Debra's Love Letters

Somebody Likes Debra (Chapter 5)

A few days later, Debra continued to receive love letters in her locker. She still didn't know who was the man behind the letters but she pretty much ignored that fact to enjoy getting her notes more. When she left her fourth period class for lunch, she walked down the hallway with Kyle, who just came back from his lunch period, for a chat.
"Do you pack a lunch?" asked Kyle.
"Nowadays," Debra answered.
"Did you pack one today?"
"I feel like I did."
"Good. I think. You will not believe what is being served in the cafeteria."
"What?"
"Cheese-fish."
"What is that?"
"A lot of sharp cheddar cheese smothering baked trout fish."
"I do not believe it."
"Told you."
"That sounds disgusting."
"It does sound disgusting but it's actually quite appetizing."
Debra smiled. "Ew."
"Yeah, I'm not proud of myself."
"Well, I'm glad that I can take food from home and eat it here instead of eating gross and unhealthy cafeteria food."
Kyle chuckled.
"Plus, I don't eat fish like that."
"I love fish. You're such a yogi."
"A proud, committed yogi. You wish you were me."
"Ha, I like you but I do not wish that."
"Good because I'm the only one in this school who can rock a pair of fringe boots. Actually, I'm lying. I am not the only one who can rock them. Some girls here wear them better than me.
"You are too nice."
"I'm just not cocky; that's all."
"Trust me, you would feel much better cocky."
"Oh! Didn't I tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"For more than a week, I have been getting love letters in my locker, like, daily."
"Love letters?"
"Yeah, like four a day since last Thursday."
"And they're for you?"
"Yeah. Most of them are signed 'Dear Debra'."
"Are you sure that they're not for a different Debra?"
"Shut up! No, they're for me. The letters are written in a poetic form and they describe my characteristics and style."
"Um, ick! Who is writing you the letters anyway?"
"I don't know. They are all signed 'Anonymous'."
"So your boyfriend could be Casper the Ghost?"
"Uh, Casper is a friendly ghost. Anybody would be lucky to date him."
Kyle rolled his eyes playfully.
Just in time, Debra stopped by locker. "Anyway, I usually get them before lunch and before the end of school." She put in the combination on the lock of her locker and soon opened the door, with only one letter falling out from the top. "Aw, there's only one," she frowned. She kneeled down and picked up the thick white note from the floor. She stood up and unfolded it, revealing a new letter entry. She held it up to Kyle's face. "Look, read it and weep."
Kyle took the letter from Debra's hand and started skimming through it. "Wow, this is a big deal," he commented.
"Told ya!"
"And you have no idea who this could be?"
"No idea. My friend, Madeline, thought it was my friend, Darrell, who was sending the notes. But it is not him and that is why I had to apologize to him earlier because Madeline wanted to go all Bruce Willis on him. I hope Darrell can past this and give me direct eye contact like he used to do."
"Well, good luck with him."
"I wish this wasn't made a big deal out of. I might seem crazy but I believe that I'm infatuated with this guy. And I don't care who this guy is -- whether he is short, tall, skinny, fat, healthy, sick -- he makes me feel beautiful every day. So if I have to wait days or weeks or months or years to know who he is, then it would be worth the wait."
Kyle relaxed his shoulders along with his eyes. "Maybe you don't have to wait."
"Why?"
Kyle quickly grabbed Debra's shoulders and crushed his lips against hers. After a second, Debra pulled away and gagged.
"Uh, cheese-fish," she groaned, covering her mouth until she started retching. She put her hand on her chest and took deep breaths, thinking she was going to vomit. "Sorry about that," she sighed. "I can taste your-- yeah, sorry. Um, what was that?"
"It's me."
Debra broke eye contact. "Me?"
"I'm 'Anonymous'."
Debra's eyes widened. "You're 'Anonymous'?"
"Yeah, it was obvious from me kissing you and telling you that I'm Anonymous a second ago."
"I don't know what to say but... it makes so much sense!"
"What makes sense?"
"I don't know. I just say things to give me closure. On the other hand, I don't know what 'closure' is so I'm just weird."
"It's okay; I'm weird, too."
Debra giggled. "I just can't believe it's you. I could've sworn that you make it clear that you don't like me that way."
"It's called teasing. It's something you do when you like someone."
"It's also something you do when you don't like someone."
"Yeah, whatever. The point is I liked you forever and I can never stop thinking about you."
Debra slowly smiled.
"You're nice, funny, and pretty. I didn't know how to tell you so I kind of told you in letters. I've been reading poetry lately and been trying to write my own. I'm shy, what can I do? Do you like me... in that way?"
Debra lost her smile and bit her lip. "Kyle, I've always liked you... but as a friend. I just never thought about you in that way. I'm relieved that I know it's you but you're like my little brother. And I can't date my little brother, with the laws and stuff. I'm really sorry but I just don't feel the same."
Kyle looked down. "You just had to drop the 'B' bomb on me."
"I wanted to leave that part out but I wanted to be open. I'm really sorry."
"It's okay. I sort of saw it coming."
"At least we now have closure... whatever that is."
Kyle chuckled. "I hope nothing's going to be weird after everything."
"Oh, no. We can just forget that everything that happened ever happened."
"Yeah. But keep the letters, please. They're special to me."
Debra grinned. "Okay."
Soon the bell rung, barely startling the two.
"Oh, I'm going to be late," said Kyle.
"You're already late for class. And Kyle?" Debra took off her dream-catcher necklace and put it over Kyle's neck. "Have sweet dreams tonight."
Kyle lifted up the necklace and looked at it for a while. "I will. Thanks." He turned around and walked away to his next destination.
Debra sighed and relaxed her shoulders. "I kissed cheese-fish and booger lips," she said to herself calmly. "You just made a goal for yourself, Debbie."

