Read The Naughty List Online

Authors: Suzanne Young

Tags: #Juvenile Fiction, #Girls & Women, #Social Issues, #Dating & Sex, #Humorous Stories

The Naughty List (9 page)

BOOK: The Naughty List
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CHAPTER EIGHT

“UH, TESS?” KIRA WHINED AS WE PAUSED ON THE
multi-color carpet of the restaurant aisle. “Why are we inside? We could scope this out from the car. My hair is totally going to smell like french fries.”

“Shh ... we’re supposed to be incognito.”

“In
what?
I thought we were undercover.”

I rolled my eyes but then reached down to tug up the legs of my black stockings. Irk. These things were annoying. And fashionably hideous. I had to leave my utility vest in the car, but I still had on the black turtleneck and stockings that went underneath it. Right now, I looked like a mime—minus the white gloves.

Marcus dragging his date to the Applebee’s two towns over was inconvenient, but he wasn’t nearly as smooth as he thought. Not when we’d already bugged his cell phone. My breath caught.

“Snap, crackle, and pop!” I whispered harshly. “They’re early.” I ducked down, then dropped to my knees, pulling Kira under a booth table with me.

The carpet was rough, and I hadn’t expected the space under the booth to be so tight. Kira was practically sitting in my lap.

“Ew,” I said, trying to push her back. “Your hair does smell like fries.”

An immediate pout pulled at her pink lips.

“Is this table okay?” Leona’s sister’s voice announced. Her black sneakers paused in front of us. Her undercover work as a waitress was usually pitch perfect. But what was she doing? They couldn’t sit here! There was no room for their legs.

“Naw. How ‘bout the one toward the back?” Marcus asked in his usual smooth, confident voice.

I exhaled as I watched the feet move away, noticing the pair of red heels that followed Marcus’s sneaks. Really. Red? That seemed sort of tacky, even for Applebee’s.

“Wow,” Kira said, adjusting herself in my lap. “That was close.”

“Not as close as us right now,” I said, moving her over. I tried to unfold my legs in the darkened area under the table, but it wasn’t big enough. Well, this wasn’t very fun. And it wasn’t easy to stay in spy mode when I knew I could be at the movies or making out in the backseat of a car—something normal. I twitched my nose. “Is Izzie taking care of the video feed in the car?”

Kira nodded, trying to smell her hair. I’d let Izzie drive tonight. It helped her feel more involved. And even though she wasn’t great at things like math or science, she was awesome on the feed. Total pro.

“Let’s go,” I whispered, sliding myself up onto the seat. I opened a menu in front of me and then peeked over it toward the back of the restaurant. Uh-oh. Marcus’s face wasn’t in view. No clear shot. I’d need to get closer. I bent my head back under the table to Kira.

“K, hand me my camera.” She rummaged through the backpack, pulled out the extra-zoom lens, and snapped it on the camera before handing it to me. “You move in,” she said, widening her eyes. “And I’ll listen to the audio. But be careful.”

I nodded. She always worried about me. The thing was, if the Smitten Kittens were found out to be SOS, the guys in the school would freak. To this day, all the cheaters thought that their girlfriends had caught them. If they knew what the squad and I had been doing for the last two years and some of the things we’d seen, they might not appreciate our cheers anymore. In fact, they might boo us.

I shuddered. That was a very negative thought. Lately, SOS assignments had seemed to be bringing them out in me. Something about the fact that 100 percent of all of our assignments ended up in a cheating confirmation was depressing. One hundred percent of the time.

“I’ve got the audio feed,” Kira whispered, nudging my leg. “Video is recording from the bar, but there’s not a clear view. Wait ...” She touched her earpiece. “Marcus just told the accomplice that he has to ... drain the lizard.”

We looked at each other and giggled. Honestly. How some of these boys scored was beyond me.

“Move in,” Kira said, waving her hand.

Keeping my head low, I moved to the booth across from us and peered over the top. Marcus was gone. I needed to get at least two clear shots for the report. Preferably one with them holding hands or kissing. I swallowed hard. I hated this part. Witnessing the cheating. It made me pretty sick, and sometimes, it even gave me nightmares.

Before he could come back, I’d made it to the large plastic fern a few feet from their table. I wasn’t used to being this close to the action. I had both audio and visual. Holding up my camera, I clicked off a few silent shots of the girl. I didn’t recognize her. She must be from a rival school. Marcus was a traitor.

He came back, kissing her cheek before he sat down. I felt the familiar turn in my stomach. The girl was beaming at him. Did she know he had a girlfriend?

