"Yes!" they heard Dean say all the way from the front seat. He reached his arm into the backseat and plucked one of the tickets out of Olivia"s hand. "This one is mine."
Alicia grabbed the other two. "Box seats! Perfect!"
"You know this means we"ll have to call off the sleep-over with Catherine and Meredith," Olivia said.
"Given," Alicia said, trying not to sound upset that she had ruined her friendship with Ma.s.sie for basically no reason.
"How did your dad get get these?" Olivia asked. "I heard Jay-Z couldn"t even get tickets." these?" Olivia asked. "I heard Jay-Z couldn"t even get tickets."
"His law firm has gotten like a million celebrities out of jail, so he has tons of connections," Alicia dropped nonchalantly. "He can get me into anything, anything, even Fashion Week." even Fashion Week."
"The only way this day could possibly get any better is if I suddenly grow b.o.o.bs," Olivia said.
Alicia smiled and folded her arms across her chest. She would have gladly given Olivia hers if she could.
In less than two hours Alicia and Olivia were standing in midtown Manhattan staring up at 4 Times Square. The Teen Vogue Teen Vogue building took up an entire city block and Alicia couldn"t wait to see the inside. building took up an entire city block and Alicia couldn"t wait to see the inside.
"Look, it"s one of those hot dog guys. They"re always in movies about New York." Olivia pointed to the heavily mustached man standing in front of a silver cart. "I have have to buy something. This is so cool." to buy something. This is so cool."
"What"s so cool about a hot dog?" Alicia asked quietly, trying not to offend the guy.
"It means we"re in New York City." Olivia reached inside her Dooney & Bourke hearts bag and pulled out a matching wallet. "Look, he even has those big soft pretzels."
Alicia rolled her eyes. "Olivia, we have to go; we"ll get something after." But Olivia ignored her.
"One pretzel and one orange soda, please." She looked back at Alicia and smiled excitedly.
"Want one?" Olivia waved a five-dollar bill in the air.
Alicia shook her head and turned away, wondering if Olivia would have obeyed Ma.s.sie. "I"m not hungry."
"It"s almost three," Dean said, checking his gold Rolex. The watch was last year"s Christmas gift from the Riveras, and Alicia saw him check it at least fifty times a day. "We should head on up."
Alicia sh.e.l.lacked her mouth with a fresh coat of clear MAC Lipgla.s.s and checked her side part in the reflection of Dean"s sungla.s.ses.
"That"s okay, Dean, you don"t have to come with us." Alicia reached up and put her hand on his shoulder. "Why don"t you get a coffee at Au Bon Pain? We"ll meet you there when we"re done."
"I promised your mothers I would go with you," he said. "If I don"t go, you don"t go."
"Puh-lease, we don"t need a babysitter, do we, Olivia?"
Olivia licked a blob of mustard off her thumb and shook her head.
Alicia put her hands on her hips and looked up at Dean with her big brown eyes. She had I told you I told you written all over her face. While Alicia stared at Dean, she couldn"t help noticing his bushy unibrow. It was just one more reason why she didn"t want to be seen with him at written all over her face. While Alicia stared at Dean, she couldn"t help noticing his bushy unibrow. It was just one more reason why she didn"t want to be seen with him at Teen Vogue. Teen Vogue. But the piercing sirens of a rush of pa.s.sing police cars startled Alicia and she heard herself scream. But the piercing sirens of a rush of pa.s.sing police cars startled Alicia and she heard herself scream.
"Lead the way," she said to Dean, forgetting all about his embarra.s.sing facial hair.
Alicia walked in between Olivia and Dean as they fought their way through the sea of fast walkers that scurried by.
"Look at this revolving door. It"s huge!" Olivia gasped. "All three of us can fit in at the same time."
"It"s just a door," Alicia said, but she was secretly relieved they wouldn"t have to separate even for a second.