Somebody Likes Debra (Chapter 4)

The week after, lunch began again, and the girls had already started their conversation at their table. Debra had received four more letters earlier that day so she was ready to talk about who was sending those notes to her locker.
"Did you go to the party, Maddie?" asked Debra.
"Oh, yes, I did," Maddie replied.
"What did you do over there?"
"Oh, you know, the thing I do at every party."
"Nothing?" responded Lizzie.
"No, I did something."
"So did you talk to Darrell?" Debra asked.
"Yeah, I talked him."
"So... is it him?"
"Well, before I answer that, I asked him a series of questions to, you know, get the truth out of him. But I did it in a cool and collected way so he can open up more confidently."
"But I thought you said you were more fierce towards him," said Lizzie.
"What? No, I didn't. You must've misunderstood me."
"No, I heard you loud and clear. You said you were really aggressive when asking him questions."
Debra gave Madeline a funny expression.
Madeline chuckled in a nervous way. "No, Lizzie. When I asked him questions, I was very nice and I asked him in a very hinting way. You know, with innuendo."
"No," said Lizzie, "you said you were aggressive towards him and you were very blatant."
"What? No, Lizzie."
"And didn't you say you pinned him against a wall?"
"Of course not."
"I think you did."
"Oh..."
"Maddie!" Debra exclaimed.
"Lizzie, when I say I'm telling you something in confidence," whispered Madeline with clenched teeth, "you can't tell anybody the thing I said."
"Oh, I forgot what 'in confidence' meant," admitted Lizzie. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, sorry doesn't make me richer. Debra, I can explain."
"Then explain," said Debra.
Madeline paused. "You know what? I can't really explain it."
"I can't believe you pinned Darrell to a wall and interrogated him. Now he's going to act all funny towards me."
"No, he's not. I told him not to tell you what I said to him."
"That doesn't make him not act weird."
"Yeah, I know. I was just trying to make you feel better."
"Well, it didn't. Does he even like me?"
"No. It turns out it's not him."
"Then your interrogation was unnecessary. Darrell can never be my friend again."
"Please, you don't need all these friends," said Andrea quietly.
"I just want to know who is 'Anonymous'. But this is getting way out of hand."
"What are you trying to say?" asked Madeline.
"I'm saying that I should forget about it. We should all forget about it."
"Debra, you can't just go through the rest of the school year without knowing who is giving you love letters," said Skye.
"But I will never know if the sender is not going to give up his identity. Who could be putting these love letters in my locker?"
"It could be your dad," Lizzie responded.
Debra gave out a blank expression. "Why would it be my dad?"
"Don't parents put little letters in their kids' lunch sometimes?"
"The letters I receive are always in my locker. Plus, why would my dad write things like, 'Your eyes sparkle like a river of spring water' or 'Your hair is like a thousand flames burning away at my chance of getting closer to you'?"
"Maybe your dad has a crush on you?"
"That's pedophilia."
"Then call the police," said Andrea.
"Guys, my dad is not a pedophile! It's some dude who likes to write poetry and stashes his poems in my locker while I'm in class or at lunch."
"Maybe the letters are meant for someone else," said Lizzie.
"He signs them 'Dear Debra'."
"Maybe they're for a different Debra."
"How many Debra's can there be in the school with brown eyes and red hair and laced clothing?"
"I'm just trying to help you."
"Debbie, I hope I'm not mistaken," Madeline started, "but I think you're starting to fall for this 'Anonymous'."
"Ah, dios mios," uttered Andrea. "It makes so much sense now."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Debra chuckled nervously.
"Proof we know!" shouted Madeline.
"Proof you know what?"
"That you like this boy. I can tell by your nervous laugh."
"How come you're always making conclusions from my use of language?"
"It's a genius thing. You wouldn't understand."
"Okay, you want to know something. Yes, yes, I do like this mystery person."
Lizzie squealed.
"But I don't even know who he is so I feel like I'm crushing over nothing."
"Sweetie, a crush is a crush," said Andrea. "You shouldn't be ashamed of who you like."
"Like how you weren't ashamed when you had a crush on that standee from the mall?" said Madeline.
"Hey, that standee is a hard photograph of a person, who is real by the way."
"Whatever. Debra, whatever you find out, we'll have your back. Even if it takes years and years and years..."
"Okay!" said Debra. "I know; it might take a while. Thanks though."
"At least seven," Lizzie blurted out.
"At least seven what?" questioned Madeline.
"There are at least seven people in the world who look like you. So there is a seven in a billion chance that another Debra is around you."
"Have you been watching the National Geographic channel again?" asked Andrea.

Somebody Likes Debra (Chapter 3)

Three days later, the girls' lunch period had started and Madeline arrived to the cafeteria last just like always and were greeted by her girlfriends as she sat down in her spot.
"Can't wait to eat," she said, laying down her lunch bag. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a light-bulb."
"Do you mean a horse?" said Lizzie.
"No, I'm trying to emphasize how hungry I am, which is really hungry."
"So you would like to eat a light-bulb?" asked Andrea.
"No! I'm just really hungry."
"Hungry enough to eat a light-bulb?" questioned Skye.
"Yes."
"So you do want to eat a light-bulb?" Lizzie asked.
"No! I'm just hungry! I don't want to eat any light-bulbs. It was just a figure-of-speech."
"We were just making sure," said Andrea.
"I wouldn't eat a horse, either."
"Of course you wouldn't," said Lizzie.
Madeline unzipped her bag open, exposing her lunch for the day. "So... what's new?"
"Remember when I got that love letter a few days ago?" inquired Debra.
The girls nodded.
"I've been getting more of those."
"You've gotten more?" asked Madeline.
"Yeah, ever since that day. Plus, they've increased in a certain pattern so it's not like a few. It's more like a lot."
"Please, Debbie," said Lizzie. "You're probably exaggerating."
"Oh, yeah?" She picked up her tan, fringe tote bag from the floor behind her and dropped it on the lunch table. She unzipped it open and stuck her hand into it. It took her a couple of seconds to dig into the bag, leading to her pulling out dozens of pale-colored envelopes and Post-It-sized notes. "Guess how many I've gotten?" she asked, holding the notes up and widening her eyes.
Lizzie hesitated. "Three?"
"More like twenty."
"Do you know who they're from?" asked Andrea.
"I have no clue. They are all signed 'Anonymous'. I don't know anybody in the school named 'Anonymous'!"
"'Anonymous' is not a name," corrected Madeline.
"You don't think I know that, Smart Aleck?"
"You should be happy that you're getting love letters," said Skye. "Somebody in the school likes you."
"I know, but I don't know who would send these to me. For all I know, this could be a practical joke."
"Come on, Debra," said Madeline. "I don't think anybody in the school would try to prank you."
"Unless it's the Cow Belles," Andrea added. "If it's them, I would beat the crap out of them for you."
"You don't have to do that," said Debra. "I don't condone violence anyway."
"Can you read one of your letters real quick?" asked Skye.
"Sure." She put most of her love notes away in her purse, holding one note. She opened it up and started reading:

Dear Debra,

I cannot stop thinking about you
I cannot get you out of my head
The way you walk and the way you talk
Makes my face turn a scarlet red

