Free All That Glitters by J. Minter Page B

Noodles jumped into her lap and licked her chin. “What face?”
    â€œ
SBB
.” I said. “What’s wrong?”
    SBB swept Noodles’s poofy fur into a spiky ponytail between his ears. “
I’ve
been trying to get you to do fashion for years. Now some
étrangère
rushes in with the idea and suddenly you’re intrigued?”
    It was just like SBB to get possessive over me at a moment like this, and I had to remind myself that this was just her funny way of showing that she cared. As long as she could be included, SBB was my biggest supporter, no matter what I did.
    â€œI don’t even know if I’m intrigued,” I said as SBB gave Noodles another ponytail. He licked her again, then jumped off the couch.
    â€œYou blushed, and I know what that means. That you’re sitting there thinking
ooh la la
, a French designer, an
artiste
, who is so fancy and French and way better at fashion than SBB.”
    â€œSBB—never! You are the most stylish person I know.” I swatted her arm playfully. “But it’s a little interesting sounding, I guess. It’s just that I’m not quite feeling comfortable yet at school, and maybe doing this modeling gig would be a distraction. Do you think it’s a bad idea?” I asked.
    Feeling needed once again, SBB instantly changed her tune. She cocked her head to one side and looked like she was thinking hard. “You know what,” she said after a pause, “if you’re looking for a way to feel moreaccustomed to your new school … a French fashion show at The Armory Show is totally Park Avenue. It’s so Uptown. It’s
sooo
Thoney.” She grinned at me. “
And
I’m guessing it’s something even Willa’s daddy can’t buy for her. Think how absolutely green with envy she’ll be,” she trilled, hugging a French silk pillow to her chest.
    SBB did have a point. It would be exactly the kind of thing that everyone at Thoney would find pretty impressive. And I wondered, if I started hanging out with Jade Moodswing a little bit, whether some of her cool Moodswing-ness might rub off on me. There was something about this that sounded strangely appealing.
    â€œI love black currant tea in glass tumbler,” Jade said as she drifted back into the room. “So, Flan, have you decided? Feb and I think you should say
oui
.”
    Feb brushed a tuft of dog fur off her dress. “You know how much I love a family affair,” she said with a wink in my direction, which was code for “You know how much I love the chance to boss my little sister around.”
    â€œIt does sound fun,” I said timidly. “But can I take a few days to think about it and let you know?” As intrigued as I was, I knew modeling was so not my turf. I was the girl who skinned her knee rollerbladingalong Chelsea Piers the week before. Tonight I got totally down and dirty on a field hockey court. I tripped over pizzas for God’s sake. How could I be expected to handle a catwalk?
    But Jade just shook her head. “I knew I would find my model today.
Voilà
, it is settled. Now, Flan, will you get me more tea? I like it very much boiling, please.”

Chapter 11
    Screened Out
    By my third day at Thoney, I was finally getting the hang of things. English was scaring me less and less, and I could navigate the hallways without the use of Camille’s rumpled napkin map. Even the social “rules” of the first day of school were starting to feel a little bit more natural, mostly because I realized that I didn’t have to let them stop me from being myself. After all, I had to remind myself, being myself was fun.
    It was only lunchtime and I’d already succeeded in helping a sophomore girl pick up her dropped books in the stairwell, complimented Olivia on her awesome feather headband when I passed her in the courtyard, and made a girl named Faiden’s day when I told her in