“Where’s your girlfriend tonight?” she asked, sipping from her water. My lip curled. She did know. That was bad form, even from a rival school.

“She’s studying.” Marcus licked his lips suggestively, eyeing her cleavage. He reached out to touch her fingers. “She has no clue.”

“That’s good,” Red Heels said. “I’d hate to kick her ass if she tried to start something with me.”

“Naw, she’s not smart enough to figure it out. She won’t mess with you.”

My throat was burning. I wanted to yell out. I wanted to scream. But instead, I took another picture as he reached under the table to rub Red Heels’s thigh. My nose began to run. I needed a tissue.

I took out my phone, punching in the escape code to Kira. Within a minute, Leona’s sister appeared at the table, talking animatedly and blocking their view of the plant. The restaurant music turned up to a much louder level and I began the move.

The music disguised the rustling of the plant as I slid from behind it. I walked quickly and purposefully toward the door. Not looking back, not looking down. Cool and collected.

As I passed the last table, someone grabbed me by the wrist. I gasped.

“Tessa?”

Christian? Toasted ravioli! I was busted. I was busted being in Applebee’s with the cheater. My heart pumped and I jetted my eyes around for Kira. I found her by the front door, her eyes wide and frightened.

“What...” Christian paused, covering his mouth with his other hand as he looked me over. “What are you wearing?”

I needed to take control of the situation. Sure, I was dressed in black from head to toe. But this could be normal. If I played it normal, it could be normal.

Shaking my hand from Christian’s grip, I looked around at his table. He was with two others, but I didn’t recognize them. They were probably Ducks.

First, I needed to dodge the fashion question. “Sorry, Christian. My ride is leaving.” I looked back toward Kira, who was now hiding behind the hostess booth, watching nervously.

“You’re leaving?” Christian asked, looking disappointed. “Well,” he said anyway, motioning to his company. “This is my best friend, Colton, and his girlfriend, Sherrie.”

I smiled at them, offering a little wave. I needed to get out of here before anyone else saw me. Someone who knew I’d never dress like this. That was the number-one rule of the Society of Smitten Kittens—never be seen at the location of the incident. Christian had seen me. This was a huge complication.

“This,” he said to them, reaching out to touch my hip. I was startled. “This is Tessa Crimson.”

I sidestepped his hand, trying not to look as thrown off as I felt. He wasn’t allowed to invade my personal space. And my hips were very personal.

“Oh,” Sherrie said, pursing her dark red lips. “The cheerleader?”

I blinked rapidly. Whatever school they came from, I’d have to meet their cheer captain and find out about the animosity factor. This was getting ridiculous. She was smirking at me.

“I’m sorry,” I said, backing away into the aisle. “I have to go.”

Christian tilted his head. “You sure?”

Wow. He was more aggressive than I had originally given him credit for. Maybe with his friends, he was more confident. Either way, he seriously needed to be avoided. Especially now that he’d seen me on assignment. “Yeah. Bye.” I nodded to them and twirled quickly, striding toward the door. I could have sworn I heard a snicker as I left.

Kira jumped out just as I passed the hostess booth, but she waited until we got outside in the cool night to totally freak out. “Oh, my word, oh, my word ...”

“Breathe,” I told her, taking her by the shoulders even though my own voice was tight. Nervous. “Let’s get out of here. Quick.”

She nodded and we began to jog across the asphalt parking lot toward Izzie’s blue Honda. Her face was white as we opened the doors and climbed in.

“Well.” Izzie gulped. “What happens now? The new boy saw you. Are we compromised?” She’d obviously seen the video feed.

I put my hands over my face and bent over, trying to think. Okay. So yes, I’d been spotted. But SOS communications always stayed top secret. There was no reason for Cassandra to use our evidence to confront her boyfriend. We could destroy the photos. She could just say she knew. Crab cakes! I’d never give an official ruling without hard evidence.

“Maybe we should just abort,” Kira said quietly from the backseat. “Tell Cassandra we didn’t find anything.”

I swallowed hard and looked up. I just couldn’t do that. I couldn’t let Marcus get away with it.

“We’re fine,” I said to the girls, my back straight. “Let’s hang out for a bit, and then we’ll follow them. I want to wrap this one up.”

Kira and Izzie exchanged a glance but then nodded and agreed. I was glad they did. Because I wasn’t sure what I’d say if they argued. I had the feeling that Christian Ferril was going to a big, honking problem.

