That's What's Up! by Paula Chase

costumes.
    They sat in the last row of the huge auditorium, cloaked in darkness.The busy stage was the only brightly lit area. Trunks were opened, closed and pushed across the stage as the heavy period-piece costumeswere stored. No one from the stage even looked their way.
    â€œWhat are you still doing here, anyway?” Lizzie whispered.
    â€œTrack,” Jacinta said. “We ended early.” She rubbed absently at her sore thighs, savoring the pain even as she winced. Before Lizzie could say another word, Jacinta blurted, “If you want to go to the Extreme, I know how we can roll.” She lowered her voice more as it echoed softly back. “Before you make up excuses ... just yes or no, do you wanna go?”
    â€œYeah, I do,” Lizzie said. She looked toward the stage to see if anyone noticed them. But Ms. Jessamay was shouting directions amid the general chatter.
    â€œAlright, my aunt is going to New York for her job,” Jacinta said. She leaned in closer to Lizzie and Lizzie leaned in, too. Their foreheadsnearly touched, making them a strange mixed-race Siamese twin—one a natural blonde, the other blonde thanks to the magic of hair dye. “I begged her to let me stay home instead of going to my father’s house. And she finally said yes.”
    Lizzie’s eyes widened. “How’d you do that?”
    Jacinta chuckled and waved it off.“I told her that I didn’t want to go home and have to be so close to Raheem for four days.” Her eyebrowsjumped as she shrugged. “Which is sort of true. If I went home, it would be impossible not to run into him.” She exhaled softly. “I’m not down for that this weekend.”
    Lizzie clucked in sympathy.
    â€œAnyway, so she said it was cool as long as I checked in with my father every night,” Jacinta continued.
    â€œWait ... how are you going to do that from O. C.?” Lizzie fretted.
    â€œLook, I’ll just call him every night from my cell. I have the featurewhere I can get my number forwarded to Aunt Jacqi’s home number. When I call it will look like I’m calling from there.”
    Lizzie groaned softly. “I don’t know, Cinny.”
    Jacinta grabbed Lizzie’s wrist and shook it firmly. “It can work, Lizzie.Your parents will let you stay over, won’t they?”
    Lizzie’s mouth twisted as she considered the question.
    â€œThey don’t even need to know Aunt Jacqi won’t be home,” Jacintasaid, correctly reading the worry on Lizzie’s face. “Look, our parents are so used to us all doing S.O.’s they barely even check anymorewith each other.”
    Lizzie nodded slowly, still unsure. “I guess ... but what if they do?” she asked.
    Jacinta sat back in her seat, thought about it then shrugged. “They won’t.”
    â€œCinny, my mom will know something is wrong as soon as I ask,” Lizzie said. Her brows knitted in worry. “I can’t ...”
    â€œYou’re an actress. Just act,” Jacinta reasoned.
    â€œI’m not that good,” Lizzie mumbled.
    â€œOkay. I’ll call and ask your mother for you. How ’bout that?” Jacinta looked in Lizzie’s eyes. “Just let me handle it. Okay?”
    Lizzie gnawed at her thumbnail.
    Jacinta’s smile gleamed through the dimness as she said, “You know you wanna hang out with your boy, T.” She whispered loudly, “You in?”
    Lizzie hunched her shoulders to her ears then let them go with a huge sigh as she nodded.
    Jacinta grinned. “For real, I’ll take care of everything.”

Live a Little
    â€œWhat you know ’bout me? What you know?”
    â€”Lil’ Mama, “Lip Gloss”
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    H ours later, Jacinta made good on her word.
    With her advice, “You’re an actress. Just act,” chiming in Lizzie’s ears, she blanked her mind of the road trip and hanging with Todd and focused