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Nervously, Pacifica stood on the rickety front porch of the Corduroy family cabin, waiting for someone to answer the door.
She had stopped by the Mystery Shack earlier that morning, hoping to find the older girl and getting the chance to talk to her, but Soos had informed her that Wendy had asked for the weekend off. "Sorry, dude," he'd told her, "maybe you could try looking for her at her place? It's just down the road."
So Pacifica had walked even further (in the rain, which was totally going to ruin her hair, but she decided it was worth it) to Wendy's house.
She tensed up as she heard the door click.
A boy that didn't look much older than her pulled it open. Pacifica figured he was one of Wendy's siblings, but she struggled to recall his name. She had, however, heard Wendy go on rants about how frustrating it was to have three brothers. Pacifica had been thankful to be an only child after hearing the horror stories of finding her belongings missing or strung about the house or the dreaded annual Corduroy family road trip.
"Are you here for Wendy?" He mumbled, scratching at the back of his head.
"Yeah... Is she home?" Pacifica replied as she folded her arms over her chest.
"She's in her room," the boy answered before disappearing back inside. Pacifica took the open door as a cue to follow him.
Which room is hers? Pacifica asked herself as she glimpsed around. She realized what a silly question that was, though, when she saw a closed door at the end of the hallway covered in posters. Rock music blared from behind the wood, and although it was muffled, Pacifica recognized it as one of Wendy's favorite bands.
Pacifica knocked twice before stepping inside of the teenager's messy bedroom.
She had never been inside, but it looked just like she had pictured it. More posters for various bands, festivals, and movies were spread across the wood-paneled walls. Her dresser and desk were cluttered with old toys and knickknacks. On the bed lay Wendy and a friend of hers Pacifica remembered seeing at the Mystery Shack on a few occasions.
"Oh, hey, Pacifica, what's up?" Wendy shouted over the music after lifting her head to see who was there.
"What?" Pacifica shouted back.
"Hang on-" Wendy grumbled, struggling to climb up from her spot on the lumpy mattress. She padded over to the other side of her bedroom and turned off a speaker that sat on her desk. "What's up?" The teen then repeated.
Shyly, Pacifica stood in the doorway, wondering if she should have just stayed home. "I just wanted to swing by, a-and maybe talk to you, but like, only if you aren't busy or anything," she mumbled, her gaze focused on the floorboards beneath her.
"Hey, you can hang out with us! Tambry brought over some hair dye and I was about to help her with it. We could do yours, too, if you want," Wendy offered with a friendly smile.
Colored hair? What would her parents even think of that? A surprising smile spread across her face. What would my parents think of that?
"What color?" Pacifica asked.
"I want to go a lighter purple," Tambry said, reaching for the bottle on Wendy's nightstand. She held it up so Pacifica could get a better look.
"Maybe just the ends," the younger girl murmured, running a hand through her long, blonde hair.
In the bathroom, Pacifica gazed at her reflection in a small mirror Wendy had passed to her.
"What do you think?" Tambry eagerly asked from her spot on the edge of the bathtub.
"I..." Pacifica shook her head, giggling. "My parents are going to kill me." That is, if they even notice. The tips of her hair, now a lavender color, definitely stood out, but Preston and Priscilla hardly spent any time around their daughter. Besides, the manor was pretty big, and she figured she could try avoiding them for a while.
Wendy shrugged, laughing. "At least you had us to help us. The first time Tambry and I got permission from our parents to do this, we totally messed it up. We thought this one video tutorial online would work, but it backfired on us. Oh man, her mom was so mad at us. It took us weeks to get green dye out of the sink at her house," she snickered.
"Now this is the only place we're allowed to do it ourselves," Tambry added, grinning.
"So," Wendy turned to Pacifica as she hopped up onto the countertop. "What did you want to talk about?"
Pacifica's gaze turned to the floor in embarrassment. "Oh, uh..." She hung her head. "I thought maybe I could come to you for some, like, romantic advice, maybe."
Wendy let out a gasp. "Of all the people you could go to for advice, especially the romantic kind, you came to me? I'm honored!" She giggled. "Lay it on me, girl."
Pacifica eased herself down onto the linoleum, her back pressed against the bathroom door. "Well," she started with a smile growing across her cheeks. She kept her head down in a bad attempt to hide it. "I usually don't get crushes on anybody. But like, there's someone that I know and they're really... Well... I don't know. Maybe, y'know..."
Wendy leaned over and playfully punched Pacifica's arm. "Who is it? Do I know them?"
A bit embarrassed, Pacifica nodded. "But I don't know if she like, likes me back, and I just hate feeling stuck in this limbo-"
"Woah, hey man, it's alright," Wendy interrupted. "Do you want to tell me about her?"
Pacifica's cheeks flushed red and she pulled her knees close. "Well, for starters, she's, uh..." She blanked for a moment, then nearly stumbled on her words when she spoke again. "She's pretty much, like, my best friend. She's super kind to everyone, a-and she's really goofy. She makes a lot of people happy and I want to be the same way," she admitted before adding, "Plusshe'sreallypretty."
Wendy raised a brow, grinning wide. "That does sound like somebody I know."
"I've never liked a girl before, o-or at least, not like this, and I'm not sure if I should tell her, or how or when, and what if it doesn't work out-"
"I went through the same thing when I was your age. Dating people is pretty confusing, Paz," Wendy laughed. "God, I've got so many exes. Russ Durham, Eli Hall, Stoney Davidson, Rachel Burke, one time I had a fling with a girl in Massachusetts- hell, one time Tambry and I tried dating," she snickered. "That didn't work out. But see? We're still friends. Sometimes things don't go as planned, and it's okay! I'm sure Mab- this girl that you like, wouldn't want to call off the friendship or anything if she doesn't like you back. She's told me some things, though, and I think maybe asking her out on a little date might be worth a shot."
"You think so?" Pacifica looked up in surprise.
"I know so, dude. You should've heard some of the things she used to say about you. Sounds like you've both got it pretty bad."
"Maybe talking to her would be a good idea," Tambry butt in. "Opening up about how you feel might make things less awkward."
"Go for it, Paz!" Wendy chimed in.
Pacifica tipped her head back against the door, folding her hands in her lap as she thought it all over. "Thanks, guys," she mumbled. Mabel's arrival back in town was still a good few weeks away, but Pacifica was suddenly eager to confess her secret to her. As she twirled her finger through her blonde and purple locks, Paz couldn't hide her smile.