Free Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern Page A

going so far as to pack a bag with only the most essential items—my blankey, my Snoopy nightgown, a copy of The BFG , and a roll of Life Savers (in case I choked, I could breathe through the hole until it melted).
    Faking your own kidnapping seems like so much trouble to go through to get away.
    I almost drift off to sleep when I hear Josh clomping down the green stairs. My eyes open and adjust to read the time on the digital clock. My hair! I jump up out of the hot tub, wring out the butt on my shirt, and grab a nearby towel to wrap around my waist like a skirt. The bathroom has a tub-shower combo, so I turn on the tub spout until the water is nice and warm. On my knees, I flip my head forward under the faucet and watch as the Copper Rust showers from my hair down the drain. When the water begins to run clear, I sit up, grab a towel, and dry off. I toss the towel on the floor and see I have stained it with orange blotches. Will they charge us for that? Or will they think it’s some menstrual mess and just bleach the crap out of it and pass it along to the next unassuming FantaSuiter?
    My hair looks darker than expected, although I definitely see the brightness of red underneath the dusky, wet strands. I pull the hair dryer from its resting place on the bathroom wall and dry my hair until I can see the true color. It’s quite pretty, actually, shiny and fiery. It could almost look natural if it weren’t for the dye stains around my forehead and on my ears.
    â€œTa da!” I walk out of the bathroom for my hair debut. Josh is in the hot tub, shirtless in his boxers.
    â€œRrreddd,” he drawls. “Lookin’ good.”
    I walk over to the tub, feeling brazen with my new look, and drop my skirt towel on the floor so that my undies show. I step into the hot tub and slither down next to Josh, not touching, but close. He slides away, just the slightest bit, to get a better look at my hair. “Now no one will recognize you,” he says.
    I so want him to look at me like I see him look at other girls. Real girls to him. But he pops up out of the water and says, “My turn,” then drips water all over me as he makes his way out of the tub and into the bathroom.
    I extend my legs, plug the bubble holes with my toes, and hang out, alone, in Tranquility Base. As tranquil as the name suggests.

    Annabelle hates me. That’s what she told me. She watched me get ready for Gavin, put on the bra that he likes best with the brown and red lace, and the flowy but fitted wrap dress with the red roses on it. It usually almost makes me feel beautiful when Annabelle watches me, like she maybe wants to be me. I imagine her thinking about when she gets older and has a boyfriend who loves her like Gavin loves me. But when I told her that she had to stay in her room because Gavin was coming over and he wanted to be alone with me, just me, and all we have is one hour until Mom and Dad get home, and I wanted to be alone with him so bad…. She said she hates me. She said that Mom would be mad and ground me when she gets home from her gong yoga session. I said I’m already grounded all the time so what does it matter. That Gavin and I only get to see each other when I’m not bratsitting and he’s not too busy for me. That school doesn’t count, because we’re not alone. Not like we could be if she would just do what I wanted for once. She said I suck and I’m the worst sister and Jenny Blick has a pretty sister who buys her presents and sings her songs and lets her stay up late to watch dirty movies. That’s what good sisters do. And I said good sisters don’t get everything they want and whine and tattle and say they hate you. Good sisters don’t expect me to drive them everywhere without saying thank you. Good sisters look up to their big sisters for real. Then I locked her door and told her I’d give her twenty dollars and my favorite cashmere sweater if she’d