throb, and I sigh.
So this is useless for getting back at Rachel. Letâs just forget it
.
She shakes her head.
There is a way. But first, letâs try something else
. She puts her hand into her pocket, pulls out a small stone and gives it to me. Itâs golden orange, almost clear, with swirls of darker color inside.
Stella writes:
This is amber. Itâll help get rid of your zits
.
I raise my brows.
For real
?
She nods, then starts digging in her purse. This time she pulls out a bandage and writes:
Use this to stick the amber on your forehead
.
I stare at her.
She nods vigorously.
When I donât make a move to take the bandage, she writes:
No one will notice. The hat will hide it. You just have to believe and it will work.
Right. I just have to believe. Do I believe? Not. But then, what about the zits? They sure seem like solid proof. I eye the bandage. Maybe if I stick the amber to the bandage I can tilt the hat back just long enough to slap the amber on in one fast move? I cast a nervous glance around the room. No one is watching us. Most of them look like theyâre asleep. One guy even has his mouth hanging open and a tiny trail of drool is leaking out the side. And Iâm worried about sticking a rock on my forehead in front of these people?
Wait a minute. Sticking a rock on my forehead is definitely weirder than drooling. I am so torn about what to do. There are no simple solutions.
Stella reaches into her backpack and pulls out a large textbook. She stands it up on the table in front of me and
voila
! I have cover.
I take a deep breath. I can do this. I tear open the bandage wrapper. I place the amber on the bandage. I crouch low behind the book. I place my left hand on the brim of the hat and hold the amber bandage unit in my right. One, two, three...
I push on the hat with my left, and it snags on a zit. This glitch throws me off and my right hand wobbles. The amber goes flying. As I try to grab it, the hat bumps the book and knocks it over. I look up and there, just walking through the door, is Kyle. Our eyes meet. His widen in shock.
Itâs more than shock. Itâs horror. He gasps. Stella gasps. Mr. Mean rotates hishead toward me and
he
gasps. Gasping sounds come from every corner of the room. Maybe even retching sounds.
âOh my,â says Mr. Mean. âYou, ah, may be excused. Perhaps your friend there will take you to the nurse. Hurry, now.â
Whatâs happened? Have the zits grown to such humungous size that I now look like a monster? I yank the hat down low, grab my purse and flee. I can hear Stella running behind me. Thereâs no mistaking the sound of those shoes, but I donât look back.
chapter eight
By the time Iâm almost home, I know what I have to do. Itâs crystal clear. I have to leave the country. When I show Mom my face, Iâm sure sheâll agree. I feel a sob gathering in my throat as I wonder if sheâll come with me. But what if I scare her too?
This whole time, Stella has been following me. Iâm pretending she doesnât exist, but sheâs not getting it. She keeps saying stuff like, âItâs not
that
bad. I found the amber. We can heal it. Please listen to me, Lizzie.â
At last, with one foot on my front lawn, I turn to her and say, âI never want to see you again. Got that?â
She nods and says, âI understand. But I do feel somewhat responsible for all this. I want to make it right. If we ask, Iâm sure my baba will cure your zits. Iâm only trying to help.â
âYour kind of help I can do without.â
âBut what are you going to do?â she asks. âThose zits...you could have them for weeks.â
Sheâs right. I could leave the country, but the zits would go with me. I should get her baba to fix them and
then
leave the country. I glare at Stella. âAre you
sure
your baba can fix this?â
She bites her lip. âIâm almost sure. If she