Sixteen-year-old, Kami, studied her reflection in the make-up mirror, groaned, then tossed her brush onto her dresser. “I’m not going out in public until I’m 85.”
“Now what,” her best friend, Tasha, quipped from Kami’s bed behind her.
Kami turned around to face Tasha and pointed to her right eye. “Are you blind? Just look at this! No amount of makeup is going to cover this up. Besides. It’s your fault.”
“It’s not my fault that your stupid dog head-butted you in the face during rough play.”
“It wasn’t ‘rough play’. We were playing tug-of-war and Zeus let go at a crucial tugging moment.”
“I don’t see how that’s my fault when I was sitting on the grass beside you guys.”
“You were laughing and distracted him.”
Tasha pulled herself up to sitting, her legs dangling over the side of the mattress. “You know that it takes a lot to make me laugh but c’mon, Kam. You guys looked ridiculous. And I didn’t laugh until he let go of the toy, it hit you in the face, then he jumped up to recover it, thus knocking you flat out on your back.”
“Yeah, just when Andreas was going on his after school jog. He probably thinks I am such a knob.”
“Well, he did stop and ask if you were okay. Although you may not remember that since you were in a doggie toy induced concussion. Besides, the dog seemed concerned.”
Kami glared at Tasha for a few silent seconds, then they burst into giggles.
“Okay, seriously,” Kami recomposed herself. “What am I going to do? It’s swollen and has moved into the purplish black stage of healing.”
“All we’re doing is going for our weekly study coffee run. I mean, who cares? No one will notice.”
Kami raised an eyebrow. “Again? I think you need a stronger prescription for your contacts.”
“Oh for God’s sake,” Tasha got up, fluffed out her naturally curly hair and repressed a yawn. “You wouldn’t even care if Andreas didn’t work at the coffee shop. Besides, think of it as a…conversation opener.”
“A ‘conversation opener’? A conversation opener would be, ‘So, did you watch the Super Bowl?’, not ‘Did you know that a bag of frozen veggies has more uses than just for sustenance? I really think they should be included in all First Aid kits.’”
“Alright, look,” Tasha responded, coughing away another giggle. “I cannot skip our coffee date before having to spend a good part of the evening studying chemistry. I have enough problems staying awake in class. Besides, if you put on any more makeup, you’ll pass for a Kardashian.” She dug through her bag and pulled out a pair of small, round, purple-tinged mirrored sunglasses. “Here. They were my mom’s. You can cover up in a most cool and fashionable way.”
Suddenly, a twinge of guilt smothered Kami’s self-conscious sarcasm. “Tash, I can’t wear your mom’s shades. Wouldn’t it be kinda weird?”
“Look, my mom wore these right up until she was too tired to fight the cancer and finally let go. She said she wanted to go out with her favorite Beatle with her.” Tasha fiddled with the arms of the glasses. “Besides, she loved you and she’d want you to wear them.”
“I…I dunno…”
Tasha clicked her tongue and stuck her arm out at Kami. “Just put the stupid shades on, already. My grandma gave them to me after they’d gone through all Mom’s stuff but every time I put them on, they slip off and get lost in the abyss of my hair.”
Kami looked at the sunglasses, then at Tasha.
“Just try them,” Tasha’s voice cracked, tears flooding her lower lids. “Someone should wear them. She knew you loved the Beatles too.”
“Fine,” Kami gently took the glasses and put them on. “Well?”
Tasha shrugged and folded her arms. “What can I say? They look a lot better on you. Fit better too. Maybe your face is bigger than mine.”
Kami shot her best friend a dead-pan stare. “It’s not bigger. The swelling is just preventing the slippage.”
The girls laughed again until a twinge of pain shot into Kami’s cheek bone. She took in a sharp breath through clenched teeth, then checked herself in the mirror.
“Alright, let’s just go,” Kami said, grabbing her mini backpack. “The shades are covering what they need to. I just hope I don’t sneeze.”
Tasha reached for her own bag. “I think you’ll be just fine. Just don’t face plant into any coffee equipment.”
“Hilarious, really. You should really take that out on the road.”
“Nah. I hate attention.”
They told Kami’s mom where they were going, then started down the block. “I’ll give these back to you later.”
Tasha smiled. “Keep ‘em until the swelling and bruising goes down and they start slipping off your face. No rush. I know where to find you.”
“Yeah, I know. I gotta do something about that.” Kami’s tone turned more solemn as she touched the shades gently with her fingertips. “You know, you’re mom was pretty cool.”
Tasha punched Kami in the shoulder and said, “Yeah. Where do you think I get it from? Now shut up and serenade me with In My Life there Lennon girl.”
In my life, I love you more.
