Part 24 (2/2)

”You wouldn't,” Marsh said.

”Why not?”

”Come here.”

Ree-Ree made her eyes slits, but she obeyed. When she was still a foot away, Marsh pulled her to him and kissed her. She struggled so fiercely against him that I looked at Trista, alarmed. Trista rolled her eyes. Sure enough, within seconds Ree-Ree stopped struggling, threw her arms around Marsh's neck, and attacked his throat with her tongue.

”Promise she wasn't as pretty as me,” Ree-Ree said when she came up for air.

”She was hideous,” Marsh said. ”Deathly pale skin, big spooky eyes ... it was like making out with a corpse.”

”Ew!” Ree-Ree squealed. Then she turned to me. ”Is she really that awful?”

The whole room turned to face me. I knew I needed to lacerate them with the truth: that Claudia was not at all awful; that she was in fact much prettier than anyone in this room, especially since she wasn't ugly enough to use someone and then drag her through the dirt just to make someone else jealous.

”Come on, tell me about her,” Ree-Ree prodded. ”She's your friend, right? So you're friends with someone who steals other girls' men?”

This was about me now? I glanced at Eddie, but he looked as interested as all the others. I had to fix this on my own.

”She doesn't steal girls' men. She didn't know Marsh was taken.”

”Right, because guys who look like Marsh are always single,” Ree-Ree said. Marsh liked that. He stood up a little taller.

Everyone was still looking at me. I felt like I was being tested. I needed to stick up for Claudia, but I couldn't really come down on Marsh or Ree-Ree. I decided to be honest.

”Claudia doesn't have a lot of experience with guys. She thought if Marsh wanted to kiss her, it had to be something special.”

”Because she's, like, nine years old?” Ree-Ree asked.

I blushed, embarra.s.sed as much for myself as for Claudia.

”Because Marsh was her first kiss.”

The room erupted into a riot of ”Whoa,” ”No way,” and ”Are you serious?”

”Dude, it's like you took her mouth cherry,” Brett said.

”'Mouth cherry'?” Trista repeated. ”Oh my G.o.d, what are you?”

”See, now I'm just sad,” Gemma said.

”I know ... I feel so sorry for her,” Kristie agreed.

”h.e.l.lo! That's even worse!” Ree-Ree said. ”Miss Purity probably thought she was getting forever with my man! Right?”

Her eyes pinned me to the wall. ”Maybe a little, but-”

The bell rang before I could say anything else. Marsh pulled Ree-Ree back into his arms.

”Let it go, baby. We're back together now, right?”

”Better believe it,” she said, and gave him another long kiss.

”Aw, see, I love happy endings,” Eddie said. Everyone laughed as we poured into the hall to walk to cla.s.s. Gemma walked solo, but the rest of us broke into couples: Kristie and Eric, Brett and Trista, Marsh and Ree-Ree ... and Eddie and I. We walked as a pack, everyone talking and laughing, but I only vaguely heard what they said. I kept playing back the conversation in The Heap. I hadn't done anything except tell the truth, but I still felt like I'd betrayed my best friend.

It bothered me a lot, but I soon became distracted by what was going on around me.

People were staring.

Everyone, even the ones who tried not to stare, the ones who wanted to seem like the Popularity Tower didn't matter to them, they still snuck glances our way.

I had arrived. I had no idea how it had happened, but it seemed like it was true. I pushed the conversation in The Heap out of my head. No, Claudia wouldn't want the Populazzi to know how behind she was, but it's not like these were people she'd ever need to see again. And it wasn't as if she was losing anything with Marsh. He clearly didn't care about her, and she deserved a lot better. I'd tell her that. She wouldn't like it, but she'd agree she was better off without him.

Besides, this was all her doing. This was what she'd wanted from day one: for me to be a member of the Populazzi.

Now I was on my way.

Chapter Twenty-Five.

I'd planned to call Claudia at lunch, but I didn't get the chance. I finished my fourth period art cla.s.s and was on my way to hit the vending machines and duck out to my car when a high, clear voice called out, ”Cara!”

I heard the quick clip-clop of heels as Kristie jogged to catch up.

”I'm glad I saw you,” she said, slipping her arm through mine. ”You're sitting with us at lunch, right?”

”Is there room?” I asked.

”Of course! Right next to Eddie. Technically you're taking Eric's seat, but that's okay.”

”Your boyfriend? Oh, Kristie, I don't want to-”

”It's fine. Before you got to The Heap, the guys were giving him a really hard time, so he doesn't want to sit with us anyway. Eric doesn't get it-the guys are protective that way. It's sweet. They say anyone worth my while will man up and deal until he's part of the group.”

”Okay ... but if Eric wants his seat back tomorrow-”

”Then we'll all squeeze in. It's like an extra excuse to cuddle, right?”

”Sure.” I giggled.

This was weird, because while I've been many things in my life-and many more during this school year-I have never been a giggler. There was something about Kristie. She was so completely sweet and girlie-it was infectious. I felt girlier and gigglier just being around her.

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