lunch with her jagged； unpainted pinky nail。 ？Yeah； but would you really want to send a boarding
school a whole bunch of paintings of some boy you don？t even talk to anymore？？ she asked
reasonably。
Well； at least they？d know I was capable ofhavinga boyfriend ； Jenny retorted silently； suddenly
irked by the prep…piness of Elise？s shell pink Peter Pan…collared blouse and the way her breath
always smelled like yesterday？s egg rolls。
Besides； Waverly sounded like the kind of school that was always evolving； not a party school
per se； but a school that wasn？t afraid to try something new or take a risk on someone。
Likeher； for instance？
Elise stopped picking her teeth and reached for Jenny？s makeup bag； opening it without asking
permission and unscrewing a tube of shimmering lilac…colored Stila lip gloss。 She puckered her
wide mouth and began generously smearing lip gloss all over it。
When Jenny really thought about it； she had taken a risk on Elise。 First she had been friendless；
and now she had a friend； whether she liked it or not。
？You？re right；？ she mused； retrieving her makeup bag and spilling it into one of the small； low
sinks。 ？I should send Waverly something new anyway。 Something I haven？t tried before。？ She
sorted through the assortment of eyeliners； shadows； and glosses； looking for her favorite Clinique
four…shades…of…gray eye shadow palette in its mint green plastic case。 ？Would you mind if I
painted your portrait with this？？ she asked her friend； holding up the palette and feeling suddenly
inspired。 She？d do Elise in eye shadow； her dad in red wine； and Dan in ？ instant coffee。 It was
innovative and meaningful； and way