A GOOD BOY IS HARD TO FIND

A Naughty List Novel

by Suzanne Young

Copyright 2012

SOS Inter-Kitten Communication



Dear Smitten Kittens:


The roster is posted, naming the new candidates for

the squad. You’ll see the list reprinted below. The tryouts
will be held this Saturday at 9:00 a.m. in the gymnasium.

Candidates:

Chloe Ferril
Maureen Sarvo
Sara Fricola
Anne Lancing

All Smitten Kittens (even the suspended ones) are

expected to attend and vote. Don’t be late.

Keep smiling,

Leona

: )

From:

Aiden Wilder <[e-mail]>

To:

Tessa Crimson <

[e-mail]

>

Sent:

Tues, Oct 1, 8:00 p.m.

Subject:

PLEASE

I’ll be at my mom’s this weekend. I want to see you,

Tess. Please think about it.

SOS

INTENT

TO

INVESTIGATE

CASE:

067

CLIENT:

Anonymous on behalf of Trishelle Baskins

SUBJECT:

Blaze Harmon

This is the SOS official notice of intent to investigate

Blaze Harmon. An anonymous request was delivered to
SOS’s new PO Box accusing Mr. Harmon of engaging in
“shenanigans.” We assume by

shenanigans,

they mean

“tonsil hockey,” “swapping spit,” or “double dipping.” The
investigation will commence in the field house after football
practice.

Due to Mr. Harmon’s Homecoming King status, this

mission is considered high priority. Popularity can
sometimes go to the heads of our star athletes, so it’s of
utmost importance that we keep our players honest. Or, at
least, off the Naughty List.

The investigation will begin immediately.

Keep smiling,

SOS : )

SOS

Text: 555-0101 * Exposing Cheaters for Over Three

Years

Chapter 1

“I can’t breathe,” Izzie wheezed as we were pressed

together in the oversized locker. Since she had gotten
dropped from the soccer team last month, her endurance
had taken a real kicking.

“We should have rethought this.” I tried to get my hand

up high enough to unlatch the door. Cayenne pepper! I
needed some air. “Move your arm,” I whispered, trying to
get past Izzie.

Although our SOS assignments often put us in

compromised positions, this space reeked of sweaty
socks mixed with Izzie’s liberal application of Victoria’s
Secret body cream. I was suffocating!

Finally, just before I lost consciousness, my fingers

clutched the cold metal, and we tumbled out. Izzie landed
on her cheer-skirted rear and luckily broke my fall as I piled
on top of her.

“Ow,” she said, climbing to her feet and rubbing her

backside. “I feel concussed.”

“You have to hit your head to have a concussion—”

Wait. I immediately popped up and darted a look around
the locker room. Our mission!

The place was empty. We’d made zero progress on

the Blaze Harmon investigation even though we’d gotten
the anonymous tip nearly a week ago. I’d been staking out
this field house as if it were my job—well, I guess it sort of
was, but I still had other things to do! Like meet up with
Joel.

Joel—my ex-bestfriend’s ex-boyfriend—had been

extremely patient with my let’s-take-it-slow attitude. After all,
he’d just broken up with Kira and I’d just broken up (officially
this time) with Aiden. It was a real heartache complication
for both of us. But Joel was sweet as honey and patient as
molasses. Not to mention adorable.

I glanced at my watch and saw that the players would

be back from practice any second. Our source had said
that the meet ups usually occurred before or during warm-
ups, but we’d been waiting in here for close to an hour and
nothing. We’d have to adjust our tactics and regroup.

“I think we’re better off planting a listening device and

coming back to spy another night.” I brushed off my pants
and wondered if Joel would be around later. Sigh. It
seemed like we were always just missing each other.

Izzie nodded and slid open the zipper of her leather

fanny pack—horribly unattractive but a must for staking out
in tight spaces—and fished out a small metal device. She
removed the adhesive backing and looked around.

“Where should I stick it?”
Hm. “Oh.” I pointed behind her. “Put it under the bench;

that way the voices won’t be filtered out behind a locker.”

“So smart, Tess.” She beamed and pressed it in place

under the wooden seat.

“Now let’s skedaddle,” I said and headed for the exit.

Only just before I pushed on the metal bar, I heard voices on
the other side. Dang it! I should have suffered through
locker asphyxiation for a little bit longer!

“Emergency exit,” I whispered loudly, waving for Izzie to

get back. It was too late to get into proper hideout positions
now. Thank goodness Leona had planned out a second
escape route in case we were compromised.

Izzie and I nearly trampled each other getting to the

showers just as the raucous sounds of testosterone echoed
through the main room.

There was a small window above the third stall that

was just big enough for a cheerleader to get through. Kira
had keyed us into it from her early dating days—which were
plentiful. Long story.

“We’re so busted,” Izzie said, fretting as I held out my

intertwined fingers for her to step into.

“Positive attitude.” I grunted as I boosted her up. There

was a loud squeak as she pushed open the rectangular
window.

“Go wash your pits, bro,” someone that I recognized as

Peter Harrison—tight end—called out.

“Oh my!” Izzie rolled through the window, and I winced

when I heard the crash on the other side. Oops. We
probably should have moved the outside trash cans as a
precaution.

“You hear that?” Peter called out from the main room. I

gulped.

I put my sneaker on the shower wall and tried to climb,

but it kept slipping down the white tiles. Cracker Jack prize!
I was going to get caught for sure.

“Psst.”
I looked up to see Izzie’s pink-polished nails poke

through the window and reach out for me. Rubbing my palm
across the rubber sole of my shoe, I tried to get it prepped
to climb. I stuck it on the wall again and ricocheted my way
toward the open pane. I caught the edge of the window, and
Izzie wrapped her hand around my wrist.

She pulled as I climbed until I was finally able to hook

my elbow over the side. There was a noise behind me that
sounded like the door opening, but I wasn’t going to stick
around to see for sure. Instead, I used all of the strength I’d
built up from lifting my pom-poms these last few years and
chin-upped my way through the window.

Once again, Izzie was there to break my fall—this time

without having to hit the ground (and luckily the trash cans
had been set aside). The minute I touched sneaker to soil,
we darted across the lawn from the field house toward the
back parking lot, where I’d parked.

When we got to my car, I paused, bending down to rest

my hands on my knees. Good thing I’d been working out a
lot. That fast dash might have killed me otherwise.

“That was so close,” Izzie panted from the passenger

side. She was lying across the car, sweat pouring down her
face. Poor thing really should have tried to keep up with her
soccer regimen.

“I know. But at least we got out of there undetected. I’ll

tell you, Iz. Getting back into spying is a lot harder than I
remember.” And it was true. I could have sworn we were
much smoother about this! “Check the feed,” I said, and
straightened.

Izzie took her cell from her fanny pack and dialed up

the line that the device fed into. She waited a beat and then
smiled. “Total score.”

“Strawberry smoothie.”
She giggled. “Rex Hartguard just said he wants to

bone you.”

I shook my head. “Romantic.” Clicking open the locks, I

got into the car. When Izzie sat down, she shut off her
phone. We’d listen to the recordings before practice
tomorrow.

I smiled a little. Hard work or not, it was still sort of nice

to be back in the spying game.

I dropped Izzie off at her parent’s small cottage on

Ashland Ave and started toward home. My shoulder was
sore from cheering (getting back into the spirituous swing
of things was more exhausting than I’d anticipated); my arm
had gotten scraped when I was sliding out of the bathroom
window; and more annoying than that, my body had picked
a horribly inconvenient day to menstruate. I just wanted
some ice cream and my pillow.

Wait. Who was that? There was a car in my driveway,

but it wasn’t until I pulled in that I recognized it as Joel’s. A
smile tugged at my lips as I parked next to him.

“Hope you don’t mind,” he said as I climbed out. “I

stopped by the Redmond bakery and picked you up a
cream puff. Thought you’d be tired after practice.”

“Practice?” It took a second before I remembered that

that was where I told him I’d be tonight. “Right,” I said
quickly, closing my car door. “Yes. Practice was brutal.”

He nodded and held out a white paper bag. He looked

handsome as usual. His brown hair was expertly tousled.
His Pearl Jam T-shirt was fitted, one side of it tucked into
his dark jeans.

“Thank you,” I said softly as I took the bag from him.

Tired or not, I was happy to see him. He was like a breath
of fresh non-cheating air. “Would you like to come inside?”

“Am I allowed?”
My father had been a little chilly toward Joel the other

night at dinner. Not that my daddy was rude—he’d never
dream of it. But he was just cautious about my new
potential boyfriend. I probably shouldn’t have let him in on
the fact that Joel was just recently (as in a few weeks ago)
in love with Kira. It didn’t lend credibility to our situation.

“Parents are in Portland for a few days,” I said. “You

can … watch a movie with me, maybe?”

Nervous prickles of heat rose on my cheeks. Fact was

Joel and I still hadn’t kissed. The closest we’d gotten was in
the bleachers when he pecked my cheek after
homecoming, and that had been awkward. So now every
day drew the moment out more, and the tension was
becoming unbearable. We should just do it. If he were
Aiden, I would just grab him and kiss—I stopped. He wasn’t
Aiden. I needed not to think about him.

“Why, Tiny Crimson, are you trying to seduce me?” His

mouth twitched with a smile.

I laughed and shook my head, embarrassed at his

joke. “No. I just figured a movie with some popcorn would
be a nice thank-you for the cream puff.”

“Sure,” he teased. “I know I’m hard to resist. But

unfortunately I’ll need to take a rain check. My dad wants to
go over my college apps tonight. Fun stuff, you know.”

“I understand.” I moved my foot, crunching some leaves

under my sneaker. Joel cleared his throat, and I looked up
to meet his eyes.

His smirk straightened just enough for me to take him

seriously. Heat rushed over me as he wet his lips. I
recognized that sign. Heavens to Betsy! Was he going to
kiss me? I was so unprepared!

Joel leaned in, but as he got mere centimeters to my

lips, I turned my head so that his mouth pressed against my
cheek. He paused there, obviously surprised not to feel the
cushion of my lips. I closed my eyes, disappointed that I just
totally wussed out, but relieved that I didn’t have to commit
to something I wasn’t ready for. Joel was still against my
face when I pulled back and tried to smile encouragingly.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow?” I asked, as if I hadn’t

ruined our would-be first kiss.

“Okaaaay …” He looked perplexed. I felt confused.

Why didn’t I just kiss him?

“I’m sorry,” I said, dropping my head. “I didn’t mean to

—”

Joel reached up to put his hand over my mouth,

stopping me from talking. “Don’t explain. I’m pretty sure it’ll
only make it worse.” He smiled at me, his slightly crooked
tooth poking out and reminding me how much I liked him.
“This week I’m taking you out,” he said, still blocking my
speech. “So get some rest.” He leaned over to kiss the top
of my head and then paused to look at me again. “You
know,” he began, “this is nice. We should conduct more
conversations this way.”

I laughed and swatted his hand away from my mouth.

“Good night, Joel.” He grinned and then got into his car and
backed out of my driveway. I waved as he drove down the
darkened street and considered my evening.

I’d just spent the last few hours spying on a cheating

boyfriend. Then I got home to discover an amazing guy

waiting for me. And yet, I had backed away at the last
second! It was beyond bizarre. I might have to consult
Leona on the matter. Although I could practically hear her
answer in my head. It started with a capital

A

and ended

with an

n

, and went something like, “If you don’t deal with

your

Aiden

drama, you’ll never be happy.”

With a heavy sigh, I pushed her voice away. Right now,

I just needed some sleep. The Blaze Harmon mission was
draining my energy.

I walked into the kitchen and put the cream-puff bag in

the fridge—to be honest, I didn’t much care for them. But I
hadn’t wanted to hurt Joel’s feelings. My dad would surely
devour it, and then maybe I could use it as a way to get
them to like each other. Pastries are generally a good
bonding tool.

My house phone rang, and I crossed to pick it up as I

kicked off my sneakers. “Hello?”

“Don’t hang up.”
I froze at the sound of Aiden’s voice. He’d been

sending me e-mails—nearly every day—and I knew he was
in town this weekend. But I’d made sure to avoid anywhere I
could bump into him. And now that it was Sunday, I’d
expected him to be gone. What was I supposed to say to
him? I mean, he

slept

with Mary Rudick.

Images filled my head. The day I saw her sneak away

at the bookstore. The horrifying moment when I saw them
kiss through the back window of his car. My eyes
immediately watered, and I hung up the phone. My breath
caught as I stared at it, half expecting it to ring again. But it
didn’t. It didn’t.

From:

Tessa Crimson <[e-mail]>

To:

Joel Fletcher <[e-mail]>

Sent:

Sun, October 6, 11:45 PM

Subject:

I meant to tell you …

I really don’t think Kira is okay with us hanging out. I

feel terrible! Am I a bad friend?

Tessa

From:

Joel Fletcher <[e-mail]>

To:

Tessa Crimson <[e-mail] >

Sent:

Sun, October 6, 11:48 PM

Subject:

Re: I meant to tell you …

Are you seriously up stressing about this? I’ve told you,

Kira and I have talked. We didn’t break up because of you.
Even though I’m completely (and excuse the bad pun)
smitten with you, I wouldn’t do something like that to Kira.
She knows this.

So can you please let it go? I think maybe you’re

reading too much into it.

Now go to sleep! Lol

J

Chapter 2

“All right, girls,” I said, clapping my hands. “Let’s take it

from the top.” The candidates were bent over, hands on
their knees and staring at me as if I were crazy.

“Tess,” Leona whispered from my side. “I think you’re

going to kill them.”

I considered this. Little Maureen’s normally well-tanned

face was beet red and swollen. Sara and Anne were
leaning against each other, murmuring something that
sounded like, “Water. Water.” And then, of course, there
was Chloe Ferril. She was standing up straight, retying her
blond ponytail, and wearing a black-velour sweat suit, even
though she wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

“I think they’re fine,” I whispered back to Leona. Okay,

maybe I was being a bit overzealous, but I was committed
to making the Smitten Kittens the best team in Washington!
This was it—our senior year. And I wanted to leave with a
stellar reputation.

Truth was getting new candidates for the squad was

extremely difficult. Especially since it meant they would
become members of SOS. There was extensive
psychological testing, physicals, and then nominations. It
was only after a girl was vouched for that she could officially
try out—and of course, sign a legally binding confidentiality
agreement. Since Chloe Ferril had known about our SOS
identities after trying (and failing) to steal my ex-boyfriend,
she got an automatic pass to tryouts. Not to mention that
Kira vouched for her. My guess was that she did it to spite
me.

“Take a break everyone,” I heard from behind me.

Before I turned, the candidates sighed with relief and ran
for the hall water fountains. See. They were totally fine.

When I looked over my shoulder, I saw Kira standing

there, her blond curls perfect around her face. My eyes

narrowed as I met her cool blue ones.

“Kira,” Leona said immediately. “You’re suspended.

You’re not allowed to—”

“Relax,” she interrupted. “I’m not trying to interfere. I just

need to talk with Tessa for a minute. If you don’t mind.”

Leona tensed next to me. We’d only recently

discovered that Kira was secretly trying to destroy me,
trying to steal the squad, and more importantly, trying to turn
SOS into something vengeful. But in the spirit of the
Smitten Kittens, we decided to forgive her. Or at least, that
was the way it looked on the outside. She and I were still far
from okay.

It didn’t help that I was racked with guilt about her and

Joel splitting up. Even though, technically, he and I weren’t
even dating. Still, it was bad form. And if I could have
prevented it, I would have. I’m sure I would have.

“Why don’t you take a break, too,” I murmured to

Leona, touching her arm. “You’ve been working double
overtime with these tryouts.”

Leona chewed on her lip for a second, then glanced at

Kira before nodding at me. “Fine. But I’ll be outside if you
need me.”

“Whatever, Leona,” Kira snapped. “What do you think

I’m going to do?”

“Don’t know, Kira. Bat-shit crazy is your department.”
“Language,” I said.
Leona rolled her eyes. “See you in five.” She walked

slowly to the gym doors, looking back once. I smiled
reassuringly. Even though Kira had been a bit out of control,
she and I had agreed to behave. No public displays of
dissention.

“You could have waited until after practice,” I said in

low voice, turning away from the Kittens still in the
bleachers. Kira stepped up so that her shoulder was next to
mine, even though she was facing the opposite direction.

“It’s about Joel.”
My stomach took a swift left turn. Even though Kira and

I called a truce for the sake of the Smitten Kittens, we
hadn’t mentioned Joel since the day she was outed as the
copy-Kitten. She’d told me that she was still in love with
him. She’d asked me to stay away.

“What about him?” I looked sideways at her.
“You two aren’t”—she pulled her light eyebrows

together—“dating, are you?”

“No,” I responded quickly. Perhaps too quickly. Her jaw

tightened.

“Great.”
“Great,” I repeated. Obviously Joel was wrong. Kira

was upset with me.

“Because he’s a really nice guy, Tess. I wouldn’t want

to see him get hurt.”

Hold on a second! I was offended. Why would she

assume that I’d hurt him? I cared about Joel. “I’m not sure
what you mean by that,” I started to say. “But I assure you,
I’m not going to hurt him.”

“Maybe not on purpose. But you do damage—even

when you don’t mean to.” Kira turned to lock her eyes on
mine. “And you know what he means to me.” Her bottom lip
quivered for a split second before she spun on her heels
and walked back toward the bleachers.

My face tingled from embarrassment. Kira was a

trained spy. I would bet my buttons that she could tell I was
hiding my relationship (or almost relationship) with Joel .
And she may have been implying that I was indeed a bad
friend. But the worst part: I couldn’t stop. I liked him too
much.

“She’s right, you know?”
Startled, I looked up to see Chloe, sipping from her

bottle of water. “About what?”

“Being destructive. You drove my brother fucking nuts.”

Grrr … “First”—I held up a finger—“watch your

language. Second, your brother tried to trick me into dating
him.” She seemed to forget that major point.

“Only because you made him think he had a chance.”
“I did not!”
Chloe shrugged. “Whatever. I’m not here to argue

about your seduction skills. I’m here to get a spot on the
squad.”

“We’ll see how you do,” I replied coolly. Chloe had

gone from venomous psycho to gothic vixen. And then
suddenly, she throws on a sporty ensemble and tries out for
cheerleading? It was all a bit fish fry to me.

She smiled. “Oh, come on, Tess.” She ran her hand

down her ponytail, smoothing it over her shoulder. “You
know I’m kicking ass.”

This girl burned me up. “Chloe, if you want to be a

Smitten Kitten, one of the first things you’ll need to learn is
manners. No swearing at all.”

She laughed, tilting her head. “Prez, I’m not just going

to be a Smitten Kitten. I’m going to be their new captain.”

My face fell. Was she serious? But before I could ask,

she offered a sarcastic pageant wave and turned, walking
across the gymnasium.

I stared after her, my heart racing. First Kira and now

Chloe? Was the rest of my cheering life going to involve
constantly looking over my uniformed shoulder to see who
was trying to sneak up on me? I put my palm to my
forehead. It was so overwhelming.

“You all right?”
I looked up at Leona holding out a paper cup of water. I

exhaled, taking it from her. “Not really. Chloe told me she’s
going to be captain.”

Leona pursed her lips. “I could see that.”
I choked on the water, drops of it dribbling onto my

uniform. “What?”

“She’s good, Tess. I mean, sure, she’s unbalanced

and homicidal, but she has real natural talent.”

“I’m not sure I agree.” Had the world gone Looney

Tunes? Chloe as a Smitten Kitten? It was crazy.

“Well,” Leona said, folding her arms across her chest,

“unless you can break her in the next few days, she’s in.
Hey, who knows? Maybe she’ll turn sweet.”

Leona and I stared at each other for a second before

busting up laughing. Chloe turning sweet was like water
turning into wine. It’d have to be a flippin’ miracle.

The candidates began filing back in the room, fawning

over Chloe’s amazing high kick, and I chewed on the corner
of my lip. I was all for giving second chances. Heck, I was
letting Chloe try out, and she’d tried to steal my boyfriend
and had hit me in the head with an alarm clock last year.
But letting her take over my post as head of the Smitten
Kittens? No way in tarnation I’d let that happen.

I glanced at the wooden bleachers where Kira was

sitting, talking on the phone. I wondered if she’d be
interested in Chloe’s takeover plan. But then I wondered
with both of their histories if Kira wasn’t already in on it.

Kira caught me looking and raised her hand in a wave,

a slight grin on her lips. I quickly darted my gaze over to
Izzie, trying to shake off my paranoia. She was sitting, her
bag in her lap as she stared toward the gymnasium
windows near the ceiling. Her eyes were glassy as if she
were about to cry. She looked lonely.

“Are we going to start or are you too tired?” Chloe

called out to me from center court.

I nearly imploded. Instead, I straightened my posture

and took a cleansing breath. “Let’s take it from the top,” I
said in my strongest captain’s voice. The other girls
groaned, but Chloe smirked.

I was going to break her.

From:

Kira Reynolds <[e-mail]>

To:

Tessa Crimson

<[e-mail]>

Sent:

Mon, October 7, 2:45 PM

Subject:

btw

I think your cheer lineup is all aerobics and no skill. I

know you think you’re the supreme leader of all things SK,
but I’ve been working on a routine that I think will fit better.

Unless of course you want to steal that too.

K

From:

Tessa Crimson <[e-mail]>

To:

Kira Reynolds <[e-mail]>

Sent:

Mon, October 7, 3:15 PM

Subject:

Re: btw

My cheers are a test in endurance, K. I don’t expect

you to understand since you haven’t properly trained in
months. And I didn’t steal anything. Unlike you, who stole
my black one-piece kitten suit.

See you at tryouts.

Tessa

Chapter 3

When practice ended, I was aching in places where I

didn’t even know I had muscles. I could tell Chloe was
hurting, too, but she kept a brave face. And well-paced
breathing. The other girls had to stop a half hour before
practice ended, but I wouldn’t hold it against them. I was
working them hard.

After we dismissed the candidates, the squad

gathered on the front bleacher to discuss the practice. I
paused to stretch out my throbbing hamstrings.

“I have to say,” Kira announced, “Chloe’s doing a

spectacular job.”

“Figures.” Leona began to chew on her thumbnail. “You

nominated her.”

I looked down at the wood floor, not wanting to really

talk about Chloe or her quest for my crown. “How about the
other girls?”

“I don’t know, Tess,” Izzie said. “Chloe seems to be the

only one that can keep up.”

Suddenly, the doors of the gymnasium cranked open

and Coach Taylor stomped in. I didn’t mind Coach T,
especially since he let us manage ourselves, but as he
hiked his pants up around his considerable waist, I tensed.
That was a sure sign of something important.

“Afternoon, Coach T,” I said, smoothing my ponytail.

“Everything okay?”

He stopped short, his lips pressed together under his

bushy mustache. “Tessa, would I be here if everything was
okay?”

Good point. Coach T made a habit of avoiding our

practices when he could. Something about “too much
estrogen” for him to handle.

“Just got a call about our upcoming game against the

Ducks,” he said.

“Biggest football game of the year,” I added. The

Ducks were the Wildcats’ rival team. Cocky and obnoxious,
they beat us every game no matter what. But this year, with
Blaze Harmon leading the pack, we had a chance. Unless,
of course, he was distracted. Hm …

“Now Principal Pelli just called me into his office with

some news. And it’s big.” Coach T nodded his head and
looked around at us so we could feel the gravity of his
statement. Mostly, we just blankly stared back at him.

He sighed heavily. “The game is going to be

televised,” he said, sounding annoyed. “ESPN is coming
here as part of their high school spotlight program.”

“Oh. My. Word.” Kira stood up, clutching her chest.

“We are going to be so famous!” The other Kittens
squealed but I saw Coach T roll his eyes.

“So what do you need from us?” I asked, sensing that

this wasn’t just a social visit.

“I need you to fill the stands. I need you to make this

game exciting. I’m not sure we can beat the Ducks—”

“Why would the Wildcats start winning now? Suck

much?” Leona mumbled. Coach T shot her a look, and she
apologized before he continued.

“Like I was saying, the Ducks are a tough team. And

with ESPN coming, we need to look like contenders. We
do that by having an excited, raucous crowd. That’s your
job. And those are my orders.”

I nodded. It seemed simple, cheering for a big game,

but I could read between the lines. Coach T wanted
something special. He wanted a sellout stadium. And the
Wildcats football team hadn’t sold out a game since Phil
Collins played our halftime show, like, eighty years ago.

We needed to swing for the fences. Wait. Wrong sport.
Suddenly, Leona’s phone beeped loudly with a

message, and both Coach T and I glared at her. It was very
frowned upon to have your cell on in the gymnasium. She

glanced down but then snapped her head up to widen her
eyes at me.

Man on the moon! It was about the mission. Thinking

quickly, I reached forward to put my hand supportively on
Coach T’s forearm. “Thanks for your belief in us.” I smiled.
His lip curled slightly. “We’ll make you proud.”

Coach T stepped back, seemingly made off balance

by my sweetness as he looked around at the squad. Then
he hiked at his waistband again and snorted, “See that you
do, Tessa.” With that, he turned and hustled his way out of
the gymnasium.

The minute the metal doors clicked, I rushed over to

Leona. “Give me the double scoop.”

She handed me her phone as I sat on the wooden

bleacher next to her. I looked down and scrolled through the
SOS text message.

Blaze Harmon is hooking up @ the field
house in 10 min. Might want 2 add him to yr
Naughty List

The message had come from a restricted number, so I

couldn’t pinpoint the source. But that wasn’t unusual. In the
spying business, we couldn’t always vet all of our sources.
In fact, a lot of Naughty List tips came anonymously.

“It’s about Blaze,” I said, turning to look back at all the

girls. “He’s hooking up at the field house in ten. We need to
go.”

“I can’t wait until this mission is done,” Leona said,

standing up and stretching her arms over her head. “I’ve
been listening to the locker-room chatter nonstop, and I’m
so sick of hearing about jock itch.”

“Ew.” Kira scrunched her nose.
“I know, right?”
“You’ve done a nice job, Leona,” I said. “Now, you and

Izzie come with me. Everyone else take off. We’ll have a
meeting before school about the findings. Plus we’re going
to need to start getting organized for the big game.” The
girls murmured excitedly and collected their things.

“What about me?” Kira asked. My heart skipped a

beat as I looked over at her. She was my go-to spy. Or at
least, she used to be before she’d tried to ruin me.

“Right,” I said quietly. “You’re with me, too.”
Even though Kira was suspended from the squad,

we’d decided that we still needed her on SOS. She had a
good sense for undercover work, and she knew a lot about
the guys at school. She was an asset we couldn’t ignore.

Not that I completely trusted her yet. And not that she

forgave me about Joel. But we’d called a truce. Or at least,
it appeared that way.

I took a deep breath, slightly relieved. This mission had

me stressed out, and now with the ESPN news, I wasn’t
sure I could split my time so easily. And I had to admit, I
was a little curious as to who Blaze was seeing. His
girlfriend Trishelle was, like, a total supermodel.

The girls and I scooped up our gym bags and jogged

toward the locker room to change into appropriate spy
gear. We pushed into the room, quickly undressing. It was
nice to be together again like this. We were like a SWAT
team, only way peppier.

