The Lip Gloss
by Stella Jeong | Grade 8 | Scholastic 2024 | Short Story | Silver Key
by Stella Jeong | Grade 8 | Scholastics 2024 | Short Story | Silver Key
Ugh, where is it? Elyse’s fingers fumbled through her makeup pouch. With a frustrated sigh, she returned the pouch to her backpack and hurried through the busy between–period school hallway to her lockers. Aria was already there, her hands cupping a stack of colorfully written U.S. History notes — Elyse’s notes from class–Classic Aria.
Elyse scoffed and searched through the pockets of her locker, but she only found her stacked Moleskine notebooks and color-coded sticky notes. She glimpsed into Aria’s locker, adjacent to hers: starburst candy wrappers and half-eaten Kit Kat bars littered the tops of her crinkled notebooks. On the shelves, there was an eyeliner Elyse bought for her and a few pictures of Aria with her boyfriend from one of their many dates.
As Elyse got closer to Aria she caught a glimpse of Daniel standing next to her and started to fidget with the strap of her backpack, tucking a fallen strand of hair behind her ear and the tails of her shirt into her checkered skirt. She rolled her eyes and tapped Aria’s shoulder, “Hey, did you return my lip gloss?”
“Elyse, I’m literally talking to someone…” Aria gestured to Daniel, who waved hello with a soft smile. Elyse blushed and waved back with a soft flick of her hand. Before Aria responded, Daniel left after kissing Aria on her cheek.
Aria sighed. “Your lip gloss? I haven’t seen it. Did you check your bags?”
Elyse nodded, “Yeah, I swear I checked everywhere. Are you sure you didn’t take it? I thought you borrowed it from me yesterday.”
“Are you serious? I didn’t take your lip gloss!” Aria hissed, crossing her arms, “Why do you always think I’m the bad guy?”
Elyse rolled her eyes. She tapped her foot as she tightened the scrunchy band of her ponytail, slicking back pieces of her dark black hair that kept falling out. “As if you returned everything you’ve borrowed from me on time. Admit it Aria, you lost my lip gloss.”
Aria shoved the notes — Elyse’s notes– into Elyse’s locker, “Look, I get that you’re pissed off, but I swear I didn’t take your lip gloss or any of your other stupid stuff.” She paused and slammed Elyse’s locker, “Why are you always accusing me of things?”
“Maybe I wouldn’t have to accuse you if you weren’t dating my crush–the one I told you I liked.” Elyse slapped her hands over her mouth as soon as that last word was uttered.
Aria fumed. “Take it back!”
“Am I wrong? I told you! And you still went behind my back and went out with him!”
“But he asked me out!”
“Of course, he’d ask you out, you’d go out with anybody,” Elyse muttered.
“What did you say?” Aria turned so that she was directly facing Elyse, arms shifting to her hips.
Elyse didn’t respond.
“Just because he doesn’t wanna go out with you because you’re stuck up and prissy, don’t blame me!”
Elyse snapped. She grabbed a handful of Aria’s thick blonde hair, yanking it back, as she jerked Aria into the lockers on the other side of the hallway. The three kids that stood there cleared out, watching the two girls ramble. “You” — Aria returned the yank with a hard tug on Elyse’s ponytail — “bitch” — ripping the scrunchy out and tossing it to the ground.
Just as she gained her balance, Elyse shoved her hard, and Aria fell, her knees sliding against the linoleum floor with a screech.
They both gasped at the spots of dark red trickling out of Aria’s right knee. Aria winced as her peeled skin burned, her white knee-high socks stained with drops of blood.
Crap. Looking at Aria, Elyse realized she had sprung into action without thinking about it. Two months ago, before Daniel asked Aria out, the girls would spend every day together sharing Math notes, and riding their bikes around the neighborhood after school. Who would have thought they’d end up here in the bustling school halls with all their peers staring at them like two lions at the zoo, fighting over the last piece of meat.
Elyse held her hand out to help Aria up, then got to her locker, where she kept a first aid kit for emergencies on the second shelf. As she opened the shelf — there it was: a bright red lip gloss, hidden underneath her wet wipes and first aid kit.
Elyse held the lip gloss tightly. Shit. Glancing at Aria, she handed her some Neosporin and a thick Band-Aid to clean the wound and soak up the blood.
Aria knelt on the ground, laying her leg flat. “It’s been two months since–everything,” she paused, looking up so her gaze could meet Elyse’s. “I’m sorry, El.”
Elyse stopped rummaging through her locker and stared back at her best friend. Kneeling down, she snatched the Band-Aid from Aria’s hands and tore it open. She gently placed it on Aria’s already scabbing wound, and then took a seat next to her, leaning her head against the cold metal of the lockers.
A smile tugged at the edges of her lips, “Here, your lips are chapped” She gave her a side-ways glance, gesturing to the lip gloss now safely in her palm.
Aria grinned, “Your hair’s not looking too hot either. Come on, I have a brush in my locker.”
