“I hate summer,” Lucy groaned, “why does it have to get so freaking hot?” Martha nodded in agreement, pulling at her shirt to stop it from sticking to her skin.
            “I love summer,” Ruthie said, “it’s the only time mom will let me wear whatever I want.” On this occasion she wore a pair of shorts that showed off as much of her tanned legs as possible, and a tank top that was just short enough to show off some of her midriff. Her long blonde hair was out of its usual braid, and instead ran down her back in a beautiful cascade. Martha wished her hair would do that.
            “Of course you would,” Lucy snorted, “you were the first one at the tanning beds when they opened.” This was a yearly occurrence, though usually all the girls went together, with the exception of Martha. She was pale year round and attempting to tan only gave her harsh red burns.
            “I think I could deal with it if weren’t for the humidity,” Kelsie murmured, sitting down on a park bench next to Ruthie. Ruthie shifted so her back was to Kelsie, and then laid back with her head resting on Kelsie’s legs.
            “Play with my hair,” she begged. Kelsie shrugged and pulled her fingers through the long blond locks.
            “I wish I had hair like yours,” Kelsie whined, echoing Martha’s thoughts. “It’s so pretty.”
            “I know,” Ruthie said, almost smirking.
            “Who’s that?” Martha wondered, pointing out a young boy that was walking in their direction. Ruthie sat up in a jolt, her hand going straight to her hair.
            “Oh,” she said, laying back down, seeming disappointed, “it’s just Josh.” Kelsie snorted, and went back to playing with Ruthie’s hair.
            “Who were you expecting?” Lucy asked, with an eyebrow raised. “Some college jock to sweep you off your feet?”
            “I wish,” Ruthie sighed.
            “Hey there ladies,” a male voice said. It belonged to a tall, lanky teenaged boy with a slight resemblance to Lucy. Martha blushed slightly, and stared down at the ground, hoping no one would notice.
            “What do you want Josh?” Lucy groaned. “I thought mom told you to stay home. Don’t you have summer school in the morning?”
            “That’s funny,” he said, with a raised eyebrow. “I could’ve sworn she was talking to both of us.”
            “I wouldn’t know,” Lucy shrugged,” that’s why I asked dad if he could bring me instead. Besides, I’m the one with nice report card. Why wouldn’t I get to go out?”
            “Oh whatever, golden child,” Josh snorted.
            “And don’t forget it,” Lucy said with a smirk.
            They weren’t like this at home, Martha knew. When Kelsie and Ruthie weren’t around, they acted like they might actually be friends. They’d been that way in public while they were in elementary school; Lucy would even offer her brother help with his homework. Middle school changed that. The presence of the two other girls made Lucy a completely different person.
            “So if you’re not supposed to go out, what are you doing here?” Kelsie asked, now pulling a comb through Ruthie’s hair.
            “Mom told me to come get Lou for dinner.”
            “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?” Lucy said, rolling her eyes. “Tell them I’ll be there in a few moments.”
            “Mom told me to bring you back with me, and she didn’t sound happy.”
            “Fine, fine,” Lucy groaned. “I guess this means I’m going to miss the party tonight, guys. I’m sorry.” With that she got up and following her brother out of the park.
            “Its fine, I’ll just tell Nathan you had other plans,” Ruthie said.
            “What party?” Martha asked, confused. She hadn’t heard anything about a party.
            “Oh come on Martha, everyone knows about Nathan’s start-of-summer party,” Ruthie said, though she didn’t seem that surprised. It was normal for Martha to be out of the loop.
            “Well I didn’t,” Martha said softly, blood rushing to her face.
            “Do you think you’d be able to come?” Kelsie asked, an eyebrow raised.
            “I’m sure my mom would let me,” Martha said, feeling suddenly hopeful. “Do you think I could ride with one of you too?”
            “I don’t see why not,” Ruthie said, looking Martha up and down. “Although, we’d definitely have to find you a different outfit. You and Kelsie are around the same size though, so that shouldn’t matter.”
            “Yea! Let me call my mom and ask if it’s okay,” Martha beamed, eager to be included in the other girls’ plans.

            Half an hour later, Martha found herself staring at a girl she didn’t recognize in Kelsie’s bathroom mirror. Her pale freckles were now masked by foundation, her eyes were outlined with soft black lines, and her lips were redder than she was used to. She wore a low cut spaghetti strap top that she’d pulled up to avoid showing too much cleavage, and her legs felt oddly exposed in a pair of jean shorts.
            She still wasn’t a pretty as Kelsie though, and definitely not as a pretty as Ruthie. Neither of the other girls had managed to tame her brown hair, though it looked a little better than usual, and no amount of makeup could hide how pale she was. She wished she had Ruthie’s tan legs and blond hair, Lucy’s love of parties, or even Kelsie’s aggressive vanity. She wished she wasn’t so pale, so awkward, and so shy. 
            For a moment she thought of wiping off all of the make-up and going home instead. She forced herself to hold back tears for fear of ruining the mascara Kelsie had worked so hard to apply.
            “You ready yet?” Ruthie called, sounding impatiently.
            “I don’t know…” Martha said, staring at herself in the mirror again.
            “Come on Martha! You look fine!” Ruthie said, though she didn’t sound sincere. “Besides, no one’s going to care what you look like.”
            “Give me one more minute,” Martha called back, giving herself a final glance. Maybe it really didn’t matter that she wasn’t as pretty as the other girls. Maybe she could still try to fit in. With that she pushed the door open, ready to show off the look the girls had given her.