We set up to meet tomorrow, and after the Kittens scattered, I grabbed my cell from over near the couch and scrolled through the missed calls. When I found what I was looking for—Mary Rudick’s number—I dialed.
“Ding, ding, diiiiiing. Sorry, the number you are trying to call has been disconnected—”
Interesting.
(CODE PINK) SOS INTER-KITTEN COMMUNICATION
Dear Smitten Kittens,
I have put together the first mission in Operation Knockoff. (Because we all know this copy-Kitten is a cheapened version of the real SOS.) Please read below for your assignment, and then sign off and return the form to me ASAP.
Kira—visit the scenes of the cheats we know the copy-Kitten investigated and see if there’s any evidence that might point to a culprit. Cigarette butts, shoe imprints…think CSI.
Izzie—hack into the county database and see if any tickets were issued around the times of the incidents involving the fake SOS.
Tessa—use your power of super-sleuthing and try to talk to some of the guys on the posted Naughty List to see if they noticed anything irregular or out of place. They may tell you more if you wear that red lipstick I let you borrow—it looks fabulous on you!
Everyone else, be on the lookout. There are plenty of rumors floating around. I’ll be conducting some research on recent entries or exits from the school population, looking for any obvious suspects.
If you have any questions, please use the Code Pink hotline at 555-0101. Do NOT make any communications on the SOS database or e-mail lines.
Keep smiling,
Leona ☺
Sign___________________________Date_____________
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“HEY, PUMPKIN,” MY FATHER CALLED AS HE WALKED in the front door. It was close to midnight and I was still in my uniform, lying on the couch. “Your mother had to run to the corner store for some milk. Apparently we’re out.”
“Dad?” I looked at him, feeling a little lost. It would be good to have my parents back home. I hadn’t seen them much lately, what with all the gigs, and I missed them. Besides, I hated being alone in the house after the recent break-ins. In the last few hours (at least I thought it’d been a few hours) I’d considered all the possible reasons that Aiden and I weren’t back together. Why he brought up me dating other guys. I had only one conclusion: another girl.
“You feeling okay?” my father asked, settling next to me on the couch. He took off his glasses and looked me over carefully. “You’re…in uniform.”
“I know.” I dropped my head. “I was feeling down, and maroon and gray always cheer me up. Principal Pelli called me into the office and actually suggested that I rejoin the squad. He thought it would be best.”
“That’s great!” My father looked ecstatic. I think he and my mom missed making signs to hold up at the games. “Are you and Kira co-captains?”
My stomach turned. “Not…quite.”
He folded up his glasses and tucked them into the front pocket of his shirt. “I don’t understand. Are you and the Smitten Kittens having problems?”
“They won’t let me rejoin. They want me to date someone else first,” I blurted out, needing him to confirm that they had cartwheeled their way to crazy.
“Not let you join? But…” He exhaled, seeming to consider this. My father frowned, weighing his words. “Well, maybe they’re right.” He waited. I blinked and stared back at him.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Obviously I wasn’t communicating very well. “They want me to date someone other than Aiden.”
My father scratched at his chin stubble. “But you and Aiden aren’t dating anymore, right? I thought you two were just friends.”
Although I hadn’t really explained the situation to my father in full, I still felt like I’d just been slapped in the face. Hadn’t he seen how hard I’d been working to improve myself? To win Aiden back?
“Honey,” he said, lowering his head. “I know how much you care for Aiden. And you know your mom and I adore him too. But…” He trailed off. “You’re a smart girl, Tessa,” he finished. “And I’m not going to tell you what’s best for you. Because you already know.”
He rose from the couch, bending down only to kiss the top of my head before wandering off to the kitchen. I didn’t move for a while after he left. I sat there on the couch staring at the place where my skirt ended and my thigh began. I stared at it until the first tear dropped onto my lap and the rest blurred my vision altogether.