SOS CHEATER INCIDENT REPORT

CASE:
046

CLIENT:
Cassandra Heart

SUBJECT:
Marcus Billings

FINDINGS:
At approximately 7:00 p.m., February 6, Mr. Billings was observed having dinner with an unfashionable female accomplice at Applebee’s restaurant. They were photographed holding hands and using their feet under the table to fondle each other.

The pair was later followed to a parking area overlooking Skinner Butte. Photographs documenting the interaction were unclear due to the fogginess of Mr. Billings’s window. SOS did, however, recover an item that Mr. Billings tossed from his driver’s window, confirming sexual intercourse.

We trust that this report will remain confidential as some of the information contained within could compromise our top-secret status.

SOS is sorry for your loss, and we offer our deepest sympathies. We hope that we will not have to assist you again in the future, but please keep us in mind for referrals.

 

Keep smiling,

SOS

Text: 555-0101

Exposing Cheaters for Over Two Years

CHAPTER NINE

CASSANDRA WAS LESS THAN THRILLED TO SEE
the glossy eight by tens of Marcus and Red Heels. It nearly broke my heart, especially when I considered her recently departed virginity. All of it left me feeling, well, bummed.

I watched from my locker across the busy school hallway as Cassandra unfolded the manila envelope I’d left there. Her face broke, then she recovered and glanced around quickly. Brave soul; she didn’t want anyone to see her cry. My chest ached.

Turning back to swirl the combination of my lock, I tried to decide what sort of flowers to send her. It should either be daffodils or daisies. I always sent flowers after I delivered bad news. It helped with self-esteem.

“Tessa?”

I jumped. When I turned, I was alarmed and certainly dismayed to be looking back into the dark brown eyes of Chloe, Christian’s sister. Hm. There was that forced smile again on her red lips. This couldn’t be good.

“Yes?” I asked, flipping my hair over my shoulder to cover my nervous twitch. Her smile turned into a smirk. She adjusted her stance in her open-toe heels.

“I just wanted to apologize for the other day at lunch. I know I was being a bitch, and I’m sorry.”

I blinked, then nodded. No need to argue with that.

“Anyways,” she said, staring down at her shoes. Her toes had only clear polish on them, and somehow, that set me a little at ease. She continued, “I just wanted to say that I was sorry and that I’m looking forward to hanging out with you this weekend.”

My stomach dropped. She obviously noticed my surprise because her full lips spread into a real smile. Not the fake one I’d gotten to see earlier.

“This weekend?” I tried to sound casual, but there was definitely an absence of perk in my voice. I looked around the hall, feeling my uneasiness beginning to make me shaky. What was going on?

“Oh,” she said, a little too surprised. “Aiden didn’t tell you? He invited me and Christian to his party this weekend.”

Aiden was having a party? I shook my head, trying to remember if he’d told me about it. Maybe he did, but I wasn’t sure. SOS had been so busy and ... Wait. Aiden invited them?

“When did you talk to Aiden?” I asked. Was it normal to see little black spots in the corner of my vision? That had never happened before.

“I’m in his chemistry class,” she said. “We’re lab partners. You didn’t know?”

Oh, sweet vanilla sky! I was going to be sick. I put my palm against the cool metal of my locker to steady myself. Was I still ill from last week?

“Well,” Chloe said, licking her teeth as she slowly looked me up and down. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

I was frozen as I stood, watching as she turned and walked away. Her long blond locks swayed from side to side, brushing against her back and her short pleated skirt. My face was numb. There was a violent turn in my stomach, and I clutched at it. I dashed down the hall, barely making it into the girls’ bathroom. After two dry heaves and an unceremonious flush, I straightened, unsure as to why I’d been so sick lately. I was losing my grip. Somehow, Chloe had gotten under my skin. But what was it that made me so unnerved around her?

Stepping out of the stall, I studied my reflection, disappointed to see dark circles under my eyes and my furrowed brow. I twitched my nose and put back my shoulders. I needed to know more about her and her brother. I was the head of the Society of Smitten Kittens. I should know more by now.

The bell rang, and I sighed. I was late for history. This day had certainly not started well. Not well at all.

 

I debated using the menstruation excuse to get myself out of lunch detention, but in the end, I decided to take the high road. What sort of example would I be if I lied to get out of punishment? Not a very good one. And I had a liar quota. One I had already filled with SOS.

I could see Kira’s admiration as I stood listening to Mr. Powell scold me in front of our class. Her steely blue eyes told me that she wished she were as brave. It made me feel a little better.

After I’d gotten to my seat and recovered from the in-class humiliation, Kira slid a note over to me. I gave her a disapproving look but opened the folded notebook paper anyway.