Sincerely,
Anonymous

"Are all of the words correctly spelled?" asked Skye.
"Yes," answered Debra.
"Then it's not the Cow Belles. You should see their grammar quizzes."
"Do you know any boys who could've written those letters?" asked Madeline.
"No," Debra replied, "every boy I know I'm friends with."
"Do they want to be friends with you?" asked Lizzie.
Debra paused. "I don't know."
Madeline gasped. "You don't know?"
"Debra, your niceness can get confused as flirting sometimes," said Andrea. "And your guy friends might think you got a 'going-on' for them."
"There is no way," said Debra. "Just because I don't know doesn't mean there isn't a chance that they're not that into me."
"There has to be one guy that likes you," said Madeline. "What about your friend, Kyle?"
"I've seen Kyle eat a booger before. Anybody who thinks it's okay to do that cannot write a love poem."
"What about your friend, Billy?" Lizzie threw out there.
"Billy can't even spell his own name," responded Madeline.
"Maddie, harsh," commented Debra.
"Oh, so what do you think?"
"To be honest, I don't think it's him."
"What about Darrell?" said Skye.
"I-- Uh--"
"Proof it's possibly him!" Madeline called out. "Suspect Number One."
"Wait a minute. That is not proof."
"Uh, you stuttered, making it proof enough."
"But I don't know."
"Exactly. That means it is my job to figure that out. But how?"
"Well, I was thinking about going to Darrell's party tonight but--"
"That is perfect! I will go to Darrell's party instead of you and look for answers."
"Isn't his house the one with red paint and the lights?" asked Lizzie.
"Yes, yes, it is," said Debra.
"Debra, you might be facing the one person who set you and your future husband up together," said Madeline, confidently. "You can thank me later."
"Maddie, we don't even know it's him." Debra put back her previous note and picked up a different one from her bag. She opened it and continued, "Plus I don't think that Darrell would write that my eyes are 'like chocolate bon-bons from a heart-shaped box for Valentine's Day'."
"Ugh," uttered Lizzie, "I hope your guy isn't like that man from the video where he said, 'Your eyes are like blueberries. Can I have some?'"  

Somebody Likes Debra (Chapter 2)

Later in the day, after the bell rung for the next period, Debra left her last class and started walking down the hallway with one of her friends, Billy, who she happened to run into.
"I am so prepared for my English test," said Debra, waving her arm full of books.
"You're prepared?" responded Billy.
"So prepared. I feel like I'm going to pass it."
"Did you study?"
"Pretty much. I remember everything."
"Okay. Do you know who Edgar Allen Poe was?"
"Of course. He was a poet that married his teenage cousin. Right?"
"I don't know; I just heard that name today."
"I don't even think Edgar Allen Poe will be on my test. So there is no way I'll answer questions about him."
"I feel like you would pass. You're very smart."
"Not when I'm tired or wearing foggy goggles."
"Oh, then make sure you get plenty of sleep and wear clean goggles."
Debra giggled. "I'll make sure."
"But I'm serious. I guarantee you will get an A."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Like, first prediction: A. Second prediction: A."
Debra giggled again.
"But if you don't get an A, then I don't even know what I'm talking about."
"Okay."
"But I'm confident that you'll pass. If you pass, I will give you money."
"Oh, you don't have to do that."
"No, it's okay. I have a bunch of money in my piggy bank that I need to get rid of."
"There's money in your piggy bank?"
"Yeah."
"And you're trying to get rid of it?"
"Yeah, I don't use it."
Debra's face froze. "You-- You don't-- don't have to give me money," she stuttered.
"No, I want to."
"It's fine, it's fine."
"Okay, if you insist."
"Thank you."
"When is the test?"
"Tomorrow."
"Oh, then I'll probably forget."
Debra smiled.
"But I wish you good luck."
"Thanks."
"I don't know what to do with my money now."
"Well, you can donate it... or save it."
"I thought you had to be eighteen to donate."
"Silly Billy, that's not true."
"You going to lunch?"
"Oh, yeah."
"That was a guess."
"You never knew?"
"I don't go to lunch this period."
"Well, that's okay." She finally stopped by her locker.
"Well, see you, Debbie." Billy started walking past her.
"See you, Bills," she set the combination on the lock of her locker.
After putting in her combination, she opened her locker. Instantly, a folded piece of paper fell from the bottom of her locker door. Debra scrunched her eyebrows at the mysterious piece of paper. She bent over and quickly picked it up with her free hand. Unhesitant, she opened the piece of paper, which exposed a small letter written in thick, black pen. It read:

Dear love,

I am too shy to speak this to your face
So I thought it would be okay to write it down instead
I adore how you are almost always draped in lace
I can't get your purple smiles out of my head
Your eyes shine like a strip of moonlight
And it drives me crazy just looking into them
Your laughter puts me to sleep at night
I just want to buy you all the most precious gems

Sincerely,
Anonymous

Debra turned her head behind herself to see if anybody was staring at her. She looked back to the letter; her face frozen with confusion.
"Alright, who's messing with me?" she said loudly.

Somebody Likes Debra (Chapter 1)