After my long-overdue cry fest, I made my way to my room for a nap. A little beauty sleep couldn’t hurt. But it felt like only seconds after I’d closed my eyes when my phone vibrated on my bedside table. I rolled over and picked it up, glancing at the screen. Another unfamiliar number. Strange.
I clicked it on and put it to my ear. “Hello?” I asked, my voice kind of scratchy.
“Tessa? It’s Mary. We need to chat.”
My heart nearly stopped. “Mary?” I squeaked.
“I know you’re probably PO’d,” she said. “But understand, I’ve been hearing some pretty disturbing things.”
I sat up in my bed, needing to clear my head for the impending conversation. “I’ll be honest,” I said before clicking on the pink porcelain lamp on my side table. “I am very ticked at you, Mary. I’d like to know exactly why you went behind my back like that?” My fingers were shaking from the confrontation.
She exhaled. “I tried to call you first, remember? Then…when I didn’t hear from you, I decided to take things into my own hands. You’ve been completely out of control lately. And when you said you were going to see the principal, I just about guessed what it was for. That man is nothing if not predictable. But you’re not ready to take back the throne, Tessa. You can’t even keep your personal life in order, let alone your professional one.”
I was truly offended. What did she know of my personal life? “You completely crossed the line,” I said, my voice low. “I want back on the squad, Mary. And it’s not your place to keep me away.”
She laughed. “Don’t make this personal. I’m doing what’s best for the Smitten Kittens. Did you think I wouldn’t find out how badly you effed up SOS? I trusted you with my organization. It means something, Tessa! It’s my legacy.”
“SOS was misguided and wrong. I was trying to let us all move on.”
“No,” she said. “You were trying to move on.”
That was it. I was done with this conversation. “Mary, not only are you not in charge of the squad anymore, you’re not even on it. You don’t have a vote. Not there and not in my life. So I’d appreciate it if you stepped away from the situation. Kira and I have it handled.”
“Kira,” Mary said, fighting to control her voice. “Can’t believe you made her captain.”
I’d never told Kira, but Mary had always been against letting her join the squad. She didn’t feel that she had the right image, the right oomph. But I thought Mary was being completely judgmental. And now she was turning her judgment on me. “I have to go,” I said finally. “We’ll handle our own squad and the fragments of SOS.”
“Is there some drama between you and Kira?” she asked.
“No,” I answered, maybe a little too quickly.
She laughed. “Fine. But just so you know, tension often occurs when there’s a shift in power. Keep it in mind.”
“I will,” I murmured, considering her comment. “ ’Night.”
She hung up without a reply, and I pulled the phone slowly from my ear, staring at it. Of all people, I never thought I’d have to go sneaker to sneaker with my ex-captain. And even though something like this would have totally hurt the old Tessa’s feelings, the new me…was just furious. I’d show Mary Rudick.
I curled up on my side, considering her words. Had Kira changed because of her new position? It seemed unlikely. But before recently, Kira had never shown me even a tinge of animosity.
Then again, maybe Leona was right. Maybe Kira was on a big power trip. I needed to
talk to Aiden.
I grabbed my phone and quickly dialed, but Aiden’s dorm phone went straight to voice mail. It made me sad, or at least it did until I saw the copy of my new book sitting where I’d left it on my nightstand. It had been undeniably sweet of Joel to bring it to me earlier. I felt myself smiling as I thought of it.
I opened the front cover, and a note I hadn’t noticed before caught my eye:
If you need to talk or just want to relive old fishing stories, call anytime. Joel, 555-6872.
I laughed, closing the cover and clicking off the light before settling back into my bed. I considered calling to thank him. Maybe even chat a little. But to be honest, most of my problems were top secret. And I didn’t think it was best to fill him in on my (or his girlfriend’s) spying past. No. Joel was great and all, but there were some things a Kitten needed to handle on her own. Like finding the person who was impersonating her.
And with that, I snuggled under my covers, hugging the book to my chest, and closed my eyes.
When I woke up the next morning, my parents were still in their room, sleeping off last night’s gig. I quietly made my way through the house as I began to fill with dread at the thought of the impending day.