You just missed it, it said. Christian got lunch detention like five minutes ago!

My pulse sped up. Fantastic. The person I wanted to avoid would now be alone at my side for the entire forty-three-minute captivity. I couldn’t take any more bad news. I needed Aiden.

Only, when I got out of class, Aiden wasn’t waiting at my locker. I stopped, mid-stride, and spun around the crowded hallway. Where was he? After another second, I continued my disconcerted walk to my locker. I twirled my combo with little grace, dropping my notebooks on the linoleum floor as I fumbled with them. Before I could be late again, I scooped them up and slammed my locker shut, trotting off to economics. Alone.

My cell phone was dead from my forgetting to charge it the night before, and I felt cut off from the outside world as I sat miserably in class. I was beginning to perspire. My day had been so awful that I was sweating without actual physical exertion! I was on the verge of tears. It was Leona’s turn with the SOS phone, and she had already informed me in between classes that we’d gotten a new assignment last period.

I felt overwhelmed. And since Aiden sat with us at lunch, the Kittens and I wouldn’t be able to discuss the assignment there. We’d have to wait until after practice. Not to mention, I was wondering where in the stratosphere Aiden was. I hoped Kira would pass along my tale of lunch imprisonment to him. He had to be looking for me. Right?

I signed the journal on Mr. Powell’s desk as I entered detention. I frowned as he smiled at me. I didn’t mind letting him see me pout. I’d been in his class last year too.

“Sorry, Ms. Crimson,” he said, wagging his finger at me. “Rules are rules. Even for the head cheerleader.”

That was sort of nice of him to apologize. I nodded. Feeling dull and wilted, I crossed to my table and flopped in my chair. It figured I’d only finished half of my apples and cinnamon oatmeal this morning. I was starving. There was a shuffle from the hallway.

I looked toward the door as Christian entered, grinning madly as he swiped his hair behind his ear. He avoided my eyes, but I could tell he wasn’t too broken up about sitting in detention with me. Not with that pleased expression on his face.

Christian signed in and then turned to me, pretending to be surprised. “Tessa,” he said, clutching his chest. “I had no idea you were a troublemaker.”

I couldn’t help but smile. His theatrics were sort of cute. “Sorry, Christian. But there is no talking in detention.” I looked down at my purple notebook. Hm. Maybe I’d write a note to Aiden. I was pretty sure that was how things were done before text messaging. I opened to a fresh page.

“Can ... I sit with you?” Christian asked.

I glanced up. He was trying to sound casual, but he probably didn’t realize he was biting his bottom lip. I wondered if I made him nervous. He certainly made me feel unsettled.

“Just sit down somewhere, Mr. Ferril,” Mr. Powell announced from the front, sounding annoyed. I giggled.

Despite this being detention, it actually wasn’t very strict, especially in this classroom. Mr. Powell had a tendency to read the newspaper instead of enforcing the law. I liked that about him.

Christian was still standing at the end of the table, so I nodded toward Kira’s chair, and he smiled as he sat down. Wow. His cologne smelled rather good, very natural and earthy.

“So,” he said, drumming his fingers on the table. “How long do we have to stay in here?”

“Until ten minutes before lunch is over.” I looked sideways at him, noticing that his hair had fallen to cover his eyes. I didn’t really like that. It seemed sneaky.

“Good,” he said, leaning back and turning to me. “Because I’m ravenous. I thought I had to miss the entire lunch.”

“I don’t think that’s legal,” I pointed out.

“Right.”

We sat for a minute, silent, but not uncomfortably so. Somehow, being alone with him was easier than being near him with an audience. Go figure. Mr. Powell turned the page of his newspaper loudly and hunched over to read.

Christian leaned toward me. “Would you like to know anything about me?” I looked at him, and he smiled that perfect grin. I couldn’t really think of anything, but ... I didn’t want to seem unfriendly.

“Sure. Did you like being a Duck?” I adjusted myself in the chair, folding my hands onto my lap.

“Yep. My turn.”

Wait. I didn’t know this was a give-and-take.

He cleared his throat. “Why are you so proper? Like with the swearing and everything?”

I blinked. It had been a while since I’d needed to explain my perkiness. “It’s not that I’m proper, Christian. This is just how I am. I’m perky. I’m polite. There’s no need to be all gloom and doom. Someone has to make people feel good.”

Christian pressed his lips together, looking impressed, and nodded. “You definitely are
not
gloom and doom.”

That was nice of him to say. And truth be told, I wasn’t always like this. There was a time when I was just like everyone else. But my parents liked me like this. In fact, everyone did, so it just stuck. It felt natural. I liked making people happy.

