Part 7 (1/2)
”Well, did you press hard with your pen?” Kristen tried again.
The group broke apart and Skye went through the motions of taming her wild curls. ”What does that that have to do with anything?” have to do with anything?”
”Sometimes, if you run a pencil over a pad of paper really softly, you can see what was written on the page before it.” Kristen smile-shrugged like she was just trying to help. ”It may be worth a try.”
”The only thing worth a try are the club's virgin mango daiquiris!” Skye threw her arms in the air like she'd just jumped out of someone's birthday cake. ”Who wants?”
”Meeeeee!” they all shouted.
Skye summoned the waiter by gracefully lifting her finger, the way a ballerina might complete a plie.
Kristen hid her tearing eyes by checking her Guess Carousel watch. ”I better go. Garreth is probably waiting for me.”
Skye s.h.i.+elded her eyes from the sun and looked out at the green. ”Doesn't look like it.” She tilted her head toward a tall man in white linen shorts and a green polo. He and a stout bald man wearing too much madras were getting into a cart, their clubs sticking out the back. ”He probably won't be back for hours.” She smirked.
Kristen felt like someone had shot a golf ball straight into her gut. ”I'll just come back later,” she managed. ”I have tons to do today. See ya.”
Without another word Kristen turned on her silver Pumas- and bolted back to her mother's car, where she would begin a long afternoon of lying to Marsha about Garreth and all the wonderful things he'd said about her. And that that would end up being the best part of her day. would end up being the best part of her day.
THE PINEWOOD.
KRISTEN'S ROOM Wednesday, July 22 4:44 P.M.
Nothing is more pathetic than spending a beautiful summer day hiding out in bed when you're not: A) Sick.B) Jet-lagged.C) Coming off an all-night study session.D) Recovering from surgery.E) All of the above.[image]
And Kristen was definitely E. She was depressed in a way that made Victoria Beckham look cheerful. Ma.s.sie had been right from the very beginning. Dune was done. Skye had won. Seeing them together at the club had eliminated any last bits of hope she had been clinging to. And the only thing left to do now was cry about it.
Beep . . . beeeeep . . . beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
David Beckham climbed up the side of Kristen's C-shaped body and licked her cheeks.
”I hear it. I hear it.” She pushed the REPLY b.u.t.ton on the left side of her watch, then stared up at the white ceiling, her body too heavy to do much more. Finally, with a groan, Kristen sat and went through the necessary steps needed to get ready for her conference. But there was no joy in any of it. Suddenly, the Witty Committee felt like a goofy consolation prize, a second-place ribbon for those not pretty enough to win the crown.
Once she had been transformed into Cleopatra, Kristen powered up her screen and managed to turn on the charm. There were the familiar quadrants and four famous faces staring back at her through the LCD monitor.
EINSTEIN (Layne Abeley) BILL GATES (Danh Bondok) Disguise: tweed coat, bushy mustache, wiry gray wig Disguise: gla.s.ses, light blue b.u.t.ton-down, dark blue blazer Expertise: physics Expertise: technology OPRAH (Rachel Walker) SHAKESPEARE (Aimee Snyder) Disguise: wavy black wig, gold hoop earrings, pumpkin orange blouse Disguise: gray bald-in-the-front, curly-in-the-back wig, mustache, white collar sticking out of a black cloak Expertise: anthropology (the study of humankind, not the cute and affordable shabby-chic store) Expertise: affairs of the heart and the Romance languages
”What do we stand for?” Kristen asked like someone who cared.
”BOB,” they answered.
”And what does BOB stand for?”
”Brains over beauty!”
”Whatevs,” she muttered to herself with an eye roll so mini it was virtually undetectable. ”What's going on?”
”We intercepted a text between Skye and Dune,” Einstein panted in a way that suggested the task had required more from her than simply sitting in front of Danh's computer and watching him work.
”And?”
”And he's sneaking into the club tonight to go for a swim with Skye. After they made plans she texted the DSL Daters and told them they were going to lip-kiss.” he's sneaking into the club tonight to go for a swim with Skye. After they made plans she texted the DSL Daters and told them they were going to lip-kiss.”
Kristen lowered her head so her bangs would cover her moistening eyes. ”It doesn't matter.” She grinned. ”It's over. I'm fine.”
”Yes!” Bill Gates made a fist and squeezed. Bill Gates made a fist and squeezed.
”Bill!” Oprah huffed. ”That's not very supportive.”
”Wha'd I say?” He looked genuinely confused. ”She said she's fine. I thought she was fine.”
”A sad clown, at best.” Shakespeare sighed despondently.
”I say you get out there and break them up,” Einstein said with tremendous authority. ”I think you two have some real chemistry.”
”What do you know about love?” Kristen pouted.
”Um, does nineteen twenty-one mean anything to you?” Layne countered.
”You won the n.o.bel Prize in physics,” Bill scoffed. ”What does that have to do with love love?”
”It proves I'm not an idiot.”
Everyone giggled. Even Kristen.
”We also have proof that Ripple tipped Skye off the other night in exchange for a fast-track initiation into the DSL Daters,” Bill Gates offered.
”I knew it!” The spark of Kristen's compet.i.tive nature returned. ”She cheated!”
”Exactly!” Oprah smacked her own thigh. ”And doesn't that just burn you up?”
”It does!” The molten lava stream of WC adoration flowed through her body once again. ”What can I do?”
”We figured out a way for you to execute Dune's Jell-O prank,” Einstein beamed.
”It took all night.” Bill Gates removed his wire-frame gla.s.ses, rubbed his eyes, and put them back on. ”And while I think you could do a lot better than this guy, I am anxious to see if we got the formula right. So I will acquiesce.”
”I'm in!” Kristen hugged David Beckham until he meow-coughed.
”Stand by, people,” Oprah bellowed. ”By midnight we'll know if he's the yang to your yin.”
”Or if you're star-crossed lovers,” Shakespeare added.
”Or if Love = K&D.”
”Or if we can chill seventeen thousand gallons of Jell-O on a hot summer night,” Bill Gates guffawed.