So Many Boys (17 page)

“Did she just…” But Kira didn’t finish, because just then, they started driving away. From the back window, I saw her lean over.

And kiss him.

 

“It could be a tragic misunderstanding like the last time,” Kira said quietly as we drove the darkened streets of Redmond. “If there’s one thing we know about Aiden, it’s not to jump to conclusions.”

I nodded. My stomach was sick, but like I’d told Izzie, if you’re broken up, it doesn’t count as cheating. It just counts as sucky.

“Well, makes sense why she’s been trying to keep you off the squad. She obviously hates you.”

I gasped and put my cool hand over my forehead. This couldn’t be happening. Betraying me on a cheer level was completely different than betraying me on a boyfriend level. I mean, Mary started SOS! She should have better morals. “I wonder if they’re dating,” I murmured. “What if she’s his girlfriend?” The thought made me sick.

“I can see why she didn’t tell you she switched schools. Makes you wonder how many times they’ve met up at college,” Leona commented from the back.

I spun around to face her, and her eyes widened behind her glasses.

“Um…which I’m sure was never.”

Good gravy. This was the new worst night of my life. My heart felt completely trampled, doused, and lit on fire. I rubbed my eyes with my thumbs. I’d need to see the hairdresser tomorrow. And the manicurist, the aromatherapist, and, lastly, the barista at Starbucks. Oh, yes. It would be a full-day self-help extravaganza.

There was a sniffle from the back (Izzie) and it struck me: I wasn’t the only Kitten with a broken heart. It was selfish of me to think of myself at a time like this, when we were on a mission. No, if anything, we’d just found the perfect suspect. “Stop the car, K,” I said. “We have to get back to the assignment.”

Kira looked over at me, impressed. “Really?”

“Yes. I let us down once, but I refuse to do it again. Aiden has obviously moved on, and maybe it’s time that I do too.” I was trying to sound brave, but my own words were making my chest ache. “Listen, right now the Smitten Kittens are in disarray. I’ve lost Aiden, Izzie’s lost Sam. Leona—”

She coughed from the back, letting me know that the Marco story was still top secret.

I nodded, flashing her an apologetic glance. “The point is, we all have problems, and to solve them is going to take true commitment. But with a copy-Kitten out there trashing our name and meddling in our lives, we’ll never get the focus we need.” I stared at the girls, trying to see if they were all on board. Izzie and Leona smiled at me encouragingly while Kira stared out the windshield, continuing to drive.

“It’s time the squad unites,” I said. “I’ll date Chris—do whatever you want. But I want back on the squad. And Kira, you’re the captain. You can overrule any vote.” I straightened my back as Kira’s mouth opened; she looked a little surprised.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m not sure you’re ready for it, Tess.”

I reset my jaw. “Are you saying that
you
won’t let me on the squad?”

“Of course she’s not saying that,” Leona announced from the back. “We need your leadership, Tess.”

“Excuse me,” Kira said, looking at her in the mirror. “I’m the captain, and I make the decisions.”

I considered telling Kira about my conversation with Principal Pelli, but no matter how unreasonable she was being, I couldn’t hurt her like that. She wanted to be captain so badly.

“Think about it,” I said, turning to Kira. “For now, take me home. I need to devise a new plan. I have a main suspect, and I know she’s going to slip up.” (Being around Aiden sometimes caused lapses in judgment.) “And when she does, I want to be the one busting her!” Because this mission had just become very personal.

Leona laughed. “You’re going all badass on us, Tess.”

“It’s
BA
. And I haven’t even begun to catfight,“ I said seriously.

“Well,” Izzie began, “is it Chloe or Mary?”

I narrowed my eyes, replaying the night in the bookstore when Chloe touched Aiden and then the horrific scene of Mary kissing him. Then I closed my eyes. “I don’t know. But I’ll find out.” Then turned to Kira. “Now drive.”

Kira gritted her teeth and shook her head. “Whatever you say, Tessa.”

I watched her, unsure where the animosity was coming from, because if there was one thing I knew, it was that Smitten Kittens didn’t hold animosity toward each other.

But then again, maybe she didn’t consider me a Smitten Kitten anymore.