“Your turn to ask,” he said, folding his hands behind his neck and leaning back in the chair. I glanced at the clock. We still had twenty minutes together.

“When did your parents get divorced?” I asked softly.

His expression changed. He rubbed roughly at his jaw and then straightened his back. “Officially?”

I nodded. I hoped the question wasn’t too painful.

“Last month.”

“And that’s why you’re here?”

He looked me over. “Don’t feel sorry for me, Tessa. You know, at least half of all marriages end in divorce.” He narrowed his heavily lashed brown eyes. “And like 99 percent of high school romances don’t last.”

My face twitched. Was he trying to say that Aiden and I wouldn’t last? “You really don’t know me all that well, Christian.” And he certainly didn’t know that I was fully aware of the breakup statistics. I did it for a living, for Pete’s sake.

“True,” he said, backing off. He laid his hands on the table in front of him. “And how about you? What’s your family like? Do you live in a gingerbread house somewhere?”

“I, in fact, live in a ranch-style home in Murray Hills. No candy roofs or evil witches.” Well, except for Aiden’s mother.

“And I’m guessing your parents are living happily ever after?”

I dropped my eyes. Even though my parents were happy, it still didn’t mean there weren’t painful memories. “My parents got back together after some time apart.”

Christian made a noise, but I didn’t look up at him. I was fairly done with this conversation. I began to pick at the bottom of my shirt.

“You look cute when you’re sad.”

My eyes snapped up to his.

“Ask me another question.” He tilted his head.

But I wasn’t into games like this. I didn’t flirt with strangers. And even though I was participating reluctantly, I still felt like it was illegal.

Christian stretched his arms over his head and then exhaled. “Fine, I’ll answer the one I’m sure you’re dying to know.”

“And which one is that?”

He widened his eyes as if it was a stupid question. “Whether or not I have a girlfriend. ”

There was an uneasy turn to my stomach. No. Actually, I hadn’t been wondering that, but if he did have a girlfriend, I would be very disappointed. I wasn’t sure Kira could take another heartbreak.

“You look worried, Tessa,” he said, completely misreading my expression. “I don’t have a girlfriend. I don’t even have a psychotic ex. So you’re in the clear.”

Me? Why was I in the clear? Maybe I needed to be more direct.

“Christian,” I said simply, touching his arm. He flexed. “Christian, I’m not sure if this is accidental or not, but it seems like you’re hitting on me.” My face was beginning to redden. This was much easier to say in my head. I dropped my hand.

“It is accidental,” he said smiling, looking embarrassed. I sighed with relief. He leaned closer to me. “I wasn’t supposed to seem like I was. I am hitting on you.”

Shake and bake!

“But ... Kira ...”

He pursed his lips. “To be honest, I’m not really into blondes. I like you.”

“But ... why?” What made him think that he was at all my type? He didn’t even play a sport!

Christian adjusted in his seat and looked thoughtfully at me. “You’re just different. Sweet. Beautiful. You’re ... perfect. You’re just perfect.”

I swallowed hard. Was I perfect? Did he believe that? Did I?

There was a low whistle, and I looked toward the doorway out into the hallway. My chest swelled. Aiden. Like a tall drink of lemonade on a hot day, my guy stood there in a tracksuit with his hair a perfect mess. Thank goodness he was here. I knew he’d come for me.

He winked before striding into the classroom, pretending not to look my way. Christian groaned next to me. He might not be as elated as I was.

“Mr. Wilder,” Mr. Powell said, sounding amused. “What can I do you for, son?” My teacher flicked his eyes to mine. I shrugged.

Aiden sounded sweet. “Sorry to bother you, sir, but Tessa has my lunch in her locker and I’m so hungry.” He clutched his stomach. “We have practice after school, and if I don’t get something to eat—”

Powell waved him off. “Just take her,” he said. He looked at me. “Ms. Crimson, I expect you won’t be late again?”

I smiled and shook my head. He motioned for the door. I jumped up, shooting Christian one last glance before walking away. He sucked at his teeth.

“See ya,” he said. He looked up at Aiden. “Thanks for the invite, by the way.”

Aiden raised his chin to him. “No problem, Chris. I’ll see you Saturday.” Then he held his hand out to me. I jogged up to take it, thrilled to finally see him. His fingers squeezed mine, and they were warm, protective. We began walking out.

“Cool,” Christian called to us. “And it’s Christian.”

“Sorry,” Aiden said, not looking back. “See you later, man.” And we left.

BOOK: The Naughty List
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