So Many Boys (The Naughty List #2)(32)
Author: Suzanne Young

“Hey, Tessa,” he said, pausing in front of me.

“Hello, Chris. You look nice.” I tried to smile.

His face brightened. “Yeah? Well…um…you look nice too.” He handed me one of the Cokes, then slid his now-empty hand in his pocket; then, as if rethinking it, he ran it through his hair instead.

“Nice shirt,” Leona mumbled from next to me, adjusting her glasses as she looked over Chris, then turned away.

He glanced at her. “Oh. Thanks.” Then he looked back to me. “So…” He let the word hang there, but I didn’t know what to say! This date wasn’t my idea. My fingers began to tremble, and I blinked quickly, chewing on my lip.

“I’m here!” Kira announced from behind us, and I turned to see her, walking up, waving her hands wildly. “Sorry I’m late.” I immediately felt better. Waiting for Kira could have been an all-night affair.

As she passed behind Chris, she looked him over (pausing to get a good look at his rear), then gave me a big thumbs-up. I laughed.

Just then, the glass doors of the cinema swung open, and Joel came running in, skidding to a stop on the tile floor when he saw us all gathered in the lobby.

“And where were you?” Kira asked, just as he opened his mouth to talk. Joel’s eyes flicked to mine, then back toward her.

“Sorry. My dad needed to put the car—”

“Whatev,” she said, waving her hand. “I had to get a ride from my mother because you weren’t answering your phone. I’m really unhappy.” Kira pulled her glossy lips into a pout. I looked at Leona, who groaned next to me. This was awfully uncomfortable.

“Wow, Kira. You’re so pleasant. No wonder he didn’t answer the phone.” Leona laughed, but Kira spun around so fast that it actually made us jump back a little.

“Shut your stupid mouth, Leona,” she snapped. “And stay out of it.”

My eyes widened. I’d never seen Kira lose it like this. It wasn’t like Leona’s harsh comments were something new.

“Whoa,” Leona said, holding up her hands. “Back off, Dragon Lady. I was just being observant.” When Kira seemed to calm down, Leona shrugged. “And besides, getting called stupid by you is almost like a compliment.”

“Okay, okay,” Joel said, stepping over to stand between my friends. “Keep it up, and you’ll both be in time-out.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Leona said, walking away toward the movie entrance to check her phone.

I glanced over at Joel to find him grinning at me. His crooked smile made me sigh. I was glad to be here. Even if I was on a tragically misguided date, it was nice to be around friends.

“Do you want some popcorn?” Chris asked, his deep voice startling me as he touched my arm.

I glanced over at the concession stand. “Sure. No butter, though.” Because those five pounds weren’t going to lose themselves.

“What?” Joel asked, shaking his head. “You have to get butter on it.” He paused, looking me over. “You’re not one of those diet girls, are you?” He leaned in to whisper. “After all, I saw you inhale an entire pizza.”

“Half!”

“And a Frappuccino.”

Ooh…he had me there. I glanced at the group, glad Kira hadn’t heard. Suddenly I felt like everyone was sizing me up. Literally.

“Tessa needs to get in shape before she comes back to the squad,” Kira said, fluffing her curls and smoothing her lips together.

Joel scoffed as he pointed to me. “You’re joking, right?” He glanced toward my…er…date. “Chris, do you believe that shit?”

“I think she looks great,” Chris said, his hand grazing mine as he stood next to me. I gulped.

“Thanks.” I tried to sound upbeat, but the idea of sitting in a darkened theater with Chris was making my stomach butterflies go from anxious to nauseous.

“Now get this girl some butter.” Joel smiled at me. “And see if they have any gummy bears. I bet she likes gummy bears.”

Hm. It just so happened that he was right.

“What about me?” Kira asked, her arms sliding around Joel’s waist from behind. “Anything you want,” he murmured over his shoulder to her, his voice low, sexy.

I felt queasy. I remembered when Aiden and I were like that. Oblivious to the people around us—just in love. I sniffled.

“Tessa.” Leona called from across the lobby. She was standing with Izzie, who even from here looked like a complete wreck. “Let’s go get seats. Now.”

I glanced at Chris, who nodded.

“See you in there,” Joel said with a smile before taking Kira’s hand and walking toward the concessions.

We parked ourselves in the back row of the near-empty theater and tried to answer the movie trivia. After a few minutes, I took out my phone and called Aiden’s dorm room, but all I got was his voice mail. I hung up.

“Stop calling him,” Leona murmured from the seat next to me. “You’re trying to look like you’re on a date.” She wasn’t even looking in my direction, but I nodded anyway.

I heard loud giggling as the theater doors opened. I turned in my seat to see Kira being followed in by both Joel and Chris. She looked completely confident. The opposite of how I felt.

“She looks so pretty,” I said.

“She always looks nice for Joel,” Izzie replied.

As Kira made her way down the aisle, Leona got up and moved to the far corner by the wall (at least four seats away from Kira) and Izzie slid over next to her. Chris carefully balanced a tub of popcorn—with butter running down its side—as he sat next to me, and Kira dropped down on my other side. Joel paused before sinking down next to Kira.

“I’ve had the worst day,” Kira said, turning to me as she fanned herself with her hand. “Mary has been calling me nonstop.”

“Really?” My back flinched. “What about now?”

“You.”

I widened my eyes. “I told her to back off,” I said. “Remember, Kira, she isn’t part of the squad anymore. You don’t have to listen to her.” Just thinking about Mary’s betrayal was making my blood boil.

Kira reached over for a handful of popcorn. “I know,” she said. “First she was rambling on about college, and honestly, Tess, you know how much I hate talking about the academic system. Mostly she wanted to hear your cheer status.”

Seemed like I was the talk of the squad lately, only no one was talking to me. “And what about…other things?” I asked, not sure what Kira had updated her on regarding SOS. Just then I noticed how Joel was leaning forward, listening to our conversation. He was being a bit of a snoop. “We’ll discuss this after the movie,” I whispered to Kira, leaning back in my chair.