On a Tuesday morning, Debra was preparing for a class experiment with a group of classmates along with several other groups of classmates in chemistry class. She tied on her cloudy, red apron before putting on her safety goggles. She then glanced upon an Asian boy, with purple streaks in his short, black hair, walking while carrying a tray of beakers and containers.
"Too heavy for you?" Debra joked.
The boy placed the tray on the laboratory table. "Very funny," he chuckled.
"I try."
"Do you understand what we're doing?"
"Yeah, we're putting the thing in the thing with the thing."
"That's very clear."
Debra giggled. "Let me read the instructions."
She picked up a pink piece of paper from the table before being approached by a fair-haired girl with bright pink lipstick.
"Debra," the girl called.
"Oh, what's up, Sally?" she looked up.
"Darrell is throwing a party on Friday night," the girl replied. "Are you coming?"
"Uh, I don't know. I don't know where he lives."
"Oh, it's that red house."
"There are a bunch of red houses."
"Yeah, but it's that red house where all of the lights are always on."
"Oh, yeah, that red house."
"So you think you can come?"
"We'll see."
"'We'll see' means yes." Sally turned around and shouted, "Darrell, Debra is going to your party!"
"That's awesome, Debbie!" said a blond, tall boy.
"I said I would see," Debra responded.
"See my house? It's the one with the lights."
"Yeah, I know. I meant I might come."
"'Might' means yes."
Debra turned, facing her other male friend. "What doesn't mean 'yes'?"
"'No! Stop! I got mace!'" replied her friend.
Debra giggled. "That's a little too over-the-top, Kyle."
Kyle slowly poured a beaker of water into a test tube. "What does Step 4 say on the paper?"
Debra looked through the pink paper, searching for Step 4. "It says, 'Add three drops of 'brother blue'."
"What?"
"'Brother-myth-theel blue'."
"Bromothymol blue?"
"I know how to read."
"Then why didn't you say it right?"
"Hey, Debbie," called a brunet boy, standing behind the table behind Debra and Kyle.
Debra turned around instantly.
"What does Step 7 mean?" the boy asked.
Debra looked at her paper. "Well, Step 7 is saying you write down what you see. What do you see?"
"I see glass cups, I see containers, I see--"
"No, Billy. What do you see when you mix the sodium hydroxide with the 'promo-menthol' blue?"
"Bromothymol blue," Kyle corrected.
"I'm not a miracle worker."
"Oh, I see that the water turned into a purple color," said Billy.
"There you go. Write it on your chart."
"Thanks, Debbie."
"No problem." She turned around, gazing at her and Kyle's progress in the experiment.
"You're always helping people," said Kyle.
"Am not."
"Are to."
"R2-D2."
"I think you're too nice."
"Too nice? Sweetie, I can be as mean as a bee if I wanted to."
"But you're not."
"I know. I guess I'm too chill."
"Yeah, too chill."
"Hey, chill is good. See this necklace?" She lifted up the loose, yarn-crafted ornament around her neck.
"Make it in kindergarten?"
"Screw you. It's a dream catcher. I wear it to sleep and get nothing but sweet dreams."
"Are you one of those people who believe in superstitions and luck?"
"Don't assume! But yes, I am one of those people."
"You know, there's no such thing as good or bad luck. So your necklace is practically a hack."
"Hey, this necklace works. I've been having good dreams ever since I put this on."
"So you had nightmares every night you slept?"
"No. But I don't anymore and it's all thanks to this baby. It's one of the reasons why I'm so chill."
"Yeah, right."
"Plus, my grandmother made this for me before she passed away a while ago."
"Whoa, I'm sorry about it."
"Just kidding! My grandmother's not dead; she's healthy. Made you sympathetic. Ha! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay. Well played. For, like, a second."
"The best second of my life."
Kyle chuckled.
"I just realized something."
"What?"
"I can barely read this paper. It's because of these dirty glasses."
"You mean goggles?"
"Stop talking to me like I'm a fifth grader."

Going Au Naturel (Chapter 5)

The next day, which happened to be a sunny Tuesday, the girls decided to call off their bet. So when they arrived to school, they were back to the way they were. When their lunch period had started, they were soon approached by the Cow Belles in the cafeteria.
"Well, well, well," Mauricia started.
"Looky here," Pamela finished.
"The girls didn't commit."
"When the bet was supposed to last for a week."
"But it's been four days."
"And you're wearing makeup."
"Which was clearly prohibited."
"Ooh, that's a big word."
"I've been reading the dictionary, also."
"My sister!"
"You guys make me sick, you know that?" said Skye.
"Whatever, loser," responded Mauricia.
"She is not a loser," Madeline turned around.
"You're right," said Pamela. "You are all losers."
"And now you need to pay up," Mauricia added.
"Since you didn't obviously win the bet."
"Now we get free shoes."
"Shoes!"
"My parents are going to kill me," muttered Madeline.
"So did you guys take a realization?" asked Mauricia.
"That you are all as fake as Santa Claus?" Pamela added.
"Saint Nick?"
"Kris Kringle?"
"Yeah, we know who Santa Claus is," said Andrea.
"But did you realize how fabulous we are compared to you?" asked Mauricia.
"No, we didn't realize," Madeline replied, standing up and facing the Cow Belles. "Because there is nothing to realize. We didn't say you two were fake. I said you two were fake. But it was my mistake because I didn't have the right definition with me. You see, fake is the opposite of real. Being real is to be yourself. Makeup and hairstyles make us who we are. We don't need it but we live it. So we are not trying to be people we're not; we're trying to be the people that we are. And we are pretty amazing."
"Wow, I never thought about it like that," said Pamela softly.
"I totally get it now," said Mauricia.
"So," Madeline continued, "can we put that bet behind us and just be ourselves?"
"What do you think, Mauricia?" Pamela asked.
"I'll say my answer if you say your answer," she responded.
"Okay."
"One, two, three..."
"No!" they said simultaneously. They began to giggle while bringing blank expressions upon the quintet's faces.
"We are so slick," said Pamela.
"Yes, we are," Mauricia nodded.
"You're not getting off that easily."
"A bet's a bet."
"So we want our shoes."
"And we want them by Friday."
"Maddie, can I borrow some money?" whispered Lizzie to her.
Madeline glared at Lizzie's question.
"You know what?" she said, looking at the Cow Belles and crossing her arms. "I knew this was going to happen. You girls haven't changed since kindergarten so there was no way you two were going to crack today."
"We're just too strong," said Pamela.
"Oh, I agree. You two are so very strong that I convinced my friend, Calvin Layfield, who is a pretty good journalist, to publish a couple of pictures of you two to go with your fashion show story in the newspaper."
The Cow Belles' faces went from pleasured to disgusted.
"What pictures?" Mauricia asked menacingly.
"Oh, you know," said Madeline, "the ones that you posted on Facebook from your slumber party last year."
The Cow Belles gasped.
"Well, tell your friend to not use them!" demanded Pamela.
"Oh, I'm afraid the damage is done, my friend," smiled Madeline. "I recommended the pictures last week so they are already in today's newspaper, which a bunch of people are reading right now."
The Cow Belles turned around and spotted many students reading the school newspaper at their tables. The ones who obviously saw the pictures, which were ninety percent of those students, saw the two girls and instantly started pointing and laughing.
"And Pamela..." Madeline continued.
The Cow Belles turned back around with flushed faces.
"What a zit! Have you been watering that thing?"
Pamela groaned and walked away from the girls. Mauricia groaned as well and stomped away from the girls, following her best friend.
Madeline sat down on the bench and said, "That's how you do it, girls!"
The girls laughed and cheered.
"Did you see the looks on their faces?" inquired Lizzie. "Can you spell 'priceless'?"
"That was quite evil of you, Maddie," said Andrea.
"I know," Madeline responded. "I'm sinister."
"They really did had some monster pimples on their faces back then," said Skye. "Facebook, you are a blessing."
"I felt like you shouldn't have done that," confessed Debra.
"Really?" Madeline responded.
"Yeah, it was a little too much."
"Oh, that does sound like something you would say. You don't feel any good about it?"
"No."
"No?"
"Okay, I'm lying. That felt so good! I just didn't want to break out from my aura."
"We were all breaking out during that bet," commented Lizzie. "That's for sure."
"I never got to go out with Kevin Christie again," Andrea pouted.
"Hey, you will find other boys," said Madeline. "At least he saw your true colors... I didn't mean it like that."
Andrea crushed her lips together as the girls laughed.
"I think she's trying to say," said Debra, "is that if a boy can't like what's under, he doesn't deserve what's over."
"I would've said that so differently," Madeline commented.
"Either way, Kevin is not for you."
"I can't believe we freaked out over not wearing our makeup," giggled Lizzie.
"Yeah, that was crazy," said Skye.
"You can't come between a girl and her makeup," said Madeline.
"You got that right, sister," Andrea agreed.
"Girls, even though we live in makeup, we're pretty beautiful with and without it."
"I agree," said Debra.
The rest of the girls nodded and agreed.
"So have you guys seen Living Single?" asked Debra.
"Let it go, old person," said Andrea, before sipping her open can of orange soda.

