Free Game On by Monica Seles Page A

closets.
    â€œOh my God,” Maya said, her jaw dragging on the floor. “Are these all your clothes?”
    â€œNo,” Renee said. “Most of my clothes are back home. It made no sense to bring a ton of stuff, since it’s only ever a hundred degrees here.”
    â€œRight,” Maya said. “No sense at all.”
    The clock ticking, Renee led Maya into her closets and attacked them like a hurricane. There was nothing for Maya to do but gawk. Everything was separated by category. Dresses here, skirts there, shoes everywhere. There was an entire spinning rack for sunglasses, whole shelves for bags.
    Maya picked up a pair of red boots from a sea of identical red boots.
    â€œWhy do you need twelve pairs of the same shoe?” Maya asked.
    â€œWhat are you talking about?” Renee said. “They’re all different. This one is alligator, these are crocodile, these ones are python. …”
    â€œPETA is going to burn you at the stake,” Maya said.
    Renee stayed focused on the task at hand.
    â€œSince this is a costume party, I can’t just throw you in a dress and call it a night,” Renee said, digging. “This needs to be theatrical. Lucky for you I’ve got something perfect. I bought it before Nicole got a brainstorm, and now she and I are going as something else.”
    â€œWhat’s the costume?” Maya asked.
    Finally, Renee found it. “It’s my favorite movie character of all time. She’s amazing.” Renee unveiled the costume to Maya. It was a huge dress for a Southern belle on a plantation.
    â€œScarlett O’Hara,” Renee said, beaming. The dress was red and dramatic and spectacular. It was also enormous. There’s no way it would fit in Maya’s closet, but Renee had plenty of space.
    â€œWho’s Scarlett O’Hara?” Maya asked.
    Renee shot her a look. “Who’s Scarlett O’Hara? How deep in the woods were you raised? Gone with the Wind ?”
    â€œI’ve heard of that,” Maya said.
    â€œYou’ve ‘heard’ of that?” Renee said, exasperated. “I wasn’t even born in this country and I’ve seen it. Maya, it’s amazing. Scarlett O’Hara is rich, she’s beautiful, and all the guys fightover her. She’s also really smart. She made a gown out of curtains.”
    â€œWas it a comedy?” Maya asked.
    â€œNo, this conversation is,” Renee said. “But it’s about to get really serious.” Renee’s face suddenly had a hint of evil.
    â€œWhat are you going to do to me?” Maya asked, fearful.
    â€œWhat am I not going to do to you?” Renee grinned.
    What happened next was a whirlwind. Before Maya knew it, she was sitting at a makeup mirror, a towel around her hair, and a face steamed, squeezed, and tweezed to within an inch of its life. One thing Maya did know for sure was that beauty hurt like hell.
    Renee appeared to be in a state of rapture, applying paint to her blank canvas and transforming Maya into her version of a work of art.
    But when Renee stopped midway through and stepped back to inspect her work, her face fell.
    â€œWhat?” Maya asked.
    Renee stopped doing Maya’s makeup and moved on to her hair. She took off the towel, exposing the wet hair she had subtly darkened to fit the character. Again, Renee was displeased. Maya didn’t like this at all. Finally, when Renee pulled the giant red dress over Maya’s shoulders and stepped back, Renee groaned.
    Maya couldn’t take it anymore. “Okay, what?” she demanded. “What’s wrong?”
    â€œYou,” Renee replied.
    Maya was crushed. She never put on makeup or got dressed up. Now she knew why.
    â€œEverything about you is ridiculous,” Renee went on, annoyed. “The hair, the body, the lips. I wanted to give you a makeover, but I hardly have to do anything. All I’m doing is throwing a little makeup and a