Perfect by Natasha Friend

Author:Natasha Friend [Friend, Natasha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2009-10-12T19:16:00+00:00

13

ON WEDNESDAY TRISH handed out magazines. Seventeen, YM, Self, Glamour, Elle. She told us to take a few minutes to flip through them.

Ashley and I sat next to each other on the couch, sharing a Seventeen. Rachel didn't show up, so everyone was shifted.

"Look at this girl," Ashley said, pointing to the model on the cover. "She's perfect."

"I know," I said. "Her boobs are two perfect spheres."

"Double bubble," said Ashley, and we both cracked LIP.

We flipped to the survey. Calculate Your Flirtability Quotient. Not surprisingly, Ashley scored the highest possible mark, an 18. She is The Life of the Party. With a whopping 6.5, I am The Wet Blanket.

A few minutes later, Trish asked us to stop reading. She wanted to know what these magazines tell us out about ourselves. "Mathilde?" Trish said. "Would you like to start?"

Mathilde ducked her head. She was wearing barrettes in her hair. Green plastic turtles.

Holding her magazine up in front of her face, Mathilde whispered, "This is what I'm supposed to look like." With one finger, she tapped a picture of a blonde in a flowered bra.

Trish nodded. "Thank you, Mathilde."

Mathilde lowered the magazine and let her hair fall in front of her face.

"Dawn?" Trish said. "What do you think?"

Dawn shifted a few times in her seat. "Um ... if I want to lose ten pounds by Christmas? I should try this new soup diet." She held up a picture of a model doing stomach crunches with a bowl of soup resting on her abs.

"Good," said Trish. "Good.... What else? Lila? Any thoughts?"

Lila was sitting alone in the corner, with her sweater pulled over her knees. As usual, her fingertips were tap, tap, tapping against her kneecaps. She didn't respond to Trish's question, she just stared at the carpet.

"Okay, Lila," Trish said, walking over to touch her on the shoulder. "Okay ..."

"Trish?" Ashley was speaking, and I was surprised. She hardly ever says anything in Group.

Trish turned around and smiled. "Yes, Ashley?"

Ashley used her hands to help her talk, just like she does in English class. "Well, these girls, in these magazines. They all look so perfect, right? But maybe underneath all that . . . perfect . . . it's not so great for them. Like what if they got a had grade, or they got in a fight with their friends? Or their parents are getting a divorce, or something. You know? You can't always tell, just from looking."

Trish nodded. "Good, Ashley."

It's amazing how Ashley knows just what to say in every situation. Where does she come up with this stuff? I know what she'd say if I asked her. I read a lot, Isabelle.

"Okay," Trish said, looking around at us. "Let's think about this. What about this idea that we have two sidesone that we show to the outside world, and one that we keep in, maybe even hide? Are there things people wouldn't necessarily know about you, just from looking?"

I pretended to be busy biting off a hangnail, but I was really thinking, Yeah.

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