Alice in Zombieland - Showalter Gena - Страница 57

“When the crime is committed in front of a roomful of people, she can’t. Anyway, he wanted you to know he still plans to pick you up after school.”

Good. We had some training to do. “Okay. Thanks.”

“As for lunch—”

“If you tell me I can’t hang out with my friends anymore, I’ll hurt you!”

“No reason to tell you anything like that. They’ll kick you out of their inner circle sooner or later. They did to Kat, and she only got back with them when we split.”

“Poppy, Wren and Reeve wouldn’t drop her.” I’d figured she’d once had other friends, and they’d been the ones to let her go.

“Not Reeve, but Poppy and Wren. She was hanging with me, and I was getting her into trouble. They thought she would drag them down.”

How dare they treat her that way!

Uh, you might have to drop her, too.

Oh, yeah. Guilt ate at me, a cancer without a cure.

“Ali,” Frosty began. “Listen. I—”

“Not now,” I interrupted. I had no idea what he planned to say, I just knew I couldn’t withstand another upset.

“All right. But later.”

“Later.” We parted ways, branching in different directions down the hall.

After surviving second and third blocks and making Ms. Meyers happy with my full attention, I found Kat in the cafeteria at her usual table. The others weren’t with her. She was spinning a green apple on the tabletop. Today she wore a tank top and a pair of skinny jeans. I must not have ever seen her in a tank before. For the first time I noticed the pucker of scars on the inside of her elbows.

Scars that reminded me of track marks.

No way Kat did drugs. Just no way. I’d never believe it.

Her skin was paler now than it had been over the weekend. Shadows formed half circles under her eyes, and her lips were chapped. I eased beside her. “Hey, you. How are you feeling?”

She gave a jolt of surprise, her hand fluttering over her heart. Then she smiled at me, that perfect, wily smile of hers that drew me in, welcomed me and always put me at ease. “A little tired. Frosty must have sucked the life out of me when he sucked on my tongue. That, or he infected me with a flesh-eating bacteria.”

“Gross!”

“No. Fun.” She traced a heart around the apple. “He’s passed me three notes today already, asking me to go out with him this weekend, and he’s even vowed to tattoo my name on his butt if I say yes.”

“Are you guys officially back together?”

“Hardly. He hasn’t suffered enough.”

I had a feeling she wasn’t as interested in his suffering as she was in protecting her heart. “So where are the girls?” I’d be nice, I decided. They’d wised up and gotten back into Kat’s good graces. That’s all that mattered.

“Reeve is with Bronx, is my guess.” She motioned to Cole’s table with a wave of her hand. “Notice he’s missing from their crew.”

“He could have gone home with Cole.” Because I seriously doubted Reeve’s dad had lifted the no-dating-slayers ban. “But…” I leaned in and whispered, “I saw them kissing at the party.”

“What?” she squealed, clapping excitedly. “And you’re just now telling me? I should hate you forever!”

“Sorry. I meant to.” I couldn’t tell her much, but I could tell her that. “Cole distracted me.”

“We’ll have to tease her mercilessly, of course.”

“Of course. I already warned her.”

“Did she look like she was enjoying it? Did he look like he knew what he was doing?”

“I only caught a glimpse.”

Kat locked on something, or someone, just beyond my shoulder and nibbled on her lower lip, excitement falling over her features like a curtain. “Here comes Reeve. No Bronx. The other girls are with her.”

The moment they sat down, their bags dropping to the floor, their food being spread out over the table, Kat was squirming in her seat, the secret clearly too much for her to contain.

“Where have you guys been?” I asked.

Reeve wouldn’t quite meet my eyes. “Nowhere.”

“Chasing after Bronx,” Poppy said with a toss of her red hair, at the same time Wren said, “Having her heart torn to shreds. Now will someone please tell me what’s so special about the losers at this school? Or why all my friends chase after them, knowing their futures will be compromised?”

“Will you please tell me why you’re so annoying sometimes?” Kat settled down, her excitement draining. “What’d he do, Reeve?”

Wren humphed.

“He found out I was going out with John, threw a fit, led me on and then told me to get lost, that’s what.” She tossed a bag on the tabletop and dug through the contents until she found a candy bar. “I don’t understand him.”

At least he’d spoken to her.

“Boys,” Poppy grumbled.

Having troubles of her own? “Have you picked a candidate for your attention yet?” I asked, recalling how she liked to wait a few weeks to check out the entire sea. See? I could be nice.

Wren buffed her nails, still clearly upset with Kat. “She has, and she was turned down flat.”

“I was not! I haven’t given anyone a chance to turn me down. You’re the one who got dumped.”

“For the last time, I dumped him.”

Kat tossed up her arms. “Does no one keep me in the loop anymore? I’m more than a beautiful face, you know. I have ears. I like to listen. I know that’s hard to believe considering the gems that always come out of my mouth, but come on, try me at least.”

If not for the sparkle in her hazel eyes, I would have thought her one hundred percent sincere. The other girls were bowing their heads in shame.

“Sorry,” Poppy said. “I’ll call you later with the details.”

“Me, too,” Wren said.

I could take a lesson in manipulation from Mad Dog; she was a master. “I seriously think I might love you.”

Nose in the air, she patted her hair. “I’ve seriously got to stop turning my girlfriends gay, but like I can really help it. It’s my animal appeal.”

I covered my laugh with my hand.

Wren threw a napkin at her, nailing her in the shoulder. “You better start doing ego checks.”

“Why? Mine’s perfect.” Before Wren could respond, Kat leaned into me. “I forgot to tell you. I’ve started a rumor tree. Here. Look.”

She withdrew a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to me. After I unfolded the thing, I could only gape. Name after name, arrow after arrow, with boxes and notes, filled the entire page.

“I know you think Mackenzie started the rumors, but I also know how loyal Cole and the gang are to each other. They won’t believe Little Miss Love To Hate did anything wrong unless we can prove it. So, I decided to do a little tracking. I heard the rumor from Poppy,” she said, pointing.

Red hair went flying as Poppy eagerly nodded. “I heard it from Wren.”

Wren pushed to her feet and pointed to a table four rows over from ours. “And I heard it from Tiffany Chang. Hey, Tiffany. Wave.”

Everyone looked over at her.

“I said wave.”

A heavyset girl with dark hair and a what’s-going-on expression waved, and Wren sat back down. “Her.”

Kat picked up where she’d left off. “I asked Tiffany, and so on. I know, I know. I’m a genius, and I’m destined to be the best investigative reporter in the entire world. Too bad I want to be a trophy wife. Anyway, who knows if I’ll be able to find the first source, but I have to try.”

With the time and effort required for such a task, and her absolute willingness to help me anyway, I was blown away. “Thank you,” I said, even though I knew the words weren’t adequate.

“You’d do the same for me.”

I would. I so would. “Okay, so, in keeping with the spirit of confession, I’m going to Cole’s house after school.” I said the words hesitantly, watching everyone’s reactions. Kat nodded encouragingly. Poppy tilted her head to the side, her eyes darkening. Reeve sighed wistfully, and Wren smiled with a mix of relief and…something else, something I couldn’t read. Not what I’d expected, though, after the way they’d once treated Kat. “Mackenzie and I have plans to talk. Maybe I’ll get a confession out of her and save you the trouble of investigating.”