I watched him walk away, feeling a little uncomfortable, and then looked sideways at Kira.
She stared down, tapping her fingernails on the table. “My word,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Looks like I have a lot of work to do with that one.”
I laughed as she turned around in her seat to smile and wave at Christian. Kira was excellent at keeping a positive attitude. Even though Darren had just cheated on her a few days ago, she was already picking herself back up and moving on. It was brave, really. I was impressed with her tenacity.
“So how did the last assignment meeting go?” I asked when she’d settled down.
“Shit! I forgot.” She slapped her hand on the table.
“Kira, language!”
“Sorry, Tess. It just slipped out.”
It wasn’t like I was the purest soul on Earth, but there was something to be said for old-fashioned manners. And cussing like a sailor was unbecoming of a Smitten Kitten. We were supposed to lead by example.
“So no meeting?” I asked. I should’ve just come to school on Friday. The girls of Washington needed me. SOS needed a strong leader, and lately, I’d been failing.
“I got sort of sidetracked,” she said apologetically.
I exhaled. “By what?”
“Um …” Her eyes wandered around the room. Mr. Powell got up, walking to the podium, and opened his oversized teacher’s book. I plucked the phone out of Kira’s hands.
“Never mind,” I whispered. “We’ll talk about it later.” The bell rang, and I quickly scrolled through the SOS message.
911! I think my BF, Marcus Billings, is cheating! I can’t catch him, and I’ve been told SOS is the best. If that bastard hooked up wl someone else, I will be so pissed blc we had sex for the first time this wknd. Thx, Cassandra
I cringed. Sometimes TMI was a given. I handed the phone to Kira and let her read.
“Ew,” she said, looking at me with her lip curled. “Too much information.”
“I know.”
Mr. Powell cleared his throat and told us to open our books to page ninety-six. Kira leaned over to whisper to me, “So when do you want to start this assignment?”
“I can’t tonight,” I said. “I’m going to Aiden’s for dinner. His mother is demanding it.” My stomach turned. She did this every few months, mostly to scare me away. But it never worked. I had some very sharp claws for a Kitten, and they were firmly planted in her son’s backside.
“Sorry for you,” Kira said, pretending to gag. She was so sweet.
“But this weekend,” I said. “We need to catch up on these assignments. We’re falling behind.”
“I know, Tess,” she groaned. “But there are just so many. I mean, Darren told me that part of the reason he cheated with Charlie was because I was never around.”
“Wait,” I whispered forcefully as I touched her arm. “When did you talk to Darren?” Oh, Kira.
She bit her lip. “Late Friday night.”
“Gross, K. Breakup sex? You’re so above that.”
“I know.” Her shoulders slumped. It hurt my heart to see her sad, so I gave her a quick hug. When I pulled back, I furrowed my brow.
“But why Darren when you’re trying for Christian?” I’d hate to think of Kira going back to her old ways. We’d worked so hard to restore her rep!
She shrugged. “It just happened. Darren sent me a text message, so I called him and … Gosh, Tess. I feel awful.”
“It’s okay,” I said, squeezing her hand. “If anything ever happened with Aiden, I would totally still go after him too.” My stomach turned. I’d never thought of anything happening to me and Aiden before. I straightened my posture and turned on the captain voice. “Just be careful, K. You’re more than a piece of tail. Smitten Kitten slogan.”
She nodded. I’d really hoped she’d get together with Christian, but now I wasn’t sure it was such a good idea. Not when she was obviously still lusting after Darren. Hm. Maybe I should talk to Aiden. Have him see what Darren’s intentions were.
The SOS phone vibrated again. My mouth fell open, and Kira met my stare.
“Another one,” she whispered, her dimples deepening with worry.
“Don’t respond. We’re getting seriously dunked on over here.”
Kira leaned back and touched her chest, staring at me. “But … you’ve never purposely not responded to a message.”
She was right. What was I thinking? “Okay,” I whispered. “Check it, then schedule an emergency SOS meeting for tonight. We’ll meet up after my dinner.” That was if I made it out of Aiden’s house alive. “Can you message the other girls and let them know?”
“On it, Tess.” She held the phone under the table out of Mr. Powell’s view and began texting. Kira loved when I trusted her with top-secret communications. And even though she messed up the last briefing, I still believed in her. One day, I might even let her lead a practice or two. She’d been trying so hard.
After she put the phone back in her purse, she twirled the gum from her mouth around her finger, staring vacantly ahead. It was easy to see why she always got the attention of the boys at Washington High. She was very orally fixated.
I felt a tingle on the back of my ponytailed neck. Blinking quickly, I turned around. Christian sat up straight as my eyes met his. He beamed. I tried to smile politely, then swung to face front. He was making me self-conscious, but I wasn’t sure why. I just had the sneaking suspicion that I needed to keep my distance from him.
Oh, applesauce! I’d have to start after our lunch date.
Veggie burgers. Sigh. Although I appreciated our school’s attempt to promote the vegetarian society, I would have been more appreciative if it tasted even remotely like a burger. Besides, it was served with Tater Tots. I wasn’t sure what food group they fell under.
“So Tessa,” Chloe asked from across the table, tucking her bra strap under the fabric of her tank top. “How long have you been a cheerleader?”
I had hoped when Christian joined us, he’d ask his sister to go to another table, and he did. Only she refused. And took the seat directly across from Aiden. I had my eye on her. And I didn’t want to answer her question. I didn’t start cheering until seventh grade, the month my dad moved out. In fact, I was a late bloomer. Most of the former squad captains had cheered since Pop Warner.