Mimi's rapturous face appears over my shoulder. “I am sure one of the other girls will have a strapless brassiere you can borrow.”  

I snort at the word ‘brassiere’.

She pretends not to notice. “And I am no good at makeup, unfortunately. But your hair looks perfect.”  She twists a curl. “Just like your mother.”  

I look away. “I’ll ask them tomorrow. We have pre-parade duties this week.”

A shadow passes over Mimi’s face. “That sounds fun.”  

Our eyes meet in the mirror and the fact that we're both hiding something seems to pulse around us, and just like that the spell of the last few minutes is broken and the big fat elephant is back.

“Dinner should be ready in an hour o...

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