I sat down with my cereal, crunching it with little vigor, and decided to try Kira. She picked up on the first ring. Someone to talk to!
“Morning, Tess,” she said, and yawned. “You just caught me. I was just about to start working on some cheers for homecoming. What’s up?”
“Oh,” I said. “Did you want some help?”
I heard the phone shift like Kira was just getting out of bed, which she most likely was. “Um…maybe next time, okay? Let’s get through your date first.”
My smile faded as I put down my spoon. I’d forgotten that I didn’t have a place on the squad yet. It was another crushing blow. “Sure. Next time.”
“Perfect,” she said. “So, we’re still on for the movies tonight, right? I’ve already e-mailed Chris, and he is oh-so-excited to hang out with you. That boy is over the sun for you!”
“It’s the moon.”
“He’s not a werewolf.” Kira laughed. “I doubt the moon has anything to do with it. But wait until he sees you in uniform again. He’ll be howling, all right.”
“Oh my word.” I grinned, spooning cereal into my mouth as I considered the evening ahead. “I don’t know about tonight, K,” I answered. “Dating someone other than Aiden sounds completely dull. Can we just focus on the investigation and get it over with?” I pushed away my bowl and rested my elbows on my kitchen table.
“This is part of the investigation. Getting you back up to snuff is just as important as finding the copy-Kitten. Once they see that you’re on your game, Tess, they’ll chill out. I just know it.”
In a way, I knew she was right. On paper, Chris was my perfect match. I should try to focus on that. Because I also knew that you couldn’t rush a Smitten Kitten induction. Even though I had already been an important member of the squad, I needed to earn my pom-poms back.
“Oh,” Kira said. “I’ve got another call.” There was a pause, then she was back. “Darn, it’s Izzie. She’s got some major boyfriend drama going on. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
I was suddenly jealous that Izzie would call Kira with a problem before me, but then I reminded myself that Kira was captain and, therefore, the go-to Kitten.
“Yeah, I’ll be around. Call me later.”
“Actually, Tess, can I talk to you at school? Leona and Izzie are on their way over.”
My muscle flinched. “For what?”
“My routine.” She paused. “I guess if you wanted to come by and watch, that would be okay. Do you want to?” She felt sorry for me.
I was hurt that she hadn’t asked sooner. And a little irritated—Mary’s words still ringing in my ears. “Yes,” I said. “I’d like to be part of the meeting. I’ll see you in ten minutes.”
“Great,” Kira answered quickly. “See you soon.” And then she hung up.
I sat for a moment, the phone still pressed to my ear, and wondered about my situation. Then I exhaled. Getting my life back was going to take some work. Starting now.
After putting my bowl in the kitchen sink, I got in my car and drove toward Kira’s apartment complex. It was near the railroad, which I thought was kind of neat because she had a clear view of the train out her window. Even if it was a little loud sometimes.
When I knocked on her door, Kira’s mother, Elise, answered. I tried not to cough as she blew out her cigarette smoke.
“Hi, Tessa,” she said before turning around and walking back inside. Not exactly the warmest welcome.
“Hello.” I tried to be extra cheerful when I was at Kira’s house. With its stale white walls and shaggy brown carpet, the place sometimes seemed a little lackluster. It just needed the right spirit to cheer it up.
“Thank goodness you’re here,” Kira called as she ran out from her bedroom. I was glad she was happy to see me. I had thought that maybe I was going to be an extra wheel.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Her blonde curls were pulled into a messy half ponytail, and she fiddled with the bottom of her T-shirt. She sighed, and I looked past her to see her mother coughing over at the sink, where she was doing dishes. I was pleased to see that she’d put out her cigarette. I had tried to tell her once about the harmful effects of smoking, but she hadn’t seemed worried.
“Izzie and Sam got into another fight,” she whispered. “A bad one.” She widened her eyes, and I felt my heart begin to race.
This was awful news! Izzie adored her college boyfriend. “Oh, no.”
