Picking Up the Pieces

Disclaimer: I don't own Tangerine and the cast. Edward Bloor does.

A drabble about a sneaky Maya and scum named Victor. Plus a fashionista Paul. Because I've always wanted to write a makeover!

Maya sipped her water while she analyzed the practice going on in front of her. Paul was drilling Shandra, and somehow she had managed to save all but one. Impressive; Paul had become quite the shooter in the last few years. Dolly and Nita worked in a 2-versus-1 defensive drill with Victor and Cesar. She was joining them after getting some water. As the drill progressed she noticed Nita looking between Dolly and Victor. They were getting rather rough and physical, but poor Dolly could hardly complain. The Tangerine varsity soccer team was co-ed and the girls paid the price.

Shaking her head, Maya jogged back to her group, jokingly stealing the ball from Victor.

Maya emerged from the locker room, feeling refreshed after a nice shower. Victor was waiting for her outside.

"You always take forever!" He laughed. "You look fantastic, though."

Maya blushed; he had a way of making her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. Their relationship had been off-and-on through middle school, but they had picked it up again at the beginning of the summer. Maya sighed as she made her way to Victor's car for a ride home; she swore that she couldn't have been happier.

As the fall bled into winter, and the soccer season ended, Maya received a call from Shandra.

"Hey, Maya!" She tried to sound cheerful but Maya noticed her wavering voice.

"I wanted to call to tell you something I think that you should know…"

Maya, curious, pressed on. "Get on with it, silly…"

"Umm, well, I just saw Victor kissing Dolly in the parking lot behind the school."

"You're joking, right?" She said. Shandra was a bit of a jokester, but even she should know that stuff like this wasn't funny. "Um, no," Shandra said. Maya could hear the pity in her voice and it made her angry, an anger so deep and baseless that it cut through all her shock.

And all of a sudden Maya was incredibly angry, filled with a rage that made her want to castrate Victor.

"Do you know how long this has been going on?" Maya's voice could have broken glass.

Shandra gulped. "Dolly said the beginning of the summer. She's feelin' real bad 'bout all this. Saying she didn't know until the fall, and wasn't sure how to break it to ya."

Maya hung up the phone and lay back on her bed.

She refused to cry.

Saturday morning Maya moped around. She hated that she had even fallen for the… idiotic smooth-talkin' jerk. She didn't wanted to get out of bed. Just as she seemed to fade back into sleep, her door creaked open.

"Yeah, mom, I'm sleepin'." Her words faded as she rolled over.

"I'm not your mother." Maya almost screamed as she heard PAUL's voice in her room. On a Saturday morning.

"Yes, girl, I heard the news. And you are not gonna let that get you down. You are a beautiful, wonderful girl, so get dressed. We're going shopping. I'll explain in the car."

Maya struggled into sweatpants and her favorite band t-shirt. Paul took one look at her and clucked. "Nope, not happening. Looks like the explaining is going to have to happen now." He turned and started going through her dresser.

"You see, I heard about Victor- the idiot, I'll never understand him- and I thought back to when Gino dumped me… and all I wanted was first to kill him, and then to make him see what he was missing out on. So I'm going help you help him see what he's missing. That starts with shopping."

Maya's head whirled; What was his plan? But that was quickly overwhelmed by her brain scream: Someone understood! Somehow that made her whole situation a lot more bearable.

Just as she stopped to think, Paul thrust another outfit into her arms.

"Step 1 is making you look a whole lot better. Get dressed and meet me in your driveway."

Maya was left to stare a stack of clothing comprised of the most revealing stuff that she owned- including, to her dismay, undergarments. Paul really was relentless.

At the mall, Maya was forced to walk through stores that she had never even heard of before. She had stopped in the beginning to question Paul's choice in clothes- Isn't that a little short? Do I really need that to be silk? Do I have to go into THAT store? - before realizing that it was pointless. She just let herself go with the flow. Whenever she began to have fun, she made herself feel guilty; Paul shouldn't have to pay. But while he was also getting Erik's allowance…

Maya nearly screamed as Paul brought her into a beauty salon. However, the stylish teen never slowed.

Maya emerged, a full two hours later, unable to recognize herself in the mirror. Everything about her seemed different, more elegant, but she couldn't find herself bothered by it. The ladies there had worked some magic. Despite the endless plucking, priming, trimming, and waxing, it had actually been a relaxing experience. She had been slightly offended when Paul told the ladies to fix, "absolutely everything!", but as the surrounding boys began to stare her way she was both self-conscious and weirdly grateful, somehow more confident. Now she had more makeup on than she had even worn willingly in her life (what had been the point in makeup if she was going to have to take it off for soccer?), with a whole book of instructions for how to take care of her hair!

She smiled at Paul. Victor was going to regret messing with Maya.

Come Monday morning, Maya stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, desperately trying to tug her shirt down a few inches. When Paul had arrived at her house at 6:30 AM to do her makeup, she had been frustrated. Now, dressed like the girls she had always hated, the rush she got from the mall was hard for Maya to find.

"Now, when you apply eyeliner, always make sure that the point is sharp! Today I would recommend the liquid liner, but your makeup skills aren't quite there yet, so… Hey! Are you even listening? Honestly…" Paul yanked Maya from her thoughts.

After the arduous process, Maya slid into the passenger seat of Paul's ridiculously nice BMW ("A consolation from my parents because of Erik… they should really have just done something about him sooner.") and finally allowed herself to feel excited. She and Paul had plotted all Sunday. All the boys at school wouldn't know what hit them. Well, the ones that liked girls, that is.

There! My idea is complete! xoxo )