Going Au Naturel (Chapter 4)

On a Monday morning, before class even started, Andrea laid down her shimmery, gold binder on her desk and began setting it up for world history. After getting out a fuzzy, cheetah pen from her pencil bag, a girl with light brown hair and a green, polka-dotted tank top approached her.
"Hey," the girl greeted.
Andrea turned her body around in her chair. "Oh, hey, Kendra," she smiled. "What's up?"
"I got some news."
"Spill it."
"Do you still talk to Kevin?"
"Now and then."
"Well, I heard him talking and it turns out that he has a crush on you."
"Shut the back door!"
"It's true!"
"Is that it?"
"No. I've also heard that he is going to ask you out... again!"
"Shut the kitchen window!"
"It's true!"
"When is he going to ask me out?"
"Today."
"Right now?"
"Yes!"
"Turn the bathroom light off!"
"Keeping it on!"
Andrea stood up. "Should I just go up to him? You know, talk a little until he spills it out?"
"Go for it, girl."
Andrea tilted her body to look over Kendra. She noticed that her friend, Kevin, had just entered the classroom. She straightened her body to face Kendra. "Oh, he has arrived. How do I look?" She combed her naturally curly hair with her fingers.
"Is it that your real skin color?"
"Shut up, Kendra."
She passed Kendra and walked towards Kevin, who had just laid down his notebooks on his desk.
"Hey, Kevin," she stopped and smiled.
Kevin turned around and instantly flinched, widening his eyes. "Whoa," he said, breathlessly. "What happened to your... everything?"
Andrea smiled awkwardly. "Well, this may sound stupid but I made a bet with some girls. And now, I can't wear makeup for a few days so I can win."
He chuckled, awkwardly as well. "You don't say."
"So how's your day?"
"It's been well. Just chillin'."
"Me, too."
He nodded, making Andrea nod.
Suddenly, the school rang, making most of the teenagers in the classroom sit in their seats.
"Oh, the bell rung," said Kevin. "Guess we have to sit down now. Don't want the teacher to shout at us when he gets here."
Andrea erased her smile. "Oh, okay," she chuckled a bit. "Before I sit, is there anything you want to tell me? You know, just in case?"
Kevin's eyes moved away from Andrea's face. "No," he chuckled awkwardly. "No, no."
Kevin sat down in his seat before Andrea turned and went to her seat with a puzzled look on her face.

Later that day, Andrea asked Madeline if she could come over her house to talk. Madeline, of course, agreed but decided to invite the other girls over for their advice. So when all of the girls had arrived, Andrea was already infuriated.
"How could he change his mind like that?" she said, pacing back and forth in Madeline's bedroom. "I was so excited."
"I am so sorry, Andrea," said Madeline.
"I was looking forward to being in a relationship with Kevin Christie. But if he is going to act like that, then just forget about it."
"I totally agree."
"You know, people can't look the same all the time. You can't switch your brain off and on about a person you know you like."
"Totally, you are beautiful with or without her makeup."
"Well, I'm getting tired of it."
"What?"
"I love my makeup. I love my tan! I've had that tan for over twelve years. It is who I am. It is what makes me happy."
"What are you trying to say, Andy?" asked Lizzie.
"I'm trying to say... that I don't want to win this bet."
Madeline stood up from sitting on the bed. "What?"
"You heard me: I can't do this anymore."
"Yes, you can!"
"No, I can't. I'm a pale freak!"
"You're pale but not a freak," said Debra.
"Either way, I don't like being pale. I like being tan. I love being tan. I am Latina!"
"Latina people don't need to be tan," Madeline said softly. "They embrace their inner beauty."
"Well, my inner beauty is telling me that this bet can take a rocket ship off to the sun!"
"You can't quit. We can't quit. Four more days and we win."
"Madeline, it has been three days of us doing this bet. There are seven days in a week. Three times two is six plus another day is seven. Do you know how long that seems?"
"When you stretch it out mathematically like that, then yes, it does seem long," Skye stated.
"You and your talking," Andrea growled. "Don't you miss Tabitha?"
"Hey! Only I can say her name. One who misses must be the one who declares."
"What are you talking about?"
Skye paused. "I miss my pink streak. I'm quitting this bet!"
"Hang on for just one minute," Madeline shouted. "You two cannot walk away from this bet."
"Why not?" questioned Andrea, walking closer to Madeline. "We're people and people walk."
"Listen, I am not buying the Cow Belles shoes. Plus, we don't need makeup and tans and hair dye to be beautiful. Everybody's born beautiful."
"I agree with Maddie," said Debra. "We're beautiful just the way we are."
Lizzie squinted her eyes at Debra. "Ugh, Debbie..."
"What is it, Lizzie?"
"That pimple is off-the-charts."
"Pimple?!" She stood up from Madeline's black-and-white, polka-dotted chair. She bolted out of the bedroom, finding the bathroom.
"Debbie, people get pimples all the time," shouted Madeline. "It's not a big deal."
"I know it's not a big deal," said Debra, coming back into the bedroom. "But I have been drinking too water to even get pimples! I need my foundation."
"You don't need anything."
"You want to make a bet, sis'?" Debra growled evilly.
"Oh, crap."
"Maddie, let's just let it go since no one wants to be apart of this anymore," Lizzie insisted.
"But we have to prove our point."
"Okay, the point was that we were not fake," said Andrea. "So we skimmed everything that was 'supposedly' making us seem fake. But we are not using makeup and hair to be beautiful. We are using it as a way to express ourselves. It is what makes us different from everybody else. We know we don't need it but it's who we are. Does it really make us fake if we're trying to be who we want to be?"
Madeline sighed. "No. No, I see your point. But we promised that we would hold on. Can't we just hold on for the next four days?"
As Madeline continued to ramble, Skye dug into her jeans' pocket and pulled out a small mirror. She walked towards Madeline, with no hesitation, and held up the mirror in front of Madeline's face.
"But I'm sure we can-- Holy crap!" Madeline responded as she looked at her own reflection, seeing her pimples and dark marks. "Good lord! Turn the camera off," she pointed towards the camera on the tripod. "Turn it off!"
Startled by Madeline's yelling, Lizzie hopped out of her seat and ran over to the video camera to press the 'Stop' button.