When I got home, my mother was in the kitchen, sitting at the table clipping coupons out of a magazine. She looked surprised to see me when I walked in. It might have been my head-to-toe black spy wear.

“Hey, honey,” she said suspiciously. “Where are you coming from?”

I sighed and dropped my keys on the granite of the kitchen counter with a clank before sitting down next to her at the table. “I’ve had a bad night,” I said.

“Oh, no. How bad?”

I looked up to see my mother’s eyes wide with concern. Her graying hair was pulled tight in a low bun at the nape of her neck.

“Mom,” I said, feeling my lower lip begin to quiver. “Aiden’s dating another girl.” And with that, I promptly fell apart.

“Shh…” my mother soothed, reaching over to brush back my hair as I laid my head on the cloth of the kitchen table. “Are you sure?”

“I saw him with her tonight,” I said, my voice choked off from the tears. “I saw them kiss.”

My mother tsked, and I felt her rest her cheek on mine. “It’ll be okay, sweetie.”

“It won’t,” I said. “He was with Mary Rudick.”

“Your ex-captain?” My mother straightened up and took me by the chin, helping me do the same. “But that’s against Smitten Kitten rules!” Her normally pale skin had grown a little pink in the cheeks.

I nodded. “I know. My own cheermate betrayed me. She’s even been telling the squad not to let me rejoin.”

“She can’t do that!”

I started tearing up again. Right then, I couldn’t even be angry; I was just so hurt by Aiden. “I love him, Mom. And he doesn’t love me anymore.”

My mother shook her head. “I’m sure that’s not true, Tessa.” She gave me a reassuring smile. “You’re a wonderful, beautiful girl. Aiden’s in college. Maybe he needs some time. Maybe he needs to figure out some things about himself right now.”

I sniffled, trying to decide if my mother was just trying to make me feel better or if she really thought Aiden still loved me. “I’m going to a party,” I said weakly. “The squad wants me to give Chris Townsend a chance.”

My mother smiled. “He’s a very nice boy. Cute, too.”

I laughed. “Yeah.”

My mother reached out, putting her hand over mine on the table. “Why don’t you give it a try? Honey, if you and Aiden are right for each other, he’ll come back. And if not…” She furrowed her brow and didn’t finish her sentence. But that was okay; I didn’t really want her to.

“I’ll try,” I said, twitching my nose. “Thanks, Mom.” I leaned over to give her a hug, holding back my tears. I was glad she was here tonight to comfort me. I knew the Smitten Kittens couldn’t do it right now, with all the mess we were in. And with Izzie’s trouble, I hardly felt right asking.

“It’s going to be okay,” my mother whispered in my ear as she held me.

I closed my eyes, leaning into her shoulder. Right now, I
really
needed to hear that.

The operative waited patiently behind the blue Waste Management Dumpster. It smelled like rotten banana peels and sweat socks over there, but it was the best place from which to view the high school’s music room. Riley played bass in the band, and the operative had discovered that he and Megan had begun meeting there before school to talk. Or maybe more.

As a figure walked into the classroom, the operative crouched down, her black boots squishing in the sludge that was leaking from under the Dumpster. She crinkled her nose and took out her video camera to begin recording.

It was Riley. His navy blue T-shirt looked wrinkled, and she was almost positive that it didn’t match the track pants he was wearing. She wondered about the sudden change in his appearance.

Megan appeared. She came running in the room, her straight hair trailing behind her like a blonde ribbon.

From outside, the operative couldn’t hear what they were saying, and she hadn’t had enough time to plant a recorder. No. She’d have to use her lip-reading ability again. She was proud of the progress, really. Those online courses were very thorough.

Megan was talking, her arms flailing around her as she did. She looked upset. The operative narrowed her eyes and readjusted her feet in the sludge. She moved her lips along with Megan’s.

“Riley, it’s over. I don’t care. Jenn is going to find out! Yes—you know I do! Look, with this rumor about SOS going around, I can’t risk it!”

Right then, Megan’s lips began to tremble, making it hard for the operative to translate her words. Instead she pondered her next move.

If Megan cut off the relationship, Jenn would never find out about the
almost
affair with her best friend and boyfriend. That wouldn’t do.