The door spit them out into the ma.s.sive lobby of the building. The walls and floors were made of the same shiny white marble and the ceiling seemed a mile high.
"I feel like we"re in heaven," Alicia said, looking up at the gigantic Christmas tree that towered above her head.
"You will be if you don"t watch where you"re going." Dean put his arm in front of Alicia to keep a husky man in a business suit from banging into her.
Alicia pinched the sleeve of Dean"s itchy blue wool coat so she could continue looking around and stay safe.
She pa.s.sed a newsstand that had a huge display of glossy fashion magazines all around it.
"I haven"t heard of half half of these," Alicia said to Olivia when they walked by. of these," Alicia said to Olivia when they walked by.
"Me either," Olivia said. "What"s up with that one?" She was pointing to Vogue Italia. Vogue Italia. "They totally ripped off "They totally ripped off Vogue"s Vogue"s name. That"s so cheesy." name. That"s so cheesy."
Alicia wanted to laugh but bit her lip instead. There was so much to look at, she didn"t have time to explain the facts of life.
"This way," Dean said, leading the girls through a maze of people. He stopped in front of the security desk.
"Names and ID, please," said the guard. He was seated behind a console of TV monitors and telephones.
Alicia and Olivia took out their OCD cards and Dean took out his New York State driver"s license.
"Who are you seeing?" the guard asked, grabbing their cards with his chalky old fingers.
"Lucinda Hill at Teen Vogue Teen Vogue," Alicia said, applying a fresh coat of pink gloss.
The security guard typed their names into a computer, and three badges slid out of his printer. Their ID pictures were on them.
"We"re being interviewed," Olivia said, hooking a long strand of blond hair behind her ear. "And photographed."
"Yeah, for Teen Vogue," Teen Vogue," Alicia said with a proud smile. Alicia said with a proud smile.
"Thirty-fifth floor," the guard said, handing them their badges.
"They"re doing a whole story on us," Olivia said, leaning over his desk and peeking at his high-tech setup.
The guard used his coffee-stained clipboard to push her elbows off his desk. "Elevators are to your left," he said, replacing the clipboard with a roast beef on rye. He lifted the sandwich to his mouth and took a bite. "Next," he called with his mouth full, and the bike messenger who was in line behind them stepped forward.
Once they were on the crowded elevator, Alicia let out a huge sigh. Everything finally felt still. She squeezed past the woman in a navy sweater set and caught her own reflection in the thin band of bra.s.s that separated the black leather panels on the walls. She fished around the inside of her purse for a brush. Her hair looked healthy and shiny despite the dry winter air and her side part had held up nicely despite the strong winds. Alicia winked at her image. She didn"t need the brush after all.
"I am totally saving this," Olivia said, admiring the badge that was clipped to the bottom of her poncho. "I bet I could get a fortune for it on eBay."
A few of the adults in the elevator snickered when Olivia said that and Alicia was embarra.s.sed.
"She"s just kidding," Alicia said to the panel of numbers that lit up above their heads ... 25 ... 26 ... 27. ...
"No, I wasn"t," Olivia insisted.
Alicia widened her eyes and looked right at Olivia, hoping her friend would start acting less like an amateur.
The elevators opened up on the thirty-fifth floor, and a girl in her twenties was there to greet them. She had short brown hair that had been combed to the side and still looked a little wet. The boys in Alicia"s grade styled their hair the same way for dances. The girl had huge blue eyes and her skin was porcelain white. Her bright red lipstick provided the only dash of color she needed, because she was one of those girls who looked good pale. She reminded Alicia of an airbrushed photograph of a New York model.
