Beauty Queen

Chapter 8: Guess Who's Going to Cali

Lenna picked up on the 2nd ring.

"Hello? Who is this?" She said. There was the sound of laughter and car honking in the background.

"Lenna? It's me, Mia. From Hayley's party."

"Mia! Hey, what's up?"

"Um... I was wondering if you've left for... Cali yet."

"Nope. We're leaving tomorrow actually. Bright and early. If you're wondering, Hayley is officially out. Poor girl just can't escape the pageant-"

"About that... Is it okay if I still come with you?"

"Yes! OMG that'd be so cool! Just text me your address and I'll pick you up tomorrow!"

"Actually, you can't do that. I kind of need a place to stay tonight and-"

"SLEEPOVER!" Lenna lets out a shrill cry over the phone. "Of course! When do you need me to pick you up?"

I smile, surprised at my luck. "Um... Now?"

"I'll be right there! Where are you?"

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Lenna pulled up 20 minutes later in a light blue jeep. There was a soccer ball-sized dent in the side, and scratches on the bumper.

"Sorry about the scuffs," Lenna said through an open window. "I'm kind of... Reckless."

I huffed as I opened the door. Just what I need: To have the worst day of my life and get in a car crash.

I hopped into the passenger seat and smoothed my dress. After my tantrum and a half an hour in a dark, musty alley, it's not exactly in stellar shape.

"Woah," Lenna said. "You look fancy. Pageant stuff?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "The last of it for quite a while. Hey, can I ask a favor? Could we go past my house for a second? I need to get some stuff for the... Trip."

"Of course! Take as long as you'd like."

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10 minutes later, Lenna's beat up jeep was making its way through the gates of my home. A few seconds prior to that, Lenna had let out a gasp. "This is your house?" I nodded. The reaction was usual- our house was colossal.

When the car came to a stop at the top of my driveway, I let out a sigh of relief. My mom wasn't home yet. I rushed into my house and upstairs. I started in my bathroom. Luckily, I had my pre-packed makeup bag all ready- nothing fancy, but it covered the essentials. I grabbed a straightener and headed for my closet.

In the rush, I managed to get one pair of jeans, five pairs of shorts, nine t-shirts, 3 bathing suits, 3 sundresses, and 4 pairs of shoes. Lenna said she planned on staying in California for almost a month, but told me to pack light and we'd go shopping later.

After throwing all my things in a chevron duffle, I ran down the stairs and out of the door. On my way to the car, I noticed a familiar black Suburban turning down our street. Uh oh. I nearly sprinted to Lenna's car, that beat up jeep looking better and better. Luckily, I could depend on the fact that my mom was checking her lipstick in the mirror and hadn't seen me, but I yelled at Lenna to haul out of the driveway.

Once we had illegally speeded out of sight of my mother and onto the highway, Lenna looked at me.

"Okay, can you tell me now who we just broke a few laws for?"