The operative stood, her blood pumping as she walked closer to the window, not even trying to stay hidden anymore. But the subjects weren’t looking at her; they were staring at each other, looking heartbroken.

“Aw…” the operative muttered bitterly. “Maybe next time you don’t mess with an attached guy.” Once at the window, the operative leaned against it, running her fingers quietly down the glass as she recorded them.

Riley reached over, taking Megan’s hands as she cried, looking at the floor. He was murmuring something, something that looked like “I love you.”

Megan tilted her head toward Riley—her mascara smudged under her eyes, causing her makeup to become a monster-movie disaster. She said something, but the operative couldn’t read it. But she could guess.

Then it happened. Megan got up on her tiptoes, and Riley put his hands on her cheeks and leaned down, touching his lips to hers. Slowly they became more passionate until it was a full-on make out. The operative smiled and clicked off her camera.

Bingo. With that, she pulled a business card out of her black wraparound trench coat. She turned the stiff paper over in her hand. Then she brought the card to her mouth and kissed it, leaving a smooth, dark print.

Pulling back, she smiled. Then she took the card and slapped it—lipstick side first—against the window with a loud bang so it stuck there. Both Riley and Megan jumped apart, but the operative turned, flipping her black hood over her hair, and began walking across the parking lot. Away from them. Away from the smell of trash.

She could hear the window open behind her, probably to pull in the card. And even from a few yards away, she heard Megan gasp.

Now that Megan and Riley knew they were being followed, things would change. But first, there was time for revenge.

I’D JUST CAUGHT MY FAVORITE GUY WITH MY NOT-
so-favorite ex-captain, and I couldn’t even enjoy the weekend. I spent it on the couch with a pint of Chubby Hubby ice cream and a
CSI
marathon—at least some of those people were worse off than me. To make life more tragic, I had to go to school on Monday looking halfway decent. The whole “getting back on the squad” image.

I’d just arrived when I saw Joel leaning against my locker, dressed in dark jeans and a white Nirvana T-shirt, with perfectly mussed hair. Everything about him looked comforting—maybe because I felt like a perfect disaster.

“Oh, man,” he said, pushing off the metal locker to walk toward me, taking my backpack off my shoulder. “Kira said you were upset, but damn, Tess. You look
bad
!”

I smiled. “Thanks, Joel. That really helps.”

He stepped back, looking proud. “You’re getting more and more sarcastic every day. I’m loving it.”

“Glad somebody is.” I walked over to my locker, swirling the combo and looking over my shoulder at Joel. “I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh, and opened the locker to grab my language arts materials. “I have a lot going on, including faking perky. It’s so unpleasant.” When I found my notebook, I took my backpack from Joel’s hands and set it on the floor of the hallway. I unzipped it and tucked my book in. When I was done, I turned around to Joel and slammed my locker shut.

“Now,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets. “How are you
really
?” He pressed his lips together in sympathy, but I wished he would smile. It made me feel better.

“How much has Kira told you?”

“Up to the kiss between the ex-captain chick and your ex-boyfriend.”

I closed my eyes and scrunched my nose, the sight coming back to me all too quickly. “Thanks for reminding me.”

“Sorry.” He moved a little closer to me, filling me with the smell of him. Shampoo, soap, light cologne. “She said you took it like a champ and even asked for her to get you on the squad without a vote. Pretty bold.”

I nodded. “That’s true. I think it’s time for all the Smitten Kittens to get their lives in order.” I certainly couldn’t tell him about the copy-Kitten, but I was sure he already knew about Izzie and Sam.

Joel licked his lips, watching the ground as he seemed to think this over. “Brave answer, Tessa. Now again, how do you
really
feel?”

I blinked quickly, my stomach beginning to twist with the pressure of thinking about it. “Peachy.” But when I looked up to meet Joel’s eyes, my vision began to blur. By Cleopatra’s crown! I was starting to cry.

“Tessa?” someone called, and I sniffled quickly and looked down the hall. It was Megan Wright. She was jogging down the hall toward me, her books in her hand. “Could you do me a favor?” she asked, looking back over her shoulder down the hallway. “Will you tell Ms. Lipton that I’m sick or something?” She looked panicked as she continued to glance around, smiling politely at Joel once.