Page 13 of Finding My Charming

The drive at this time of night was quiet, and I was able to sneak into the house undetected. I was almost to my room when April stepped out of the bathroom. She had her hair wrapped in a towel and had a green face masque on.

I grimaced. “That’s not a good look, sis.”

She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “It keeps my skin clear and even.” She gave me an appraising look. “You should try it.”

April is such a brat.

“You wouldn’t need to do that if you didn’t wear so much makeup.”

“At least I know what makeup is! Seriously, Elise. It’s embarrassing how you walk around like that.” My sister gestured from my feet to my head.

“Thanks, April. Nice chatting.” I stepped around her and shut my bedroom door behind me. I might not take an hour every morning to get ready, but that didn’t mean I looked like an ogre… right?

No. I wasn’t going to let her get to me. Just to be sure, I texted Ari for some positive reinforcement.

Her response made me laugh so hard I had tears running down my makeup-free face. She’d sent me a picture of a cartoon ogre and titled it April then a picture of a princess and added my name. Totally cheesy and immature, but it was exactly what I needed.

Chapter 6

i would never, ever admit it out loud, but April had gotten to me. Just a tiny bit. I’d spent most of high school studying and keeping up with my extracurriculars so I’d get into Lincoln University. That was something I should be proud of, but April had a way of getting under my skin and planting seeds of doubt.

Sure, I’d rarely worn makeup, and maybe it had contributed to the fact that I’d never been on a real date. I’d never had a boyfriend, but what was the point when I knew for a fact that it wasn’t going to last. I had a magical little charm that told me it was okay to miss out on the normal high school drama because, in reality, I wasn’t missing out on much.

I repeated this to myself while standing in front of the bathroom mirror holding a blush brush. It couldn’t hurt to try something new, right? It wasn’t like I was giving up all of my standards. I wasn’t morally opposed to wearing makeup. I just found it frivolous.

An eighteen-year-old girl afraid of a little makeup. April should sell tickets to people to come see the freak show.

I took a deep breath and swiped the pink dust on one cheek then the next. Nothing seemed to be different. Turning slightly side to side, I caught hints of shimmer, but for the most part, it blended well into my skin.

That wasn’t so bad. I didn’t look like a completely different person, or more importantly, I didn’t look like April.

I considered stopping but figured it was better to go big than go home. I took a peek in April’s enormous makeup bag and found a gold tube of mascara. At least that was what I hoped it was.

After twisting the cap and pumping a few times like I’d always seen Beth and April do, I held the wand up to my face. One deep breath later I leaned forward and opened my eyes wide. One-two-three swipes later, and I stepped back to inspect the damage.

Hmm… Not too shabby. No black marks on my cheeks or forehead. I repeated on the other eye and examined my work.

I looked like me… just amplified. My long lashes stood out dramatically in a way I was sure would make April jealous. Maybe I can do this after all.

No one in my family seemed to notice my mini-makeover when I got downstairs and went straight to the fridge for my orange juice. I sat on my stool and watched Dad ignore everyone around him while reading the paper. How long had it taken him to develop the ability to drown us out? Living with four women was no small feat, I was sure, but he had somehow survived seemingly intact.

Before I had the chance to ask him his secret, April shrieked.

“You used my makeup!”

My mom looked between us, appearing confused.

“Yeah.” She was the one that made a big deal about me going bare-faced. Did she think I was going to go out and buy my own when she had enough to make over the population of our town? No way.

“Why are you wearing my makeup?” Her voice grew high with each word. It was remarkable really.

“You’ve been hounding me about it for years. I figured I’d give it a shot.” I took the last gulp of my drink and stood to rinse it out.

“That wasn’t an invitation to use mine, Elise!”

I shot a look at Mom, who was creeping closer to me, then back at April.

“You didn’t say not to either. I thought you’d be happy now that I’m taking your advice. You know, so I don’t embarrass you anymore.” I gave her a sweet smile.