Going Au Naturel (Chapter 3)

The weekend came and the girls' bet had already started. Once they woke up, they instantly remembered what they had to do. In the morning, they made sure that they had no makeup on, no hair extensions or anything that involved beauty and putting it on.
Later that Saturday, Madeline called her friends and invited them over just to hang out. All of the girls agreed and after Madeline put her signature, preppy clothes on, Lizzie was the first to arrive.
Madeline opened her door as she heard the doorbell ring. "Hey, Doll," she greeted.
"Hey, Maddie," Lizzie greeted back, angling her cellphone at her as she was taping a video before arriving.
They stared at each other for a while.
"Wow," Lizzie giggled. "I haven't seen you without makeup for a long time."
"Same to you. Well, come on in."
Lizzie walked into the house as Madeline closed the door behind her. They both walked upstairs to the bedroom.
"When did you get up?" asked Lizzie.
"Eight O'clock, so I've been makeup free for five hours."
"Oh. Four hours. Woke up at nine."
"Ugh, you're always waking up so late."
Lizzie giggled. "But you look good without makeup on."
"Thanks. So do you."
"Thank you. I feel so free."
"Me, too."
They both nodded as they entered Madeline's bedroom. A second after, the doorbell rang again.
"Ugh," groaned Madeline, "we just walked upstairs. But it's okay; it's probably Andrea."
"What if it's Debra? Or Skye?"
"Does it really matter, Liz'?"
Madeline exited the bedroom into the hallway to go downstairs to the door. She unlocked the door and opened it to Andrea.
"Hola, Maddie," Andrea greeted, pointing her cellphone at Madeline.
"Hi, Andy," Madeline said. She looked at Andrea up and down, noticing how pasty her skin was. "You're pale," she continued.
"Yeah, I'm not wearing bronzer," said Andrea.
"Oh, I see. Well, come on in."
Madeline closed the door after Andrea stepped in. They both walked together upstairs.
"I really want to win that bet," said Andrea. "A year of no Cow Belles? That's dreamland."
"I know! We are not buying them shoes and that is a promise."
"Actually, me and Lizzie were thinking about just you buying them the shoes."
"Andrea, I am not rich; my parents are rich."
"Okay, keep saying that to yourself."
"You know, it is not hard to go without makeup and a hairdo. This bet is going to be easy as pie."
"Easy-peezy, lemon-squeezy pie."
"Never say that again, okay?"
"Hey, Mads," said Lizzie from a pink wooden chair as the girls entered the bedroom, "I just noticed that you have a camera with a tripod." She pointed towards a video camera stand in the corner of the room by the pink-sheeted bed.
"You're just noticing that?" Madeline inquired.
"That camera's on?" asked Andrea.
"Yep. I had this camera forever and the Belles said that to record ourselves so why not use it?"
"This thing hasn't recorded you undressing or anything, right?"
"Oh, God, no. I did that against the wall behind the camera so it wouldn't see me."
"Oh, that's smart," commented Lizzie.
Madeline smiled and walked toward her closet to open it.
"Maddie has to be lying," whispered Lizzie to Andrea. "We got to watch that camera."
Andrea nodded.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"And boom goes the dynamite," said Madeline.
"I'll get it," said Andrea.
"Thank you, Andrea."
Andrea walked out of the bedroom, heading to the door downstairs.
"What are you looking for?" asked Lizzie.
Madeline pulled out a big, plastic, rectangular bag with a makeup products and supplies inside. "My beauty kit."
"Your emergency beauty kit?"
"No, it's my regular one. But I do think of beauty as an emergency. Like what if a cute guy wants to talk to me?"
"Well, I know you're not going to bring that with you."
Madeline chuckled. "Of course. I don't need it." She then faced the camera on the tripod. "You hear that, Pam and Maury? I don't need it!"
"Ha-ha. Pam and Maury. That's funny."
Madeline threw her beauty bag into the closet.
Seconds afterward, Andrea, Debra and Skye entered the bedroom with their fresh faces.
"Hey, girls," greeted Madeline.
"Hey," Debra and Skye greeted back.
"Maddie, is that white girl really Andrea?" Debra asked.
"Yes, she surprisingly is," answered Madeline.
"Oh, sorry, Andrea."
"Whatever, Debbie," said Andrea with crossed arms.
"I forgot your hair is brown," said Lizzie to Debra.
"Yeah, I dyed it red every day," responded Debra. "But since we can't dye our hair for the bet, I guess I got to live with this. For a week. Yay."
"Sweet camera," Skye commented, looking at Madeline's video camera.
"Thanks," said Madeline. "I got it two years ago. Thought it would be perfect for our bet."
"Cool."
"What would be cool is to decrease the time of the bet," admitted Andrea. "I feel so nude."
"Come on, Andy," said Lizzie. "This bet just started and you can't give up now."
"She's right, Andy," said Madeline. "Lizzie got some terrible circles on her eyes and you don't see her complaining."
"Yeah. What?"
"They're not that bad, Liz'."
"You said 'terrible'. That's more than bad. Or is it the same?"
"You got circles on your eyes, too, Maddie," said Andrea.
"I know," Madeline responded, "and they are going to stay there forever. But that is who we are. And we can be ourselves which makes this bet so easy."
"Yeah, I totally agree," said Skye. "My pink streak is gone but do you hear me crying and whining? No because this is what my hair looks like. Although I do miss it. Just a teeny bit. I called it Tabitha-- "
"Skye--"
"But I don't care."
"As long as none of us caves, we got this in the bag. We're going to get through this and get through it together."
All of the girls agreed energetically. Then their cheers simmered down into confused, awkward looks by just one minute.

