my backpack and propped it up on the table in front of me. I opened it up, so that it was sort of shielding my face on all sides. Then I quickly slipped out the braces, put them in the container, and then lowered the book.
Thatâs when I noticed Katie, Alexis, and Emma staring at me.
âUh, hi,â I said awkwardly.
âWhat was that all about?â Alexis asked.
âI have to take out my braces when I eat,â I explained. âBut I donât want anybody to see me.â
âWhy not?â Emma asked.
Katie answered for me. âShe doesnât want anyone to know she has braces.â
âBut theyâre invisible,â Alexis pointed out.
âNot entirely,â I argued. âTheyâre shiny and big. See?â
I smiled, and then quickly closed my mouth. âListen, itâs not just about the braces. Itâs braces and glasses at the same time. Ugh!â
âBut the braces are temporary, and besides, nobody cares what you look like,â Katie said. âAnd even if you care what you look like, you look great. Like the same old Mia.â
âRight,â agreed Emma. âYou look terrific.â
âSpectacular,â Alexis added.
âThanks, guys,â I said. My friends were being so nice that it was hard to stay in a bad mood. âI donât know what I would do without you.â
âSo maybe you can just relax a little,â Katie suggested.
âIâll try,â I promised. âBut if anybody makes fun of me, itâs on you guys!â
CHAPTER 14
We Finally Have a Theme!
F or the next few days I mostly took my friendsâ advice. I put my glasses on when I got to class, and nobody said anything. And I kept quiet about my braces, and nobody said anything about them either. I stopped hiding a book in front of me when I took them out at lunch. I just acted normal, and that seemed to work out pretty well.
At lunch on Thursday we were talking about our Cupcake Club meeting.
âSo, are we all walking to your house after school, Alexis?â I asked.
âIf itâs okay with you, can we have the meeting at four?â Alexis asked. âI have to, um, do something after school.â
That was a little bit weird, because most timeswe met right after school. Now Iâd have to take the bus all the way home and then find somebody to drive me to Alexisâs house. I looked at Katie.
âCan I go to your house from the bus, so we can go together?â I asked.
Katie and Alexis exchanged a strange look, and then Katie said, âUm, no, my mom doesnât want me to have anybody over when sheâs not there.â
That didnât make sense. âBut weâve done that before,â I pointed out.
Katie shrugged. âI donât know. She must be going through a âstrictâ phase. You know how she can get.â
Katieâs mom did have some unusual rules, so I didnât think too much of it. Plus, Mom is usually home in the afternoon, so I knew she could drive me.
So at four oâclock Mom dropped me off at Alexisâs house. The outside of the house is just as neat as it is on the inside. The bushes by the front door are always trimmed into perfect globe shapes, and I swear the lawn never looks like it growsâthe grass is always the same height.
When I knocked on the door, Alexis answered from inside.
âJust come in!â
I obeyed and followed the sound of her voice to the kitchen. Alexis, Emma, and Katie were all sitting around the kitchen table, and each one of them was wearing glasses!
I started laughing. âOh my gosh! What did you guys do?â
âWeâre supporting you!â Emma said.
âIf youâre going to be Four Eyes, then weâre all Four Eyes!â Alexis added proudly.
âDonât we look great?â Katie asked. âWe got reading glasses at the dollar store and took the lenses out.â
I was really touched. And more than