The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High Read Online Free PDF Page A

virginity?”
    She shakes her hair. “So uptight.”
    â€œShut up and listen.” Scanning for potential eavesdroppers, I launch into a description of the show in hushed tones. As I share the whole story, Josie’s wide eyes grow wider. She begins bouncing more and more excitedly, making the green seat squeak as I lay out Mickey and Victoria’s “amazing, life-changing opportunity.”
    â€œI don’t know,” I say, “I mean it would obviously be nice to ditch the Elf Ucker thing.” I don’t actually say the words Elf Ucker, just mouth them silently, but Josie knows what I’m talking about. “Well? What do you think?”
    Words burst out of my sister. “This is it! I really thought I’d be on my own show first, but this is the way this sort of thing happens. The premise sounds like an elaborate version of Switch . Have you seen that one?”
    I shake my head no.
    â€œIt’s where they take people who have a dream of becoming someone else and make it come true.”
    â€œI never asked to be turned into the dang Prom Queen.”
    â€œI know, I know,” she says. “And it’s not as if they’re going to succeed. I mean, talk about L-O-L. But how can you turn down this chance to be on television? Oh my goodness, you could actually stop being a tremendous loser. Think of what this can mean for me.”
    â€œUm, okay, so I’m not exactly focused on the impact the show will have on your life…”
    â€œOh, Shannon.” Josie hugs me. “We can finally put the stupid Elf Ucker thing behind us!” She says “Elf Ucker” loud enough to turn a few heads and make me blush.
    â€œWho knows?” Josie draws back. “With the show’s help, you might even become friends with Grace Douglas.”
    â€œI will never be friends with Grace, trust me.” Josie doesn’t know that Grace is the one who came up with the Elf Ucker in the first place. That information only adds to my humiliation.
    She pouts. “You could at least try becoming friends with Grace Douglas.”
    â€œThere is no way Mom will even go for this.” I pull out the thick stack of papers Mickey gave me. “You really think she’ll sign this mega-contract plus let them install cameras all over our house?”
    Josie absentmindedly fixes her hair and sits back against the pleather bus seat. “Of course, I’ll need to pick a personality type…maybe I’ll be your studious little sister and people watching will wonder how someone so cute can be so smart and serious. Or maybe…”
    I tune my sister out as she excitedly plots her onscreen strategy. Maybe Josie’s right . The show itself sounds pretty cool, something I wouldn’t mind watching.
    But do I really want to see it unfold from the inside?
    ***
    When I get home, I nearly have to sit on my hands to avoid calling Marnie right away. The two of us do everything together. Even something boring like a trip to JippyLube to get the oil changed in the old Coroda my “Aunt” Kate gave me turns fun if Marnie comes along. I picture the two of us bouncing our butts on the stacks of tires until I knocked one over, sending tires rolling in every direction. We laughed so hard as we chased them down that nobody in the shop could even get mad at us.
    Marnie and I will probably be just like my mom and my Aunt Kate. Best friends since the third grade, they may not have grand tales of wild exploits, but they’ve always had each other. Through Mom’s divorce and Aunt Kate’s breast cancer, they’ve stuck together. I try to imagine what it might be like to be popular next year with dozens of friends, and I smile at the image of multiple Marnies.
    My phone lights up with a picture of her with her tongue rolled and her eyes crossed. Automatically, my hand reaches to answer it, and I practically have to slap it away with my other hand. Missing