“So who do you think it is?” Leona asked as she pulled

her uniform shirt over her head and tossed it on the bench.

“No idea,” I answered. “I can’t picture Blaze with

anyone but Trishelle. Remember them at prom last year?
Adorable.”

“They were a vision in blue,” Izzie added dreamily.
“Well, whoever it is,” Kira said, slipping into a pair of

black spandex shorts, “I bet she puts out. Word is Trishelle
is one of those purity-ring chicks.”

“No way.” Leona laughed. “Wasn’t she the one at the

WSU party that played spin the bottle with Alpha Phi?”

“Yeah, but that was a sorority, and I don’t think girls

count.”

“True.”
“Focus,” I said, securing my ponytail. “Now we need to

get out to the field house without being detected. What’s
the best path, Leona?”

“Up the west side behind the bleachers and then along

the far wall.”

“Perfect. Are we ready?” I glanced around and smiled

when I saw my squad looking completely stealth. I had to
admit, although I preferred pink, black was a fabulous color
on us.

“I have to pee,” Izzie said, biting on her lip.
“No time,” Leona spoke up, flipping her wrist to look at

her watch. “We have to move now if we want to catch the
cheat in progress.”

“Can you hold it?” I asked.
Izzie made a squeaking sound and then nodded. It was

awfully sweet of her to risk a UTI for us. Sometimes our
spying demands were terribly inconvenient.

Leona led the way as we filed behind her. I glanced

back toward the parking lot but didn’t see Blaze’s silver
Trooper. Good. It meant he wasn’t here yet.

When we got to the field house, Kira slid her pack off

her shoulder before picking the lock and pulling open the
heavy metal door. “By the way,” she said, looking over at
me. “I wanted to talk to you about updating the SOS
handbook.”

“Updating?”
“Yeah.” We entered the room, and again the smell

made my nose twitch. I used to love this athletic smell on
Aiden—somehow on him it was sexy. But in here, it just
smelled like sweat. I pushed away all thoughts of Aiden
(and his smells) and scoped out the scene. “We’ll talk about

it?” Kira asked.

I glanced at her. “The handbook?” She nodded. “Uh,

sure. I’ll bring it up next meeting.” I looked for Leona.
“Time?” I asked.

“Minus three minutes,” she whispered. My heart

fluttered. I wasn’t sure we could set up proper surveillance
that quickly.

Just then there was a noise from outside the door.

“Snapple facts! Get to the back!” I pushed Izzie, and we
scrambled toward the back corner of the room, behind the
lockers. We’d just turned the corner when I heard the metal
clang of the door hitting the wall.

“In here, baby.” It was Blaze, and he was using his sexy

voice. Gosh darn it. This was going to be another
confirmed cheat. Always one hundred percent. It was
enough to make my sunny disposition cloud over.

There was a mumbling, but I couldn’t catch what his

accomplice said. Instead, I heard the clacking of heels on
the tile of the locker-room floor. Jeez, she was stomping
around like a chimpanzee. They were getting closer.

I put out my arm and backed the girls as far into the

corner as I could. The clacking stopped. They were on the
other side of the lockers, the sound of smacking (kissing?)
coming from that direction.

“I can’t see shit,” Kira mouthed. I rolled my eyes.

“Pyramid,” she added.

I shook my head. Moving might be too risky, but how

were we going to confirm the cheat without a photo? I
shifted on my sneakers, trying to decide the best course of
action.

Leona nodded, telling me that she agreed with Kira’s

idea. My stomach turned. I had a bad feeling about this.
When we spied in close proximity situations, the general
rule was to stay put. Not engage in gymnastic endeavors.

Izzie and Leona got down on all fours as Kira stood in

front of them making the base. It was just high enough that if
I stood on her shoulders, I’d be able to see over the metal
locker. There was a slurping noise from over there. Ew!

I put one black-sneakered heel on Leona’s back and

then grabbed onto Kira as I hoisted myself up. We were
silent—like cheerleading ninjas trained in the sacred art of
pyramid building. Slowly and deliberately, I put my feet on
Kira’s shoulders, and then I was in the air, completely
stable.

I reached my hand out and felt someone slip a camera

into my palm. Without looking down—because that could
surely make me fall—I lifted it up to eye level. Then I looked
through the lens. It took me a minute to find them, but there,
across the room near the shower door, was Blaze and his
accomplice. Her back was to me, and I had to admit
already, she was definitely not as shapely as Trishelle. In
fact, from behind, she looked like a linebacker.

Her blond hair was stiff, almost wiglike, and she was

wearing an awful minidress that looked like she’d picked
up at Walmart. Not that Walmart was unusable, but for
minidresses? I’d say so.

I zoomed in as Blaze’s hands massaged at her back

and they were in some intricate hug/kiss. Gross. If Blaze
kissed like that, I’d think Trishelle would be glad to get rid of
him.

Quickly, I started clicking off shots, waiting for the

accomplice to turn around. I needed her face. Not
technically. This

was

enough to prove the cheat, but a shot

of her face would be nice for future reference. We could
keep her on our possible cheater radar. Sort of like I had
done with Chloe. Or Mary Rudick.

At the thought of Mary’s name, my jaw clenched and I

held the camera a little tighter. My breathing changed,
coming out in short gasps, but I needed to stop. I couldn’t
keep thinking about her and Aiden.

“Shhh …” I heard and glanced down. Kira was giving

me a stern look, and I realized I might have been growling
out loud. I swayed on my feet. Whac-a-Mole! Why did I look
down?

I thrust my hands out to my sides as if I were walking a

tightrope and straightened my posture as Kira held my
ankles. It took a second, but finally we got our equilibrium
back. Whoa. Total save.

When I adjusted the camera, I froze. Blaze and the girl

were no longer kissing. Her back was still to me, but now
they were staring at each other. I wondered if I’d just
missed something big.

I zoomed in closer, hoping to catch the side of her

face. Just then, she shifted in her heels, and I readied my
trigger finger.

“Turn,” I murmured. And just then, the figure swung

around. I clicked the camera furiously and—

Holy Spumoni! She had a beard!
My entire body flinched, and I felt the camera slip from

my hands as I tried to regain my balance. But it was too
late. Before I could grab onto the lockers or anything else, I
felt myself falling from the sky, heading face first toward the
tile floor of the locker room.

Chapter 4

My eyelids fluttered. And just then I was racked with an

unbelievable pain in my ankle. Kira was on the floor next to
me, and Leona and Izzie were backed against the locker,
looking past me with terrified expressions on their faces. I
bolted upright, reaching for my foot. “My ankle!”

“Well, well,” someone said. I looked up, my teeth

clamped tight as I tried to deal with the pain. Blaze Harmon
was there, standing over me.

I was about to act surprised to see him, but then he

kicked my camera toward me. “Catch anything good, little
spy?” His handsome face was pulled into a snarl, and I felt
my pulse exploding. I tried to think of what to say, anything.

“Bet you got some great pictures.” Suddenly, from

behind the locker walked the accomplice … only it wasn’t
an accomplice. It was Rhett Harding. His red hair was
covered with a blond wig, and he was wearing a tight blue
dress. Well, at least, I’d gotten the linebacker part right.

“What the hell is going on?” Kira asked, struggling to

her feet. I didn’t dare move. The pain was starting to
thicken, like a swelling heat. A vice around my ankle.

“Looks like we caught a couple of Kittens acting all

Nancy Drew. In fact,

SOS

, I think the right phrasing is, ‘We

just nailed your asses to the wall.’”

“Ew,” Kira said. “Rhett, you’ve never been anywhere

near my ass, and you certainly haven’t nailed it to anything.
And you never will wearing a

dress

. Seriously?”

His face fell. It was common knowledge that Rhett had

been crushing on Kira for the better part of two years.

“Don’t listen to that little bitch,” Blaze said, his eyes

living up to his name. “They’ve been spying on us! They’ve
been tracking us like a bunch of private dicks.”

“I think

dick

is the operative word,” Leona said,

stepping forward.

Blaze shook his head at her. I’d never known him to be

so nasty, but we’d just been totally busted. My stomach was
twisting with the awful possibilities.

“And why …” Leona continued, walking closer before

squatting down to inspect my ankle. “Why are you dressed
as a woman, Rhett? A little after-school activity?”

“N-no!” he stammered quickly, flicking a glance at Kira.

“We set you up. You got ratted out and—”

“Shut up.” Blaze held up his hand, signaling Rhett to

stop talking.

“A rat?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper as I tried to

hold on a little longer.

Blaze smiled, the little gap between his teeth showing.

“Yeah, little Kitten. You’ve been had by a big ol’ rat.” He and
Rhett laughed at what I assumed he thought was a clever
play on words. Personally, I might have gone for the “when
the cats away, the mice will play” reference, but whatever.
Point was somebody handed us over. We’d been stabbed
in our uniformed backs. Again.

There was a sudden surge of pain, and I had to push

away this latest drama. Right now I needed to get to the
hospital. I was pretty sure my ankle was broken.

“Get me out of here,” I murmured to Leona, reaching

as she held out her arm. “I need to go to the emergency
room.”

“Shit.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” Blaze asked,

menacingly blocking our path. To accentuate his point, he
rammed his fist into the metal locker as a warning. The
noise startled me, and I grabbed onto Leona as she
steadied me. Kira and Izzie gathered behind us, and Rhett
looked between me and Blaze. The tension was thick
enough to cut. With a butcher knife.

“Get out of the way, Neanderthal,” Leona growled.

“Tessa’s hurt, and I need to get her to the hospital.”

Blaze’s mouth twitched with a smile before it turned

into mock concern. “You hurt your little paw?”

“I think it’s broken,” I said, not nearly as forceful as I

should have. But I was about to lose it.

He laughed. “I guess you won’t be doing anymore

spying then, will you?”

Izzie walked up, grabbing my other arm. I looked

sideways at her, and she darted a terrified glance at me.
Well, at least, she was pretending to be courageous. I
smiled supportively.

Blaze paused, staring us down with disgust. Then,

unbelievably enough, he held out his arm, motioning for us
to pass. “Get the fuck out of my field house.”

“Gladly.” Leona pulled us forward, elbowing her way

past Blaze as I held onto her and Izzie. Rhett stifled a laugh,
but I focused on making it out the door.

“You think you’re hurt now,” Blaze called after us, “just

wait until school.”

His warning rang in my ears as we left. I knew we were

in trouble—at least, waist deep. But when I got out into the
parking lot, I closed my eyes, letting the cool wind rush over
my face. Oddly enough, my first instinct was to call Aiden.
But I knew better than to do that. He was off my radar now.

“Um, you guys?” Izzie said, her voice low.
“What?” Kira murmured from behind us. She sounded

lost in thought. I’d only heard that tone from her maybe once
or twice before. It was a sure sign of bad things.

Izzie gulped. “I sort of peed my pants.”
My mouth opened in surprise, and Leona stopped with

a shuffle, nearly sending me headlong into the pavement.
Did she just say—

“Iz! That is totally sick!” Leona said.
“I was scared! I told you guys I had to go!”
Poor thing. I reached out to pat her arm. “It’s okay,” I

said weakly. “We all have accidents.”

“When we’re two,” Leona answered.
“I don’t want to talk about Izzie’s weak bladder

anymore,” Kira said, shaking her head. “Our duck is
cooked!”

“It’ s

goose

,” Leona corrected, turning to pull me

forward again. She took out her keys to unclick the locks of
her car.

“Whatever,” Kira snapped. “Who eats roasted goose?

I’d rather have duck.”

Izzie gasped. “You eat little ducks? That is total animal

cruelty!”

“Ladies,” Leona said as she opened the passenger

door. “Knock it off. Tessa’s ankle is broken and Blaze
Harmon just outed SOS. We’ve been betrayed again.” She
darted a look at Kira. “We have some serious problems.”
She paused. “Can you imagine what Chris is going to do
when he hears?”

Worry passed over Leona’s face. Her boyfriend was

on the football team, so he might already know by now that
he was dating a member of the spy society who had busted
so many of his friends. But being the brilliant professional
that she was, Leona straightened her face and continued
talking to Kira.

“I’ll call from the emergency room so we can set up an

early morning meeting. And whatever you do, don’t answer
your phones tonight from anyone else. This news is going
to spread like wildfire, and it’s going to burn the whole
damn school down.”

“Nice,” I said, easing my way into the seat. Leona was

always very good with her words.

“Thanks.” She turned and put her hands on her hips.

“Kira, would you mind taking Izzie home? I have a fear of
urine.”

“Gross,” Kira said. Then she rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

She grabbed Izzie by the sleeve and pulled her toward
where she’d parked.

As Leona slammed the passenger door for me, I

watched her run around the front of the car. I couldn’t even
wrap my brain around the idea of our cover being blown. Or
who would have done it.

This was worse than Kira’s copy-Kitten scam. It was

worse than Christian tricking me into suspecting Aiden as a
cheater last year.

But what worried me the most was that if my ankle

really was broken, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to cheer us
through this at all.

“Didn’t we just see you here a few months ago, Ms.

Crimson?” the doctor asked. He was the same one who
had stitched up my forehead when Chloe had hit me with an
alarm clock in our less than classy fight over Aiden.

I nodded, wishing he would just give me a painkiller

already. My ankle felt like it was pulsing in my brain. I’d
convinced Leona to drop me off because the waiting room
was packed with coughing patients. She had asthma and
feared anything viral. So she told me to call her if I needed
a ride. Instead, I gave the nurse my parent’s number.

Now that I was here in this sterile white room, I’d really

started to feel the impact of my situation. What would Blaze
and the other guys of Washington High do to punish us?
The possibilities were endless.

“Seems you’re accident prone.” Dr. Lewis smirked,

deep laugh lines creasing around his mouth. He put the x-
ray on that light box thingy and examined it.

“Is it broken?”
He sighed heavily. “Yes, young lady. It is. But it looks

like a clean break, no fragments. But you’ll be off your feet,
possibly the next three months, depending on how you
heal.”

The

Empire Strikes Back

! How would I ever cheer

again? “Three months?” I was about to hyperventilate. In
fact, if my foot wasn’t in such extreme pain, I might have
passed out. I put my hands over my face and waited for the
room to stop spinning.

“Now, now,” the doctor said. “Don’t get yourself worked

up.”

I shook my head, dropping my arms. “But … I have so

much to do. ESPN is coming to do a spotlight on the
Wildcats-Ducks game! How am I—”

“Really?” Dr. Lewis asked, suddenly interested. “Do

you know which broadcasters will be there?”

I stared at him. Was the doc seriously more worried

about ESPN than my nonability to cheer? What about the
Hippocratic oath? I pushed my head back into the pillow
and closed my eyes.

This was a double dash of a disaster.
“Nurse,” he called out calmly. Just then a solid woman

with cute cat-eye glasses came in, rolling a metal tray
behind her. “I think Ms. Crimson can have her pain shot
now.”

“Give me something to knock me out instead.” I

couldn’t help the tears from leaking out of my eyes. Without
a leg to stand on, I was a useless captain. Oh, no. Maybe
Chloe really would replace me!

Ouch!

“Sorry, honey,” the nurse said, removing the needle

from my arm. “Small pinch.”

“Not so small.”
“Oh, don’t worry.” Dr. Lewis laughed as he stood up

from his stool. “This shot will do the trick. Elaine here said
she’s been trying to get a hold of your parents, but they’re
not answering. Is there someone I should call for a ride?”

“Um …” I wasn’t sure where my parents were, but I

knew Leona would pick me up. Suddenly, warmth spread

over me. “Wow,” I said. “That’s good stuff.”

The doctor chuckled. “Someone to call?”
I lifted my head, about to give him Leona’s number

when a very tall, blond guy walked in. “I’ll take her home,”
Aiden said. I giggled. That was silly. What was he doing
here?

“And who are you?” the doctor asked, looking back

and forth between us.

My head was heavy so I rested it back onto the table,

no longer able to hold it up. I was just drifting off when I
heard myself murmur, “He’s my boyfriend.”

CODE PINK—

HIGH ALERT

Dear Smitten Kittens,


As you may have heard, SOS has been compromised.

I repeat, we have been compromised. This high-alert status
is due to the possible backlash from the male population of
Washington County.

So for now, do not discuss SOS with ANYONE! Take

the high road and walk away if they’re harassing you. And
definitely, definitely do not call them an “ass-faced pieces
of trash”. (Good one, Kira!)

Keep smiling,

Leona : )

Chapter 5

“Tessa?”
My mother’s voice hummed in my ear. My eyelids

fluttered, and when I opened them, she was there, stress
painting her face in shades of gray. Which wasn’t vibrant at
all, I decided.

“Mom? They said they couldn’t get a hold of you.”
“We were going over the bridge, and you know how

spotty reception is there. But we called the second we
heard and raced over here. We nearly got a ticket.”

“Your mother drives like a maniac.”
I looked over to see my dad grinning in a chair in the

corner. Of course, my mother rarely drove when they went
out so I knew he was just teasing. My father was known to
get tickets occasionally. Occasionally enough that the local
sheriff called him Smokey and the Bandit. Which I totally
didn’t get! My dad didn’t smoke. And who the hay was the
Bandit? He sounded mean.

Just then Dr. Lewis strolled in, a clipboard and papers

in his hand. He explained to my parents about the clean
break and how I’d have to come back to get it cast
because the orthopedic doctor wasn’t there and that I might
require surgery.

Surgery! That was not a good sign. I had tryouts to

watch over (and a captainship to hang on to). How could I
properly prep us for ESPN and deal with the fallout of SOS
exposure if I was having surgery? It would be a tragedy of
epic proportions.

The doctor said he’d consult with the surgeon, and my

mother alternated between

oh, my Gods

and

damn its

,

which seemed to really contrast each other.

Wait. Was … was Aiden here? Did I dream that? I

looked over to my father, and when he caught my eye, he
smiled. “What is it, honey?”

“Was Aiden here?” My voice lowered at his name. My

father’s eyebrows pulled together behind his glasses. At
first, I wasn’t sure he was going to answer, but then he
cleared his throat and spoke.

“Um … he was. Yep.”
I waited. He averted my eyes. “And? Is he still here?”

Not that I wanted to see him. I was just curious.

“No. No, when we got here, he said he had to get back

up to school. Guess one of the boys had called him about
the accident. He came to check on you.”

“Oh.” I wondered what else he’d said. If he’d

apologized to my father, or left a message for me. But I
didn’t want to look like I cared. Because I didn’t. That part of
my life was over, and my hairdresser had suggested that
when I thought about Aiden and it hurt, I should think about
something happy instead. So … uh … Unicorns. Yes,
unicorns raced on rainbows and had flowers in their manes
and granted wishes and—

“You ready?” My happy thought was interrupted by my

mother as she shuffled almost a dozen papers and
pamphlets in her hands.

I nodded, still feeling a little high. Man. Those drugs

were definitely strong. In fact, I think I might have called
Aiden my … I stopped, unicorns popping in my head. But I
moved them aside and wondered what he thought when I’d
called him my boyfriend. If he smiled his beautiful smile. If
his gorgeous green eyes filled with tears. If he said he
loved me.

“I got you crutches,” my father said, reaching behind

the chair to pick them up off the floor. “I figured you wouldn’t
be happy going to school in the wheelchair.”

“No. The gymnasium isn’t handicap accessible yet.” I

was distracted, but with the help of my mother, I climbed off
the table. I was suddenly helpless, and for me, that was not
a good feeling. Not at all.

When we got home, there were, like, eight hundred

messages on the phone. Some from concerned squad
members and some vulgar ones from fellow students.

My father’s eyes grew more and more concerned with

each passing message.

Beep

. “You’re in a world of hurt, Crimson. You’re lucky I

don’t call the fucking cops.”

Beep

. “I have to admit, I appreciated the help SOS

gave me, but to think it was you? Totally weird. I mean, we
have language arts together. You knew all that stuff about
me and never said anything. I thought SOS was part of the
CIA or something. Not a freaking cheerleader.

Whatever

.”

Beep

. “You and your girls are going down—”

My father shut off the machine and rubbed roughly at

his forehead before slipping off his glasses and putting
them on the granite kitchen countertop.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “We didn’t mean to—”
“Tessa, when you informed us last year about the

spying, we were disappointed. We told you that
investigating your fellow students was unethical, and I
thought we all agreed that you were done with it.” He
paused, glancing down at my ankle.

“Wait, did your injury have something to do with SOS? I

thought it was a cheerleading accident.” My father’s cheeks
were quickly turning red, and I had a feeling that I might be
in a bit of hot water.

After Chloe had attacked me and Aiden dumped me

last year, I’d told my parents everything. I told them all about
the missions and the SOS motto. I even told them how it
had ruined my life. And, yes, technically I did promise that it
wouldn’t happen again. But I thought that since we were
better organized and more mature now, it’d be okay. Wait,
was his eye twitching?

“Well?”

“I was with cheerleaders. So it was sort of a

cheerleading accident.”

“You were spying!” My father’s voice bordered on

raised, and for him that was very rare—or rather,
nonexistent.

“Yes, but—”
He held up his hand to stop me. His cheeks were flush,

and I was glad my mother was in the shower. I didn’t think I
could handle both of them being angry with me right now.

After a second of his silence (and my guilt), my father

sighed. “Listen,” he said, almost apologetically. “Let’s not
tell your mother that you’re spying again. She’d be very
upset, and I don’t like seeing her unhappy. I try to protect
both of you—even though you’ve been making that tough
lately.” He reached to put his hand on my shoulder.

“I’m really sorry,” I murmured. “But we’re just trying to

help the brokenhearted of Washington County. Those girls
need us, Dad.”

My father’s mouth twitched with a smile. “Tessa, I know

your heart is always in the right place. It’s your ankle I’m
worried about.”

“Touché.”
He dropped his arm and glanced at the phone resting

on the counter. “Do you need me to the call the school, or
set up some sort of protection for you?”

I laughed. I could just imagine my father showing up in

a black suit, like my own personal secret service agent. I
suddenly worried that if things didn’t improve quickly, he
might pull me out of school altogether. I couldn’t imagine. I
was pretty sure the homeschooling community didn’t have a
cheer squad.

“It’ll blow over.” I waved at him reassuringly. Did I

believe that? It seemed pretty flipping unlikely. But
graduation was only … eight months away. I slunk into the
kitchen chair and rested my chin in my hands. Someone

had ruined my life. Uh, again.

“What do we do, Dad?”
He exhaled heavily. “Seems you have two choices.”
Oh, good. Multiple choice!
“You can cower and hide, run away from the mess. Or

you can accept responsibility and try to apologize. And to
be honest, after the vulgarity of these messages, I’m
leaning toward cowering.” He pressed his lips into a smile.
My father knew I would never run away from a problem.
Well, unless its name was Aiden.

“Thanks, Dad.”
“You just be careful. If things get too hard, you need to

let us know. We don’t want anything bad to happen to you,
Tess. You already have a broken ankle. I think that’s
punishment enough. So don’t beat yourself up.”

I nodded. My father picked up his glasses and slid

them back on before turning off the ringer on the phone. As
he started to walk toward the bedroom, I couldn’t take the
curiosity anymore.

“Daddy?”
“Yeah?”
“Did Aiden say anything about me?” My heart

immediately began to race, scared of his answer and not
sure what I wanted to hear. I just had to hear something.

My father looked at the wood floor, then back up at me.

“He didn’t have to say anything. The worry on his face was
enough. He still loves you, Tess. I think you should keep that
in mind as you”—he furrowed his brow—“start dating
again.”

Warmth spread from my chest up to my face, making

my eyes tingle and begin to water. He thought Aiden still
loved me. I wondered if it could be true.

My father rubbed at his mouth but said nothing of my

reaction. After a second, he lifted his chin to me. “Good
night, honey.”

“Night.” I sniffled and watched him walk away. When he

was gone, I looked down at the tablecloth and picked at the
linen.

Unicorns. Unicorns. Unicorns.

“Wow, that’s a pretty massive cast,” Leona said,

knocking on it once and tilting her head toward the hollow
sound.

“Um, ouch.” The doctor had called to say that surgery

wasn’t needed, leaving me completely relieved. And when I
called Leona, she and Izzie decided to come over and
check out my new equipment (meaning my cast and
crutches). We’d all agreed to skip our morning classes and
take a half day. Partly because we were exhausted, but
mostly because we were stalling. There might be a mob
waiting for us at the stone steps of Washington High.

“I brought sparkles,” Izzie spoke up from the other side

of the living room. I smiled at her, but something was off.
Izzie definitely didn’t look sparkly. In fact, her hair was
knotted toward the ends, and dark circles ringed her eyes.

“Thanks, Iz. Everything okay?”
She seemed alarmed by the question. “Fine. I’m fine.”
She blinked quickly, and I recognized that she was

lying. Her eyebrows always did a weird shaking thing when
she wasn’t telling the truth. She certainly wasn’t fine. I
glanced at Leona, and she met my eyes immediately, the
same concerned expression on her face.

“Izzie?” she asked. “Is there something going on that

you need to talk to us about?”

“I said I’m fine,” she snapped, her normally soft

features hardening.

My mouth fell open with surprise. Whoa. That was

completely uncalled for. I shot another look at Leona, and
she shrugged in a this-is-way-beyond-my-expertise sort of
way. Izzie’s behavior would need some investigation. But

first, we had to get a handle on our other problems. Namely,
who turned us in.

“Have you heard any chatter?” I asked Leona,

adjusting my leg to rest on the cluttered coffee table.

“Nada. It seems that all of my sources have dried up

now that we’ve been exposed. Turns out lots of people
thought they were dealing with ‘professionals.’”

“

Professional

what?”

“Detectives? I’m not sure. But as far as I can tell from

the small bits of info I’ve gathered, the leak did not come
from within the SOS.”

Izzie let out a relieved sigh, and we looked over. Her

mouth twitched with a smile. “That’s good, right?” she said
quickly.

“Uh, yeah.” Leona widened her eyes. “Pretty sure that

goes without saying.” She turned her attention back to me.
“We need to lay out a suspect list.” She reached down to
fish her hand through her black leather purse before pulling
out a small notebook and clicking her pen. “Number one,”
she said. “Aiden Wilder.”

My heart skipped a beat. “What? Why would you

suspect Aiden?” I wasn’t sure if I should be offended. Aiden
might have slept with Mary Rudick, but I wouldn’t believe
that he’d hurt me like this.

Leona tsked. “He’s a suspect, Tess. He knows about

us. He knows the team. And let’s face it, ruining your social
life is in his best interest.”

My fingers began to shake so I folded them carefully

into my lap. She was wrong, but I had to be objective. If I
wasn’t, she might start to question my leadership skills, and
right now, I needed to be strong. “Suspect number two,” I
said firmly. “Chloe Ferril.”

Leona laughed. “You always blame her. I don’t think

she’d try out for the squad if she planned on destroying it.”

“She could be trying to cover her tracks.”

“True.” She scribbled on her pad, and we both looked

to Izzie. She was staring out the window, not even paying
attention.

“Iz?” I asked.
She looked over, startled. “I didn’t do it,” she said

defensively. She reached up to absently tug at her snarled
curls.

“I know,” I said slowly, exchanging another concerned

glance with Leona. “Just wondering if you had a suspect for
the list.”