“And she got dropped from the soccer team.”
My jaw dropped open. Poor Izzie! “She must be a mess.”
“She is,” Kira said, nodding. “It’s like a tragic-a-thon. But all she cares about is Sam. She wants us to investigate him.”
“An SOS investigation?”
Kira stepped back and then glanced down at the faded brown carpeting of her living room. “Well, yeah. I mean, if we’re going to use it to uncover the copy-Kitten, why not use it to help our friend?”
“Because that’s not what it’s about,” I said. “Kira, SOS was unethical and only caused us problems. That’s why we stopped.”
“Why you stopped,” she corrected, and then met my eyes with a steady blue gaze. She looked over her shoulder toward her room and then back at me. “Okay,” she said, trying to smile. “Right now we have enough drama anyway. Let’s not talk about it in front of her. Deal?”
I nodded. It was not okay to spy on an ex-boyfriend and, in my opinion, not okay to spy at all. SOS was only restarting to catch the copy-Kitten.
“And besides,” Kira added, undoing her half ponytail and resetting it. “Things are going to start looking up. You’re going to totally fall in love with Chris! He’s perfect for you.”
I wanted to blow off the night, but that hardly seemed fair. Kira had finally found a boy that she liked and Izzie needed moral support. I wanted to be more involved. If this was the way to get back into the group, then fine.
Kira tsked, looking at me like I was the most injured soul on earth. “It’s going to be okay, Tess,” she said. “I know you’ve fallen off the popularity truck, and frankly, we’ve all been worried about you. But you’re back now. And Chris Townsend is going to help you get there. You’ll see.”
I smiled, meeting her gaze. “You sound like Madame Corrine.”
“The psychic?” Kira gasped. “She’s the reason I hate fortune-tellers!”
Kira’s mother turned off the sink and turned to us. “Oh, no,” she said. “No more psychic hotlines in this house!”
“Mom,” Kira interrupted. “I already said I was sorry!”
Her mother adjusted her robe and cursed under her breath as she walked across the apartment toward her room. I hated when Kira and her mother fought, which was surprisingly often. My mom never yelled at me, let alone threw things in my
general direction when she was angry. Kira’s household didn’t follow the same rules.
I sighed. Kira was a great friend and a hardworking captain, but I wasn’t sure I wanted her to be my matchmaker. Not after the dating debacle she got Izzie involved in this summer. Before she’d settled down with Sam, Izzie had let Kira set her up with a guy from her church. But honestly, Izzie shared part of the blame in the mess. She should have been able to recognize her own cousin!
“I’ll go to the movie,” I said, sighing. I had to do my part to reunite the Smitten Kittens. “But please understand that it’s not a real date. I still want Aiden. This is just for the squad.”
Kira clapped. “Yay! You’re going to have a new boyfriend by the end of the night!”
My stomach turned at the thought. I just wanted my old boyfriend back, but each day that passed, I could feel it becoming more unlikely. At least my fake date could help me get something back: the Smitten Kittens.
As I sat on Kira’s bed, listening to Izzie tearfully recount her fight with Sam, I glanced around Kira’s room, at the mixture of music posters and cheer paraphernalia. The pictures of us stuck to the mirror of her vanity, a few folded so they cut Leona’s face just enough to make her look like a Cyclops. And then there were the piles of clothes flowing from the closet. Kira had never been big into organization.
“Personally,” Leona said, ignoring Izzie’s sniffling, “I think you could do better than Sam. Have you seen that kid Franco in my Spanish class? He’s muy caliente.”
“Leona.” Kira stomped her foot. “You know we don’t speak Spanish, so don’t try any secret codes.” She twitched her mouth and then readjusted her stance. “Now which guy are you talking about?”
“But I like Sam,” Izzie whined.
“I understand,” I whispered. Izzie looked up, her green eyes brimming with tears. “And I’m sorry about the team too. But we’ll get through this together,” I said. “And I know that your boyfriend is number-one priority, but we also have to crack down on this copy-Kitten.”