7 Stupid Perfection
Stupid Perfection
I was nibbling the tip of my finger unconsciously as I looked like crazy for the answer to a practice test in linguistics on the internet.
I couldn’t understand how talking about language could be so complicated.
And I was alone, so I couldn’t call out for Will and Ross to come help me , which was the term I used when they did my work for me and I sat there watching them like an idiot.
I mean, Will was home, technically speaking, but when he was in his bedroom with Naya with the music turned up, I knew what that meant.
We all did. So there was no point in knocking.
I had virtually given up, crossing my arms in irritation, when I heard the doorbell ring.
At last, an excuse not to do my homework!
I opened the door a little happier than I should have been.
But my smile vanished as soon as I saw who it was: a thin girl with blond bangs, a little shorter than me, dressed in fashionable and obviously expensive clothes.
Everything about her was pretty, from her fine traits to her enchanting smile, which tugged downward a bit when she saw me. I guess she was expecting someone else.
“Hi,” I mumbled.
“Hi,” she said politely. “Is Ross in?”
I remembered: this was Lana. Naya had mentioned her. So had Chris. And I had seen her face on Ross’s phone one time when she called. But wasn’t she supposed to be living in France?
Hearing Ross’s name made me uncomfortable.
After Sue’s outburst at dinner, our relationship had become…
weird? I mean, we still acted as we always had, but every time we walked past each other, accidentally touched, or our eyes met longer than they should have, we’d both clam up and try to pretend nothing had happened.
Those attempts at avoiding each other made me realize how natural things had been with us before, how often we had poked each other or tickled each other, and…
I missed it. It was weird not to just flop down on top of him on the sofa or curl up next to him when we watched a film. Not to rest my head on his shoulder…
Maybe it was for the best that we were a little less close?
I wasn’t sure Monty would like me doing all those things with a guy.
Even if we did supposedly have a deal. What I knew for sure he wouldn’t like were those dreams I kept having.
My mind wouldn’t leave me in peace. I had a bad habit of talking in my sleep, too, but as far as I knew, Ross had never heard me, thank God.
I came back to reality when I realized Lana was still there staring at me.
“Sorry, he’s not home.” I cleared my throat. “But, uh, you can wait for him here if you like.”
“Thanks!”
“I don’t think he’ll be long. He’s done with class at…”
“Five, I know!” Was she always this bubbly?
I watched her walk in and wondered what she was doing here if she knew Ross wasn’t home. She looked around and took off her jacket to reveal a clingy sweater I’d have never dared to put on. It would have showed my belly a little too much. She, of course, was rail-thin and looked dazzling in it.
I hated her. Why deny it?
So I didn’t have a reason to. So what? I detested every single thing about her.
She put her hands on her hips and smiled at me for the umpteenth time.
“It’s just as I remembered!” she said.
“So you’ve been here before…” At least I should try to make conversation, I thought.
“Oh, yeah, like a million times. Probably more than you have. I mean, I helped pick out most of the furniture.”
Was she trying to one-up me? Something in her eyes told me so. And that threw me off. But she was talking so much that I couldn’t really think about it too long.
“Were you doing homework?” she asked. “I hope I didn’t bother you.”
“Not in the least,” I said, clearing my things off of the sofa and stuffing them clumsily in my binder. I was worried I was giving away how nervous she made me.
“Because if I am, I can just come back later.”
“No, please, stick around. I was already finished.”
She looked at my clothes—well, Ross’s clothes, the ones I slept in—and I felt even stranger. Probably she wasn’t being malicious, but she made me feel so goofy. Why was I wearing Ross’s clothes, anyway? I looked like an idiot in them.
But I like the way he smells!
Shut up, brain! This isn’t the time.
“I guess you’re Jenny,” she said, sitting down like she owned the place.
“Yeah. Jenna, actually. How do you know?”
“Ross told me a girl was living with him. He told me a lot about you actually. But I’m like his priest. I’m not allowed to repeat his secrets.”
She laughed, and her stupid perfect laugh made me purse my lips to keep myself from screaming.
Just then, Naya and Will opened the door and walked into the hallway, still pulling on their clothes.
Naya froze for a moment and both girls screamed before running toward each other and hugging so tight they almost fell to the floor.
