Sunset Boulevard by Zoey Dean

distinctly
    heard the words, "Why didn't we think of that?"
    The football game scene taking place that evening would involve the entire BHH student body.
    In it, Kady's character, Lizzie, and her friend Knox, played by Grant, attended the school's big
    homecoming game, just to play a nasty pyramid-toppling prank on the cheerleaders who'd
    framed Kady for stealing the school's trophy.
    "I just don't know what to wear to a Midwestern high school football game," Fortune said.
    Amelie surveyed Fortune's perfectly curated bohemian prep schooler outfit--dark green fringy
    scarf emerging from a neatly pressed cream blazer over a navy tartan skirt and funky black
    motorcycle boots. It was like she'd already cast herself as a rich girl with a wild side.
    "Yeah, maybe you could tell us what you're wearing," Billie said, looking like a punk-rock
    Alice in Wonderland, with her platform Mary Janes and artfully askew black bow headband.
    "Well, I guarantee it will include that halo." Amelie sighed. "Have you seen that thing?"
    "How could you not? It's awful," Talia said. Catching the mean-girl tinge to her voice, she
    backpedaled. "But, you would look cute in anything."
    Amelie laughed. "You don't have to lie. It should come with a butter churn."
    Billie giggled. "You're funny! Isn't she funny?" She looked at the other girls, as amazed as if
    her pet Chihuahua had started reciting Shakespeare.
    Amelie felt a wave of affection for her new, not-really friends. It was liberating to have a
    conversation that wasn't about how to shoot act three, or her contract obligations for an in-store
    appearance. Okay, so maybe these girls wanted something. But if she were to be honest with
    herself, so did she.
    "So, guys, I have a minor suggestion for tonight," she said. Why not help them out? Wasn't
    talking about what to wear to get a boy something regular girls did all the time?
    "You want seats by Grant, right?"
    The trio sang halfhearted protests. "Noooo," they insisted. "It's not that at all."
    "Come on, I know he's hot," Amelie said, even though Grant--with his unwashed indie rock
    hair and penchant for secondhand-store tweed--was not even close to Hunter on the hotness
    scale.
    "He's okay," Talia said, her eyes scanning his window above them again.
    "Okay, fine, if you want to be in the movie, do this: Dress down. Something that an average
    girl would wear on a date. Like nice jeans, a cute V-neck sweater. You could do your hair in a
    ponytail, or just down. Lose the satin headbands. They're too Upper East Side. And it's
    supposed to be October in Ohio, so maybe a jacket, a light one?"
    Talia clapped her hands, excitedly looking from Fortune to Billie. "Omigod, that sounds so
    perfect! Amelie, you're a lifesaver!"
    They all clustered closer to her, folding her into an awkward kneeling group hug. As they split
    up, Billie kept a hand on Amelie's arm. "Amelie, do you think we're totally lame to be going
    after Grant this way?"
    As Billie, followed by Talia and Fortune, turned their wide eyes on her, Amelie felt like the girl
    everyone knew could be counted on for good advice. She shook her head. "Not at all," she
    whispered conspiratorially, grinning at a group of guys who passed by, looking appreciatively
    at the four of them. "You never know what could happen, or if you'll get another chance." She
    was thinking of herself and Hunter, wondering if she could have done more.
    "Someone's speaking from experience," Fortune said, linking arms with her. "Have you seen
    any cute guys here, or do you already have a thing for someone?"
    Amelie could feel a blush rise in her cheeks as she thought of Hunter. "I've liked the same guy
    forever, but I don't think it's ever going to work out. I don't know if it's our timing, or if it's just
    me." She lowered her head shyly. Kady knew about her crush, but Amelie had never confessed
    her doubts aloud to anyone.
    Talia scoffed, pulling her in the direction of the front doors. "Yeah, like it could be you. He'd
    have