"You"re the OCD girls, right?" she asked when she saw them. "I"m Lucinda Hill, fashion editor at Teen Vogue." Teen Vogue." She smiled with her mouth closed and extended her right hand. The stack of thin gold bangles on her arm swayed and clanged together. Alicia studied them, trying to think of a store in Westchester that might sell them. She could tell Olivia was thinking the same thing, because she was staring too. Dean was the only one who realized Lucinda was waiting for them to shake her hand. She smiled with her mouth closed and extended her right hand. The stack of thin gold bangles on her arm swayed and clanged together. Alicia studied them, trying to think of a store in Westchester that might sell them. She could tell Olivia was thinking the same thing, because she was staring too. Dean was the only one who realized Lucinda was waiting for them to shake her hand.
"I"m Dean, the Riveras" family driver," he said, flashing his new professionally bleached teeth. "This is Alicia Rivera and Olivia Ryan."
Both girls followed Dean"s lead and shook the woman"s hand.
"Super, well, let"s go," Lucinda said in a pinched tone. "Follow me." She led them toward a maze of cubicles and offices.
Alicia and Olivia started giggling when they realized they had to trot if they were going to keep up with her manic pace.
"Everything okay back there?" Lucinda asked when she heard them laughing. But she didn"t turn around, because she was typing an e-mail into her BlackBerry. "Ugh, my inbox is flooded. Not a good day for my a.s.sistant"s grandmother to die, you know?"
A gaggle of trendy girls dressed in a variety of different-colored ballet flats, tank tops, and miniskirts raced by carrying brown paper bags overflowing with clothes.
"Aren"t they chilly?" Olivia whispered to Alicia. "It"s freezing outside."
"It"s more important to look look hot than to feel hot," Lucinda said to her BlackBerry. hot than to feel hot," Lucinda said to her BlackBerry.
Alicia studied the back of Lucinda"s head and wondered how she could have possibly heard Olivia. It must be the short hair-there was nothing covering her ears.
Lucinda was a different kind of beautiful than Alicia was used to. Her nose was bold and her eyes were slightly bugged out. Yet it was these imperfections that Alicia found so interesting and attractive. She even admired Lucinda"s outfit-gray wide-legged suit pants, a tight lime green T-shirt with cap sleeves, and a brown leather cowboy belt with a big round buckle that said EARL EARL on it. Not one bit of it was designer. Alicia tried to get a look at her boots, but she didn"t want Lucinda to notice her giving the obvious once-over, so she decided to sneak a peek later. on it. Not one bit of it was designer. Alicia tried to get a look at her boots, but she didn"t want Lucinda to notice her giving the obvious once-over, so she decided to sneak a peek later.
"How "bout a super-speedy tour before the interview?" Lucinda spoke even faster than she walked.
"Yay!" Olivia clapped and jumped up and down.
"Well, aren"t you excitable," Lucinda said. "If my a.s.sistant were here, I"d send her out to get you some Ritalin ASAP."
"That"s okay." Olivia rubbed her tummy. "I had a gi-normous pretzel before I got here."
"Ritalin isn"t a food; it"s the drug my parents used to force-feed me when I was seven." Lucinda contorted her face as if she had just been forced to swallow another pill. "It"s for hyper kids."
"That"s so coool," Olivia said, as if Lucinda had just invented the flatiron.
"I guess, if you like spending your eighth birthday in a psychiatrist"s office," Lucinda said.
"What"s that?" Alicia asked, pointing straight ahead. She had no idea how to break the tension and found herself missing Ma.s.sie. She always knew how to fix an awkward situation.
"Uh, it"s our hall," Lucinda said. She led them down a long corridor with hot pink carpeting and red glitter splattered on the walls. Every Teen Vogue Teen Vogue had been blown up, framed, and hung. had been blown up, framed, and hung.
"This was our first issue ever." Lucida pointed to a picture of Jennifer Love Hewitt.
"Cute," Alicia said flatly. She wanted Lucinda to think she visited magazines every day. But there was so much to look at, Alicia had no idea where to turn next. Glossy framed pictures of Josh Hartnett, Usher, Mary-Kate and Ashley, and Hilary Duff fought for her attention.