Going Au Naturel (Chapter 2)

The next day, when the last period had ended, the girls met up in a hallway and walked together to leave the school. After they chatted about their day, they were unexpectedly stopped by the Cow Belles as they popped from the end of a hallway and jumped in front of them.
"Hello, girls," said Mauricia.
"Nice to see you again," Pamela added.
"What do you want, Mary-Kate and Ashley?" asked Andrea after sighing.
"Oh, we wanted to talk," said Mauricia.
"Talk about you," said Pamela.
Madeline scoffed. "About what?"
"Remember when you said that we were fake?" asked Mauricia.
"Which we're not," added Pamela.
"Well, we did some research and learned that you guys are total hypocrites."
"We got you."
"What are you talking about?" Lizzie asked, making a face.
"We went online yesterday and searched up all of you," Mauricia confessed.
"We read some info about you," said Pamela, "and studied your weaknesses, your preferences and your necessities."
"How do you know that word?" Skye asked.
"I have a dictionary."
"Anyway," Mauricia continued, "we have learned that we are not the only fake people in the school."
"We're not implying that we are by the way."
"You girls practically wear makeup every day and can't go outside without it."
"You also wear padded bras and dye your hair."
"But you girls wear makeup and everything else," said Madeline.
"And you're judging us for that?" Mauricia inquired. "How crazy is that, Pamela?"
"So crazy," she answered.
"You guys are no different than us and you're calling us fake?"
"I bet you can't go a week without using your 'disguises'."
"You'd last a day."
"Maybe for twenty-three hours."
"Maybe less."
"Maybe never."
"Why do you two take turns talking?" asked Skye.
"Hey, we can go a long period of time without our makeup or other necessities," said Madeline.
"Yeah, when you're in the house," said Mauricia.
Pamela laughed.
"I bet we can actually go a week without our 'disguises', even if we have to go to school," Lizzie insisted.
"So you want to make that bet?" asked Pamela.
The girls looked at each other for reactions. From their glances, they studied that they all had the same reaction: confusion.
"How hard can it be?" Madeline inquired. "We're not fake and we can show you."
The girls agreed.
"Alright, then we have a bet," said Mauricia.
"You have to go through one week," said Pamela, "without makeup, padded bras, hair dye, shaving, plucking, waxing, trimming, straightening, hair extensions, and bronzer."
"I don't wear bronzer," Madeline made a face.
"We know," said Mauricia, "but Andrea does."
"You may be as dark as your friend, Synclaire, over there," said Pamela, "but we know you are as pale as an ashy ghost."
"Crap," Andrea muttered.
"What happens if we win?" asked Debra.
"If you girls win, which is never going to happen," Mauricia started, "we will leave you alone for a whole year."
"Sounds like heaven," Skye commented.
"But if we win, which is going to happen," added Pamela, "you girls have to buy us shoes."
"Lots of shoes," Mauricia grinned.
"Madeline, you're rich, so we're already prepared," Lizzie whispered to her.
"I'm not buying these aliens shoes." said Madeline. "We're going to win."
"So then it's settled," said Pamela.
"The bet starts tomorrow," Mauricia confirmed.
Andrea groaned.
"And you have to do without your needs even if we can't see you," stated Pamela. "So film yourselves when you're at home."
"Or taking a walk," Mauricia included. "Anything outside of school."
"It's a bet," said Madeline.
"Great," said Pamela.
"Can't wait to get those new shoes," Mauricia smiled.
The Cow Belles interlocked arms and walked away from the girls together.
"I hate them so much," Debra confessed.
"Agreed," said Madeline, "but we can do this. We'll show them how we do it."
"At least they didn't say we couldn't use lotion," said Lizzie.
The girls agreed with Lizzie as they started to walk again.

Going Au Naturel (Chapter 1)

"You're just having a granola bar?" asked Madeline to Skye while opening her lunch bag.
Skye unwrapped her bar. "Yeah, it's tasty."
"But don't you want something bigger?" recommended Andrea. "Like a banana? Or a Gatorade? A turkey sandwich?"
"I don't eat chicken."
"Well, excuse me."
"Granola bars give me that extra energy."
"Yeah, in the morning," said Madeline. "But it's lunchtime."
"Well, this was all I brought. So if it's meant to be eaten, then eat it."
"Like chicken," said Andrea.
"Shut up," Skye scowled.
"Speaking of chicken, the Cow Belles have already arrived," Madeline said with her head turned.
The girls looked in the same direction to gaze at two girls far from their table: one Caucasian, one African-American. They were dressed similar to one another and talking to a short, blonde girl in a pink jacket.
"Why do we call them the Cow Belles again?" asked Lizzie.
"Because one is black and the other is white," Andrea answered.
"I thought Pamela was Polish," said Debra.
"And isn't Mauricia half-Chilean?" asked Lizzie.
"Wow, I love my racist friends," Skye joked.
"Hey, we're not racist," said Madeline, turning around. "We just don't know."
"What are they talking about?" asked Debra, still looking.
"What don't they talk about?" said Madeline. "They could be saying her jacket's not cute; they could be saying her hair is too flat; they could be saying her chest is not big."
The girls then witnessed the blonde girl crying into the palms of her hands and running out of the cafeteria.
"Or it could be all of the above," said Lizzie.
"That poor girl," Debra put her hand on her chest.
"Please, she owed me money," Andrea rolled her eyes.
"Andrea, what a terrible thing to say!"
"I say terrible things all the time. Do I mean them sometimes? No. Do I still say them? Yes."
"I know I feel bad," admitted Madeline.
"Those girls need a talking to," said Debra.
"Like they would listen," said Lizzie.
Andrea started to notice the Cow Belles walking more closer and closer to the girls' table. "Where are they going?" she asked.
"Don't come here, don't come here, don't come here..." Skye muttered.
The Cow Belles kept walking until they were inches away from the table.
"Well, hello girls," said the Caucasian girl with brown hair and green eyes.
"Dang it," Skye whispered to herself.
"We've noticed you girls staring at us," noted the African-American girl with black hair and hazel eyes.  
"So what, Mauricia?" Madeline sassed.
"So staring is rude. Sometimes you got to keep your eyes to yourselves. Ain't that right, Pamela?"
"Right," Pamela replied. "We don't be looking at you."
"Maybe that's because you're intimidated by us," Andrea responded.
"Intimidated?" Mauricia repeated. "We're the most fabulous girls in the school. You're intimidated by us."
"Yeah," said Pamela, "saying that we're intimidated by you is like saying that rabbits don't like carrots."
"That's a lie."
"A straight-up lie."
"So is that all why you two came over here?" asked Madeline, rolling her eyes.
"Pretty much," said Mauricia. "You just need to treat us with some respect."
"You couldn't spell 'respect' if you two were singing an Aretha Franklin song," said Lizzie.
Lizzie and Madeline high-fived.
"And you couldn't spell 'Louboutins' if they were nailed to your feet," said Pamela.
"Oh!" Mauricia uttered before high-fiving Pamela.
Lizzie scrunched her eyebrow. "Well, that's clever. You still talked to that girl rudely."
"Oh, you mean Jamie?" asked Pamela.
"Jamie owes me twelve dollars," mumbled Andrea.
"We were just talking to Jamie," continued Pamela, "and giving her advice."
"Advice that she needed right away," Mauricia added.
"So we basically was helping her, which is nice of us by the way."
"So nice."
"I don't care what you told that Jamie girl," said Debra. "She left crying and you should apologize to her."
"Oh, mind your business, Synclaire," said Pamela.
"Synclaire?" Debra mouthed to herself.
"Look, Pamela and Mauricia," Madeline started, "you two have no business coming up to us like this. If you don't want to talk, then don't talk. Plus, this area is only for real people and you two are fake. So goodbye."
"Oh, we're fake?" questioned Mauricia.
"Dolls are fake; Santa's fake; gold from China is fake," Pamela listed. "Do we look like gold from China?"
"No, but you look like trash from China," replied Skye. "Actually, trash from any country."
The girls laughed with the Cow Belles just glaring at them.
"Oh, we are not fake," said Mauricia. "We'll tell you that."
"We're passed fake," said Pamela. "But we'll show you fake."
"We'll show you fake like never before."
The Cow Belles walked away from the girls arm-in-arm, mimicking each other's sashay.
"I can't believe those girls," said Skye.
"They make me sick," said Andrea. "I don't know why they bother."
"Who's Synclaire?" Debra asked.
The girls looked at her, all with confused expressions.