“Oh. No, I don’t.” She turned away and went back to

gazing out the window. I swallowed hard. Her behavior had
become increasing erratic the last few days. I was seriously
worried.

“I’ll add some of our ex-clients and maybe even

Christian,” Leona said.

I tensed at the sound of his name. It’d been months

since I’d seen the guy who had almost broken up Aiden and
me. But I didn’t really suspect him. He seemed to have
moved on, especially since he was taking classes at the
community college now.

“By the way,” Leona added, still writing in her notepad,

“I don’t want to get all mopey and talk about it, but Chris
broke up with my voice mail last night. I didn’t want there to
be any confusion at school.”

I gasped, but she waved me off.
“Let’s just say he didn’t appreciate SOS’s personal

involvement in private situations. But imagine that in
Neanderthal jock language.”

“Tragic,” I murmured. Leona and Chris were peanut

butter and fluff together, but if he was going Stone Age on
her, it was a good thing they broke up. She deserved
better.

Then it hit me. Joel! What would he think about my

spying? I was too distressed to call him last night, and now I

didn’t know if he hated me!

My breathing sped up as I stared back at Leona.

“Joel,” I said. She nodded before dropping her notepad
back in her purse.

“He probably won’t be stoked.”
“Sugar. You’re right.” I considered my options. I could

call him and try to explain, or I could show up at school, all
brave and on crutches (increasing the sympathy factor).
Definitely the crutches. I’d need all the help I could get.

“Izzie,” I said, pulling her out from her zombie daze.

“Are you ready to bust out those sparkles? Today requires
a little extra shine.”

Her face brightened as if she’d just woken up.

“Definitely. It’s time for an injury makeover.” She grinned as
she stood to get her supplies.

I felt relieved seeing Izzie acting more like herself.

Then again, makeovers made everyone happy. They were
like magic.

Leona sighed. “I’ll get the glue gun and sequins.” Well,

except for Leona. She found them a bit tedious.

As I watched her walk toward the kitchen, I worried. I

wasn’t sure a well-accessorized cast could make up for the
fact that the school hated us. Or that I might lose my
captainship because of my injury status. Heck, even Joel
might turn his back on me today.

And then there was the matter of ESPN. I groaned,

resting into the couch. I hoped Leona and Izzie brought
extra sparkles.

From:

Joel Fletcher <[e-mail]>

To:

Tessa Crimson <[e-mail]>

Sent:

Tues, October 8, 8:00 AM

Subject:

I’m worried!

God, woman! Are you okay or not? I’m not at school

today, so if you’re around call me. I’m out of my mind with
worry.

Oh, and yeah. I miss you or something like that. :-)

Joel

Chapter 6

On the way to school, I debated about asking Leona to

take me back home, but ultimately, I knew I’d have to face
judgment. And honestly, I thought I could turn it all around.
Like a basketball-game comeback! Those were so
inspiring!

Unfortunately, Blaze Harmon had been right. The

school was less than thrilled when we showed. Even with
my adorable crutches and decorated cast (sparkles really
did cheer anything up) our peers were not friendly. None of
them even asked about my ankle.

In fact, in the halls, I got called the B word, the D word,

and even the C word. One person used a p-word, but I think
it was in Spanish.

“Oh, thank God,” Kira said, running up as Leona, Izzie,

and I stepped into the school hallway. Her eye makeup had
been wiped clean, leaving her eyes naked and red. It made
me uneasy seeing her so disheveled. It reminded me of the
way she looked when she was the copy-Kitten. Kira met my
eyes. “We’re getting slaughtered, Tess. Someone even
trashed my locker.”

I gasped. “Vandalism?” Those were repercussions I

hadn’t anticipated. It might be best if we took the bus for the
next few weeks so that our cars didn’t get keyed.

“Cheerleading spies,” someone said, and I turned to

see Stuart French sneering at us from across the lockers.
“Who knew they were smart enough to use a camera?” He
and his buddies laughed, but I straightened my posture.

“I’ll have you know,” I pointed a finger at him, “that I am

an A student and member of the honor society.”

“Ooh …” he mocked.
I narrowed my eyes. Leona stepped up in front of me.

“Well,” she said to him, “we were smart enough to figure out
that when you were trying to date Magdalena Garza, you

were stuffing a sock into your tighty whities so she’d think
you were well-endowed. But just between us”—Leona
shrugged—“I think she was disappointed. Because after
you guys hooked up, she totally researched the internet for
how to increase a man’s size. Hope she gave you some
good tips.” She smiled and grabbed my arm, helping me
crutch down the hall.

“Normally, I would scold you for that,” I started to say.

“But right now, I think we need your moxy.”

“We sure as hell do.”
“Nice cast, by the way,” Kira said offhandedly as she

fell into step next to us. I looked sideways at her.

“Thanks.”
“Whatever.”
Just then Chris Townsend walked around the corner,

nearly crashing into us. Since breaking up with Leona last
night, he looked a bit under the weather. His button-down
shirt was wrinkled; his blond hair was messy. I was sure he
was nursing a broken heart.

“Bitch,” he spit at Leona as he stomped past. I

gasped.

“Pig!” she called back, barely able to control her rage.
Okay, so maybe his heart wasn’t that broken. Glad I

didn’t mention it out loud.

Once Chris was out of sight, Leona cleared her throat

and then moved forward, busting us into the girls’
bathroom. Izzie promptly shut and locked the door. “It’s a
catastrophe,” Leona said, not bringing up the altercation
with her ex. “This is a level-one alert. We might need to call
someone in to help us.”

“Mary Rudick?” Izzie asked, and I felt my entire body

tense. I dug my nails into the wood of my crutch.

Leona glanced over at me. “Um, no. That’s not a great

idea. But I’ll look into other options. Maybe there’s a PR
firm that helps out people with ruined reps or something.”

Kira laughed.
“What?” Leona asked.
Kira walked toward the sinks. She shook her head and

then went through her purse as she studied her reflection.
“No one can help us at this point,” she said. “We’re ten feet
under.”

“Six feet under,” I corrected. She caught my gaze in the

mirror.

“We’re buried way deeper than that.”
Good point. I turned to Leona. “So how widespread is

the damage?”

“Facebook,” Leona started, clicking through her

phone. “Twitter, MySpace, and I suspect we’ll hear from the
main office any second now.”

Kira exhaled and patted under her eyes with

concealer. Then she applied lip gloss before putting her
purse aside and resting her palms on the side of the
porcelain sink. “Even when I was in charge, nothing like this
got out.” She looked over at me, her face finally registering
how scared she was. “How did they find out?”

“Maybe the football players found out from an ex-

client?” Izzie offered.

“No,” I said. “We’ve been there before. Our clients

don’t know our true identities. This had to be an inside job.”

“Ahem,” Leona said, nodding her chin at Kira before

getting out her small notebook and flipping through the
pages.

“Don’t blame me,” Kira snapped, spinning to face her.
“Oh, yeah. Because you sabotaging us would be

so

out of the ordinary.”

“I was trying to help!” Kira shouted. “And it would have

worked if—”

I held up my hands. “Stop. We don’t have time for this.”

I wasn’t going to argue again. Kira and I had been going
back and forth via e-mail for weeks. She refused to see the

error of her ways (secretly restarting an organization filled
with vengeance), and I refused to admit that I stole her
boyfriend. (Because I didn’t. They were broken up for
almost two weeks before Joel and I admitted that we liked
each other. That wasn’t stealing. Really.)

“Now,” I continued. “I don’t think it was a Kitten. This

stunt has ruined us all.” I tapped my finger on my bottom lip.
“Leona, who is on the suspect list, so far?”

She licked her index finger and flipped through her

pages. “Okay, first up is Aiden.”

“Interesting,” Kira said immediately.
I clenched my jaw but didn’t say anything. I looked over

to see Izzie supportively smile at me. I appreciated that.
“Next.”

“Chloe.”
“Ah, of course.” Kira snorted.
“What?”
“Nothing, Tess. It’s just that anytime something is even

slightly wrong, you blame Chloe.”

“She hit me—”
“—in the head with an alarm clock,” Kira finished with a

smirk. “We know. But it doesn’t mean she would destroy
the entire squad. Not everyone is after you.”

Leona laughed. “Except for maybe you.”
“Shut up. I told you I’m over that. Tessa and I have an

understanding. We—”

“Hold up,” Leona said, picking up the SOS phone and

scrolling through a message. “This may sound crazy, but we
just got a cheater request.”

“Is it from the hockey team this time?” Kira rolled her

eyes.

“No. It’s from Janet Springer. She thinks Garrett Bash

is cheating on her.”

“Really?” I shifted on my crutches. Although I should be

surprised that anyone would ask for our services right now, I

immediately slipped back into spy mode. “Any suspects? I
know he’s best friends with Stacy Sadera.”

“Best friends. Right.” Kira burst out laughing. “We’re

not in fifth grade anymore, Tess. Boys and girls don’t stay
best friends for two years and travel together for a band
unless they’re hooking up. They are totally sneak-dating.”

“No way,” Leona scoffed. “Stacy said he’s like a

brother to her.”

“Ew, only if she makes out with her brother regularly

behind the band-room Dumpster! I’ve heard rumors.”

“Gross,” Leona, Izzie, and I said at the same time.
“That’s awful,” Izzie continued, pulling her red hair into

her hands, tugging on it absentmindedly. “Why pretend that
they’re best friends?”

Kira scrunched her nose as if she weren’t comfortable

thinking about it. “I’m guessing he wants to keep the
relationship quiet. Maybe to not hurt Janet, or maybe
because he’s got lots of

friends

.”

“I buy it,” I said. “Our Naughty List tips have never been

wrong, have they?”

“Well,” Leona interjected, “unless you count the fake

out with Blaze Harmon.”

Hm. “I don’t think that should tally into our results. All

real inquiries have been one hundred percent. Sort of.”
Unless you counted Aiden, but again, he was a setup.

“So …” Izzie dropped her hands, looking confused.

“Does that mean we’re still spying?”

We all paused and looked at her, sort of unsure how to

answer the question. I mean, we were outed now. It would
be a lot more difficult to sneak around.

“I think we need a temporary hold,” Leona said. “We’ve

got a lot of damage to assess.”

“But what about Janet?” Izzie squeaked. “She needs

our help! What if Garrett is a cheating jerk face!” I thought
she might cry.

“Izzie, not everyone can be helped,” Kira said, walking

to put her arm around her. “Cheerleaders can’t save the
world.”

I watched them murmur disappointed statements to

each other, looking beat. Looking defeated. But all I could
see were some pumped-up unicorns.

“We won’t fail the brokenhearted of Washington High,”

I said, my captain’s voice stern and strong, despite the
throbbing in my ankle. “The boys may have ruined our
cheerleading reputations, but they can’t tarnish SOS. Not
when we’ve caught their cheating rears more times than I
can count.” Adrenaline began to pump through my veins as
I got more involved with our cause. Our sense of justice.

“SOS was never created to make us popular. Or well-

liked. We had a mission: to save the tenderhearted girls
from their underhanded, cheating boyfriends. And that is
exactly what we’ve done for the past three years. Have we
broken the law a few times? Sure. But was it with good
intentions? Yes. And that’s why it wasn’t illegal.”

The girls nodded at me, determination on their faces.
“And I refuse to give up on our school just because a

couple of jocks have decided that us calling them out on
their dastardly deeds jeopardizes their cheating ways.
We’re here for the innocents. And I say … we fight.”

“Fight,” Leona repeated, a smile perched on her red

lips.

“It won’t be easy. Our undercover work is now at ninja

status. People know who we are; they’ll be watching for us.”
I grinned. “But they’ve never seen a Kitten on the prowl. We
can be pretty stealthy when we want.”

“Like that time I hid in Kona Birch’s kitchen cabinet?

He was so busted.” Kira beamed.

“Exactly.” I pointed to her and felt all the girls get on

board my cheater-catching train. “We are cheerleaders.
We are spies. It’s who we are. If we give up on womankind

just because some boys are intimidating us, they win. And
we don’t give up that easily.”

“I’m texting Janet right now,” Leona said. “We’re going

to catch that wormy bastard in the act. He won’t know what
hit him.”

“Language,” I murmured.
“Oops. Sorry. I’ve just been listening to so much

cussing on my voice mail it’s, like, second nature.”

“Yeah. But we should—”
There was a crackling noise above us, and we looked

toward the speaker in the corner. “Can I have your attention
please?”

I gulped. It was Principal Pelli.
“I need to see the cheerleading squad in my office.

Now

. Thank you and sorry for the interruption.”

“Uh-oh,” Izzie muttered. “I’d better use the bathroom

first.”

We were French toast.

“Spying?” The principal stood up at his desk while we

crowded around it. Leona, Kira, Izzie, and I took the
available seats while the rest of the girls sat cross-legged
on the floor. We were going to get royally scolded.

“Sir—”
“Save it, Miss Crimson. Coach Taylor wants you off his

field, and I’m inclined to agree.”

“You can’t!” I sat up straighter, and my crutch fell

forward, smacking against his desk. “This school needs its
spirit, Mr. Pelli. Don’t punish the entire student body for our
mistake.”

“This wasn’t a small mistake. This was a felony!”
Izzie squeaked from the chair at the end of his desk. “I

don’t want to go to jail,” she murmured, looking at me with
frightened eyes.

“And what about ESPN?” I asked the principal,

glancing back at him. “Who’s going to fill the stadium?”

He laughed as if I’d made a joke. “And what? Do you

think the students will come to see you? I’ve already gotten
seven threats on my voice mail this morning. People are
threatening to sue! They want reparations for the pain and
suffering you’ve inflicted. Stuart French is asking for two
million dollars!”

“I can’t pay that,” Izzie whined. “I’ll have to sell my car!” I

held up my hand, telling her to calm down. There had to be
a way out of this.

“Sir, there has to be something you can do. ESPN will

bring in great PR for the school, and besides that, some of
us were looking to get an athletic scholarship to college.” I
paused at this statement. Izzie would have had a
scholarship in soccer if she hadn’t gotten cut from the team.
Suddenly, keeping the Kittens together became more
important. A cheerleading scholarship could be her last
chance.

Principal Pelli slammed his hand down on his desk.

“You broke into school property, Ms. Crimson!”

“Is there proof?” Leona asked calmly, picking at her

fingernails and looking cool as a cucumber salad. I looked
sideways at her, alarmed by her question.

“Proof?” The principal’s red face looked as if it were

about to explode. In fact, he was turning an unpleasant
shade of purple.

“Yes,” Leona continued, looking up at him. “As you

know, my father is an attorney, and it all comes down to the
burden of proof. What do you have?”

“Witnesses for starters!”
“Really.” She nodded, unimpressed. I felt the twitch of a

smile. Leona was going to make a fabulous defense
attorney one of these days. “You have … who? Blaze and
Rhett. After all, sir, they were in the field house after hours,
too. So … I’m not sure they count as credible. Oh, and there

is the small fact that Tessa broke her ankle.” Leona paused
for effect. “On school property.”

The principal’s eyes widened. “Are you threatening

me?”

“You?” Leona shook her head, looking offended.

“You’re taking this awfully personally, sir. Maybe you’re too
close to the case.”

“Case?”
Kira snickered on the other side of Leona. I could feel

the girls around me begin to untense. Leona was totally
saving our hides!

Principal Pelli sat down with a thump in his leather

chair. Kira laughed again. “This can’t go unpunished,” he
said defiantly, looking around at all of us. Izzie nodded at
the end of the desk.

“What do you propose?” Leona asked, leaning

forward.

“Three-day suspension.”
“One.” Swedish fish! This girl was good. I’d have to

take her to all of my disciplinary meetings.

The principal narrowed his eyes and leaned closer.

“Two. Final offer.”

Leona tilted her head from side to side before looking

over at me. To be honest, I’d come in her half expecting to
be expelled. In the grand scheme, two days wasn’t too bad.
I nodded with complete relief and heard everyone sigh.

“Deal. But nothing goes in our file. I’m going to Harvard

in the fall.”

“I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to have you,” the principal

said sarcastically and scribbled something on a piece of
paper. “Fine. Now get out of my office, and just so you
know, I’ll be watching you.”

“Uh, creepy,” Kira responded. I laughed.
“Get out!”
We scrambled up (well, I hobbled really) and exited the

office, waving to Peggy at the receptionist desk on our way
out. I wasn’t sure, but I thought she looked almost proud.
Like maybe she understood why we’d done the spying. I
liked to think that most of the girls would.

The squad and I gathered in the empty hall outside the

office. “Two days,” I said to myself before looking up at
them. “That was an amazing feat, Leona. Thank you.”

“No problem. I’m just glad I didn’t have to break out the

sexual harassment defense.”

“Me, too,” Izzie added, gasping for breath. “I’m so not

feeling sexual right now.”

We stared at her a minute before turning back to each

other. “How about the rest of you?” I asked, looking around.
“You girls okay?”

Most nodded. A few sniffled. As a whole, the Smitten

Kittens were not used to being scolded. We were among
the finest students in Washington High! But now, we were
delinquents. I was certainly glad this wouldn’t go on our
permanent records.

“I’ll tell you one thing,” Leona said. “I’m going to find the

son of a biscuit that did this to us. Our lives are completely
compromised because of some vengeful jerk! Whoever it
is, they’ll pay.”

“Okay, Rambo,” Kira said. “Relax a little. We need to

do this right.”

“Isn’t Rambo the governor of California?” Melanie, one

of the Kittens, asked from the back. She was the exception
to the honor-student rule.

“That’s the Terminator,” I said. “And Kira’s right. We

need to do this right. If we just go about this wildly, we’ll get
ourselves in more trouble. And we don’t want that.”

“I like trouble,” Leona said, her voice tight with anger.

Then she exhaled. “But you’re probably right. Sorry, I refuse
to say that Kira is right. The words are just unnatural.”

“Shut up,” Kira snapped.

“Squash it, ladies,” I said, adjusting myself on my

crutches. “Let’s finish up tryouts and select our new
members. We also need to focus on our remaining clients.
Are we all in agreement that SOS is still functional?”

I looked around, and all of the girls nodded—some

more emphatically than others. Some could barely lift their
eyes out of suspension shame.

“Good,” I said. “First things first, now that we’re

suspended, we’ll have to move tryouts to my backyard.”

“How about mine? I have more room,” Leona

suggested. She was right. Her house was on nearly an acre
with a beautifully manicured lawn. Way better than the
hillside that I had.

“That’ll be perfect. Now, Izzie,”—I looked at her—“can

you contact the candidates and give them the address?”

“Sure.”
“Am I invited?” Kira asked, trying to look as if she

didn’t care, but I knew that face. She was feeling left out.

I sighed. Under normal circumstances, I’d freeze Kira

out. Let her serve her punishment. But this was certainly not
normal, and the fact was, we needed her. “Kira,” I said,
carefully putting one crutch after the other to get closer to
her. “Will you rejoin the squad and help us?”

Leona gasped, but I heard a few girls in the back clap.

Shock crossed Kira’s face, and a smile pulled up the
corner of her mouth.

“That would be … lovely,” she said, suddenly realizing

that she was still mad at me. “Glad you’ve come to your
senses.”

“Uh, hello, Tessa,” Leona said from behind me. “

Love

how we got to vote on it?”

She may have been right, but I didn’t have time for

squad politics. Decisions needed to be made. Captains
needed to be strong.

“These are desperate times. We need her,” I said.

“Like a hole in the head,” Leona retorted.
Kira scoffed. “Why would anyone need a hole in their

head, idiot?”

Leona looked at me, a told-you-so expression on her

face. I shrugged.

“Well, then,” Kira said, stepping in front of me to face

the squad. “Since I’m back on the squad, I’d like to propose
that we stop tryouts and go straight to a vote.”

The knife was just plunged into my back. She’d been

on the squad 2.1 seconds, and she was already taking
charge.

“No,” I said, but Kira turned to smile sweetly at me.
“Desperate times,” she answered and then swiveled

her head back to the squad. “All in favor of inducting Chloe
Ferril as the only new Smitten Kitten?”

It was straight out of a nightmare. Kira had filled my

shoes (cast or not) and swooped in on my leadership.
Every squad member (except me) raised her hand. I nearly
blew a gasket.

“It’s settled,” Kira said, spinning back around. “Chloe is

our newest member. Izzie, deliver the good news to her and
make sure she’s at practice. We have a killer cheer to prep
for ESPN.”

Kira started to walk away but paused, her mouth near

my ear. “They’re all yours, Tess,” she whispered. I stood
frozen as she strolled down the hall, clearly proud at how
easily she had circumvented me. I glanced at the squad.
They were watching me, waiting to be dismissed. At least, I
still had the final say.

“So we’ll meet up at Leona’s in a few and get another

practice under our Gucci belts,” I began, a bit unsteady.
“After that, we’ll plan out the next mission. If Garrett Bash is
cheating, he is

so

busted. We are in crisis mode, ladies.

It’s time for true commitment. All Kittens on deck.
Understood?”

They nodded enthusiastically. I appreciated their

support. In fact, I needed it.

When I stole a sidelong glance at Leona, she pressed

her lips together tightly and swallowed with a click. I
remembered how brave she seemed when she faced Chris
in the hall. And I knew that whoever turned us in was going
to feel her wrath. Catching a traitor splintered the squad last
time. I wasn’t sure we could survive it again.

Just then Izzie broke away and jogged down the hall

after Kira.

Witch’s brew! We were all in a heap of trouble.

SOS

INTENT TO INVESTIGATE

CASE

: 068

CLIENT

: Janet Springer

SUBJECT

: Garrett Bash

This is the SOS official notice of intent to investigate

Garrett Bash. The client has accused Mr. Bash of spending
more time with his band as a cover for a cheat. We suspect
that the subject has been playing more than the guitar.

If you wish to cancel this investigation, please text a

stop-work order to 555-0101. Stop orders must be placed
within 24 hours of this written notification.

Thank you for thinking of SOS, and we truly hope that

our investigation ends with positive results. Have a great
day.

Keep smiling,

SOS : )

SOS

Text: 555-0101 * Exposing Cheaters for Over Three

Years

Chapter 7

The Washington sky was beginning to cloud over, the

rainy season getting ready to start. Glancing at it through
Leona’s windshield, I wondered if it were a sign of things to
come. Sunshine would feel so much more upbeat right now.

Leona sighed just as she entered my side of town on

her way to drop me off at home (no driving until my cast
came off). When I looked sideways at her, she was
chewing nervously on her bottom lip. Poor thing. She was
probably still distraught about Chris.

“Chris is such a jerk, you know?” she said before I

could offer my sympathy.

“Oh.” I was obviously way off base on this one. She

continued to watch the road as she spoke.

“Did you know that he applied to Harvard?”
Definitely not. “I didn’t know he was that bright.”
She snorted. “He’s not. But he said he wanted to go

away to school with me.”

My stomach flip-flopped. “Did he get in?”
“Hell, no. His GPA is, like, a two point four.” Her face

fell at little. “But it was sweet of him to try, right?”

“Very sweet.” Worry lines creased her forehead and

wished I could say something that would help. But when it
came to ex-boyfriends, I wasn’t an expert. In fact, I should
write a handbook on what

not

to do.

Leona turned into my neighborhood and glanced over

at me. “Can I talk to you about something?” she asked.

“Of course.”
She paused, almost as if she’d changed her mind, but

then she furrowed her dark brows and turned back to the
road. “Do you think Izzie has been acting a little strange?”

I nodded, thinking about it. “She’s definitely lost a lot of

her shine. What have you noticed?”

“When she doesn’t think anyone is looking, I see her

texting and making phone calls; crying in the locker room.”

I gasped. “She’s been crying?”
“Yeah. When I asked her what was wrong, she blamed

it on her period. But I didn’t buy it. You know our cycles are
all synced.”

“Have been for years. Well, what do you think it is?’
Leona pulled onto my street. “Suspicious. I think it’s

suspicious.”

My heart stopped at her words. “You don’t seriously

think—”

“No. I don’t think she’s the rat, but there’s something

going on, and we’ll need to investigate. Just the two of us.
You in?” Leona parked at the curb in front of my house and
looked pointedly at me.

Investigating another Kitten felt like a huge betrayal,

but then again, if we’d done that last time, we might have
stopped Kira before she’d taken things so far. “Light
surveillance,” I agreed. “And we’ll talk to her. It might be
something completely unrelated. Her and Sam have only
been broken up for a month so there might be some
residual damage.”

“Agreed.” Just then Leona looked past me toward my

house. She chuckled and then met my eyes. “Looks like
your boyfriend beat us home.”

“Aiden?” I turned my head quickly expecting to see

Aiden, but instead Joel was leaning against his car, not
exactly happy to see me.

Leona tsked. “Freudian slip?” I was too red faced to

answer. I didn’t know why I expected it to be Aiden. I mean,
Joel was closer to being my boy—uh-oh. “He knows about
SOS.”

“By the look on his face? I’d say so.”
“Tequila sunrise! What do you think he’s going to say?”
“Well, he’s here. So that’s a good sign.”
I turned to her. “Really?”

She shook her head. “No. But I’m sure you’ll work it

out. Just do something cute. He might forgive you. And if he
doesn’t, no big loss. I mean, you were hoping it was Aiden
anyway.”

“I was not.”
“You so were.”
“Not.”
“Whatever, Tess.” She laughed. “I’ll pick you up before

practice. Don’t go running off anywhere.”

I pushed open the door and motioned to my cast.

“Don’t think you have to worry about me running anywhere.”

“Point taken.”
I reached into the backseat, grabbing my crutches

before climbing out gingerly. I couldn’t imagine three
months of this crutching business. It definitely wasn’t worth
a handicapped spot at the mall (Kira’s first reaction).

My crutches crunched the leaves as I approached Joel

and my stomach was twisting in knots. Would he scold me?
Would he tell me off? I almost turned around and hobbled
after Leona’s departing car. But before I could, Joel met my
eyes.

“Hi,” I said cautiously. My insides were bouncing with

anxiety.

Joel chuckled as he stared at the ground. “Hi? That’s

it? I mean, you might have a little more to say than that,
don’t you think?”

“I was just starting. Thought maybe hi was a good first

step.”

Joel raised his head. He was so handsome, dressed

in a brown fleece pullover that looked great with his hazel
eyes. “Not much stepping for a while though, huh?”

I held up one crutch. “At least three months.”
“Ouch.”
“That’s what I said!”
He smiled. “Are you in pain?”

His concern for me only succeeded in making me feel

worse. “I think it depends how angry you are with me.”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, we stood there,

the wind blowing softly through the trees, sending orange
and red leaves around us. Just when I was about to repeat
myself, he sighed.

“Can I come in?” he asked.
My heart rate sped up. “Really?” Even though I knew

Joel was a nice guy, I half expected this to be a practical
joke. Like Blaze and his cronies would jump out any second
and laugh at me.

Instead, Joel stepped forward and took my hand from

my crutch, holding it in his. “We should probably talk.”

I stayed mostly silent as Joel led me to my house, held

the front door, and let me in. The inside still smelled like last
night’s lasagna, and it was almost calming. But it wasn’t
until I was sitting (un)comfortably at the kitchen table that
Joel actually began speaking.

“How bad was school?” he asked quietly, sitting

across the linen-cloth-covered table from me.

“Badly bad. People where calling us all sorts of

horrible names.”

