuart called and

arranged to pick me up by eleven. We still hadn't

heard from Jade or Star. Misty helped me clean up the

house, but criticized me for being too vigilant about it. "You act as if we're going to have an

inspection. Geraldine's not coming back," she

emphasized. Then she showered, dressed, and was

ready for Chris when he came.

"Would you like to go with us?" he asked after

Misty and I greeted him at the door.

"She can't. She has a date," Misty sang. "Cat's

on the prowl," she told him, and followed it with a

long meow that made us both laugh. "I'll call you

later," she cried out as she left the house.

I returned to my room and spent the rest of my

time in front of my new vanity mirror trying to decide

if I needed a darker lipstick, more makeup on my

cheeks, or less eye shadow on my lids. It all made me

so nervous, I finally just washed my face and put on

the same lipstick I had on the night before.

I had bell-bottom jeans to wear that would go

over my cast, but I hated how I looked in them. My

hips were too wide. Instead, l chose one of my new

skirts, a blouse, and a cardigan sweater, which I didn't

button. Searching through the bag of jewelry Jade had

discovered in Geraldine's safe, I found a gold bracelet

and a gold ring with diamond baguettes that fit my

pinky finger. When the doorbell rang, I quickly

sprayed on some of the cologne Jade had brought me