Andrea's New Boyfriend (Chapter 5)

"Hey, Madeline," Skye greeted, spotting Madeline entering the cafeteria on a Monday afternoon and walking towards the table.
"Hey, Skye," she greeted, sitting down in her spot of the table bench and laying her lunch bag on the table. "Hey, girls."
The other girls greeted back.
"Still wearing pants?" asked Lizzie.
"Yeah," Madeline replied. "My scabs won't go away."
"It's been, like, a week," Skye noted.
"Well, scabs should go away in two days," Madeline responded. "But I guess I got to wait a month."
"So, Andrea..." Skye said softly. "How was your weekend?"
Andrea rolled her lips in. She paused for a while but then spit out, "Me and Ricardo broke up."
Madeline gasped. "What?"
"It wasn't working out," Andrea continued.
"Andy, I hope this has nothing to do with me," said Debra. "Because I wasn't trying to break you guys up."
"I know. I started to think and now I know."
"So I didn't break you guys up?"
"No."
"Whoa. Well, praise Jesus."
"Why did you guys break up?" asked Lizzie.
"He told me if I was going to continue to date him, I had to stop being friends with you all," answered Andrea.
"What?" Skye's eyes widened.
Madeline dug through her lunch bag. "Where are my matches?"
"He gave you a choice?" asked Debra.
"Pretty much," Andrea replied.
"I am so sorry."
"It's okay. I thought we would last but stuff like this happens."
"I just started to remember: I don't carry my matches with me," said Madeline.
"Why do you have matches?" Lizzie questioned.
"My mother gave them to me for 'an emergency'."
"What would be the emergency be?" asked Skye. "To light some fireworks on the fourth of July?"
Andrea giggled, making all of the girls giggle.
"That is a true emergency," Andrea said through her giggles, "to use your matches for."
Madeline's giggles turned into loud laughs. "Aw, you're smiling."
"I guess I am."
"When there are bad days, you just need to laugh," said Debra.
"Thank you, Mohandas Gandhi."
"Welcome back!"
"I never left."
"Well, if you were to, then... welcome back."
"I just can't believe Ricardo would say that to you," said Lizzie to Andrea. "That jerk on a stick."
Andrea giggled again. "Oh, he was about to be."
"What?"
"After he told me to stop being friends with you guys, I threaten to hurt him with my grandfather's cane then broke up with him."
"You threatened him?"
"Actually, I did it. I did hurt him. If I say it, I'll do it."
"Classic Andrea," said Madeline. "That's why I love you."
"Debra, I am sorry for shouting at you a couple days ago. I guess I was a little blinded by love."
"No, you were a lot blinded by love," said Debra. "You were a lot blinded."
"Okay, don't rub it in my face."
"We're sorry for that we even got pestered by your excessive chattering about your boyfriend."
"We just want to let you know that we were happy for you," said Lizzie.
"I know," said Andrea. "Y'all my girls and you were being honest. I'm sorry for the way I acted when I was with him."
"Sorry things didn't work out between you and Ricardo," said Madeline.
"That's okay. I'll find someone new."
"Promise not to talk about him so much?" Skye recommended.
Andrea glared at Skye playfully. "I'll try."
"As long as we have each other, that is all what matters," said Madeline. "Plus, you can date Ricardo's drug-using friend to get back at him."
"Okay, that sounds like a plan."
Madeline stared at her in a serious way. "Dude, I was kidding. Don't do that."
"I thought Ricardo said his friend used to do drugs," Lizzie said.
"So you're agreeing with him?"
"No, I--"
"Don't agree with the enemy. Enemies lie and wear pants that are too tight."
"Ricardo did wear small jeans, didn't he?" Andrea questioned.
"A thing you actually don't like about him," Skye commented.
"Actually, I don't really--"
"No!"
Debra snickered a bit.
"Whatever," Andrea responded. "I pick good friends over bad boyfriends anyway. I can't date someone who insults my amigas."
"Wait, he insulted us, too?" asked Lizzie.
"Yeah, he called you nappy."
"Nappy?" said Madeline. "I'll have you know that I use an InStyler. Nothing nappy about that."
"His face is nappy," Skye muttered to herself.
"So, guys, I have a question," said Andrea.
"And that is?" Madeline responded.
"You guys weren't really annoyed with me talking about Ricardo, were you?"
The girls answered the question at once with comments, all agreeing that they were annoyed.
"I wanted to cut my ears off like Van Gogh," Debra had the last word.