Free School of Charm by Lisa Ann Scott Page A

turning splotchy.
    The four of them turned to me. Man, how I wished I had some mud with me to cover us all up right then.
    â€œHow are you paying for this school, Chip?” Mama asked, rubbing her temples. “You know we don’t have extra money for something like that.”
    â€œIt’s free. We help her with gardening work. It’s nice. Real nice.” My heart was pounding.
    Charlene snorted. “You sure it’s really not some sort of labor camp? Sounds fishy to me.”
    Ruthie tilted her head. “What kind of fish?”
    Mama still had a funny look on her face. “I don’t understand, Chip. I thought you weren’t interested in this sort of thing.”
    I wrapped my arms across my chest like I was cold. “Well, you guys are, so I thought I’d try too. Now that Daddy’s gone, I don’t . . . I don’t know what to do with myself.” I swallowed hard and hoped the dam of tears that was filling up inside me wouldn’t bust. “I miss him so much.” The words came out in a whisper that hovered over the room.
    Mama squeezed her eyes shut and smoothed her hands down her thighs. Then she smiled hard. “I’m going to turn in early. Bad headache.” She knocked over her water glass as she got up to leave.
    Grandma watched Mama rush from the table, and then studied me like I was a spot on her white sofa, like I was a birthmark on a perfectly good white cheek. She shook her head and hurried to the kitchen.
    â€œWhy’d you go on talking about him?” Charlene scolded in a harsh whisper.
    â€œWhy can’t I talk about Daddy?” I gripped the chair I was standing behind. “It doesn’t make sense.”
    â€œBecause it upsets Mama.” She pressed her eyes shut. “We all miss him, Brenda.” Her voice was thick like syrup. “But he’s gone and talking about it just makes things worse.”
    Grandma came back in the room with a towel and started wiping up the water. “Charlene’s right, you know. No use talking about your hurts. Just makes them hurt more. It’s best to leave the past behind you. No good looking back at it all the time.”
    Charlene took a few deep breaths then opened her eyes. Her gaze was squinty and hard. “Now I have to go make sure Mama’s okay.” She threw her napkin on the table and stood up, her chest rising and falling with her great big breaths. “And don’t bother entering that pageant, Chip. You’ll lose for sure.” She flipped her long red hair over her shoulders and sprinted up the stairs.
    Ruthie blinked her big blue eyes at me and squished a peach under her thumb. “But the fishy camp sounds like your kind of fun, Chip.”
    â€œRuthie, it’s not a fish camp,” I said.
    She crossed her arms in a huff.
    Grandma walked over to me and took me by the arms like she was going to march me right to my room. Instead she studied me again. “It’s a shame you have your Grandma Anderson’s chubby legs. Your mama and Charlene both have my nice thin figure. I’m sure Ruthie will too.” She dropped her hands and stepped back, looking me up and down.
    I glanced at my legs. I never noticed how different they were from Mama’s and Charlene’s. I’d always thought of them as good for running and climbing.
    Grandma tapped her finger against her chin, nodding. “The Junior Miss division doesn’t have a bathing suit competition. So no one will see your legs. And makeup will cover that up,” she said, pointing to my cheek. “Unfortunately, you don’t have your sisters’ natural advantages, but we can work on that.” Her voice sounded encouraging. “You’re not going to win, but it would be fine for us to try. Yes. It would be a good way to put things behind you and move forward.”
    Put things behind me? Did she mean Daddy?
    â€œAnd of course, you couldn’t ask