"Here"s our autograph box." With the antenna of her cell phone Lucinda tapped a Lucite box that had been mounted on the wall. "We have signatures from every celebrity we"ve ever worked with in here."
"My brother keeps his World Series tickets in a case exactly like that," Olivia said.
"Really?" Lucinda said to her BlackBerry.
"I bet you could sell that for quite a pretty penny," Dean said, pressing his bulbous nose against the box. The plastic fogged up from his breath.
"Ew, stand back, Dean." Alicia was looking at Lucinda when she spoke. "You"ll melt it."
"Seriously," Lucinda said.
Alicia rolled her eyes and mouthed the word sorry. sorry. Gawd forbid the editor thought Alicia approved of her driver"s gauche behavior. Gawd forbid the editor thought Alicia approved of her driver"s gauche behavior.
"Okay, who"s ready to see The Closet?" Lucinda led them down another sparkle-filled corridor.
Alicia and Olivia"s hands shot straight up into the air.
Everyone at school had heard of the mythical fashion paradise called The Closet, but no one could prove its existence. Some said it was magazine folklore. Others claimed to have cousins or friends of cousins who had seen it. But either way, Alicia was about to discover the truth.
They stopped in front of a big door that looked more like a full-length mirror. The Closet The Closet was written across the top in red lipstick. was written across the top in red lipstick.
Alicia dug into her purse and quickly applied a fresh coat of gloss. She adjusted her side part and pinched her cheeks for some extra color. She could feel her palms sweat with antic.i.p.ation.
"Excuse me." Lucinda reached into her shirt and pulled a long gold chain out of her cleavage. An old-fashioned key dangled off the end. She lowered her neck and stuck the key in the lock of The Closet"s door. Her hand disappeared inside. "Voila," she said, flicking on the light switch.
"Ehmagawd," Alicia and Olivia declared at the same time. It was twenty times bigger than Alicia"s walk-in and it smelled as sweet as the perfume counter at Bergdorf"s.
The Closet was set up to look like a runway show. A long catwalk with flashing lights divided the room, and mannequins were positioned to look like they were walking it during a show.
"Look at those models." Olivia was pointing to the seven mannequins dressed in the latest trends: colorful ponchos, blazers dotted with sparkly brooches, Juicy sweats in brand-new colors, ballet flats with fuzzy pom-poms, and knee-high Uggs with miniskirts. It was like looking into a fashion crystal ball.
"Are any of those ladies single?" Dean asked with a playful smile.
No one bothered to answer.
Alicia was speechless. All she could do was slap Olivia on the shoulder and point to the different racks of clothes that lined both sides of the runway.
Olivia ran straight to the trendy cartoon T-shirts. "Look," she said, sliding the hangers across the bar. "They have Elmo, Barbie, and Strawberry Shortcake. These are ah-dora-ball!"
"Those are super-big for spring," Lucinda said. "So are these super-skinny straight-legged jeans." She pointed to a tower of denim in a rainbow of different washes. "Esti, our photo editor, tried a pair of these on without taking her shoes off and we almost had to amputate."
Stacks of leather belts, piles of bright bead necklaces, and boxes of handbags were everywhere. Wedge-heeled boots, strappy sandals, and metallic clogs in pink, silver, and gold hung in wire baskets suspended from the ceiling. It looked like it was raining shoes.
"What"s that?" Alicia asked, pointing to an outfit that had been tacked to a giant Teen Vogue Teen Vogue magazine cover made entirely of cork. magazine cover made entirely of cork.
"Oh, Avril"s wearing that tomorrow for her cover shoot," Lucinda said. She popped a piece of Nicorette gum into her mouth and started chomping. "This reminds me, I still have to find a new makeup artist." She flipped open her cell phone and started dialing. "It"s like everyone decided to have a death in the family the day before my shoot."
While Lucinda barked orders into her phone, Alicia and Olivia walked closer to the board.