He winced and looked down at his fingers as they

twisted the tablecloth. “Damn. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“Why weren’t you there? You were part of the reason I

went.” Well, that and the fact that I didn’t want to look
defeated.

“I … just didn’t feel like going. After I heard about your

accident, I was out of my mind with worry. Then I started
getting the calls. People are very angry with you.”

“Are you angry with me?” In a way, I’d wished I’d told

him myself. But it was too late for that now. I needed to
accept whatever he said.

“Do you really spy on people?” he asked.
Sheesh. I wasn’t expecting him to dive right in.

“Sometimes.”

He shook his head and looked away from me. “Ever

spy on me?”

“No.”
“What about your ex-boyfriend?”
Uh-oh. “A couple of times.”
Joel scrunched his face as if he didn’t like the sound of

that. “You know that most of the school hates you right
now?”

“I got the picture. You know, with all the name-calling

and messages. But feel free to elaborate if you need to.” I
admit I was getting a bit snarky. I mean, yes, Joel was
upset hearing about my double life, but he didn’t need to
rub it in.

“Don’t be like that,” he said quickly, spreading his hand

across the table. “I just got dealt a huge blow here, Tessa. I
mean, you’re a fucking spy. That’s kind of crazy.”

“Could … could you not swear?”
He stared at me for a second and then laughed. “Don’t

be cute,” he said. “Right now I want to decide what to do
about you, and I can’t think clearly if you’re being adorable.”

I smiled, my anxiety easing. “You think I’m adorable?”
“So adorable.”
“That’s nice. Thank you.”
Joel stood up, slowly walking around to bend down in

front of me, checking out my cast. He ran his hand down it
slowly, as if it were bare skin. I felt my breathing catch.

“I don’t like what you did,” he said quietly, continuing to

caress my calf. “I think it was completely unethical.”

“So does my father.”
He flicked his eyes toward mine, a small smile on his

lips. “Guess that’s something he and I have in common.” I
nodded. He grabbed a pen from the table, his fingers
grazing just above my cast, behind me knee. He put the
pen on the plaster and began to write something.

But his touch. Good gravy, it felt nice. My eyes closed

as he continued to hold me there, continued to press
against my skin.

“Did you know that my parents are divorced?” he

asked offhandedly.

My eyelids fluttered as I looked at him. The blue pen

was scrolling across my cast, writing something I couldn’t
see. “I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”

“I live with my mom during the week but stay at my

dad’s on the weekends. It really sucks, splitting my time like
that. They hate each other.”

I swallowed hard. “My parents are divorced, too,” I

said. Joel stopped writing and looked up at me.

“What? Don’t … don’t you live with both of your

parents?”

“Yes. But they got divorced when I was in seventh

grade. I think my father was seeing another woman.”

Something flashed behind Joel’s eyes, but he looked

away and wrote a final word on the cast before standing up.
He paused there, really close. Then as if rethinking it, he
tossed the pen onto the table and backed away before
going to sit across from me again. I was out of breath. I
missed him touching me.

“What’d you write?” I asked as I tried to lift my heavy

cast to read it. It took a bit of head twisting, but I was finally
able to make it out.

“In 3 months, the leg under this cast will kick your a**,

so don’t even think about messing with me. Oh, and Joel
is cute!”

I burst out laughing. He even drew the stars to block

out the bad word! “People aren’t going to think I wrote on
my own cast,” I said, grinning over at him.

“No, but they will know that you think I’m cute.”
He had me there. I sat back in my chair, glad he was

flirting with me. At least, that way I knew he’d overlook my

flirting with me. At least, that way I knew he’d overlook my
newly destroyed social status. He was a keeper.

“So,” he drummed his fingers on the table, “what’s the

deal with school? Are you expelled?”

“Leona is skilled in the art of negotiation. We’re

suspended for two days.”

“That’s it?”
“Yep.”
“She is skilled.”
“I know!”
“I’m glad. It’d be really boring at school without all the

cheerleaders flitting around in short skirts.”

I raised my eyebrow. He coughed and then cleared his

throat.

“I mean without you there with your perky attitude?”
“Thanks.” I smiled, but I saw his face grow more

serious as he looked back at me.

“Tess,” he asked. “You are done spying, right?”
I froze at his question. No, we were definitely not done

spying, but that was level-one top secret. “Yes,” I lied.
“Completely done.”

“I’m glad. It’d be hard to defend you if you still were.”
Would I ever learn? Keeping things from the men in my

life always came back to bite me in the backside. It was just
that this time, it was really important. I was torn.

“Are you still going to cheer?”
I flinched. “Flying monkeys! Of course, I am. Why would

you think that?”

“Broken ankle?”
I straightened my posture, ignoring the fact that there

was not only a bright white plaster cast on my leg but also
an unsightly black boot over it. “I am perfectly capable of
leading a cheer squad. Besides, most of it’s spirit and not
physical.”

Joel’s eyes widened like maybe he thought I was

crazy.

“In fact, I have practice in a few hours.”
“You’re a machine, Tessa. A perky, intense little

cheerleading machine.”

“That’s sweet. Thank you.”
He laughed. “All right then, what about tonight? Do you

have plans for tonight?”

“Not at the moment.”
“Then can I take you and your cast out to dinner?”
This was an excellent turn of events! Not only was Joel

not mad at me, he still wanted to date me. This boy might
just be smitten. “I would like that.”

“Cool. What time should I pick you up?”
Hm … my parents would be home by seven, and I

didn’t really want them to intersect with Joel. Not when I’d
have to explain the whole suspension thing. “How about
six?”

“Perfect.” Joel stood up and smoothed out the

tablecloth after it snagged on his pullover. I watched him,
admiring how calm and thorough he was. He made me feel
very safe. “Do you need anything else before I go?” he
asked, turning back to me.

“I’ll be okay. And … thank you for taking me out

tonight.”

He smiled. “Tessa, I’d take you out every night if you let

me.” My stomach fluttered as he crossed to the door. “But
one thing,” he added.

“What?”
“Leave your binoculars at home.”
I laughed. “Promise.” And then he left, clicking the door

shut behind him.

Once he was gone, I went to my room and took a seat

at my wood desk. I pulled up my e-mails. Fifty-six new
messages. I blew out a hard breath. There was no way my
psyche could take that kind of negative overload. Instead, I
just scanned the senders. I saw the e-mail from Joel, one

from Leona with the subject line, “I will kill them.” Poor thing.
So much pent-up anger.

But oddly enough, there was nothing from Aiden. No

mention of my ankle or how he’d come to see me in
hospital. Why he was even in town. Just … nothing. I felt a
pain begin to build up in my chest, and I quickly shut off the
computer and hobbled away from my desk.

Not going there. Not now. Instead, I lay across my pink

comforter and looked at my phone. I had missed a text
message from Kira. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to open it.
She’d totally outvoted me in front of the squad.

“

BTW, THANKS”

I wondered if maybe she knew that Joel was here. She

could be saying it sarcastically. I slowly typed in “

FOR

WHAT?”

She answered quickly as if she’d been waiting for me.

“

FOR LETTING ME BACK ON THE SQUAD EARLY”

I was surprised by her answer. Kira and I … we had

some serious issues. And it seemed that every time I gave
her an inch, she took the proverbial mile. I had let her on the
squad because I needed her, but not just for the mission.
She was part of the team, and I didn’t like seeing her left
out. But instead of thanking me, she made a fool of me.

“

YOU HAVE AN ODD WAY OF SHOWING

THANKS”

I waited, hoping Kira and I could finally have it out. Put

our issues aside. Maybe become friends again. But when
ten minutes passed without a response, I put my phone on
my side table and curled up. Yeah. I guess things didn’t
really work out that easily.

From:

Darrell Tremont <[e-mail]>

To:

Tessa Crimson <[e-mail]>

Sent:

Wed, October 9, 4:00 PM

Subject:

WTF

Girl, what have you gotten yourself into? I’ll tell you, I’m

straight pissed at you and Kira over this shit. Kira used to
be my girl and you’re Aiden’s girl. Then I find out this mess?

I’m done with you. With all you cheerleaders. A bunch

of sneaky bitches! Don’t talk to me again. And tell your new
little squad member to stay the fuck out of my locker room.
Peace.

Darrell

Chapter 8

When we got to Leona’s, most of the squad was

already gathered in her backyard. We’d switched into our
winter uniforms, which were pretty much the same thing but
with cute white turtlenecks underneath. We didn’t want to
risk ill health.

As I hopped out into the yard with my crutches, the girls

came to attention. It didn’t take me long to notice Chloe
among them, who seemed to stand out in her Smitten
Kitten uniform, her hair in a high ponytail. The girls were
gathered around her, cooing and touching her hair. It made
me uneasy.

When she noticed me looking at her, she gasped and

walked over, stopping to stand close to me. “Wow, Prez.
That cast looks really awkward and uncomfortable. Are you
okay?” A look of fake concern crossed her face, and I
swear, I almost leapt forward and used my palm to strike
her.

“I’m fine.”
“Do you need to talk to someone?” she whispered.

“Because many domestic-abuse situations happen in high
school. Have things with Aiden gotten that bad? Wait!” She
paused. “I forgot. He’s doing that Mary girl now. Sorry!” She
shrugged and then backed away, glancing around once
before taking her spot in line.

I was shaking. My fingers were trembling as they

gripped my crutches. Aiden. Mary.

“Unicorns!” I yelled. Everyone stopped to stare at me.
“Is … that a new code?” Leona asked, pulling her

brows together. Chloe was next to her, beaming.

I shook my head, trying to get a hold of myself. “Sorry,”

I said. “Never mind.”

“Do you need me to lead?” Kira asked from the back

of the line, walking up to stand next to Chloe.

I met her icy-blue stare. “No, I’ve got it. Thanks.” Chloe

and Kira were tag teaming me with negativity. It was very
hard to concentrate.

“Thank you all for being so prompt,” I began in my

strongest captain’s voice. “Chloe, I’m assuming you’ve
been briefed about our missions and received the official
handbook?”

She gave me a crooked smile. “Practically have it

memorized, captain.”

I almost went into anaphylactic shock. She was like an

allergy, something that could put me in the hospital if I
stayed around her too long. And now she was on my squad.
She was trying to

steal

my squad.

“I’ve already filled her in,” Kira said, looking sideways

to smile at her. My jaw tightened, seeing them standing
there together. Like a force against me.

“Thanks,” I managed to get out. With a cleansing

breath and a supportive nod from Leona, I continued.
“Before we start discussing the final cheer, let’s hammer
out the details of the next mission. If we can get SOS back
on track, I really think we can start rebuilding with our
classmates.”

“You really think it’ll be that easy?” Kira asked, shaking

her head. “They hate us, Tessa. Like, pig’s blood at the
prom hate us.”

“Gross. Look, K. I’m sure this will blow over. And I was

thinking if we can find out who turned us in, maybe they’ll tell
us why, give us some insight.”

“We’ll never be able to find them,” Izzie said, tugging

on her messy ponytail.

I tsked. “Never say never. It’s so negative. Besides, if

we find the culprit, maybe we can explain the positive force
behind SOS, and they can become our ally.”

“I don’t want to talk to them,” Leona said. “I want to

drop-kick them.”

“You know I don’t support violence.”
Leona clasped her hands behind her back, letting me

continue.

“Now,” I said to the group. “Has anyone heard anything

about who told Blaze?”

The squad was silent. My stomach churned uneasily.

We’d been post-compromised for nearly forty-eight hours
and nothing? It was so unusual for us. Izzie raised her hand I
exhaled with relief.

“Thanks goodness. You have something?”
“Oh. Um, no. I just wanted to see if I could go get a

drink of water. The stress is

making me very thirsty.” I stared at her. “Never mind.”

She waved her hand and looked away.

“I heard something,” Maddie Thomlin, a sophomore,

said from the back. “Peter Marachino is in my math class,
and as he was passing around graphic pictures of me that
he drew, he let it slip that Blaze had been IMing with
whoever outed us. So it sounds like he knew the
perpetrator before finding out.”

“Wow,” I said, impressed. “That’s a huge help, Maddie.

Thanks.”

“It’s a guy.” Kira rolled her eyes as if we were all stupid.

“I could have told you that. Like a girl is going to ruin the
only chance she has of catching her boyfriend cheating?
Not in a million years.”

“Good point,” Leona said. “Well, except for the fact that

you told us the copy-Kitten was a guy last time. Hm, now
who

was

the copy-Kitten? My memory is failing me here.”

“Don’t start with me,” Kira growled, stepping forward.

Chloe grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“Take it down a notch, K,” Chloe said. “We’re all

teammates here.”

My eyes practically bulged from my skull, especially

when Kira turned around and thanked her. Chloe was

seriously crushing my toes, but I couldn’t deal with it right
now. I had cheers to lead. Cheaters to catch. And more
importantly, find out who turned us in.

“Well,” I said, getting their attention. “Then maybe a

serial adulterer has gotten a hold of our identities and used
them to ruin us.”

“That makes sense,” Leona said. “That way he can

cheat without consequence.”

“There are always consequences,” Izzie said, looking

out over the yard. “Especially when you lie.”

A prickle of concern raced over my skin, and I quickly

jetted my gaze over to Leona who was staring back at me.
She gave me the we-need-to-talk expression. I was so
lucky to have her. Otherwise—now that Kira and I weren’t
friends—I’d be all alone.

“Can we get started on the cheer now?” Chloe asked.

“Unless, of course, you’re feeling overwhelmed between
ESPN, cheaters, and your broken ankle. Maybe you should
be taking it easy.” She smiled.

I was offended! “Chloe, I’m perfectly capable of

leading the cheers, finding the traitor,

and

catching

cheating boyfriends. I’m a multitasker. So I ask that you
don’t question my authority.” Normally, I wouldn’t have
reacted so negatively, but she was purposely trying to get
under my skin. Between her and Kira my leadership was
highly threatened.

“She’s right, Tess,” Kira added. “Maybe you are doing

too much.”

“I am not going to take it easy! In fact, after practice

tonight, I’m going to go home and write an entirely new
routine.”

Kira looked down at the ground, seemingly off balance

by my answer. Chloe smiled at me, an unusually pleasant
expression on her face. She leaned to whisper something
to Kira I couldn’t quite catch, but when things were settled, I

to Kira I couldn’t quite catch, but when things were settled, I
adjusted my crutches underneath me.

“Now, about the schedule,” I said. “I need to find out

everywhere Garrett Bash and the accused accomplice
Stacy Sadera hang out. Who wants to do recon?”

“I will,” Chloe said. “I can’t wait to dive in.”
My mouth twitched. “Sorry, Chloe. You’re still on

probationary status for two weeks. She frowned. “Izzie, how
about you?”

She looked over at me, surprised that I asked. “Uh,

okay.” Not the sort of enthusiasm I liked to see, but
compared to how she’d been acting lately, this was a step
up.

“And I’ll scan his e-mails,” Leona added. “Speaking of

multitasking, I’ll also hack into the school e-mails and see if
I can find anything to Blaze about us prior to the incident. I
know how to hack into the computer lab.”

“Unethical but good,” I answered. “Killing two birds with

one stone.” Izzie gasped. She was a member of PETA.

“Kira,” I said turning to her. “Do you think you can

create a fake screen name and try Garrett on IM?”

“Psht. Done.” She picked at her nails. That girl was a

genius at IM seduction.

“But no sexting,” I warned.
She rolled her eyes. “I learned my lesson on that.

Lance McGill forwarded my messages to the entire school,
remember?”

I did. I had been in home ec with Aiden one afternoon

last year when he burst out laughing. At first, he wouldn’t
say why as I continued to sew our latest project. Turned out,
Kira’s, um …

desires

were onscreen for the entire world to

see. And I’ll admit, they were kind of freaky.

I put my hands on my hips through the rungs of my

crutches. “I’ll set up a stakeout in front of Garrett’s house,
but I’ll need someone to drive.”

“I can,” Chloe spoke up, sounding anxious. I looked

across the lawn at her cute blond hairstyle and perfectly
fitted uniform, and I almost said okay. Until I saw her eyes—
her dark, black-lined eyes. This was Chloe. And people
didn’t change. Even Aiden didn’t change.

“Izzie,” I called, ignoring Chloe’s offer. “Can you drive?

I’ll watch the house while you listen to the locker-room
chatter on the wire. Luckily, they haven’t found the bug we
planted under the bench.”

Izzie shrugged and then seemed to rethink it and

smiled. “Definitely,” she said. “Hey, maybe the guys will
mention us.”

Leona laughed. “Oh, I’m sure they’ll mention us. I’m just

not sure you’ll like what they have to say. Then again,
maybe they’ll mention the bastard that turned us in.”

I shifted on my cast. Leona was heck bent on finding

the person who had caused our compromised position. I
might have to keep an eye on the situation for potential
overzealousness. “Still nothing from Chris?” I asked her
quietly.

She shook her head. “I don’t care anyway. He’s a tool.”
I knew she didn’t mean it, but maybe it made things

easier if she thought of him that way. Maybe it was what I
needed to do about Aiden.

I looked back at my squad. “Listen, girls. I want you all

to try to stay positive. I know we’re going through a tough
time right now, but just remember: We have each other.”

“That’s all we have,” Leona mumbled. “We’re like a

virus at school and people are staying away.”

“Viruses are totally gross,” Kira said, looking around

for agreement. Most of the girls nodded. Well, except for
Kayla Anders. She’d had mono last year. It was an
unfortunate case of over-kissing.

I asked Leona for a time check and then decided we

had better get started on practice if we wanted to have

anything put together for ESPN. First, we had to go over the
basics, just to make sure we were in sync. Just to make
sure Chloe fit in.

I dropped my crutches down at my side and then kept

my knee bent so that my stance was near normal. I
motioned for the girls to get in formation, and when they
were, I clapped my hands. “Ready? Okay.”

I started the cheer and narrowed my eyes as Chloe

was able to mimic every cheer move, every tone fluctuation.
That rattlesnake had amazing control of her diaphragm. I
pushed harder, doing everything one legged. I was able to
raise my cast boot, but not nearly as high as normal. I made
up for it with voice projection.

But soon, I was being drowned out by Chloe’s voice.

Enunciating every word. Clipping all her vowels. Argh!

In a moment of frustration, I felt the weight of my cast

shift me to my side. I hopped, trying to catch myself, but it
was too late. Soon I was falling sideways and landing hard
on my hip in the lush, backyard grass. Ouch.

The girls squealed, and I felt them surround me as I

tried to sit up. Kryptonite! My ankle was killing me. I must
have hit it when I fell.

“Are you okay?” Leona asked, squatting down.
“I’m fine. Let’s keep going.” But even I knew I wasn’t

fine. I’m sure my doctor would frown upon cheering while in
a cast.

“I don’t know, Tess,” Izzie said, standing over me and

twisting a red curl around her finger. “I think maybe you
should take it easy today. You did just break your
ankle… .”

I closed my eyes, heat warming my cheeks. I felt

embarrassed. Both because I fell and because I wasn’t
acting like a strong leader. And if I didn’t right this ship, I’d
be out as captain.

“I’ll take you home,” Leona said, getting up and

reaching down for my hand. “We’ll pick up practice
tomorrow. I mean, might as well. We’re suspended
anyway.”

I didn’t glance at Chloe although I could feel her stare

on me. She was probably smiling, happy that I was out for
today. I was having a really bad day.

Kira walked up, looking me over, her face more

concerned than pleased. For a second, I could see the old
Kira. The one who trusted me. The one I trusted. But then
her eyes went to where my pants had lifted up enough to
expose my cast. She gasped.

I followed her stare and saw that she was looking at

Joel’s note. Of course, she knew I didn’t write it, but did it
matter? I let him write it. She took a step back from me,
looking away quickly and seeming to hold her breath. I felt
awful.

“You okay?” Leona asked from above me.
I nodded, hearing the squad behind us becoming

unfocused. But I couldn’t look away from Kira. I felt like I’d
betrayed her. I understood how she felt. She probably felt a
lot like I did when Mary Rudick started sleeping with my
boyfriend. Even though this situation was completely
different, and even though Kira had been completely evil to
me, I felt sick with myself.

“They’re losing focus,” Leona said, motioning back

toward the squad. She was right. I needed to get my
ponytail on straight.

Someone had to take the squad reins, and Leona

(although a great cheerleader) wasn’t the Kitten for the job. I
knew who could be. I just debated whether or not it would
cause more harm than good. “K?” I asked.

“Yeah?” She turned back to me, her icy-blue stare

chilling me.

“Will you lead them through the rest of the routine?”
She seemed to choke, looking confused. But then she

recovered and nodded.

“Uh … sure.” She looked at Leona who glared at me.

“I’d love to.”

“Thanks.”
Kira glanced at the ground, then at the squad. “Well,”

she called out to them impatiently. “What are you waiting
for? Get in formation!” She clapped her hands together,
and the girls fell in line, even Chloe. I might have been a
little jealous, but I tried not to think about it as Izzie handed
me my crutches.

“Sorry you fell, Tess,” she said. “I know what it’s like to

feel out of control.”

I watched her for a second before putting my hand on

her shoulder. “I know you do, Iz. And I’m sorry for that.”
When she and Sam had started to have problems last
month, Izzie fell apart. She seemed even worse now.

She nodded, a look of guilt crossing her otherwise

pale face. Then she went back to stand in the cheer line,
mimicking Kira’s moves.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Tessa,” Kira called without

looking over. She was completely serious as she worked
the arm movements for the squad, taking them through the
steps. But at the last second, I saw her lips pull into a smile.

I put one crutch in front of the other and began my way

around the house with Leona at my side. I may have lost
that battle, but giving in a little might not be so bad.
Because I had to admit, I’d missed Kira’s smile.

From:

Joel Fletcher <[e-mail]>

To:

Tessa Crimson <[e-mail]>

Sent:

Wed, October 9, 5:45 PM

Subject:

Excited!

Is this lame? Do you think it’s totally ridiculous that I’m

e-mailing you fifteen minutes before I’m supposed to pick
you up? If so, too bad. I can’t wait to see you and your
casted declaration of love to me.

J

Chapter 9

After Leona dropped me off at home, I quickly hobbled

inside and changed into the only spy gear I could fit over my
cast: black sweatpants and a Wildcat’s T-shirt. On my
dresser, I found a large pair of dark sunglasses and then—
in a stroke of much needed good luck—the cherry lip gloss
I’d been searching everywhere for. It still smelled fabulous.

I’d just gotten done (putting on clothes while wearing a

cast was very time-consuming) when Izzie beeped in front
of my house. She wanted to grab some Taco Bell before
the stakeout, and I’d begrudgingly agreed. The smell of
processed meat tended to cling to my hair, but I figured she
could use the protein.

Grabbing my spy pack, I threw it on my shoulder and

got on my crutches. Izzie smiled weakly in greeting when I
got outside. Then I tossed my crutches in the backseat of
her car and fell into the leather passenger seat. Ouch. My
hip was still tender from the spill I’d taken during practice.

“You okay?” she asked. “We can reschedule—”
“No way. This is our first step back in the game.

Keeping SOS alive will prove its necessity. Maybe in the
end, people will even respect it.”

“That’s a nice thought,” she murmured, shifting into

gear and backing out of the driveway. “It’d be good to start
over.”

I turned to look at her as she stared out at the road.

Leona and I had agreed before she dropped me off that we
were going to have an intervention with Izzie soon, making
her tell us exactly what was going on. But we knew it’d have
to wait a few days. There was just too much going on to
add another priority.

Whatever had happened, whatever Izzie had done,

we’d support her. “Never leave a Smitten Kitten behind”—
that was our motto.

After we’d gotten our tacos and scarfed them in the

parking lot (I made her leave the windows down so the car
wouldn’t reek), we headed toward Garrett’s house. He and
Stacy were best friends and bandmates—part of a larger
garage band. Actually, the group was called Garage Band.
They played a lot of local parties, and they were pretty
good. But now we suspected that there had been more
than

jamming

going on behind those garage doors.

“Garrett and Stacy have been friends forever. Do you

really think they’ve been cheating this whole time?” Izzie
asked as she turned onto Evergreen Street. The plan was
to park in the driveway of a home for sale just two houses
away from Garrett’s place. Leona had texted me the
address that she’d found in the local listings. Seemed it’d
been vacant for months. Perfect.

“The signs are all there,” I said sadly. I grabbed my

black spy pack from the floor and reached inside to get out
the extra-zoom lens, snapping it onto the front of my
camera. “I’ve seen them leaving campus together at lunch
but assumed it was for practice. I mean, they’re always
together. But maybe they were never practicing. Maybe
they were hooking up. I don’t know, it would be pretty rotten
if he were cheating with Stacy. Friendships are supposed
to be a sacred bond.”

Despite the dismal subject, I smiled a little. Joel and I

had started as friends, in fact, we still were. We definitely
hadn’t been trying to date—we both had been in love with
other people. But … I don’t know. He made me feel good.
He teased me mercilessly, dragged me to carnivals, and
made me eat day-old corn dogs. He was sweet peach tea.

It was completely different than what I’d had with Aiden.

He and I were never friends. We just …

were

. From the

start, we’d been inseparable, and we never questioned
how or why. Maybe that wasn’t such a good thing.

Darkness seemed to creep over me, and I shook my

Darkness seemed to creep over me, and I shook my

head, trying to clear it. Aiden was out of my life. I mean, he
didn’t even e-mail to see how I was doing!

“Sam had a lot of female friends,” Izzie said. I looked

over to see her tightening her grip on the steering wheel,
her knuckles going from soft pink to strained white.

“Hey,” I said hopefully. “Maybe this will be the one time

it’s not true? Maybe Garrett is innocent.” Izzie glanced
sideways at me, but neither of us believed that. We’d seen
too much.

“It’s six forty-five,” Izzie said, pressing a button on her

watch. “They usually have band practice in his garage at
seven. Do you think he’s in there now with Stacy?”

“Wait.” I felt I was forgetting something. “What time is it

again?”

“Six forty-five?”

Friday Night Lights

! I’d forgotten about Joel! He was

picking me up for dinner at six. Dang it! “Hold on a sec, Iz. I
have to make a call.” I grabbed my phone out of my pack
and dialed his number. My heart was racing, but it just rang.
When his voice mail picked up, I almost couldn’t talk. But I
knew I needed to.

“Um, hi. It’s me. I’m

so

sorry I missed our dinner

tonight. Something came up with Izzie, and I lost track of
time. I hope you didn’t wait too long. Can we reschedule?” I
paused, not sure how to finish. It was an awkward moment
of how to end the call to your almost boyfriend’s voice mail.
“I’m really sorry. Okay, bye.” Well, that should work. I hung
up and then turned to Izzie, biting on my lip. “Do you think he
hates me now?”

“No,” she smiled. “I think he’s in love with you.”
Her comment made me freeze. Love.

Love

! I couldn’t

hear that word being tossed around so casually. It stung my
face like a bee, making me swell. Making me ache.

Refocus, Tessa.

“Pass me the video camera,” I

asked, quietly. “I’m going in for a closer look.”

“Really? But your crutches.”
“Please, Izzie.” I couldn’t even meet her eyes. Just

thinking about what love meant and how I’d had it once … it
was all too much to take. I was on a mission and,
dagnabbit, I was going to catch this cheater.

