So Many Boys (The Naughty List #2)(40)
Author: Suzanne Young

I nearly dropped the bowl of goop into my lap. “What? Are you serious?”

“Deadly. He’s been seeing some chick from West Washington since summer but never brought it up. So when I took your advice and asked him to ask me out…” Her eyes welled up. “He said he couldn’t.”

“Oh, Leona!” I set down the mixture and wrapped my arms around her in a hug. This was horrible! She’d been trying so hard. I saw her in the halls when she was talking to Marco, and she was smiling! She smiled for him!

I straightened up and held her by the shoulders, giving her my very best supportive expression. “This isn’t awful,” I said. “At least you found out that he had a girlfriend. This could have gone on until senior prom.”

Leona pressed her lips together, blinking away her tears. “You’re right,” she said. “And at least he wasn’t trying to cheat on his girlfriend.”

“Exactly.” Her eyes locked on mine, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing. “Sam?” I asked.

“I think he was seeing someone else before he broke it off with Izzie,” Leona said quietly. “And I have to tell you, Tess, I think Izzie has gone off the deep end. She isn’t answering calls, and when I went by her house last night, her car was gone. I think she might be stalking him.”

It was entirely possible that Izzie was stalking. She was very dedicated by nature. I clenched my jaw, trying to think of the right course of action. “This is bad,” I murmured.

“Horribly bad.”

Just then my cell phone vibrated on my rosewood side table. “It’s Kira,” I said to Leona.

“Power trip,” she sang out, picking up the bowl of oatmeal and walking over to my vanity to continue the application process.

“Hello,” I said, touching once the drying mixture on my face.

“It’s me,” Kira said. “I was wondering if you had a second?”

I smiled, or at least I tried to. The mask I was wearing was making my skin tight. “Of course. I love to help.”

“I know.” Kira sighed. “Look, I’m sorry if I’ve been a pill lately. You know I’ve missed you as a Smitten Kitten. Without you, we just don’t have that same pep.”

That was sweet of her to say. It reminded me of how much I missed her. “Aw…thanks, K.”

She laughed, sounding happy with my happiness. “So I guess what I’m saying is…I’ll stand up for you, Tess. I want you on the squad. Full-time.”

I straightened, completely caught off guard. It was the best thing I could’ve heard. I felt completely vindicated. “Really?”

“Yes,” Kira said. “Being captain takes a lot of stuffing, and I’m just not sure I’m enough Kitten for it. I need more time for my life, my boyfriend. So I could use your help.”

My eyes were beginning to tear, and I shot a glance over to Leona, who was still at my mirror applying oatmeal to her face with the back of a spoon.

“You have no idea what this means to me,” I murmured. “Thank you.”

“Course,” Kira responded. “No one cheers like you, Tess. No one.”

After we’d hung up, I put my phone back on the side table and sat down on my bed, wrapping my arms around my knees. Finally I had part of me back. I was going to be a Smitten Kitten again.

“What was that about?” Leona asked, turning to look at me through a face of oatmeal.

I met her gaze and smiled (sort of). “I’m back on the squad!”

Leona pursed her lips as she seemed to consider it, then she shrugged. “It’s about time.” Then she flipped over her wrist to look down at the watch she always wore. “Hey, I have to babysit my little sister tonight. I’ll just keep this junk on my face until it falls off. My pores have been seriously neglected.” She began walking to my bedroom door.

“No cucumbers?” I asked. She paused.

“I’ll take a few for the road.”

After Leona was gone, I decided to treat my eyelids to a little cucumber time of their own. I stretched out on my couch and closed my eyes, dropping two perfectly circular veggies on my eyes.

I was a cheerleader. I was a Smitten Kitten once again. And by golly, I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it.

I must have fallen asleep, because the sound of my doorbell startled me. I darted upright, the cucumbers falling off my eyes. I could see the sun setting out the window as I got up and began walking toward the door. The bell rang again.

When I got there, I pulled the door open, still a bit hazy from falling asleep. Joel gasped when he saw me.

“Holy shit, Tessa! You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

I tried to pull my eyebrows together when I realized that I couldn’t. My oatmeal and egg mask had hardened on my face, resulting in a look that was undeniably insane. “Oh my!” I yelled, running for the bathroom.

It took nearly ten minutes and a lot of hot water to get the concoction off my face, but when I looked up, my pink skin looked smooth as a baby’s you-know-what. Overall, I was pleased.

When I came out, Joel was still near my door, but he had come in and shut it.

“Sorry,” I said. He waved me off.

“No worries, I love horror movies.” He smiled. “And I probably shouldn’t have just shown up.”

“True,” I said, leaning against the counter. “And why again are you here?”

“To jump you,” he said, and then his eyes got wide. “To jump your car. Your car needs the jump. Oh God.” Joel rubbed his chin. “Have you gotten your car yet?” he asked.

“I have not.”

“Would you like to? My plans for tonight got canceled, and I thought, ‘Wow, fixing Tessa Crimson’s car sounds like a great time!’

“You thought that?” I knew he didn’t, but I appreciated him thinking of me. In fact, my day seemed to keep improving. I was glad I had Joel to share it with.

“Yeah,” he said, like I’d asked a silly question. “Now let’s go get greasy!” He rubbed his hands together like he was ready to get down to work.

Since my parents still weren’t home, I decided to take him up on his offer for help. It was better than lying around with cucumbers on my eyes.

“Let me just change real quick,” I said, motioning down to my beauty-ritual sweats. Joel nodded, and I dashed to my room.

I slid on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and then slicked my hair back into a ponytail. I finished with some gloss. “Ready,” I called as I came back in the room, grabbing my purse from next to the couch.