Lying Out Loud(28)

“I’ll see,” I said. “But I think she’ll probably have to work today. You know how retail is these days….”

Mrs. Rush shook her head. “Forcing people to work on Thanksgiving is just terrible.”

I nodded, relieved when there were no follow-up questions.

After that, the day was fabulous. Good food, lots of people, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on in the background. The Rushes celebrated Thanksgiving all day.

And into the next morning, too.

Because the Rushes not only loved Thanksgiving, they also loved Black Friday.

“I don’t understand,” I told Amy as we stood on the sidewalk outside of Tech Plus, an electronics store (the only non-grocery store in Hamilton) at four a.m. I had to work at the bookstore later that afternoon and knew I was gonna regret being up this early. “You’re loaded. Isn’t Black Friday meant for poor people like me? So you all can watch us fight to the death, Hunger Games style, over a half-price iPod?”

“We’re not loaded,” Amy said.

“Excuse me. What kind of car do you drive?”

“A Lexus.”

“And your brother?”

She sighed. “A Porsche.”

“I rest my case.”

She shrugged. “I guess my parents like deals.”

At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Rush were in Oak Hill, waiting outside the mall to do some hardcore Christmas shopping. As much as I hated being awake before seven (okay, let’s be real, I hated being up before noon if I could help it), I couldn’t complain much. Amy and I did have the easiest of the Black Friday tasks. We just had to run in, grab the newest video game console, and get out.

“Your brother better know I was a part of this gift,” I told her. “I may not be contributing financially, but it is a testament to my affection for him that I got my ass out of bed for this.”

“And here I thought it was so I wouldn’t be fighting the crowds alone,” Amy said.

“Nah. Why would I ever do anything for you?”

She giggled, then let out a huge yawn. “What time does the store open again?”

“Five.”

She whimpered.

“I know,” I said, patting her on the back. “It’s cruel to have sales start so early right after everyone’s loaded themselves with sleepy turkey chemicals.”

To make matters worse, it was also cold. We were bundled up in our sweaters and coats, but they didn’t do much to deflect the occasional gust of wind that blew into our faces. The amazing part about this was that Amy’s hair still looked flawless. Four a.m., cold and windy morning, and she still looked like a model with a classy, curly updo.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed either.

“Oh my God. You have to tell me how you did that.”

Amy and I both turned when we heard the voice behind us. There was a girl there, drinking Starbucks. She couldn’t have been much older than us, and she looked a little familiar. Probably a Hamilton High grad. She was wearing some amazing black boots over multicolored leggings that I only wished I could pull off.

“Sorry?” Amy said.

“Your hair,” the girl said. “You have to tell me how you did that.”

It was only then that I noticed her own curls. Brown corkscrews, even tighter than mine or Amy’s. They were a little frizzy because of the wind, but they still looked ten times better than mine. Damn it.

“Oh,” Amy said, patting her hair self-consciously. “It’s really easy. You just need a hair tie and a few bobby pins.”

“And by ‘easy,’ she means impossible for us commoners,” I said.

“Right?” The girl laughed. “Bobby pins and hair ties just leave me with a rat’s nest on top of my head.”

“It’s really not that hard. You just —”

“Chloe!”

Two more people were coming our way: a girl with straight black hair and a cute boy I recognized as Cash Sterling, a former player on the Hamilton High soccer team. (Soccer was the only sport I kept up with. Mostly because it was an excuse to stare at boys with really nice legs.) “Sorry we’re late,” Cash said to the curly-haired girl, Chloe.

“You’re not. The store hasn’t opened yet.”

“I know,” Cash said. “But according to Lissa, we were supposed to be here by four. So I was told to apologize for making her late.”

Lissa, meanwhile, was too busy digging in her purse to argue with Cash. “I have a map,” she said. “I drew it last night. I figured out the best route to get back to the TVs when the doors open.”

“Oh dear God,” Chloe moaned. “We have to do this?”

“If I have to do Black Friday,” Lissa said, “I’m doing it efficiently.” She sighed. “Why does my stupid brother want a TV for a wedding present? Why couldn’t he just ask for a blender like everyone else?”


“He’s gonna need a TV to drown Jenna out,” Cash said. “I still can’t believe they’re getting married.”

“I just can’t believe he’s getting married before I had a chance to hook up with him.”

“Ew, Chloe. I can’t deal with you lusting after my brother right now. I’m already freaking out over the crowd here. Ugh. It’s gonna be awful in there. Here. Let’s study the map.”