Izzie took out the video camera and then slipped on

her black stocking cap. “The boys aren’t in the locker room,
so I’ll be able to help you and check your feed.” She took
out the portable TV, setting it on the dash. “Be careful,
Tess.”

I nodded, nervousness seeping in. Would I be able to

spy with a broken ankle? I stopped myself. I was a natural-
born spy. Nothing was impossible when it came to covert
activity.

With a self-assured smile, I got out of the car and

pulled the crutches from the floor of the backseat. I
balanced on them and then hooked my hand through the
loop of the video camera, turning it on and testing it.

“Got it,” Izzie said from inside the car. I put my long-

range camera inside my bag in case the job needed more
equipment.

“Wish me luck,” I whispered, starting toward the house.
“Break a leg!” I paused and looked back at her. She

shrugged an apology. I smiled at the irony of it and crutched
across the lawn, tight to the porches of the house. The dusk
was quickly turning into night, and I wanted to hurry so that I
wouldn’t need infrared.

I slipped around back, careful to duck down (or as

much as I could on crutches) as I passed the garage
windows. I wasn’t sure if Garrett and Stacy were in there
yet, but I didn’t hear them playing any music so I assumed
they weren’t. Toward the back of the house was a dusty,
small paned window that peeked inside the garage.
Perfect.

I took off my pack and balanced my crutches against

the back siding as I steadied my video camera and began
filming. I wanted to set the scene for the recording. I wiped
away a small section of dirt from the window with my
sleeve, but when I put my lens up to it, I gasped.

They were in there! Quickly, I spun out of the way,

nailing my back to the wall, but in the process, I knocked
over my crutches. I gritted my teeth as they hit the concrete
with a loud thwack.

Salamander salad! I was in trouble. I heard rustling

behind the window, like maybe someone was trying to
open it. That was a bit odd. Because from what I saw in the
split second I was looking, neither Garrett nor Stacy was
exactly “dressed” to open a window. In fact, it might be a
little drafty.

“Leave it,” I heard as a small murmur. The old glass

obviously wasn’t double paned. I couldn’t hear much, but I
could hear just enough.

“I thought I heard something,” Garrett said.
“Probably a squirrel or something. Let’s hurry, the band

will be here soon.”

My lip curled. Seriously, Stacy? So gross. Hooking up

in a garage had major ick factor. Plus, Garrett was a pretty
popular guy around school, and although Stacy was his
“best” friend—he was known to hang out with a few other
girls. I’d seen him doing homework with Shawna Smith
after school. I’d heard Leeandra Rochkhill mention how they
went to a concert together so that she could interview him
for the school paper. I’d even watched Marsha Harting buy
him lunch to “pay him back” for fixing her car. Were they all
covers? Now I wondered how many “practices” he had a
week.

After a few beats, the noise moved to the other side of

the room, and I felt my stomach turn with the nausea of it.
This was the part. From the beginning of SOS, this was the

part that I hated. Catching the cheaters. It was enough to
make you doubt humanity.

I reset my camera and then carefully (on one foot)

turned back to the window and pressed the lens to the
glass. Oh, puke. They were … really going for it.

Letting the video record, I couldn’t bear to watch

anymore so I looked out over his backyard, holding the
camera steady. There was a small play set, one that was
worn and rusty. I wondered if maybe it was from when he
was a little kid. And then I wondered what his mother would
think if she found him now.

In my pocket, my cell buzzed. Must be Izzie. Keeping

my recording hand up, and my broken ankle off the ground,
I slipped out the phone. Whoa. It was Joel.

I didn’t want him to go to voice mail, but I wouldn’t be

able to get away in time to answer it. Judgment call.

“Hello?” I whispered, putting the phone to my ear.
“Tessa? Is that you?”
“Uh-huh.”
He paused. I glanced around and then checked in the

garage. They were still occupied. Wait. Was he giving her
the Heimlich? Oh. Never mind.

“Why are you whispering?” Joel asked, whispering

himself.

“Um …” I turned away and scanned my usual list of

excuses, and nothing came through. “I’m at a movie?”

Joel didn’t speak at first. Then, “Movie? So you

ditched me tonight to go out to a movie with someone
else.”

Oops. I’d forgotten about the ditching him part. See,

this was why I’d always told the girls not to answer their
phones when on a mission! “I’m with Izzie. She’s … having
problems.” I rolled my eyes. I was being a very bad friend
right now. Izzie’s problems were not a ready-made excuse
for me to use. Why did I answer the phone?

There was a noise from the garage that told me they

were close to finishing, so I pulled down my camera and
backed up against the wall again. Balancing the phone
between my ear and shoulder, I bent down and picked up
my spy pack and crutches.

“Should I even bother asking you out again?” Joel

asked, his voice sounding a little sad. It sounded like he’d
given up.

I straightened up, a pout on my lips. “Yes. I want to go

out with you, Joel.”

“See!” I heard from inside the garage. “Did you hear

that? Someone’s out there!”

My eyes widened and quickly shut off the phone and

shoved into my pocket. Guess my whispering wasn’t quiet
enough.

Eee!!!!! I tried to crutch as fast as I could, but I knew

there was no way I could get out of here in time. There was
a series of little popping sounds as each rubber end of the
crutch hit the patio pavement.

“Hey!”
I froze, nearly tipping on my crutches. I was so burned!
“Hey,” Garrett called back, then laughed. “You’re early.”
Early? I turned cautiously and looked over my shoulder.

No one was there. I waited a second and soon other voices
filed out. The rest of the band must have arrived.

I blew out a relieved breath and made my way around

the house, careful to duck down again. If anything, Garrett
and Stacy should be thankful I was spying. If I hadn’t made
noise, they might have been caught in a compromising
position by their bandmates. That would have been an
awkward set.

I’d just gotten back to the front yard when my phone

started buzzing again. I winced. Joel!

“Sorry,” I whispered, the minute I put my phone to my

ear. It made crutching difficult, so I tried to balance the

phone on my shoulder as I hurried to Izzie’s car.

“You … hung up on me.”
“I’m so sorry. I lost my signal.”
“Right. What movie are you at again?” He sounded

suspicious.

“The romantic comedy with that Jennifer Anniston.”
“Uh-huh. Which theater?”
“Regal at Redmond Town Center.”
“Popcorn?”
“Course.” He was good.
“Tessa,” Joel exhaled. “Are you spying?”
I was just outside Izzie’s car, and I opened the back

door quickly, tossing in my crutches before shutting it softly.
“No!” Pickled pears! I hated lying. “I told you I’m helping
Izzie through a tough time.” I closed my eyes. This was so
not a great way to start a relationship, but what choice did I
have?

Izzie leaned over the seat and pushed open the

passenger door. “Hurry, Tess,” she whispered, looking
toward Garrett’s garage. She was right. Joel was
completely compromising my mission.

“Can we reschedule?” I asked. “The people in the

theater are giving me really dirty looks.”

He waited, and I wondered if he’d drive over to the

theater to see if I were really there. “Yeah,” he said, finally.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” And before I could respond, he hung
up. Great. Just great.

I climbed into Izzie’s car and put my spy pack on the

floor. “Well that was inconvenient,” I told her. “Joel called
right in the middle of the assignment.”

“You answered?” She stared at me, her eyebrows

pulled together. “I thought you said it was against the rules
to answer your phone while on a mission.”

“Oh, it is. I just …” I just lived a double standard. I put

my head back against the rest and put my palm across my

forehead. “You’re right. Sorry, Iz. I guess I need to get my
priorities straight.”

She turned to face me, looking tired. Drawn out. “I

guess you do.”

Whoa. That was a bit unfair. I mean, it was one thing

for me to criticize myself, but it was another for Izzie to do it.
I blinked quickly and then pulled my seat belt across my
chest, feeling self-conscious.

Izzie started the car, but as she backed out, the band

from Garrett’s garage came walking out.

“Crab cakes,” Izzie said, stepping on the gas and

squealing the tires as she rushed to get us out of sight. I
looked over my shoulder as Garrett and his friends walked
to their van, instruments in cases being pulled behind them.

But it was Stacy that I noticed. She was adjusting the

buttons on her white blouse, casually standing with her best
friend. Comfortable in their situation. Their lie.

But as Izzie and I turned the corner, she looked up. Her

mouth opened in surprise as her eyes met mine, the color
draining from her face.

She might have just realized that she was caught in the

act.

SOS

CHEATER-INCIDENT REPORT

CASE:

068

CLIENT:

Janet Springer

SUBJECT:

Garrett Bash

FINDINGS:

At approximately 6:45 p.m. on October

10, Mr. Bash was observed “practicing” with his bandmate
Stacy in his garage. Unfortunately, neither was clothed. We
are sad to inform you that Mr. Bash’s friendship with Ms.
Sadera was really a clever ruse for an affair. Please be
advised that she was the only one witnessed, but we do not
discount his possible involvement with other “friends.”

In this notice, you’ll find a DVD of their indiscretion,

along with the number of a reputable therapist. We are
sorry that you were scammed by the “let’s just pretend to be
best friends” routine. But we hope you can find peace in the
truth.

SOS offers 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 : )

SOS

Text: 555-0101 * Exposing Cheaters for Over Three

Years

Chapter 10

The next morning I couldn’t technically go into school

(the whole suspension thing) so I staked out the parking lot,
waiting for Janet. Now that our names were out, there
wasn’t much use in sneaking the reports into a locker.

It was hard standing there on my crutches next to my

car, getting stared down by every passing guy. Even the
ones we hadn’t investigated seemed to hate us. When had
the cheer skirt ever brought out this sort of animosity?

But my heart really started to pound when I saw Blaze

Harmon get out of his SUV. His eyes immediately found
mine and narrowed. I’d known Blaze since the eighth
grade, and we’d never had any problems. In fact, we were
sort of friends through Aiden. But now things were definitely
different. So when he started walking over, I tightened my
grip on my crutches.

“What are doing here, little spy?” he spit when he got

close enough. His dark spiky hair looked extra sharp and
dangerous. “Thought you were suspended.”

I tried to not look threatened. “Blaze, I’m not going to

engage you in an argument, so maybe we can skip the part
where you call me all sorts of awful names.”

He grinned. “And why would I want to do that, you

bitch?”

Pinpricks covered over my skin, that feeling you get

just before you cry. I could feel my face reddening, but I’d
never cry in front of him. I was a much tougher Kitten then
he realized. Instead, I turned my body toward him and tilted
my head.

“You’re right, Blaze. We have been spying—for over

three years. Do you really think in all that time, we haven’t
dug up something, even just a little thing about you? Or
Trishelle?”

His jaw hit the pavement. I could see his hamster

wheel spinning as he tried to remember everything he’d
ever done or any suspicion about his girlfriend he’d ever
had. Before he was done processing, Janet’s blue Mini
Cooper pulled into the parking lot.

I almost felt bad for lying, since I had nothing on Blaze.

But he was trying to physically intimidate me, and although I
was trained in the art of tae kwon do, I was no match for
him.

With him temporarily distracted by his thought, I saw

my chance to escape. I smoothed out my ponytail with my
hand and crutched my way over to where Janet had parked.
I shot one cautionary glance over my shoulder back at
Blaze, but he was already walking toward school,
scratching his head.

I realized limping toward Janet that I was nervous. I’d

never given someone bad news in person before. It was
definitely easier to do when hiding behind an alias.

“Hi, Janet,” I said with as much pep as possible when

she climbed out her driver’s side door.

She turned to look at me, her blond hair falling in her

eyes before she pushed it away and smiled. “Oh, Tessa.
Hey.” She seemed awkward and glanced around the
parking lot, maybe frightened that people would see her
with me.

“I was wondering if I could talk to you for a sec.”
“Um …” She fidgeted and clicked the locks of her car.

“Sure. Is this about the investigation? Don’t you do that
secretly?”

She looked really uncomfortable, and it was obvious

that she didn’t want to talk to me. It made me feel icky. Like
I wasn’t worth her words.

I straightened my posture. “Yes, it’s about Garrett. We

finished the investigation and have a report for you.” Careful
not to tip over, I reached into my backpack that was
hanging over my shoulder and pulled out the manila

envelope. When I held it out to her, she stared at it as if it
were infected. Her eyes began to water.

“It was true, wasn’t it? He’s cheating.”
Her statement knocked the wind out of me.

Sometimes when investigating, I forgot the human factor.
That these were real couples who had been dating—
kissing. Holding hands. I swallowed hard.

“Yes. I’m so sorry, Janet.”
She let out a low, disbelieving laugh and looked away,

still not taking the envelope. She wiped roughly at her
cheek when the first tear streamed down. Forest Gump! My
lip was quivering.

“It was Stacy.” She didn’t ask. It was like she knew.

When she looked over at me, I nodded. “Any chance you
girls double as hit men?”

“I don’t support violence in any form.”
“Too bad.”
My center was tilted, and I wanted to go home and

take a hot shower. Something to distract me from the
tragedy of the moment. I held up the envelope to her again.

“I do have to deliver this,” I said.
“Okay.” She sighed, as if resigned to the truth. “You

know, I have to tell you. When I heard about the Smitten
Kittens being SOS, I totally didn’t believe it. I mean, SOS is
pretty badass. So I was, like,

cheerleaders

? No offense,

Tessa. But I didn’t think cheerleaders were very smart.”

I considered correcting her and telling her that the

Smitten Kittens had a median grade average of 91.3. Or
that all of our former squad members had attended college.

“But you proved me wrong,” she added suddenly.

“Obviously I underestimated you.” She looked away across
the parking lot. “I guess I misjudged a lot of things.”

I waited until she turned back to me, and then I leapt

forward, embracing her. I wanted to hug it out. Poor girl just
learned that her boyfriend was cheating. I was so sad! I

hadn’t even brought her any flowers!

Janet hugged me back and soon she was crying into

my sweatshirt. We didn’t say anything else, but when she
was done, I pulled a package of travel tissues out of my
jacket pocket and gave them to her.

This was why SOS had to go on. We were saving

lives.

“We can’t just accuse her,” Kira said as she typed on

her laptop. I was standing behind her as she sat at the
counter of the Coffee Break. I decided that with all of our
hard work I deserved a latte. Just so happened that Kira
was here trying to IM some of the guys from school under a
fake name—Kara Reynerd. She was starting with Rhett.

She felt fairly confident that she could IM some

information out of the football team. Also, I think she really
liked to do IM seduction.

“But Chloe is—” I tried to continue.
“Tessa.” Kira turned around to look at me. “This is

bordering on obsession. Chloe has done nothing since the
horrible—and I agree it was horrible—incident. I mean, yes,
she was in your boyfriend’s bedroom, attacked you, and hit
you in the head with an alarm clock—requiring stitches. But
you really need to let it go.”

I clenched my fists at the side of my crutches. If there

was one phrase I was sick of hearing, it was “let it go.”

Kira glanced down at my fists and then scanned my

leg where my cast was hidden under my track pants. She
was thinking about Joel’s note again. I lowered my eyes.

She then turned in her seat and started clicking on her

keyboard. When the barista called out my drink order, I was
grateful for the temporary distraction. I crutched up to the
counter to pick up the frothy vanilla goodness. Somehow a
warm drink and the scent of coffee made me feel better.
Safe.

I glanced over to Kira and watched her pause to peek

at her phone. Then she texted something quickly and set it
back down. I wondered who she was communicating with,
but then I decided it wasn’t my business. I’d let Kira have
her space. Even if mine was feeling a little empty. I cupped
my drink in my hand and was about to walk out when Kira
called my name, waving me over.

“You got something?” I asked. She grinned and turned

her laptop so I could see her illuminated screen.

LOVELYLADY: Yes, I totally think you’re hot. So

what are you doing tonight?

BBOY: Party 2nite at Rick’s

“A party?” I smiled at her, enjoying the feeling of a plan

coming together.

“Yep. And you know that there are two things that go on

at parties. Hooking up and gossiping. Chances are if we
listen in, one of the players will get drunk and spew out
some names. Among other things.”

“Ew.” Wait. “How are we going to get in? There’s no

way Rick will let us. Remember last February when we
caught him with Marilyn Magee? I haven’t gone back to that
theater since.”

“Don’t remind me. I can’t even look at my James Bond

poster.” She wrinkled her nose. “They weren’t even in the
back row!”

“Lickety-split! I’ve got it!” I snapped my fingers,

adrenaline rushing through me. “Disguises! We can totally
sneak into the party.”

“Brilliant!”
“I know!”
“Can I dress as a kitty cat? Maybe you can be a devil,

or an angel or something.”

I stared at her. “Um … not those sort of disguises.”
She looked disappointed. “Oh.”

“There’s no way we can all sneak in, I mean, we’re sort

of noticeable.”

“Especially since my boobs have grown a size. Have

you noticed?” She cupped them. “They’re huge.”

I hadn’t noticed, but they were impressive. “Right. I

think it should be Leona. She’s really great at not attracting
attention—a total undercover expert.

“Whatever.” Kira started typing again.
This could work. If Leona could get into that party, she

could infiltrate the enemy, listen in on their conversations.
Surely the Smitten Kittens would be a hot topic. And with
booze flowing and girls all around, the guys are going to
brag. And they’ll let out their secrets.

Hah! We totally had them kitty-cornered.
In my pocket, my cell phone vibrated. “Hold on a sec,” I

said, slipping it out and turning away from Kira. It was a
private call, and I debated letting it go to voice mail in case
it was another heavy breather, or a dissatisfied customer.
But I felt a little braver now. So I put the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”
“You answered.”
My breath caught in my chest. I should hang up. I

should definitely hang up on Aiden.

“Let me just talk for a minute,” he said as if reading my

thoughts. “I promise I won’t bother you again.” He paused
with a chuckle. “Okay, that’s probably not true, but I won’t
bother you anymore today.”

My mouth twitched. The fact that I hadn’t heard from

him since my ankle-breaking accident had perturbed me. I
was mildly curious as to what he wanted. “Continue.”

He exhaled heavily. “Thank you. Here’s the thing, Tess.

I can tell you a million times how sorry I am, and I know it
doesn’t change a thing. So I’m using a new strategy.”

“Strategy? This isn’t a chess game, Aiden.”
“Ooh …” I heard Kira say from behind me. “It’s Mr. Not

So Wonderful.” I looked over my shoulder at her and
nodded.

“That didn’t come out right,” Aiden said as if he were

mad at himself.

“No, it certainly didn’t.” If Aiden was calling to play

some sort of a game with me, I wasn’t in the mood. I
shouldn’t even be talking with him. I was trying to make a
clean break—and I wasn’t talking about my ankle.

“It’s just that after I saw you in the hospital—”
“And

why

were

you there?” If he were oh, so

concerned, then why hadn’t he called me after? Why did he
just disappear?

“Because I was worried. Blaze Harmon called and told

me he put you in the hospital. I wanted to fucking kill him,
but first I had to make sure you were okay. I called Leona,
and she told me what had gone down in the field house.
Which, by the way, was really stupid, Tessa. You should
have known better.”

“You talked to Leona?” I couldn’t believe she hadn’t

told me! Why would she keep that from me?

“Yeah, baby. And then I got to the hospital, and you

were so hurt and helpless in that bed. I would have stayed,
but when your parents got there, I went to find Blaze.”

I gasped. “Did you hit him?”
“Naw. He was already gone. But I’ve made some

calls.”

Well, I guess that’d explain some of Blaze’s anger. I

looked over to see Kira staring at me intently, her blue eyes
curious. I wondered what she was thinking.

“And then I decided, Tess. I can’t just give up on you.

Yes, I fucked up. But don’t you think it kills me? Don’t you
think I’m hurting, too? God, baby. All I care about is you.
Protecting you, making you happy. All I want is to make you
happy again.”

“It’s too late for that.”

“I’ll prove I’m worth it, Tess. I’ll—”
I closed my eyes, a tingling spreading from my face

down the front of my chest, my nose burning with the start of
tears. “Stop,” I whispered. “I have to go.”

“But our anniversary—”
I hung up, dropping my phone to my side. Our

anniversary. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten. Next Saturday
would have been our three-year anniversary. Oh, my
heavens. I might melt into tears right now.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and opened my eyes to

see Kira. She seemed uncomfortable being this close, but
she tried to smile anyway. “Letting go is the hardest part,”
she said. “But it’s the most important.”

I nodded as if I agreed, but I didn’t. For a long time,

Aiden

had

made me happy. If I hadn’t screwed up by

believing Christian’s lies about him, maybe Aiden wouldn’t
have slept with Mary Rudick.

Mary Rudick

. I wasn’t sure I

could ever get over them being together. Him (sort of)
cheating on me. I was a SOS operative, and my (sort of)
boyfriend had been sneaking around behind my back. It
was irony at its worst. And I knew Kira was right. But still …

I had no idea how to let go of Aiden.

TO DO LIST

1. Yoga
2. Nail appointment
3. Buy a black Lycra kitten-suit and cut out room

for cast

4. Place order for a new GPS-tracking device
5. Help Leona pick out an awesomely covert

disguise

6. Practice routine—with crutches
7. Call Joel to set up a dinner date

♥

♥

8. Shower and get dressed in new kitten-suit for

mission

9. Make cookies before the squad gets here—

oatmeal chocolate chip

10. Get to the party at ten
11. Totally kick traitor tush!!!

Chapter 11

Leona turned to one side and then the other as she

looked in my bedroom mirror. “Is it on straight?” she asked.

I smiled. “Yep. And you look spectacular.”
“You think?”
“Definitely.” But something was bothering me.

“Leona?” I asked as she tucked her hair under a wig. “Why
didn’t you tell me that Aiden called you the night I went to
the hospitial?”

She paused and then flicked her eyes up to meet mine

in her reflection. “I guess I figured you’d want him there but
would never admit to it. So when he called … I made the
suggestion that he stop by to check on you.”

I furrowed my brow, unsure how I felt about that. I mean,

he was my ex so I was free to ignore him if I wanted. Still—

Before I could think about it any further, my doorbell

rang. The girls were here! A surge of pre-investigation
excitement surged through me. “Be right back,” I said and
crutched out of my pink room toward the front door. I’d
gotten a supercute black one-piece jersey suit, but I had to
cut off the right pant leg so it’d fit over my cast. It sort of
ruined the look, but I went for it anyway. Black was such a
tough color to pull off with white plaster.

When I answered, Kira and Izzie were there. Kira

looked fabulous as usual, her blond curls pulled back in a
tight ponytail, her black spandex skirt tight.

Izzie, on the other hand, looked awful. Her red hair was

tucked up under a black trucker cap, pieces hanging down
haphazardly. “Hi,” I said cautiously and then shot a glance
at Kira. She seemed to realize that something was off, too.
She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

I was just about to invite them in when Kira gasped,

pointing behind me. “No way!” she called. “You’re joking,
right?” I glanced over my shoulder into the living room.

Leona was standing next to the maroon sofa in what

appeared to be a very masculine stance. Her legs were
spread wide and her arms were crossed. She had a black
mustache adhered to her upper lip, and the self tanner we’d
applied tinted her skin just olive enough to change her look.
Her hair was pulled under a dark shaggy wig, and her
normally perky B cups were hidden under an oversized
flannel.

“A guy?” Kira asked. “The brilliant disguise you two

came up with was for Leona to be a guy? You really think
that’ll fool anyone?”

“I’m wearing Axe body spray,” Leona said. “

A lot

of it. I

plan for them to be so overwhelmed by my smell, they’ll look
past my petite hands. And this better work! I had to take off
all of my polish and cut my nails short for this.”

“It’ll work,” I said, a proud smile on my face. I had to

admit, Leona was sort of a hot guy. Not really my type—my
type was six two and athletic—but she could definitely get a
date.

“You’re really handsome,” Izzie murmured from the

doorway.

“Thanks, babe,” Leona said in her best guy voice. Izzie

giggled.

“Oh, come on!” Kira threw her hands up in the air.
Leona sauntered over, doing her best macho-guy

walk. “Hey, blondie,” she said, tilting her head. “By the end
of the night, you’re going to be all over me.”

“Gross!”
We all started laughing, and my phone vibrated on the

granite of my kitchen counter. I reached over to grab it but
cringed when I saw it was Joel. I’d forgotten to call him
earlier, and I certainly couldn’t answer with Kira here. I felt
her look at me, so I just hit “ignore” and reached over to
grab the nearest plate.

I turned back to the squad, holding it out. “Cookie?”

Kira drove as we headed toward Rick Sanchez’s

house in the Richmond District. It was a small, cute house,
which wasn’t great for parties (I’d been to a few there
before with Aiden). But Rick had a massive backyard with
a fire pit that was perfect for an undercover operation. Not
much light.

“Park a few blocks away,” I said when we turned onto

Cooper Street. “We don’t want anyone recognizing the car.”

“Good idea,” Kira answered and glided to the curb.

Only she bumped it hard, and we all fell to the side.

“Ow,” Izzie said as her forehead smacked the

passenger window. “Damn it, Kira!”

We all turned to stare at her. She looked back at us,

irritation all over her face as she rubbed at her forehead.
Then as if she’d just realized what she’d said, she
apologized.

“Jeez, take a pill, Iz. I got us here alive, didn’t I?”
“I’m sorry,” she said again, shaking her head. “I’m just

not feeling well.”

“Are we ready?” Leona asked, interrupting and

sounding nervous. Making a mental note to check on Izzie
later, I nodded.

“Think so.”
“Wait,” Kira said. “Come here.” Leona leaned forward

between the seats, and Kira reached out to smooth down
Leona’s mustache with her red-tipped fingers. “There. If
you’re going to be a guy, you’ll want to make sure your
facial hair is well-groomed and not, you know, falling off
your face.”

“Thanks, babe,” Leona said in deep-toned male voice.

Kira stared at her and then smiled.

“You know,” she whispered. “You’re actually kind of

turning me on right now.”

“Told you!” Leona eyes lit up. “You’re so predictable

Kira.”

“Oh, shut up,” Kira said, turning around in the seat. “I

was only kidding.”

I wasn’t sure that was true, but at least, it would give

Leona some confidence before going into the party. Smart
thinking on Kira’s part.

“Izzie,” I said, reaching out to put my hand on her

shoulder. “Did you bring the listening device?”

She fumbled through her backpack before taking out

the small red box and opening it. I plucked out the device
and pulled off the adhesive backing.

“Where do you want it?” I asked Leona.
She looked over her blue flannel for a second and then

took the device from my hand, sticking it inside her front
pocket. “Check the feed,” she said to Kira.

Kira slipped the earbud in and held her finger against

it. We were all silent for a few seconds until she gave us the
thumbs-up.

“Strawberry smoothie,” I said. “Now.” I turned to Leona.

“You’re name is …”

“Rocco Roberto from East Washington. I’m here

because I’m thinking of transferring.” She exhaled. “But no
one will get a chance to ask me. I plan on sticking to the
shadows and staying under the radar. Now,” she held out
her hand, “let me have the phone.”

Izzie passed back the camera phone, and Leona

clicked it on and tested it. “It’ll be tough to get clear footage
with it being so dark, but the fire should provide some sort
of light. I’ll stream what I can get though.”

My heart was racing. Even though finding the culprit

would help the healing process for the squad, I was terrified
that Leona would get caught. Queen of the Nile! People
hated us a ton already. What would Blaze do if he caught us
spying again? It might turn into a flipping stake burning.