“I can’t believe it! I can’t believe it!” Naya screeched, not letting go until Lana pushed her away. She gave Will a hug, too, and said, “You better believe it! I missed you guys so much! This place is like my second home!”
Was I seeing things, or was she intentionally staring at me when she said that?
I stayed on the sofa, trying to think of an excuse to leave.
I hadn’t felt so out of place in ages, and I didn’t know why.
I finally pretended to be looking back at my homework just to have something to do.
If all this wasn’t bad enough, the door opened a few seconds later and Ross appeared, surrounded by the scent of barbecue pizza.
“Hey, Jen! Guess who bought your favorite garbage food? Oh…” He looked like a deer in headlights as he caught sight of Lana. “What the…?”
“Surprise, babe!” she shouted, jumping into his arms and hugging him.
Babe? Give me a break. But then, who was I to say what she could and couldn’t call Ross?
It wasn’t my business. Still, though. Give me a break.
I watched them long enough to know that Ross was looking at me, bewildered, over her shoulder, but I decided to wipe off the lenses of my glasses to pretend I wasn’t studying their every move.
“Did you guys miss me?” she asked. “Because I missed you all tons.”
“When did you get back?” Ross said. “You never mentioned anything…”
“This morning. I wanted to surprise you!”
“Are you staying?” Naya asked enthusiastically. “Like, staying-staying?”
“Not forever. But I don’t have a return ticket, either.”
Sue walked down the hallway and looked like she’d seen a ghost. I couldn’t tell if her expression was one of horror or disgust. She, too, asked if Lana was going to stay, and Lana responded, “Hello to you, too, Sue.”
“Cut the ‘hello, Sue’ bullshit and the fake smiles and answer the question,” Sue grunted.
She seemed to hate Lana more than me. Good job, Sue. I’m starting to like you , I thought. At least I wasn’t the only one who hated Lana. And that made me feel less alone in the world.
“Come on, Sue,” Lana responded. “I know deep down you love me. But it doesn’t matter, because I hear someone’s sleeping in my spot.
” Again, she looked at me with that idiotic smile.
I opened my lips to say something, but couldn’t manage it.
Naya laughed nervously and nudged Will to do something, while Ross turned pleadingly to little Miss Perfect and murmured, “Lana, look…”
“It’s just a joke, babe!” she shouted. “Look at her. She thinks it’s funny, too, right?”
She turned to me, and he smiled and shook his head, and for some reason, that made me angrier than anything that had happened so far. But I tried to play along and responded, “Yeah, of course.”
Ross asked if she was staying for dinner. We had pizza, he said, but he could order sushi, too. He knew she loved that. In that moment, sushi sounded to me like the grossest food ever invented.
“You know I’d never say no to sushi,” she responded with a cheesy grin.
Everyone went to sit down, and for some reason, I stood and walked over to the armchair next to Sue, who was still staring daggers into Lana.
I liked observing that. It was better than knowing Ross was looking at me and trying to figure out what his eyes were concealing.
Then I turned my attention to the pizza.
I felt like a fourteen-year-old, unable to control my jealousy.
Every time Lana spoke—which was the whole time we were sitting there—I wanted to throw a slice of pizza at her face.
Whenever she laughed, Sue looked at her with disgust, and I felt our secret companionship growing.
“France is so amazing, you guys,” she said. “You just have to go. The people are so cool, and every street is like a museum. It’s just magical. I even learned to speak some French while I was there.”
Wow! You actually learned to speak some French while living in France! Amazing . My brain could be nasty when it wanted to. But I didn’t mind just then.
“I wish I could go to another country,” Naya told Will. “But how could I leave my big bear behind?”
Sue stuck her finger in her mouth as if she were vomiting, while Lana went on. “And the parties… You just can’t imagine. French people are crazy. And I’m so there for it.”
It was then that I realized Ross wasn’t smiling, either. He didn’t even seem to be listening. He was just playing with his food and glancing over occasionally so no one could tell how distracted he was.
“But I had to come home for a while, you know. I missed my parents.” She pushed her bangs out of her face, and I noticed her manicure was just as perfect as everything else about her.
“Next year, though, I’ll bet I’m going to go back to France.
Probably. But you know, I wanted to see you guys, too. ”