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“Sorry to tell you that you’re going to end up a failure like the other tutors. I’m just a dumbass I guess.”
“No, you’re not,” I suddenly snap. Ihateit when people think that about themselves just because they don’t get somethingacademic. “Don’t put yourself down like that! I should say something nice about yourself just for doing that.”
Olivia looks at me with wide eyes. “I, um … I’m really good at percentages,” she says with a sniffle. “I can even do them in my head sometimes.”
“See? You’re not a dumbass at all. That’s actually useful. You can figure out tips and what sale prices will be.”
She laughs. I realize belatedly that she’s probably never bought anything on sale in her life, but at least she’s smiling now.
“Thanks for trying, I guess,” she says as her face begins to fall again.
I hate seeing her so down on herself. Lucky for her, and for my employment prospects, I’m way too stubborn to give up on her yet. “Look, there are other ways to do these problems. Between you and me, they don’t do a good job explaining this. I can teach you a few tricks so you can at least pass the test, but you’ll have to be careful to show your work the way you’re supposed to,” I tell her.
For the next hour, we hunker down. By the end, we’re both exhausted, but Olivia’s a lot more optimistic about her skills.
“You’re a genius,” she says, marveling at her set of correctly completed math problems. “Thanks for not making me feel like an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot at all,” I reassure her. “You just needed a different explanation to get the same answers.”
“It’s only because of you that I know how to even get that right answer,” she smiles. Suddenly, her expression becomes curious. She looks at me intently. “Are you allowed to wear makeup?”
I blink at her. Am Iallowed? I have to fight snorting with laughter. My dad doesn’t care what I do with my face. Honestly, I don’t know think he’d even notice if I came home painted green like Shrek.
Still, the truth of it is that I just can’t afford makeup. Not even from the drugstore. All of the money I make is spoken for before it even hits my bank account. “Yeah. I just …”
Before I can find a way to explain that I’m too broke to buy products, Olivia is pulling me to my feet. “Oh my god, youhaveto let me do your makeup. Pretty please?”
She pouts at me cutely and bats her lashes. Her enthusiasm is so off-putting that I’m almost offended. Is there something about my face that needs fixing? The zit rearing its ugly head on my chin must be more obvious than I thought.
As soon as I tell her yes, she pulls me into her ensuite bathroom with a delighted squeal.
“My dad’s got high hopes for me going to his alma mater and getting a business master’s or a law degree, but honestly, it doesn’t really excite me,” she explains as she starts pulling different products out of her drawers.
“What do you actually want to do, then?” I ask her.
“Right now, I just want to go to cosmetology school and become a makeup artist.”
“Elle Woods went to law school, you know. She’s good at makeup.”
Olivia’s eyes light up as she starts to pat a product onto my skin. “Oh my god, you’re totally right.”
“You don’t have to choose makeup or law school,” I shrug.
“Stay still,” she scolds me. “Shit, you’ve got such nice skin.”
“That’s a total lie. I’ve got a zit the size of New Jersey coming in on my chin.”
“Nothing a little concealer can’t fix!” she says with a knowing smirk. “Maybe we’ll do a bold lip to distract from it though.”
In the blink of an eye, Olivia works her magic. After she’s done, I barely recognize myself, but in a good way. I mean, I have to get super close to the mirror to even see that chin zit!
I almost feel like a real adult. I feel confident and pretty, neither of which I’ve really never felt about myself before.
“You’re amazing,” I gasp. “A total miracle worker.”
She shrugs. “You’re a good canvas.”
My heart sinks as I look at the time. I have to leave soon if I’m going to get home in time to change and get ready for my next work shift. As she starts walking me out to the living area, I think about how much fun it was to talk to her as she did my makeup. I’m not good at making friends, but … I feel like I’ve made one today.