I gulped.

“It’s going to be okay, Tess,” Leona said quietly,

patting my leg. It was a little odd with her being dressed as
a guy. It felt sort of tingly.

“I hope you’re right.”
“This is supersweet and all,” Kira said, “but we need to

move out. Time is of the essence.”

“Wow.” I widened my eyes. “You got that saying right!”
“Obvi.”
“On that note …” Leona opened the back door and slid

out onto the darkened street, having us check her over one
last time to make sure everything was taped down and
masculine. Then she started strolling down the sidewalk
toward Rick’s house.

“This better work,” Kira murmured as we watched her.

Her strut was a bit over the top as her boots clopped on the
pavement, but overall, I’d say she was passing inspection.

A few tense moments passed when she disappeared

around the corner and Kira held her finger to her ear. After
another second, she looked up at me and smiled. “She’s
in.”

I began to chew on my lip as I waited for an update.

Had I just sent my friend to the slaughter? What if they
spotted her as a fake the minute she stomped in? “She’s
streaming video,” Kira said, motioning for me to get out my
phone.

I quickly signed into our SOS account and sat back as

Izzie leaned over to see. At first, the image on the small
screen was grainy and at about crotch height. Leona must
have been holding the phone at her side.

“There’s Blaze Harmon,” I said. “I’d recognize that belt

buckle anywhere.” It was silver and said, “Badass Mother
F”—well, it said a bad word. Not easy to miss.

“Score.” Kira laughed. “Leona just got hit on by

Cecelia Penn!”

“Really?”

Kira’s smile was wide when she turned to me. “She

asked if Leona wanted to”—she made finger quotes—“‘go
someplace more private.’ But in her defense, she’s sounds
pretty tipsy.”

“Told you it would work.”
Izzie reached up and pulled off her hat, letting her hair

fall raggedly around her face. “Maybe I need a disguise,”
she said.

“Nonsense. You’re beautiful, Iz. Remember to keep

that positive attitude.” But I could tell by her blank
expression that she wasn’t really listening.

“Pom-pom’s up,” Kira warned. “Blaze just said

something to Leona.” I raised the volume on the phone and
watched as the belt buckle came closer.

“Hey,” he said, his voice tough.
“Hey,” Leona replied, her guy accent thick. Kira

giggled.

“Do I know you?”
Uh-oh. My stomach took a swift left turn. I hope she

didn’t get beat up. Leona had great high kicks, but Blaze
was pretty beefy. I was terrified for her.

“No, man,” Leona said. “I’m here with my cousin.”
Cousin? Me and Kira looked at each other. That

wasn’t in the script!

“Cool,” Blaze said, distracted by someone offscreen

as he waved to whoever it was. The party behind him
seemed to be in full motion, and the bonfire was
illuminating it all.

Leona shifted from foot to foot, making Blaze’s belt

sway in front of the screen. She must have been nervous.

“I’m getting seasick,” Izzie whispered and rubbed at

her eyes.

“You hear about the Smitten Kittens?” someone off

camera asked.

We suddenly perked up and stared at the screen. The

voice was too far away to recognize, and I couldn’t see who
it was because only his khaki-covered thighs were visible.
He was holding a bottle of beer low, occasionally lifting it to,
I assumed, take a sip.

Hm. There was something familiar about those

quadriceps.

“Aiden’s there?” Kira was leaning between the seats,

her head just above Izzie’s as she glanced down at the
screen.

“What?” My heart skipped a beat. I studied the way the

person moved, the way he put his hand on his hip so
casually. “

Mamma mia

, K! You’re right!”

“Aiden’s muscles are hard to miss.” She grinned and

moved back into the front seat. “Looks like your hero
arrived after all.”

What the heck was Aiden doing there? I thought he

wanted to punch Blaze. Wait! Was he there to fight?

“Hey!” Blaze said to him, reaching out to slap his hand.

“Didn’t know you were in town, player.” He stepped back.
“Oh, shit. Sorry I didn’t ring you back. What’s up?”

“Just hangin’,” Aiden replied. “Heard you guys couldn’t

keep your cheerleaders in line.”

My stomach did a tuck and roll, and I felt Izzie’s eyes

flick up to mine, but I was frozen.

In line

? Was Aiden just …

talking smack about us?

Blaze laughed. “Dude, don’t you still mess around with

Tessa Crimson?”

“Naw. Ended a while ago. She was a liar.”
I heard Kira shift uncomfortably in the front seat. I, on

the other hand, was unmovable. I was listening to Aiden
unedited. I was getting a glimspe into who Aiden really was,
and right now, he was discussing us as if we were never a
big deal. Was this how he really felt? I felt my heart break.

“Too bad,” Blaze said. “She’s fucking hot.”
Aiden lifted his beer for a long minute. When he

brought his arm back down, Leona seemed to move away
from them.

Don’t leave now

!

“Yeah,” Aiden finally said. “She’s a good-looking girl.

Heard from Darrell that you caught her in the locker room.
Did you do something to hurt her?” Aiden’s hand shifted on
the bottle, wrapping around it like it was a club. I stopped
breathing.

Blaze bent over, laughing. His black hair filled Leona’s

lens for second, then he straightened. “No, man. Never
touched her. They were sneaking around, and she fell doing
some stupid shit. But I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on
her.” He paused. “No disrespect, dude.”

“None taken.” Aiden stetched over to set the bottle in a

cardboard box next to the keg. “Just wanted to make sure
there wasn’t a problem.”

“It’s all cool.” Now Blaze was acting nervous, putting

his hands up. “I’m really sorry she broke her leg. I didn’t
mean for—”

“It was her ankle,” Leona interrupted in her man voice.

Both Aiden and Blaze’s bodies turned toward her. The
camera phone started shaking.

“Oh, no! Leona!” I called out. “Aiden will totally

recognize her. Abort mission!”

Immediately Kira pulled out her phone and began

punching in excape codes to inform Leona to exit. But
nothing was happening.

“Right,” Aiden said, stepping toward Leona. “It was her

ankle. Thanks… . What’s your name?” There was a hint of
amusement in his voice.

“Walter.”
Kira snapped her head back to look at me. “Walter?”
“She’s supposed to be Rocco!” Leona was totally

losing her disguise.

“My

grandfather’s

name is Walter!” Kira groaned and

covered her eyes as she leaned back into the seat. “This is

covered her eyes as she leaned back into the seat. “This is
a disaster.”

“So how do you know our cheerleaders,

Walter

?”

Aiden asked. Dang, I wish I could see his face! I couldn’t tell
if he recognized her.

“Uh …”
“Hey,” Blaze thankfully interrupted. “Rhett is flagging

me down over there. Wanna come say what’s up to the
team?”

“I’ll be over in a bit,” Aiden said, lifting his drink again.
“Cool, man. I’ll check you later.” They slapped palms,

and when Blaze was close, he spoke quietly. “And, hey, I
wouldn’t mess with your girl. I was just joking about putting
my hands on Tessa.”

“Yeah. You’d better be,” Aiden whispered back calmly.
They split uncomfortably, Blaze adjusting his vulgar

belt. I was feeling pretty darn good. Aiden just totally
threatened him in his smooth, polite way. I was … sort of
turned on.

When Blaze’s backside was out of sight, Aiden’s body

turned toward Leona. Sigh. His thighs really did look nice.

“Now,” he said, sounding a little annoyed. “Where’s

Tessa?”

“Excuse me?” Only Leona’s maleness had worn off as

her tone took on the high pitched squeak of a cheerleader
that had just gotten busted. And then, the feed cut out.

SOS Inter-Kitten Communication

Dear Smitten Kittens,


Our suspension ends on Monday, and we were

thinking of how to reenter the student population with a
positive attitude. Yes, I know most of the boys are angry
with us, but that does not mean we have to lose our spirit!

So during this time of crisis, I ask that we wear our

uniforms daily to support the squad. Extra uniforms are
available for those who need them.

We’re going to get through this, girls. All we need is

the right sort of pep!

Go, Smitten Kittens!!!!


Keep smiling,

Tessa

Chapter 12

We all sat there holding our breath. Had anyone heard

Leona? Was she totally busted and in need of
reinforcements? I tried her cell, but she didn’t answer.

Guns n’ Roses! We needed to save her!
A loud knock on my window startled me, and I

screamed out. Izzie tried to duck under the dashboard, and
Kira slid down in the seat. It was our natural undercover
reflexes.

The door opened, and Leona’s flannel came into view.

“Holy cannoli, Leona! I was so worried. I thought we’d have
to—”

I stopped dead. Right behind her was a very nice pair

of thighs. “Tessa,” he called. “May I speak with you for a
second?” His voice sounded scoldy. I didn’t like getting
scolded.

I nearly refused, but at the same time, I wanted to know

what Aiden was doing here. He should have been at
college.

Gathering my crutches from the floor, I scooted over,

careful to keep my booted cast from bumping against the
seat. When I swung my legs out, Leona helped set up the
crutches, and I climbed out.

Her mustache was gone. She looked at me and

shrugged. “I didn’t do too well,” she said, looking
disappointed.

“You did great. No negative talk.” I smiled reassuringly.

I mean, yes. We didn’t get the info we needed, but at the
same time, Aiden was here. Maybe he knew something.

Leona looked over her shoulder at Aiden. He was

looking down the street as if he weren’t paying attention,
but he had a satisfied little smirk on his face.

“I’ll wait in the car,” Leona mumbled before moving

behind me to get in the backseat. When she slammed the

door, Aiden finally looked over at me. My heart fluttered.

“I see the crutches haven’t stopped SOS,” he said.
“We’ve decided that our job is important, Aiden. But

tonight, we’re here on a different mission. We’re trying to
find a tattletale.”

He laughed. “Ironic that the same girls that have been

…”—he paused—“tattle

tailing

for the last three years

would now want to find the person that spied on them.”

“It may be a little ironic.” I adjusted my weight on my

crutches. “But it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t
investigate.”

Aiden was quiet, and I began to feel the awkwardness.

I wanted to look at him, but I fought it.

“How’s the ankle?” he asked, motioning toward it.
“Getting better. The girls made it sparkly so it didn’t

look so tragic.”

He laughed and looked down at it, but when he did, his

face changed. He tilted his head, reading it and then
glanced up, his green eyes wide. I didn’t understand at first,
but then I remembered. Joel’s note.

Aiden looked away, taking in a jagged breath. After a

quiet second, he turned back to me, his jaw tight. “Well, I’m
glad to know you’re up and hobbling around.”

He was hurt. “It’s not …” But I stopped. Not what he

thinks? It sort of was. And besides, I didn’t have to explain
anything to him. At least, I wasn’t sleeping with the ex-
captain of my cheer squad. Ew.

Aiden nodded, acknowledging that I didn’t have to

finish my sentence. Then he took a step closer to me,
making me feel off balance. I could smell him, his familiar
scent.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him, my own

breathing quickened.

“I was worried about you.” His mouth twitched with a

smile. “And I sort of figured you’d be out spying, getting

yourself in more trouble. Leona could have gotten hurt in
there.”

I didn’t need Aiden’s protection. “SOS is perfectly

capable of handling our own business. If anything
happened, we would have—”

“What? Hobbled in to get her? You need help, Tess.

Eventually you’ll have to admit that.” Aiden’s green eyes
seemed to look right into me, sparkling under the street
light in that devious way that I’d always loved.

“And I’m sure you’re volunteering for the job.”
“Of course, baby.” He grinned.
When he called me baby, a chill ran over me. But not

the good kind. It made me think of all the other times he’d
called me baby. The times when he was secretly seeing
Mary Rudick but still pretending to love me.

“I’m not interested.” My tone turned icy. “Is there

anything else, Aiden? Because we have to analyze the data
and—”

“Tess—”
“—and come up with our list of suspects. It’s a very

busy and important time in the investigation. There’s not
time for distractions—”

“Am I distracting you?” I looked up to see him smiling

at me.

I paused. “Yes.” With his tan skin, piercing eyes, and

blond hair; Aiden was highly distracting.

“Can I drive you home?”
His question caught me off guard. I went to move back

and bumped into the car. “Oh. No. No, thank you.”

“I’d like to, Tessa. I’d like to take you home.”
I closed my eyes. It was such a simple thing, and yet it

broke and fixed my heart all at once. It’d been a really long
time since I’d been alone with him. It just seemed like a
really bad idea.

“I promise I’ll behave.”

There was the sound of an electronic window rolling

down. “Pardon me, Tessa,” Kira called, the hint of a laugh
in her voice. I turned. “We really have to go. Izzie has a
twelve o’clock curfew tonight.” In the background Izzie
nodded.

I looked at Aiden. “I have to go.”
He exhaled, as if he were about to say something he

didn’t want to. “I have information for you. I really think you’re
going to want to hear what I have to say.”

“Information?” Had Aiden heard something or was he

just trying to get me to ride home with him?

“Just go with him,” Kira said. She was smiling. “Aiden

doesn’t bite. Right, Aiden?”

“Not usually.”
“See.” She had a twinkle in her eye that told me she

was enjoying my little reunion. “Besides,” she added,
“maybe he does know something.” I could tell that she didn’t
believe that.

I considered my options for a second, wondering what

I should do. Even if Aiden could help, should I accept it?
And what about Joel? I was so torn!

But when I looked at Aiden, he didn’t seem to gloat

over my indecision. No. His face was cautious. Patient.

I decided that if I was ever going to be okay, I needed

to face my fears. And my biggest one right now was being
alone with Aiden.

Turning back to the car, I ducked my head. “We’ll meet

tomorrow?” I asked the girls. Already, my pulse was
speeding up, scared of what would happen when Kira’s car
pulled away.

“Sounds good,” Leona said from the backseat, waving

me off. Poor thing. She was so distraught over getting
busted by Aiden. Not good for her self-esteem.

“Or just call us when you get up. In case you need to

sleep in.” Kira raised her eyebrow at me. I frowned at her.

“Bye, Aiden,” Izzie said. He waved to her.
I watched nervously as Kira rolled up her window and

drove her car into the street. I stood with my back to Aiden,
totally regretting this decision.

I was all alone with my ex-boyfriend.

Great Gatsby

!

This was a bad idea.

Everything about Aiden’s car was the same. The smell.

The pile of uniforms and workout clothes scattered across
the backseat. It made me feel homesick—that longing for
another place. Another time. I cleared my throat and busied
myself by scrolling through my phone.

“Been a while since I got to drive you anywhere,” he

said after he got in. I looked over at him, and we sat there
awkwardly until he started the car.

“So you said you had information?” I asked as we

drove through the dark Redmond streets. There were no
streetlights through the hills, something about people not
wanting to disturb nature. The blackness outside the
windows made Aiden and I feel even more alone together. I
gulped.

“Right,” he said, almost disappointed. I wondered if he

thought I had a different reason for getting in his car. “Well,
Darrell called me the other day, wanted to talk about you.
He said he sent you a pissed off e-mail.”

“He did.” I hadn’t told Kira about that. I thought it might

hurt her feelings. She’d been very attracted to Darrell for
several months until he had cheated on her last year.

“Well, first I told him I was going to beat his ass.”
I smiled and looked over at him. He was staring

ahead, navigating the winding road. It was sort of cute that
he threatened physical violence against anyone who
crossed me. Not that I condoned it.

“Then I made him tell me everything he knew.”
I straightened my posture. “He knew who told on us?”

“No,” Aiden sighed. “But whoever it was told Blaze

during class, passed him a note or something. At least,
that’s what Darrell heard. So start by checking his
schedule.”

“This is good. Thanks.”
Aiden grinned. “No problem, baby.”

Baby

. I blinked a few times and turned away. I didn’t

want him to call me that. I couldn’t handle hearing that. My
eyes began to water.

“Tessa?”
“Stop.” I needed him to stop talking. I was afraid of

what would come next.

“I know I promised to behave, but I have to say some

things. I miss you. I can’t stand my life without you.” It all
came out in one breathless second, like he’d been waiting
a long time to say it. “And then seeing his name on your
cast … I just can’t stand it, Tess. I want to fucking kill him.”

I put my hand over my eyes and rested my elbow on

the door. I should have realized that whatever information
Aiden had came with a price.

“We can work this out,” he whispered. “I know we can.”
I sniffled and looked over at him. “No, Aiden,” I said,

feeling exhausted. Worn out. “We can’t. You slept with
Mary. You hid it from me. You were supposed to love me.”

“I do! I love you more than anything!”
“Then how could you sleep with her? How could you

sneak around with her and then still be with me?” I shook
my head, tears starting to fall from my eyes. “How could you
do that to me? I was waiting for you!”

“I was stupid! What the fuck else can I say? I made a

mistake, Tessa. Why can’t you forgive me?” Aiden face
was scrunched up as he looked between me and the road.
It was obvious that he was in pain, but this was too hard.
There was too much baggage. “You know, I’ve forgiven
everything you’ve done. Why won’t you do the same for

me?”

“It’s not the same,” I said, wiping under my eyes. “You

betrayed me. And right now, all we’re doing is hurting each
other.”

“I’ll never hurt you again. Please, just—”
“I don’t forgive you!”
My words came out so suddenly, so angrily, that Aiden

gasped, and I felt my body go limp with the admission. It
was such a horrible thing to say!

Just then we came out of the hills into the lit streets of

my neighborhood. I watched Aiden silently stare ahead
from behind the steering wheel, tears leaking down his
cheeks, his lips pressed tight together.

And I wanted to take back the words. I didn’t want to

hurt Aiden. It killed me to make him feel this awful. But I
turned away and let my last statement hang. This was
better. If he stopped calling, stopped trying, maybe my pain
would go away. Maybe.

Aiden turned sharply into my driveway, and the tires

actually squealed when he stopped. My seat belt locked
and yanked me back into my seat.

“Sorry,” he said quietly, staring down in his lap.
I watched him, my heart beating a little faster from our

sudden stop. My heart aching for the pain he was going
through. His knuckles were white from his grip on the
steering wheel, the muscles of his forearms defined and
flexed.

Looking at him, I could see everything I’d loved. I could

see my past. And with that, I opened the passenger door.
Aiden waited patiently as I reached in and got my crutches,
even if he didn’t get out to help. It was better that he didn’t.

When I’d gotten all of my stuff, I paused just outside the

door. “Good-bye, Aiden.” He opened his mouth but didn’t
answer. So I shut the door and watched as he backed out
of my driveway. He paused so long before turning down the

street, I thought maybe he’d rethought leaving and was
going to come back. But eventually, he pulled out and his
taillights were down the street.

What a strange night. We’d failed our mission, and I’d

just done what I promised myself I wouldn’t: talk to Aiden.
And now that he was gone, my breathing was quickening,
my chest starting to tingle with an unrealized anxiety. I
missed him.

I couldn’t handle this roller coaster of love! I needed to

pull myself together and move on. In fact, I was going to call
Joel right now and schedule dinner. I needed a normal guy
in my life. A guy without baggage. A guy who respected
and loved me.

I reached into my pocket to grab my phone. Wait.

Where was my phone? I balanced on my crutches as I
checked all of my pockets, but nothing. I know I’d had it in
Kira’s car. And I’d checked it once while I was with Aiden—

Siegfried and Roy! I’d left my phone in Aiden’s car. I

exhaled and slowly turned to crutch my way into my house.

Joel,
I stopped by your house this morning because I

lost my phone last night. Long story. I’d love to go out
to dinner with you. I’m home all day, so call the house!

Tessa

From:

Kira Reynolds <[e-mail]>

To:

Tessa Crimson <[e-mail]>

Sent:

Mon, October 11, 2:45 PM

Subject:

Practice

Hey, Tess. I’ve been working on a new routine that we

should use for the ESPN game. It’s called the Triple
Licorice Twist—totally hot. I think it’s the only way we can
win over the crowd.

I’ve been working on it with Chloe, and she’s rocking it.

I really think she should be our flyer since your ankle is
broken.

Thoughts?

BTW, does Joel know how much time you’ve been

spending with Aiden lately?

K

Chapter 13

I’d dialed Aiden’s dorm room several times to get my

phone back, but it kept going to voice mail. Where was he?
I started to wonder if he was keeping it on purpose.

Joel called me the minute school got out. I thought it

was incredibly sweet that he would ignore homework for
me. He was also totally forgiving about my blowing him off
the other night when I was spying … er, at the movies.

We decided to grab an early dinner so that I could still

make practice tonight. Kira’s e-mail about her new routine
had me all stressed out. First, the Triple Licorice Twist was
highly dangerous. Second, there was no way in the
universe I’d let Chloe be my flyer. I was top of the pyramid.
A stupid cast wouldn’t change that.

I’d let the squad know Aiden’s detail about the culprit

possibly being in a class with Blaze, and luckily, both Izzie
and Leona were in his homeroom. They were going to
snatch his schedule tomorrow.

I waited in the kitchen, thankful that my parents were

out of town. They didn’t freak about the suspension. I mean,
sure, they told me to stay inside except for cheerleading,
but I think dinner was a necessity and therefore okay.

When my doorbell rang, I smiled as I crutched over to

it. Since I didn’t want to wear sweatpants, I had changed
into a dark-pink skirt with a white T-shirt and cute cardigan
sweater. Too bad my crutches didn’t match. It could have
been a total ensemble.

“Wow,” Joel said slowly when I opened the door. “You

look great, Tess.”

“You, too.” He was so handsome with his hair brushed

smooth, his button-down the perfect shade of green to
make the hazel of his eyes stand out. I felt a little breathless.

He smiled, his slightly misplaced tooth peeking out

and thrilling me. “We could just stay in, maybe order a

pizza?” he suggested.

Oh. His comment surprised me, and I moved back on

my crutches. He must have noticed because he held up his
hands apologetically.

“Or we can go out to dinner like we planned. You

ready?” He seemed completely nervous, and I felt bad. I
wasn’t trying to make him uncomfortable. It was just that
staying in would lead to making out. And making out could
lead to …

“Yep. Let’s go.” I crutched forward and out the door.
Joel drove us downtown in his sensible, clean car as I

enjoyed the darkening view out my window. It was pretty
this time of year. All the leaves were bright orange and red.
The slight chill in the air had everyone wearing stylish
overcoats. It made me crave hot chocolate and pumpkin
pie.

We stopped in front of the Steakhouse in Bellevue. I

looked at him as he pulled the car into the parking lot.
When he glanced over, I smiled. “I’ve never been to this
restaurant,” I said.

“It’s nice.”
Well, that was good. I liked new experiences. And

having them with Joel was forward momentum. No point
spending my entire life visiting all the old haunts that Aiden
and I used to. Joel deserved his own traditions.

It took me a good while to climb out of the car and get

on the crutches, but when we approached the building, Joel
held the door open for me. Such a gentleman. I was just
about to thank him when I noticed the room. I paused. “Um
…”

Joel hadn’t mentioned that we were going to a fancy

(meaning sort of stuffy) restaurant. The type with ladies in
fur coats (tragic!) and men wearing ties. There were
chandeliers and wood-paneled walls with intricate designs.
I would have been fine with going for a burger. I just wanted

to spend time with him.

“Joel,” I said, turning around, “this is really fancy. I think

I’m underdressed.”

“You look beautiful,” he said, a crooked smile on his

face. “You’re easily the hottest—

and youngest

—girl in

here.”

I laughed.
“Besides,” he said, “I figured if I finally get to take you

out, I’d better make it first class, or I’d never coax you away
from the squad again.”

“Coax?”
He shrugged. “Tryouts? Practice? Meetings? Take

your pick. Seems every time I ask you out, you already have
plans—and that’s after you stopped spying. I’m starting to
think you’ve changed your mind about me.”

Holy Grail! That was definitely not the case. I found

Joel very charming. Handsome. Funny. I was just … busy.
“Haven’t changed my mind,” I said, reaching out to take his
arm. “In fact, I’m glad we’re here.”

“You don’t mean that. You want to leave.” He sounded

amused.

Suddenly, a maître d’ walked up in a tuxedo. Tuxedo! I

looked sideways at Joel, and he burst out laughing.

“Sorry, sir,” he said to the man standing there and

looking down his considerable nose at us. “My girlfriend
would rather go to McDonald’s.”

“Oh, my word!” Wait. Girlfriend?
The maître d’ snorted, and with that, Joel spun me

around (careful of the crutches) and marched us out the
heavy glass door. It was spontaneous and sweet.

Joel was a life-size Ken doll, only without all the plastic.

“You’re incredibly low maintenance, Tessa,” Joel said

as we sat across from each other in a vinyl booth at Sid’s
Pizza. When I told him that I didn’t care where we went, he

chose here. Which was cool. Even if Aiden and I used to
come here every Thursday.

“You’re not completely off the hook,” I said, taking a

bite. “I will expect ice cream afterward.” Being with Joel
was so easy. He made me feel lighter, simpler. I didn’t have
to act or put on a brave face. I didn’t have to do anything but
just be me.

“Ice cream? How long of a date do you think this will

be?” He grinned, and I felt a surge of attraction for him. He
was flawed and perfect at the same time. “By the way,” he
asked, picking up his slice, “what happened to your
phone?”

My breath caught. I had no reason to lie, and yet I didn’t

like how this would sound. I lowered my eyes. “I, um. I forgot
it in Aiden’s car.”

Silence.
When I finally looked up, Joel was chewing, seemingly

unfazed by my comment. He took a sip of soda.

“He gave me a ride home. It was nothing.” Somehow

my lackluster explanation made me sound guiltier.

“Didn’t know he was in town last night.” He took

another bite, his eyes studying the side of his red cup.

“He’s been around since everything happened with the

football team. He was sort of looking out for me. I mean us.”
Gosh, I was really bad at this.

“Ah, of course, he was. I’ve seen him at school this

week, too. Don’t think he likes me very much.” He smiled,
looking up to meet my eyes. His hazel stare was calm,
collected.

“No. No, I don’t think he does.” Hm … I didn’t know that

Aiden had been at school. It seemed odd that he’d been
missing so much course work lately. I wondered if
everything was all right at college.

“Team seemed happy to see him though. The great

legend coming back to grace us with his presence.”

Joel started to look slightly annoyed, and I set my pizza

back down on my white, paper plate. “Hey. I’m really sorry. I
know things have gotten pretty skewed since Blaze outed
SOS. I hope they haven’t been giving you a hard time.”

“What? Like shoulder bumping me into the locker

because I’m still hanging out with you? Psht. It’s nothing.”

I winced. “I’m so, so sorry.”
He shrugged. “Just between us, I’ll pick the cute

cheerleader over the dickhead jock any day.” He paused.
“Speaking of, did you want to talk about your secret-agent
double life? I have to admit, I’m mildly curious.”

To be honest, I didn’t entirely feel like discussing it, but

I knew it might be difficult for Joel to understand. “If you feel
like you need to talk about it.”

His hazel eyes flicked up to mine. “I think I do.”
I nodded. To the average viewer, we probably didn’t

make sense. But this was my chance to explain how great
an organization we were. “Basically the Smitten Kittens run
a secret society that investigates cheating boyfriends.”

“Wow. Interesting concept.”
“Thanks!” See! He totally got it.
“Unethical, too.”
Oh. Maybe not. “We were doing it for the right reasons,

Joel. We were trying to help those unlucky in love. The
wronged. The—”

“Yeah, but how exactly did you investigate?” He pulled

his eyebrows together as if he couldn’t wrap his brain
around it. I had a feeling that our tactics were the parts that
the guys didn’t appreciate. But at least, we got proof and
never falsely accused! Shouldn’t that count for something?

