“Oh, her,” he said, pausing for a minute. “I just invited both of them to be nice.”
I twirled to face him as we entered the cafeteria doors. “To be nice?”
“Yeah, baby. I wanted to be polite. I knew you’d like it.” He made a face like that was the only obvious answer, even though I was sure my Wildcat wasn’t that polite.
“Wow,” I said, pretending to take the bait. “That sure is sweet of you.”
“I know.” He widened his eyes, mocking our conversation, and puckered his lips like he wanted a kiss. I had narrowed my eyes, ready to argue, when I caught sight of Chloe over his shoulder, sitting at our lunch table. She glanced up at us, and I felt a rush of possessiveness.
“Come here,” I purred at Aiden, taking a fistful of his shirt and pulling him toward me. Aiden looked down at me knowingly.
“Mm … my kitty’s feeling frisky.”
I laughed, letting my anger melt away.
Aiden leaned all the way down to pause his lips just above mine. “You’re going to stay this weekend, right?”
I met his green gaze, and my insides began to liquefy like they always did when Aiden looked at me like that. I nodded. He grinned and then pressed his warm mouth to mine, squeezing me tight. When we parted, he winked at me.
“Now let’s get you fed,” he said. “You need to store up some energy.”
He was so steamy.
When we got to our table, Chloe was gone. Her much-needed absence totally released the tension I’d been holding in my shoulders all day. Aiden went up to the line and grabbed me a lunch tray filled with hot sliced turkey. Then he excused himself to go over some plays with his team. It was perfect timing. It left me alone with my squad. The minute he walked away, we all leaned into the Formica table in unison.
“What’s the double scoop?” I asked, setting down my spork and looking between their faces.
Leona adjusted her glasses. “Three assignments. Two cheater requests and a background check. And since two of our Kittens, Melody and Frances, went out of town this week, I’m not sure we have the cheer power to complete them.”
Hm. Leona had a good point. We were down four pom-poms.
“I miss them,” Izzie said, wiping her nose. “I hope they come back soon.”
Leona shook her head. “Get focused, girls. We’re not going to let these cheaters get the best of us. We may be outnumbered, but they’re outsmarted. Tess, you have a plan, right?”
Her question caught me off guard. Although I knew my squad would be short a few members, I hadn’t made a plan B. I wasn’t even sure I had a plan A.
“Of course Tessa has a plan,” Kira said, annoyed with Leona’s question.
I looked between all of their trusting eyes and began to feel something. Panic. But I cleared my throat and channeled the SOS ways. “Kira,” I said in my captain voice, “you and Izzie focus on the first cheater request. Stake out with visual only.”
She smiled. “On it, Tess.”
“Leona, you and Kara map out the second request, and we’ll set it up for Wednesday night.” I snapped my fingers. “Oh, and Leona, I need you to update the Naughty List and return some of those texts. Sound good?” Phew.
Leona stared at me. “What about the background check?”
Oh. I’d forgotten one. How did I … “Um … I’ll do that one. Just forward me the information.” I was confused.
Leona twisted her adorable necklace around her finger. “Tessa, it’s your night with the SOS phone. You know that, right?”
I didn’t.
“I’m going to use it tonight,” Kira interrupted. “I already cleared it with Tess.” She looked across the table and smiled encouragingly at me. She’d just saved my rep. That girl rocked.
“Great,” Leona mumbled, resting her chin on her upturned palm. “Another night of texts from Kira. Just don’t send me any more pictures of guys’ butts, okay?”
Kira grinned. “If I can help it. But you did see Maxwell, right?”
“I know.” Izzie giggled next to her. “It was nice. How about Jonathon Stuart…”
The girls began to talk among themselves about the best backsides in the junior class. I would have loved to listen to the conversation, but I was too busy staring at Aiden across the lunchroom.
He was laughing, joking with Darren and the guys. Then suddenly, he looked up and saw me watching. He smiled and winked. It made me uneasy, seeing how well my boyfriend fit in with a table of cheaters. I pushed the thought away.
Still, it made me think of Chloe and the fact that she was going after my boyfriend so obviously. And I certainly didn’t like the way she searched me, looking for my cracks. In fact, I wished the little blond temptress would transfer to another school altogether.
But I didn’t get my wish.
Chloe joined us for lunch the next day, clad in a super-tight pair of jeans and a baby tee. The Smitten Kittens had put aside their dislike for her earlier comments toward me once she’d apologized. They were such good sports. But I wasn’t going to be so forgiving. At least not on the inside.
But I was surprised and delighted to see that Christian looked like he was taking a shine to Kira. He’d even started sitting next to her. I mean, it was directly across from me but also next to Kira. And even though they didn’t talk to each other, they both talked to me, which was also something they had in common.
A happy thought struck me. Aiden’s party was this weekend, and it was only natural for new couples to form at a party. Even Romeo and Juliet met at a party. I could get Kira and Christian together. Maybe then he’d focus his attention elsewhere.
SOS CHEATER INCIDENT REPORT
CASE: 004
CLIENT: Madeline Haskel
SUBJECT: Roger Stanvick
Dear Ms. Haskel,
SOS is happy to honor your Potential Boyfriend Background Check voucher. And although it’s tragic that we’ve had to deliver bad news to you on three separate occasions, we hope that by providing you with this service, you can make an informed decision on your next choice of companionship.
Mr. Stanvick will be observed within 48 hours of this notification. Please remember that this voucher is only valid for one background check per semester.
Thank you for your referrals, and SOS truly hopes that your dating needs are met. If you need to cancel this assignment, please text the stop order form within 24 hours. Have a great day.
CHAPTER TEN
IT WAS GETTING LATE. I YAWNED.