“They get more attention with negativity,” mom tried to comfort Jamie. “But MOOOMMM” Jamie roared in response, her anger interrupted intermittently by choked gurgles of breath over sobs. “Mom you don’t UNDERSTAND!” Jamie bawled into the silk folds of mom’s nightgown. “These girls, you know, Jessica, Shayana, you know, them,” Jamie tried to explain, “they’re like soooo what I need to be, but they HAATEEE me.” Her sobs shook dust from the drywall in our house.

The next morning I dragged into the bathroom still drooling and slightly blind at the brightness of morning. Through the fog of my disappearing dream, I saw Jamie standing on a stool, bent over at the hip she peered into the mirror that was only a couple centimeters away from her face. “What are you doing?” I asked her, perhaps in a harsher tone than intended. “Ugh, I just like, CANNOT, with my pores,” she groaned grotesquely. “I frickin put on this concealer and it’s just like not doing ANYTHING” she complained. “Like I literally asked mom to get me the stuff from sephora and it’s like junk from the drug store” she continued. Reaching for my toothbrush I asked “when did you start wearing makeup?” she rolled her eyes as her head turned to me “don’t be like frickin dad bro” she stated “everyone wears makeup; it’s not that big of a deal” she finished. Spitting out my foamed up toothpaste I replied “I know it’s not a big deal, it’s just you never really wore it before, that’s all.” Drying my face on the towel by the door I mumbled, “Maybe try being a little less defensive.” Looking back at herself in the mirror, an eyelash curler in hand she dismissed me “can you just like tell mom I’ll be down in a minute.”

Entering the kitchen, Noodles greeted me with an excited jumble of fluff as he yapped around my feet. “Hey sweetie” mom greeted me “how’d you sleep?” she asked. “Honestly really good, bed at home is genuinely so much better than in my dorm.” I replied. “Oh good!” she exhaled “we can get you a mattress topper if that’ll be better, we could go shopping or something today” she hopefully questioned. Opening the fridge I reached for the Orange Juice “that sounds great mom.” I answered. Her eyes sparkled with something like gratitude, excitement, and tears as she flipped the bacon over. “Jamie has just been so strange” her voice dropped to a low hum. “Oh My God, Mom, I know, she was like all up in her eyeball this morning trying to elongate her lashes” I whispered back, orange juice splashing a bit from my cup. “Oh yeah she’s all about beauty now, she wants all these overpriced brands from sephora and ultra” she started “Ulta, mom” I corrected “yeah Ulta, Sephora, Lululemon, something something” she listed. “I understand that she’s at a new school, freshman year, you know trying to fit in, but she isn’t herself” she continued “ugh god and those girls at her school, you know Jessica, Shayana you know that clique. She wants their approval, so she can dance in their ticky tok videos.” she flailed her arms, and a bit of bacon grease dripped off her tongues onto the floor. “Its just so sad” I responded, Noodles now at my feet licking the grease of the wooden boards. “It was never like this for me, I guess I got out before all the ipad kids grew up” I pondered. “UChicago is nothing like that, I mean there’s like preppy girls and stuff, but it’s just like an aesthetic, not a mindset.” I explained. Mom set the fruit salad on the table “I should’ve got her a phone, I guess she needs it for school, but it’s just, I don’t see her anymore, she doesn’t like baking or watching GIlmore Girls” she sighed, “All I hear is leave me ALOONEE, Ugh you didn’t knock, Ugh this is not Glow Recipe, frankly, Dani, its draining.” I placed a pitcher of water on the table “maybe it’s just a phase, I dunno.” I replied. “Sweetie, Jamie, breakfast is ready” mom yelled up the stairs. “Ugh mom one minute.” Jamie groaned.

“Mom can you pass the eggs” I said, reaching for the bowl of fruit salad. “Mhh hmm” she responded, grabbing the frying pan. “Jamie, how was your presentation yesterday?” mom asked. “Fine” she dignified us with a response. “Can you put your phone away, honey, please? Dani is only here for a couple days.” mom cautiously inquired “whatever” Jamie murmured as she shoved her phone in her low waisted Edikted jeans pocket. “Do you like those jeans?” I asked “yeah they’re fine, why?” she replied. “I dunno I’ve never tried low waisted, maybe I will” I continued. “Uum you could try, but it might not like work on your build, if you know what I mean” she explained. Mom look bewildered and somewhat astonished. “Jamie, don’t comment on people’s bodies” mom stated. “What, it’s not that she’s like fat or anything; she just like has a really long torso,” she shamelessly defended. “What do you even know about torso length?” I replied, unoffended and somewhat amused. “Guys, you don’t frickin get it, like Shayana, she knows everything about like what fits body types and stuff,” she said slouching back in her chair. Mom gave me a look like “see what I’m talking about?” I sneaked a piece of bacon to Noodle. Jamie looked at her Apple Watch “Oh my God! Mom! Its 7:30! Oh My God Jessica said to meet her in the foyer at 7:40! Oh My God, MOM, What the frick, we have to go” she shrieked, jumping up. “Mom why that frick are you sitting, MOM WE GOTTA GO!! Jessica is gonna kill me!” she screamed running to the door, lunch box already in hand, feet sliding into clogs. Mom grudgingly stood up and picked her keys off the table. The screen door slapped as Jamie ran down the steps to the car. “Not even a thank you,” mom sighed, zipping up her boots.