“What are you thinking about over there, Tiny

Crimson? Your nose is all scrunched up and you look
worried.”

“I don’t want you to be angry with me.”
He laughed and reached across the table to take my

hand. I sort of wanted to pull away, but not because I didn’t
like him. Because my hands were greasy from the pizza. It
felt sort of gross.

“If I didn’t get angry about the fact that you’re losing

things in your ex-boyfriend’s car, I won’t get angry about
this.” But the fact that he’d brought it up told me that he was
a little perturbed by my platonic late-night rendezvous with
Aiden.

“Maybe we should go get that ice cream now,” I said,

ready to get up.

“Tess, I just want to understand.”
I took a deep breath, afraid of his reaction. “Fine. We

would break into people’s bedrooms, hack their computers,
bug their phones.”

Joel stared at me calmly. I was so relieved! “I’m so

glad you’re not freaking out.”

His eyes widened. “Wait. You weren’t joking just then?

Holy shit, Tessa. Did you really do that stuff?”

Oops. “I did. We did.”
“Kira, too?”
I glanced down when he said her name. Why was he

asking about Kira? Why did that make me a little jealous?
“Yes.”

“This is pretty intense.”
“Sorry.”
Joel let go of my hand and brought his hands together

as he rested his elbows on the table. “I can’t believe this. I
can’t believe how long you got away with it. I mean, I heard
you were spying, but I didn’t … I didn’t actually think you
were

spying

. Maybe driving by someone’s house to see

whose car was there, or normal things like that. But this …
This is fucked up, Tess. Maybe it was a good thing you got
busted. Because now it’s done.” He stopped and looked
sharply at me. “It is done, right?”

His jaw was tight, but at the same time, he seemed

less agitated than I thought he would be. I mean, Aiden sort
of flipped when he’d found out. He kicked me out of his
house and made me walk home! Then again, I had been
spying on

him

.

“Not really.” I took a bite of my pizza with pineapple.
“What?”
I paused in my chewing. “What?”
“You said, ‘Not really.’ Do you mean you’re still

spying?”

“Oh. Um … no. It’s just …” Frick and Frack! Where do I

go from here?

“It’s a simple question, Tessa. Does SOS still exist or

not?”

I knew I’d regret this. “Not.”
Joel watched me for a second, and I finished my bite

and swallowed it self-consciously. I didn’t want to lie, but I
didn’t want to ruin the night either. Things had already
gotten murky when I brought up Aiden.

“I don’t want to sound creepy and possessive right

now,” he said slowly. “But I really don’t want you spying
anymore.”

“I understand.” I took a sip from my soda and thought

about that. To be honest, I didn’t understand. SOS stood for
truth, justice, and the Smitten Kitten way. What could be so
bad about that? I mean, sure, we were guilty of breaking
and entering, but weren’t they guilty of cheating? That was
way worse!

Joel exhaled. “It’s just …” He stopped and I looked up

at him, alarmed by his change in tone. “I don’t like to talk
about it, but my parent’s divorce was really messy. My mom
caught my dad cheating, and she went nuts. And I mean
completely nuts.”

I nodded, not sure what this had to do with me. But I

was glad he was sharing. It showed he trusted me. “What
happened?”

He rolled his eyes. “My dad was having an affair with

the girl at the front desk of the auto body shop. She was
into cars; my mom wasn’t. My dad’s not a bad guy, not
really. But he definitely screwed up. He’s still seeing that
girl. Judith.” He laughed, shaking his head. I got the feeling
that he didn’t care much for Judith.

“And your mom?”
“See, that’s the funny part. She caught him. Told

everyone. And caused enough drama to get him fired from
his job and kicked out of his poker group. She was
relentless. And the day the divorce papers were signed,
she told me she was getting engaged.”

“What?”
“Some guy she’d met on match.com. She left my father

with nothing, and it made her happy enough to move on.
But I hated it. And they hate each other.”

“Wow, Joel. I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“How could you? I’ve only told one other person. And I

wouldn’t bring it up now, but I guess after I heard what
happened in the field house—what you were doing—I
wanted to believe it wasn’t that unethical. But it sort of is,
Tess. Even if you didn’t mean to, you’ve ruined people’s
lives.”

Whoa. Hold the phone. “That is completely untrue.”
“Is it?” He cocked his head to the side, not looking

mad, just curious. But I was offended. Yes, our
investigations ended up breaking apart couples, but how
healthy were they to begin with? His judgment was unfair. I
was suddenly not all that thrilled to be sitting here with him
in Sid’s Pizza. Even Aiden had been more understanding
than this. And he made me walk!

Joel pushed his back against the booth and shook his

head apologetically. “You know what? I’m sorry. You’re
right. I’m a complete asshole, so please ignore me.” He
reached out to take my hand again. “Seriously, Tess. I

didn’t mean to be so rude. I don’t know why I said that—
maybe because of your ex-boyfriend. I’m an idiot.”

He looked so apologetic, and I felt awful for putting him

in such a sour mood. He was always totally sweet to me,
and I was making him crazy. I squeezed his hand.

But before I could respond, the front door of Sid’s

Pizza jingled as it opened. Joel looked over his shoulder
and Kira walked in, oblivious to us just a few feet away. My
stomach backflipped to my spine, and I wished I didn’t have
crutches because I might run for it.

She turned to us, and her ruby lips parted in surprise

as she saw our hands clasped together in the middle of the
table. I quickly yanked mine away. I was pretty sure the
Earth stopped rotating and the planets aligned. This was
the Apocalypse.

It seemed like an eternity, but luckily, Sid came in from

the back and walked to the counter. He was a large man,
always dressed in a white apron, usually covered in sauce.
“Can I help you?”

Kira looked away from us quickly, her uncomfortable

posture obvious to me. Then she approached the counter,
saying that she’d called in for pickup. Joel turned back
around and bit again from his slice as if nothing were
wrong. Even though Kira wasn’t looking our way, I could tell
by her stance that she was using her peripheral vision.

“You okay?” Joel asked.
I met his eyes. “Kira,” I whispered.
He shrugged. “It’s cool. I told her we were going out

tonight.”

I sunk down in the booth even though Kira had already

seen us. “Why would you tell her that?”

“Because I’m friends with her.”
This revelation sent a mixture of feelings through me

that I didn’t expect. I was a little jealous, but also a little
relieved. It was considerate of Joel to still be friends with

his ex-girlfriend. But at the same time, I knew how Kira felt
about him. And me. This would never work out. Eventually,
he’d have to choose.

I glanced up at Kira just as Sid handed her a pizza and

a Styrofoam wing box. She turned and faced me,
swallowing hard.

“Hi, Tessa,” she said. Her face was unreadable.

Without emotion. I wondered if she wanted to high kick me.
I knew I’d want to kick a girl if I saw her with Aiden.

“Hi,” I replied quietly.
“Hey,” Joel said, nodding his chin to her. She smiled.
“Hey, yourself. I just saw your dad at the gas station.

Judith was giving me those devil eyes again from the
passenger seat. Thought her head was going to spin
around this time.” They both laughed; I felt like the third
wheel. Kira knew his family better than I did.

Good gravy! It occurred to me—she was probably the

“one other person” he’d told about his family. I was getting
slightly dizzy.

“Definitely glad I’m at my mom’s tonight,” Joel said.

“You wanna sit down for a sec?” He slid over in his seat,
motioning to it. I felt my chest seize up. I didn’t think I could
survive anything that awkward!

“That’s sweet, but I can’t. I’m picking up a pizza for my

mother.

The Bachelor

is on tonight.” She held up the

boxes.

“Woo hoo. Party at the Reynold’s house.”
She giggled, and I knew what was happening. Joel

was being cute. Charming. I suddenly felt like I was
intruding on

their

date.

I went to take a nervous sip from my soda, but instead,

I knocked into my cup and had to move swiftly to catch it. I
saved it, but some splashed out anyway. Quickly, I started
to grab napkins to soak it up, but the movement drew
attention from both of them. And probably made me look

jealous. Kira sucked at her teeth and then returned a look to
Joel.

“I gotta run. I’ll see you around?” she asked.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He waved, and just as she

opened the door, she looked over her shoulder at me.

“Night, Tessa.” But she left before I could even form a

response. I was completely shaken.
“I’m sorry.”

I glanced up to see Joel watching me. I tried to smooth

down my hair as if I weren’t a frazzled mess. “For what?”

“That was uncomfortable. For all of us.”
“You seemed fine.”
“Why, Tessa Crimson?” He mock gasped. “Are you

jealous? Should I go ask her for a ride home?” He grinned.

“You can be friends with whomever you want. It’s just

that I don’t want there to be any animosity between the
Smitten Kittens. I can’t—”

“Kira’s okay,” he interrupted. “We’ve talked about

remaining friends, and I’ve told her that you and I are
friends, too. Unless …”

He paused, waiting for me to finish the sentence. Only,

I didn’t know how. I didn’t know what we were. I wasn’t sure I
was ready to decide. He laughed.

“I’ll spare you the

Jeopardy

theme song that’s running

through my head right now. Save your answer. Now stop
frowning and finish your pizza. I know the perfect place for
ice cream.”

“I wasn’t frowning.” I took a bite.
“Yes, you were,” he whispered.
I laughed. Eating the rest of my pizza, I pushed aside

all thoughts of Kira or Aiden. Truth was Joel didn’t agree
with what I’d done with SOS, but he was still here by my
side. There was something special about that. I liked this
simple existence with him.

It was a good place to be.

It was a good place to be.

I need to see you. I’m not sure I can
keep doing this. I hate myself. Meet me
outside the 7-Eleven at midnight. I’ll be
wearing black.

Izzie

Chapter 14

It was fairly early Friday morning when Leona showed

up at my front door. She looked positively frantic. Her
bangs were pinned back haphazardly, and her clothes
weren’t ironed. Oh, no. This was obviously an emergency!

“What’s wrong?” I demanded as I let her in.

“Someone’s hurt?”

“Tessa,”—she was shaking her head—“I’m not sure

what to do. I was at Izzie’s house last night to check up on
her, and I found something.” Leona dragged out a kitchen
chair and flopped into it as I crutched my way across from
her. She sounded freaked out.

“What did you find?”
“A note poking out of her backpack.”
“You read it? That’s a violation of her privacy, Leona.”

But I knew there was more to it. She wouldn’t look so bad if
there weren’t.

Leona reached into her adorable patchwork purse and

took out a crumpled-up piece of notebook paper, handing it
to me. “Read it.”

I gulped, unfolding it slowly, and immediately my heart

sunk. When I was done, I raised my gaze to hers. “Do you
think …”

“That we’ve been had by another Kitten? It’s seems

that way.”

I dropped the paper on the white tablecloth, my mind

swirling. “But Izzie … I don’t think she would do that. She’s
not vindictive.”

“Maybe not. Maybe it was an accident? I mean, she’s

been a mess lately. And Chloe even said—”

“Wait. Chloe?”
Leona looked away. “Yeah, um, she came with me last

night to check on Izzie. You were out with Joel, and Kira
was with her mom, so I brought her along.”

This was not a big deal. I shouldn’t stress out about it,

but I felt it coming on. For the second time in two days, the
world was spinning. “I didn’t know you two were friends.”

Leona tsked. “Don’t be like that, Tess. She’s on the

squad now. She’s actually pretty funny if you get to know
her.”

It almost felt like a slap in the face, her talking about my

archenemy this way. But at the same time, with so many
battles to fight, I had to pick the right one. And currently Izzie
was at the top of the list.

“Okay, and what did Chloe think?” I couldn’t believe I

was asking that.

“She said that Izzie was definitely sneaking around

doing something that she shouldn’t. That Izzie’s erratic
behavior coupled with her obviously guilt-filled note points
to acute PTSOSD—Post Traumatic SOS Disorder. She
thinks we should intervene immediately.”

I sat there, staring back at her. “She said that?”
“Yes. She also said that she didn’t think Izzie was the

traitor, but that she wouldn’t rule it out. She was going to
collect evidence.”

“She’s a regular CSI investigator.” I blinked quickly,

looking out over my cluttered kitchen. I’d been so busy lately
that I hadn’t had time to wash the pots that had piled up in
my sink. And now I felt completely wiped out. Chloe.
Flipping Chloe.

“So what do you suggest we do about Izzie?” I asked,

glancing back at Leona. “Or should I call your new BFF.”

Leona narrowed her eyes. “You’re being kind of bitchy,

Tess.”

I gasped. Well, that was uncalled for. Worse, I knew

she was right. “Okay,” I sighed. “I’m sorry.” Picking up the
note again, I scanned it quickly. “Guess we should talk to
Izzie.”

Leona nodded. “But how do we get her to spill the

beans?”

I considered it, running my fingers through my hair.

Then I stopped and smiled. “The best way to get anyone to
talk. Makeover.”

Leona and I waited at my kitchen table for Izzie to

arrive. I’d called her earlier, begging her to let me give her
split ends a hot-oil treatment. She only agreed when I
promised cupcakes afterward. She was going to be
devastated when she found out this wasn’t a real
makeover. And that I didn’t have cupcakes.

We had all of the usual equipment out on the stripped-

down tabletop. Oatmeal mixed with eggs, cucumber slices,
hot-oil treatment sitting in water. There was even a boiling
kettle of water on the stove.

“I’m nervous,” Leona said, tapping her nails on the

table. “What if she freaks out?”

“Then we’ll make that chamomile tea I bought.”
“Okay. Well if she’s the traitor?”
Luckily, the doorbell rang, and I didn’t have to answer.

Instead, Leona and I exchanged a glance. When she didn’t
get up, I motioned toward my crutches.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” She stood, taking a deep breath

before walking over and opening the door. “Izzie!” Leona
said it so upbeat that Izzie was immediately alarmed and
looked past her toward me.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her eyes glassy.
Careful not to blow our cover, I smiled. “Nothing. We’re

just really super-duper happy to see you.” That might have
been a little too cheery. She glanced around suspiciously
as she came inside.

Her red hair hung limp around her shoulders, all signs

of her luxurious curls were gone. Just tangles and knots of
dull strands. Under her green eyes were heavy bags, red
rings. She’d been crying. My word. What had happened to

her?

Half dazed, Izzie sat down at the kitchen table and

began to pick at her unpolished nails. Leona widened her
eyes at me from over Izzie’s shoulder.

“Where’s that tea?” she asked me immediately. I

pointed to the white cabinet above the stove. As she went
to get it, I looked across the table to Izzie.

“Isabel Edwards, are you okay?”
She looked up, somewhat stunned. No one called her

Isabel except for her grandmother. I felt the moment called
for some tenderness. She smiled sadly. “I don’t think so,
Tessa. I feel like I’m losing my mind.” Her expression was
so tortured that I felt goose bumps run up my arms. She had
to be guilty. What other reason could Izzie have for being
this unkempt?

“I know what it’s like to feel confused,” I whispered.

“I’ve been there.”

“No, you haven’t. Not like this.”
And I didn’t doubt her. Even in my darkest moments, I

never looked this down. This depressed. Izzie was going
through something else entirely. I couldn’t imagine what
would bring her to the point of ruining SOS. But I was
starting to feel like it was the only explanation.

When Leona came back to the table, she set a green

mug in front of Izzie with a tea tag hanging over the side.

“I’m worried about you,” Leona said as she sat down.

“We all are.”

Izzie sipped carefully, both hands wrapped around the

ceramic. “Things are going to be okay,” she murmured. “I
have some things to deal with, and then I’ll be okay.”

“But what are you dealing with?” I asked, leaning over

on the table. “Just tell us what you did, and we can help.”

“I can’t tell you. I …” But Izzie’s rigid body looked like it

closed in on itself, and she quietly began to sob. It was like
she liquefied right there.

Poor Izzie! Grabbing my crutches, I hopped over to her

side of the table, Leona coming to stand at my side. When I
got there, I stood behind Izzie and bent down and hugged
her. She held my arms, continuing to cry.

“Whatever you’ve done, Iz. We still love you. We

forgive you. You just have to tell us,” I whispered into her
shoulder. She didn’t answer, but as her shaking tapered
down, she released my arm.

I couldn’t press her anymore today. She was far too

fragile. I hated to admit it, but Chloe’s diagnosis seemed
spot on. This was a severe case of PTSOSD.

Maybe after a relaxing and self-esteem-building

makeover, she’d be able to admit what she’d done. Then
we could find out exactly what led to the outing of SOS.

As she sat with her shoulders hunched, I piled Izzie’s

hair into a loose bun and silently got out the beauty tools. I
worked the hot oil slowly through her hair, massaging her
scalp with my fingers. Without a word, Leona took Izzie’s
hand and began buffing her nails, getting them ready to
polish.

About halfway through, Leona shot me a concerned

gaze, but I didn’t know how to respond. I was way out of my
league. I finished up the conditioning treatment and then
crutched over to the sink to wash my hands.

“We’re going to take good care of you,” I heard Leona

whisper to her. “Tessa is great at clearing out pores, so
your complexion will be glowing by tomorrow. This
conditioner is going to bring back the gorgeous shine in
your hair. And after this, I’m taking you to the mall to retrain
you on how to accessorize. It’s all going to be okay.”

I didn’t hear Izzie answer.
My house phone rang, and I went over to look at the

caller ID. “It’s Kira,” I said, looking over at Leona. I hadn’t
spoken to her since I was out with Joel last night. And I
wasn’t sure I wanted to now.

“Let it go to voice mail.” Leona rolled her eyes and

went back to prepping Izzie’s nails.

“No,” Izzie said. “Answer it, Tess. I want you two to

patch things up.”

Aw! That was so sweet of Izzie. But it wasn’t that easy.

Not with the betrayals and backstabbing. Not with Joel still
in the middle. But I also thought it was rude to send
someone to voice mail.

“Hey,” I said.
“I’m going to be honest,” Kira started. “I know we

shouldn’t even discuss Joel because we’re trying to keep
up appearances for the squad. I just don’t want there to be
any weirdness at practice.” She sounded emotionally
exhausted.

Anxiety turned in my stomach. “I’m sorry about that. I

really don’t want any weirdness either. I didn’t even know
you two were still friends.”

“We are. And I’m going to keep being friends with him.

But … let’s not bump into each other like that again. Deal?”

“Deal.”
“Now,” she continued, sounding over it, “how’s Izzie?

Chloe told me she and Leona found some crazy note last
night. Did she admit to ratting us out yet?”

“No,” I said, looking over at Izzie and Leona. They were

both looking down as Leona applied the Pink Champagne
nail polish. “I think it’s all going to be okay,” I told Kira.
“Smitten Kittens stick together.”

“Like glue.” She sighed. “Well, keep me updated,

okay?”

“I will. And, K, I’m really sorry. About … everything.”
She paused a long time before clearing her throat.

“Me, too,” she said quickly before hanging up. I stood on my
crutches for a moment, listening to the dial tone. Truth was I
did feel bad. I just wasn’t really sure how to make it better.

When I got back to the table, I checked Izzie’s hair.

“You can probably go wash this out now,” I suggested,
picking through her curls. “Do you need help?”

“No, I think I’ve got it,” Izzie said quietly, scratching at

her hair. “Thanks, though.”

“Hurry up,” Leona called as Izzie got up. “I need to do

your other hand. It’s desperately in need of color, and the
fashion police will be here any minute.”

I laughed, but Izzie was silent as she crossed the room,

headed toward my bathroom. When she was gone, I sat
down across from Leona. We stared at each other for a
long moment until she dropped her head.

“What do you think?” I asked. “Did she turn us over to

Blaze?”

Leona grabbed the bottle of pink nail polish and shook

it. “I don’t know. I’m not convinced. I mean, yes—she’s
acting way screwed up. But I feel like we’re missing
something.”

“Me, too.”
Leona got up, grabbing the Oreos out of the cabinet as

I thought about what to do next. Izzie was clearly a wreck,
and I was pretty sure we’d need to get her some
professional help. I’d hoped the makeover would plug her
back in to the outside world, but it seemed to do the
opposite.

There was a clanking sound in the bathroom, like

something had fallen out of the medicine cabinet and into
the sink. I stood, grabbing my crutches. “She’s been in
there a while. I’ll be right back.”

“Not promising that these will still be here,” she said,

putting another cookie in her mouth.

I crutched along the wood floor toward the back of the

house, pausing when I got to the bathroom door. I knocked.
“Izzie?” She didn’t answer so I called her name again.
Nothing. My muscles began to tense as worry rushed
through me. I tried the knob, but the door was locked. Oh,

no!

“Leona!” I yelled.
Leona came running in from the kitchen, her eyes wide

with fear. “What’s

wrong?”
“She locked herself in there.”
“Shit.” Leona pounded on the door. “Izzie, open up!”
I let my crutches fall to the floor as I gripped the

doorframe. What if she’d hurt herself? “Izzie,” I called.
“Please let us in.” I should have gone with her to rinse out
her hair. She had to be okay.

Suddenly, there was a clicking noise, and I looked

down to the door handle turning. Thank heavens! For a split
second, I’d thought that something terrible had happened.
The relief I had now only confirmed that I needed to get Izzie
help. I’d have to call her parents.

“Freaking hell,” Leona murmured, stepping back as

the door started to open. She exhaled heavily, obviously as
scared as I was.

“Izzie,” I called, waiting for her. “Don’t do that again. I

was so worried about—” I gasped.

She was standing there, a white towel wrapped around

her shoulders and metal scissors in her hand. Her face was
blotchy from crying. My stomach dropped.

“What have you done?” Leona murmured. Because

Izzie’s long, red curls had been snipped up to her chin.

From:

Joel Fletcher <[e-mail]>

To:

Tessa Crimson <[e-mail]>

Sent:

Sat, October 12, 12:26 PM

Subject:

Random thoughts

I’m guessing you’re busy again? It’s cool. I’m starting

to get used to it. So … I was thinking—any chance you’d
like to make this official? Like, I don’t know, maybe think
about being my girlfriend?

Yes. I’m asking you out in an e-mail. I’m that

desperate, Tessa. Call me back!

Joel

Chapter 15

After sitting her down with a cookie and cup of tea, we

had to call Izzie’s parents to come pick her up. She needed
more help than we could give her. We weren’t quite sure
what to tell her parents, so we just said she’d been acting
depressed lately—which was true. Then Leona gave Izzie’s
mother the name of a reputable hairstylist.

“I feel sick,” I said as Leona and I sat on my couch, still

in shock over the entire situation. “If I’d of known she would
—”

“There was no way we could have. She’s been

keeping secrets, and obviously this was how they
manifested.” Leona closed her eyes and leaned her head
back into the chenille sofa. “I just wish I knew what
happened with Blaze.”

My skin felt pasty and pale as I rubbed my arms with

my hands. I was so confused, and I didn’t know who to turn
to. I thought about talking to my parents because they were
brilliant and would certainly understand, but they’d be out of
town for at least another day. We were on our own. I looked
sideways at Leona.

“I think we should investigate. Maybe Blaze did

something to her, and that’s why she told him about us.”

Leona met my stare. “I’ll kill him.”
“Second that.”
She blew air up to push her bangs off her forehead.

“Let’s see,” she said, squinting her eyes as she thought.
“We can debrief Kira and see if she has any extra info.
Same with the rest of the squad. Although, I think it would
have come to light by now. I’m not sure where we should
start.”

And oddly enough, Joel popped into my head. How

he’d told me his secret about his family life last night. How
Kira and I were the only two who knew. “I know who she

would have talked to.” I sat up, certain of our next move.

“Who?”
“Her ex-boyfriend.”
Leona blinked quickly and then nodded. “You’re

absolutely right. She’d totally have confided in him if they
were still talking. Do you think they are?”

“Only one way to find out.”
“Great. Should I find his number?” She started to work

her phone out of her pocket when I reached out to stop her.

“Nope. We’ve got to do this in person. It’s way too

personal for a call. We should head over to the Community
College.”

Leona seemed to debate it, but then put her phone

away and stood up. “Let’s go,” she said. “We’re going on a
college tour.”

Washington Community College was set back in a

neighborhood of small houses in midtown. I found it odd
that it didn’t have a big campus, but it did have a grassy
knoll where students played Hacky Sack instead of going to
class.

“How are we going to find him?” I asked Leona as we

made our way toward campus. The parking lot was full as
we crossed the pavement.

“Just look for the tall goofy looking guy with red hair.”
I looked sideways at her, and she smiled. Sam wasn’t

bad looking. He just seemed a bit awkward and freckled.
Perfect for Izzie.

“Kidding,” Leona said. “I’m going to pretend to be his

sister and ask for his schedule at the registrar’s office.”

“Brilliant.”
As I hobbled on my crutches—the ends of them

continually catching on the uneven pavement—I got a few
stares, mostly looks of curiosity. As I sat in the sterile blue
waiting room in the front office, a guy came in and sat next

me, asking my major (total cliché). Just to throw him off, I
told him forensic science and pottery.

“Thank you,” Leona said to the receptionist and

headed back my way. She gave the guy next to me an
annoyed glance and then waved me toward the door.

“You got it?” I asked.
“Yep. Told them our grandmother died.”
“Leona!”
“She didn’t really die! Relax.”
I didn’t like even joking about people dying. It was

tragic and sad.

Leona kept a slow pace next to me as we walked to

the arts building. Apparently, Sam was taking Acting 101.
Which was sort of cool. Thespians are very interesting
people. When we entered the huge, stone building, Sam
was onstage with a couple of other students, standing
around waiting. As we paused in the double doors of the
auditorium, a girl with a short blond bob walked over to
Sam and put her arms around him from behind. Leona and
I collectively gasped.

We watched in horror as Sam turned and kissed the

girl on the nose, both giggling at each other. “He’s moved
on,” I said, completely brokenhearted. “Do you think Izzie
knows?”

“I hope not,” Leona murmured, walking forward down

the red-carpeted aisle. When she got closer to the stage,
she whistled loudly, the sound echoing through the room.

Everyone turned to look, and after a minute, Sam

recognized us. He slowly detangled himself from the blonde
and then held up his finger to the group, telling them he’d be
right back. Then he hopped off the stage and jogged over
to us.

“Hey,” he said, pushing his hands into his pockets.

“What are you doing here? He looked behind us, his
freckled nose was scrunched in worry. “Is Izzie with you?”

“No,” Leona said, putting her hand on her jean-covered

hip. “She’s currently at her doctor’s, most likely getting
medication for depression. Would you—or possibly your
new girlfriend—know why?”

“Oh, my God. Is she okay?”
“She will be,” Leona said.
Sam let out a sigh of relief. “I was worried something

like this would happen.”

My ears perked up. “What do you know? She’s been

acting really off lately.”

Sam looked up, and his brown eyes met mine. He

looked guilty, sad. “She asked me to stop seeing Jen,” he
motioned to the stage. “She said she didn’t want to keep
meeting up if I had a new girlfriend.”

“Shut the front door!” I blurted out, my pulse racing.

“What do you mean ‘meeting up’?” Leona shifted on her
sneakers next to me.

He shook his head. “Look, I told Iz that I didn’t want a

serious relationship anymore. She said it was cool with her.
But when she got all clingy again, I tried to put a stop to it. I
swear.”

I was stunned. In fact, I thought I might cry. “Are you

telling us that you and Izzie are still … sleeping together?”

He stared at me. “Well, yeah. She wanted to keep

seeing each other even though I told her I didn’t want
anything serious. She said she was fine with just hooking
up.”

“Because she loves you, you asshole!” Leona yelled,

drawing the attention of the entire room. Oh, no. I was
definitely going to cry.

We knew this syndrome well; I couldn’t believe we

hadn’t seen the signs. It was a common problem among
our clients. They’d find out that their boyfriends were
cheating, be devastated, and then spend the next few
months secretly hooking up with them until they finally hit

rock bottom and moved on. We called it clinger syndrome.
It was an epidemic.

“Wait,” I said. “That note—it was to you?”
“Note?”
“To meet at the 7-Eleven?”
He hitched in a breath. “Oh. Yeah, I’d pick her up there

sometimes, and we’d go driving. Maybe park somewhere.”

I looked away, imagining all the horrible ways that Izzie

had disrespected herself to hold on to her ex. I didn’t want
him to continue.

“Don’t you ever touch her again,” Leona growled, the

sound in her voice mirroring how I felt. “You took advantage
of her.”

“I disagree,” he shot back quickly.
“Samuel?” his girlfriend called from the stage. “We’re

ready to start, hon.”

I turned to face him, moving one unsteady crutch

forward. “You destroyed her,” I whispered to him, my eyes
glassing over with tears. “You should be ashamed of
yourself.”

“Look,” Sam said, “I’m sorry that’s she hurting. I really

do care about her.” He paused. “But I have to get back to
class, okay?”

Leona shook her head. “Back to class? Of course,

Samuel. We wouldn’t want to keep you waiting.” She rolled
her arm as if she were welcoming him to a fancy ball, and
he backed away slowly, concern in his eyes.

“Tell her that I hope she’s okay.”
“Don’t think so,” Leona answered, reaching over to put

her hand on my arm as we turned to leave. We were almost
to the door when Leona looked back. “Oh, and Jen?” she
shouted. The blonde looked over, mildly curious. “He’s
cheating on you.”

I gasped, but Leona smiled deviously and led us out

the door.

When Leona dropped me off in front of my house, I

was still shaken. Izzie wasn’t the one who had turned us
over to the football team, but what she was going through
was even worse. And what made it nearly unbearable was
the fact that none of us knew.

Too depressed for TV, I went into my room to check

my e-mail. I was dying without my phone, but every time I
called Aiden, there was no answer. And he wasn’t
responding to my messages or e-mails. I almost thought he
was doing it on purpose.

I sat at my desk and flipped on my monitor, quickly

signing in to my personal account. I hoped today wasn’t
filled with hate mail. I was already sad enough.

Oh. One from Joel. He was always so cute about

messaging. It showed how much he was thinking about me.
Unlike Aiden who was holding my phone hostage.

I clicked on the message, but about one line in, I

started to perspire. When I finished, I read Joel’s e-mail
again. He’d come straight out and asked me to be his
girlfriend. I … I was caught a bit off guard by that.

With a shaky finger, I hit the reply button. But when it

came up, I just stared at the screen. I didn’t know how to
answer. I placed my elbows on the desk and rested my chin
in my hands as I contemplated.

First, Kira would be devastated. No matter what Joel

said about her friendship with him, this was against girl
code. It definitely was. Then, of course, there was the
matter of Aiden. I still felt guilty about the not-forgiving-him
comment.

Joel. When I thought of him I had to smile. He was

funny, cute, charming. He was everything I wanted and
needed in a boyfriend, and yet something was holding me
back. I couldn’t even bring myself to kiss him.

There had to be a reason. I used to think it was Kira,

but now I wasn’t so sure. What if there was a tragic flaw in
our relationship, but I couldn’t see it? I hadn’t exactly been
observant lately. I had missed Izzie’s complete meltdown.
Or I could be scared of getting hurt. Maybe I was jaded and
would end up alone with fifty cats!

With a swift movement, I turned off the monitor without

answering. I didn’t know what to say, and I was totally
freaking myself out. Instead, I reached for my house phone
and dialed quickly.

It rang once. Twice. “Hello?” Aiden’s voice was raspy,

as if he’d been napping.

At first, I couldn’t talk. Just the sound of his voice that

was so clearly still in bed made my heart race. I took a
steadying breath before continuing. “It’s Tessa.” My voice
small.

“Morning, baby.”
“Uh, yeah. You haven’t been answering.” I twisted a

dark strand of hair around my finger as I rested back in my
wood chair.

“Haven’t been here.” There was the sound of sheets

rustling.

“Where have you been?”
He was quiet for a second. “You’re calling about your

phone, right?” he asked. “You left it in my car. Damn thing
kept ringing, too. Had to shut it off.”

“You could have brought it back to me.”
He laughed. “Yeah. I could have.”
We were quiet for a second, and then he moaned, and

it sounded like his stretch. The one where his long muscular
body would extended to its full height, his T-shirt lifting just
enough to give a glimpse of his impressive abs. I sighed.

“By the way,” he added, “tell Joel that he should really

stop calling so much. He’s acting like a stalker.”

“Aiden.”
“Just trying to help you out, Tess.”

“Don’t need that sort of help.” When he didn’t answer, I

started to feel bad. He was still being really casual and
cool, but I knew Aiden. If he wasn’t acting smooth and
confident, his mind was racing. I was ruining him.

“I’m really sorry,” I whispered.
“It’s just a few phone calls.”
“Not about that.” I lowered my eyes and stared at my

hands, naked of polish. “About everything.”

He was quiet. It seemed forever that we sat there,

listening to each other breathe. Finally he said, “I’ll overnight
your phone to you, okay?”

The coldness of the post office hit me hard. In a way,

maybe I wanted him to drop it off. Maybe I wanted him to
talk to me. Maybe I wanted him to explain why I couldn’t just
say yes to Joel. But in the end, I just thanked him and hung
up.

I was immediately struck with loneliness.
But I barely had time to dwell before my doorbell rang. I

craned my neck to look out my bedroom door, my
eyebrows pulled together. Who could that be? I grabbed my
crutches and steadied myself before working my way into
the kitchen toward the front door.

When I opened it, I nearly lost my balance and had to

grab onto the wall for support. Unexpected drama.

“Hey, Prez.”
“Chloe? What the hay are you doing here?” She

looked great. Her dark makeup had been replaced with
light-pink gloss and bronzer. Her normally pin-straight hair
was curled at the ends, making it look softer. Healthier. I
looked down at my yoga pants and slippers and suddenly
felt self-conscious.

“Can I come in?” she asked. And for once, she didn’t

sound snotty.

I debated. Could this be a trick? Sigh. I couldn’t very

well let her stand in my doorway, so I hopped out of the way

and let her in.

I motioned toward the kitchen table and then shut the

door before crutching over to sit down. “What do you want
to talk about?” I asked. I folded my hands in my lap, feeling
them get cold with anxiety. Being alone with her like this
made me uncomfortable. She and I had a sorted past.

“I’m sorry about Izzie.” She looked suddenly serious.

“Leona told me what happened, and I feel terrible. I sent her
some flowers.”

“You did?”
She shrugged. “I know what’s it like to have a guy

mess with you. At East Washington I dated someone for
close to six months, only to find out that half of the time he’d
been seeing his ex. It’s why I wanted to be a part of SOS.
Getting cheated on is something that can change a person,
you know?”

I did know. I’d been investigating it for three years. But I

couldn’t respond. Was Chloe confiding in me? Was she …
being nice? It put me on edge.

“And when I heard about Izzie, I remembered what it

was like to feel so alone. So desperate. I thought the
flowers might cheer her up a bit.” She laughed to herself,
the skin around her brown eyes crinkling. “God, I’m starting
to sound like you.”

“Why are you here, Chloe?” For the first time, I realized

that I wasn’t all that mad at her anymore. I mean, no, we
weren’t going to be best friends, but I didn’t feel the familiar
grudge. Maybe it was her admission. Maybe it was
because I’d watched Izzie dissolve in front of me. Or maybe
I was just lonely.

Chloe lowered her head, biting down on the corner of

her plump lip. “I have to tell you something. Something I
heard.”

I blinked quickly, straightening my posture. “Uh-oh.

That doesn’t sound good.” She looked up to meet my eyes.

“It’s not. Believe it or not, I don’t hate you, Tessa. In

fact, I sort of admire you in a weird sort of way. Which
makes what I have to say really difficult.”

I felt like I’d been transported to a different universe.

One where Chloe wasn’t a vengeful shrew. But I didn’t think
she was lying. I could usually tell when someone wasn’t
telling the truth. “Spill.”

She spread her fingers across the table and took a

breath. “Okay, well in physics class there was some chatter
about the SOS. Word is the football team was sent the
actual SOS forms with your names attached. Complete
inside job.”

“Who’d you hear this from?”
“Blaze Harmon himself.”
Could it be possible that Chloe had gotten the

information before us? She was not only a stellar
cheerleader but a tush-kicking spy, too?

“Who sent it?” I asked.
Chloe pressed her lips together. “He wouldn’t give me

the name, but he did say it had to do with Smitten Kitten.
And I think I figured it out.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Look, if you don’t have actual

proof. Then—”

“It’s Aiden.”
“What?” My heart stopped. How dare she make that

kind of accusation! And how dare she talk about Aiden to

me

of all people.

“I know you don’t want to believe it, Tessa. But I thought

I’d tell you before I went to the squad about it. He’s a mess.
And whether you can see it or not, he’ll do anything to get
back at you. Including ruining your reputation. Did you know
that he’s leaving WSU?”

A small gasp caught in my throat.
“Found out from his roommate while I was

investigating. He was in town the day you were caught. And

he was at Rick’s party the other night. Don’t you think it’s
odd that he’s popping up everywhere, always there when
you need him?”

“How do you know where he is all the time?” She was

right. I didn’t want to believe it. I’d just gotten off the phone
with him. I … I …

“He’s a little hard to miss, Tessa. Six two and

gorgeous doesn’t usually avoid my line of vision. Look, I’m
sorry that I’m telling you this. And I’m sorry that I screwed
things up between the two of you.”

“I have to talk to him,” I murmured, looking around the

room and feeling confused. Would Aiden really do this? No.
No, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

“I can’t keep this from the squad,” she said. “But if you

want to be the one to tell them …”

I nodded absently, tears forming in my eyes. Chloe got

up, staring at me compassionately. I’d been wrong about
so many things. Maybe I was wrong about her, too.

“I’ll see you later,” she said quietly, but as she went to

pass me, she paused. Then, confirming that she was
indeed from another universe, she bent down to hug me
awkwardly. “I’m sorry.”

I patted her arm in acknowledgment and waited at the

table until she was gone. When I heard the door click shut
… I sobbed. Fine. I’d admit it: I was still in love with Aiden. I
missed him more than I could stand. I didn’t want to go on
without him.

But this—this was it. Worse than Mary. Worse than

anything any cheater had ever done. I’d spent so long trying
to get myself together, and yet I was sabotaging myself at
every turn.

Joel cared about me—the real me. And I’d been unfair

to him. I’d used Kira as the excuse when, really, I was
waiting for Aiden. For him to figure out a way to win me
back. But now that was gone. He was gone.

I sniffled and then shook my head to clear it. I knew

what I had to do. Grabbing my crutches, I went to my room
and flopped down at my desk, turning on my computer. I
signed into my e-mail and opened Joel’s message,
reading it once more.

I felt my muscles tense, determination burning my skin.

Then I hit reply.

“Yes. I’ll be your girlfriend,” I wrote.
Then I hit send.

“Aiden?” Leona screamed into the phone. “I was right

from the beginning?”

I leaned back into my sofa, my leg resting on the coffee

table. “I guess you were. Chloe said she got the lead from
Blaze and investigated it.”

“She’s good.”
“Yeah. Did you know that Aiden was dropping out of

WSU?”

“Really? Why?”
“Don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.” I stared

blankly ahead, shutting off all of my feelings so that I could
do what needed to be done.

“He was acting weird at Rick’s party,” she said. “Total

buddy-buddy toward Blaze at first. Maybe he recognized
me, and that was why he started acting tough. I wonder
what he would have said if I wasn’t there.”

“I have no idea.”
We were quiet for a long moment. “Do you want me to

confront him?” Leona asked gently.

“No. It should be me. This is all my fault anyway.”
“It is not. How could you—” She stopped. “Ugh. It’s my

other line. Chris again.”

Huh. “Why is he calling?”
“Probably because I left him a voice mail, calling him

an ignoramus. He’s probably trying to find out what it

means.”

I laughed. “Why are you leaving messages like that?”
“I don’t know.” She sighed. “I saw him at Sid’s late last

night, and he wouldn’t even acknowledge me. So I threw my
iced tea at him and walked out. Sid is going to be vicious
next time.”

“Yikes.”
“Well, I should answer,” she said. “Maybe he’ll

apologize.”

“Good luck.” With that we hung up, and I dropped the

phone to my side, resting my head against the back pillow.
Leona was a good friend.

The phone rang again, startling me, and I wondered if

Chris hadn’t exactly apologized.

“You okay?” I said in greeting.
“I’m feeling pretty great now that I just got your e-mail.”
“Joel!” I was flooded with relief. Just hearing his voice

set me at ease, and I couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t know
what you’re talking about,” I teased.

“Really? See, there’s this girl …”
I laughed. He was so squeezy and adorable.
“And I asked her out—by e-mail even—and she—”
“By e-mail? That’s kind of weird.”
“Right? But she said yes anyway. I think she must be in

love with me or something.”

I bit down on my lip, practically hugging myself. “Or

something.”

“Anyways, I just had to tell someone. Wait until you

meet her. She’s amazing.”

“How amazing?”
“Beautiful, funny. Very shiny and sparkly.”
“I do love sparkles.”
“Oh, you’ll like her,” he said. “I know I do.” He ended it

with a very serious tone, and all at once, I was desperate to
see him. I couldn’t stand the thought of being alone

anymore.

“Do you want to come over for a little bit?” I asked.
He paused. “Yes.” And he hung up. I laughed and put

down the phone, slowly getting up from the couch and
grabbing my crutches.

I felt better already. I was moving on, and, yes, I still

needed to confront Aiden, but there was nothing he could
say now to make me forgive him. Aiden was my past, my
sad, heartbroken past.

Joel was my future.

SOS

INTENT TO

INVESTIGATE

CASE:

069

CLIENT:

Hillary Hamm

SUBJECT:

Midas Murdock

This is the SOS official notice of intent to investigate

Midas Murdock. The client has accused Mr. Murdock of
sexting with another girl while on a date with her. Ms.
Hamm witnessed (looking over his shoulder) a suspicious
text. But by the time she grabbed his phone, all of the
messages were deleted. She has not been able to gain
access to said phone since.

Ms. Hamm believes the accomplice is the “slutty new

girl” in his writing class.

If you wish to cancel this investigation, please text a

stop-work order to 555-0101. Stop orders must be placed
within 24 hours of this written notification.

Thank you for thinking of SOS, and we truly hope that

our investigation ends with positive results. Have a great
day.

Keep smiling,

SOS

: )

SOS

Text: 555-0101 * Exposing Cheaters for Over Three

Years

Chapter 16

I decided to put off calling Aiden a while longer while I

contemplated what to say. But when the doorbell rang
fifteen minutes later, I nearly dropped the lid of the
saucepan. My parents had called to say they were on their
way back to town from Portland. Since things had been
stressful around here lately, I decided to make them a
spectacular dinner—one that Joel was invited to.

It was the best way to bridge my two lives and start

anew. Once my dad saw how great Joel was for me, he’d
accept him into the family, just like he’d accepted Aiden. It
would be so happily ever after.

When I opened the door, Joel was standing there

looking dapper. His hair was perfectly styled, and he was
wearing a button-down green shirt that made the hazel of
his eyes look greener. He looked delicious.

“Hi,” I said.
He grinned. “You like?” He held out his hands and spun

around slowing.

“Showing off?”
He pinched his fingers together. “A little.”
“As long as you realize.” I turned and crutched over to

the stove, a smile firmly planted on my lips. Stirring the
sauce, I thought about how nice this was, the smell of food,
a good boy, no bad memories trying to ruin my fun time.

Leona had called back to say that Izzie’s doctor had

started her on a regimen of mild antidepressants and
therapy. After that, her mother apparently marched her
downtown to see Maurice, and he gave her the most
adorable bob ever. A chic haircut and therapy can do
amazing things for a person. I planned to stop by her house
tomorrow with flowers of my own.

“So

school’s

been

terribly

boring

without

cheerleaders,” Joel said. “It’s … quieter.”

I looked over at him and held out a wood cutting board.

“You want to help?”

“Of course.” But then he pretended to sigh loudly when

he took the board from me. I had Joel chop up all the garlic
for the bread (because, really, I didn’t want the smell on my
hands all night) and then he even cut up some tomatoes for
the salad.

We were happily cooking together—like a real couple

—when the front door opened. “Hi!” I said, holding up the
wooden spoon as I waved.

My father paused, wheeling his suitcase in behind him.

He looked from me to Joel, and his eyes narrowed behind
his glasses. “Hello, honey,” he said to me. “Joel.” He moved
away before Joel could answer.

It was so weird! My dad was not a rude person. I

mean, he lived with me! We’d discussed at length the
importance of being polite!

I glanced over at Joel and mouthed an apology. He

shrugged as if it were no big deal, but I was embarrassed.

“Oh!” my mother said, shaking her head quickly in a

gesture of surprise. “I didn’t know we were having
company.” She smiled at Joel. “How are you, honey?”

“Very good, Mrs. Crimson.”
See! My mom was candy-apple sweet. What was up

with my father? “Excuse me,” I said and crutched my way to
my parent’s back bedroom.

The door was opened, and my father had his suitcase

on the bed while he took his clothes from it and shook them
out. He looked up when I knocked.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said. His glasses were on the

nightstand, and his eyes looked tired. They’d been traveling
a lot lately.

“Explain.”
He smiled a little but returned to his unpacking. “Not

sure what you mean, Tess.”

“Dad,” I said in warning. “You’re being mean to Joel.”
“I wouldn’t say ‘mean.’”
“Then what would you say?”
He paused and turned to face me. “

Cautious.

Which is

how you should be.”

I furrowed my brow. “Cautious of what?”
“New boys. Honey, just because Aiden is away at

college, doesn’t mean you have to start dating someone. I
don’t feel like you’re giving yourself time to heal.”

Little prickles of anger started to race up my spine.

“Aiden’s not just away at college. We’re broken up. He did
something awful, and I’m done dwelling on it. I’ve moved on,
and I’m dating Joel—”

“You two are dating now?” My father looked really

concerned. He sat down at the edge of the bed and rested
his elbows on his knees. “So soon?” He seemed shocked.

I hobbled in and set my crutches aside as I took the

spot next to him on the lavender comforter. “I like him, Dad.”
In a way, I appreciated my father’s worry. But it wasn’t
helping me move on. And that was what I desperately
needed right now.

My father stared at the floor and then glanced

sideways at me. “I miss Aiden,” he said with a smile. “So I
can only imagine how you feel.”

“We should start a club.”
“Your mother will join, too.”
My father and I sat there quietly, both missing my ex-

boyfriend (sort of weird but understandable). I considered
telling him that Aiden was to blame for outing SOS, but it
just didn’t seem right. In a way, I didn’t want him to hate
Aiden.

My mom called out from the kitchen for us to come eat

dinner, and I took in a heavy breath, trying to compose
myself.

“What if he comes back for you?” my father asked as

he stood up, steadying my crutches for me.

“He’s not coming back,” I said. “Not ever.”
My father nodded, but when I was standing, he

reached over to put his hand on my shoulder. “I’m not sure
what’s really going on,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “But
I’m only telling you this because I love and trust you. People
make mistakes. I made mistakes. But your mom forgave
me—and look what a beautiful life we’ve had together.
Sometimes forgiveness is the truest test of love.”

I was overwhelmed with emotion as he dropped his

arm and started walking toward the door. Aiden had
forgiven me for spying, but I’d never returned it. Was I the
one that didn’t love enough? I looked toward the door,
longing for a time when Aiden was the one out in the
kitchen setting the table with my mother.

But then I thought about what Chloe said about Aiden

turning us over so that he could get back at me. And I
thought about Mary Rudick, and how he had touched her.
How he lied.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” I said quietly, pushing away all of my

feelings. “But some things can’t be forgiven.” I didn’t look at
him as I crutched past and out into the hallway. I moved
quickly (or as quickly as I could) into the kitchen and took
my seat across from Joel, where Aiden used to sit, and
forced a smile.

This was my new life—everything I needed and more.

And now that we’d discovered the traitor and set Izzie back
on a healthy course, the only thing left to focus on was
ESPN. We would rock that cheer! Sure, the school hated
us, but nothing fought animosity like school spirit.

I reached for the glass salad bowl, the beginning of a

cheer already coming to me. If there was one thing that had
gotten me through tough times in the past, it was
cheerleading.

And this new cheer was brilliant—total handicap

accessible for me. Global warming! We were going to win
back Washington High with the best routine they’d ever
seen. I squeaked with excitement.

“You’re suddenly very smiley?” Joel said from across

the table. I looked up at him, ignoring my father’s cough at
the end of the table.

“That’s because I just formulated a plan.”
“Oh, God,” my father murmured before taking a sip of

his iced tea.

I ignored my father and keyed into the curious

expression on Joel’s face. “I know how to turn the school
back to our side of the field,” I said.

“Really?” Joel was grinning from ear to ear and set

down his fork. “I’ll admit, I’m both terrified and curious.”

My mother laughed. I stared at Joel, a mixture of

attraction and hope blending in my stomach. He was a
good person to stand with me on the sidelines. He was just
good.

“Tessa,” my father said. “Please don’t hurt yourself.

Well, again.” He motioned toward my crutches leaning
behind me on the wall.

I rolled my eyes at him. “I’ll be careful.” He nodded,

looking worried, and I appreciated that. In fact, I wasn’t even
mad at him for being wary of Joel anymore. He was just
trying to look out for me, and that was very parental of him.

I glanced around the table, everyone anxious to hear

about my plan, and I thanked my lucky, twinkling stars that I
had such a great support group.

Things were strawberry smooth—things were good.

My father and Joel didn’t say more than, “Can you

pass the garlic bread?” at dinner, but they didn’t argue
either. So I guess it was just a small step in the new
formation. I was crutching Joel out to his car when he
reached over and put his hand on mine. I stopped and

turned to him. Maybe he forgot something?

“You really think a routine is going to solve everything?”

His head was slightly tilted as if he were asking honestly,
out of concern.

I smiled. “I do.” In the crisp night air with the fallen

leaves all around us on the driveway, I felt like I was in the
middle of a romance novel. Everything was in its place. It
made sense.

He let go of my hand and walked to stand in front of me

—close. My breath sort of held in my chest, nervousness
turning in my belly. He moved even closer.

“Thank you for having me over tonight, Tessa.” Joel’s

hazel eyes glanced at my lips as he quickly licked his.

I just nodded. I wasn’t sure I could speak. It had gotten

really cold outside. I wrapped my arms over my chest.

He smiled at my nonresponse. “I’m going to kiss you,”

he murmured. “In, like, three seconds, I’m going to lean
down and finally kiss you.”

“Okay.” He was incredibly sweet. And the awkward

way he was standing so close to me with his fingers
seeming unsure how to reach out for me—those were the
things I liked. The naturalness of him.

My eyelids fluttered as tingles raced through my body.

He was so handsome. So gentle.

“One,” he breathed. “Two.”
I closed my eyes and accepted him. His new taste,

feel. I tried to memorize it so that I could replace all of the
other feelings I had.

I tried.

OVERNIGHT SHIPPING

Tess,
Here’s your phone. Strangest thing happened. I

decided to get myself one of these nifty devices. So I
programmed my new number in your phone book, just in
case you needed to get a hold of me. Hope you don’t mind.

A

Chapter 17

I opened the overnight box after I read the attached

message, my face numb. All I found was my phone, pink
and perfect, completely unharmed. And for a second, I was
disappointed, expecting some grand gesture. Flowers
maybe.

Ugh. What was I saying? Chloe had accused him of

being a saboteur, the reason my ankle was broken.
Everyone at school hated us, and it was all because of him.
But still … maybe some chocolates?

I shook my head, pushing the box into the middle of the

kitchen table as I sat there feeling melancholy. Here I was,
thinking about Aiden when I’d just kissed Joel last night!
Everything was supposed to be perfect now.

There was a vibrating sound from the box, and I

jumped. Leaning into the table I peeked over the cardboard
lid to see my phone shaking. I reached in to grab it, and
when I looked at the caller ID, I couldn’t stop myself from
smiling.

It said I was receiving a call from “Mr. Awesome.” And

since I was pretty sure I’d never programmed that number
in, I had a feeling I knew who it was.

“Mr. Awesome? Really?”
Aiden laughed. “I guess the box arrived.”
“It did.”
“You going to change my name?” He sounded

amused.

The warm and fuzzies suddenly turned cool and

scratchy. “Aiden, I—”

“It’s okay,” he interrupted. “I saw your last text message

from Joel. I know you guys were planning on going out to
dinner. How’d it go?”

My face reddened with shame even though I knew it

was acceptable for me to move on. Still, somehow Aiden

knowing made me feel awful. “I don’t really think I should be
talking about it with you.”

“You do what you need to, Tessa,” he said. “I won’t

hold it against you.”

“

I know it was you

” tried to form on my lips, but I

couldn’t bring myself to accuse him. I kept hearing my
father’s voice, preaching about forgiveness. And in a way, I
wasn’t sure I was ready to hear that Aiden had betrayed
me.

“I was thinking,” he said, oblivious to my struggling

emotions, “since our anniversary already passed—without
a word from you, I might add—I was thinking that maybe I
could take you out sometime. Not a date. Just … I don’t
know, a those-were-fun-times lunch?” He sounded amused,
but I closed my eyes.

“I don’t think so.”
“Aw!” He laughed. “Come on. I doubt your friend Joel

would mind. Besides, he doesn’t really have a say in it. It’s
not like—”

“He’s my boyfriend,” I said abruptly. “We’re going out

now.”

There wasn’t a sound on the other line, just pained

silence. Finally, I heard Aiden swallow loudly. “I see. Guess
I’m the one that doesn’t have a say.”

Oh, heck. “I’m sorry. I have to go. Bye, Aiden.” I hung

up before he could say anything else, feeling absolutely
devastated. How did I just tell him that? It seemed like the
meanest thing I’d ever done, and yet he’d been the one to
betray me. What was wrong with me? What was happening
to me?

Dropping my phone on the table with a clank, I rubbed

roughly at my face, smearing the tears around. After a few
long seconds of even breathing, I looked back down at my
phone. I needed to let this go. I had to let him go.

I scrolled though my phone book until I found his listing.

I hit edit, and when it came up, I stared at “Mr. Awesome.”
He’d even uploaded a picture. It was him against the brick
wall of a building wearing a backward hat and smiling
widely, ridiculously. It was absolutely adorable.

So I shut the phone off and didn’t change a thing. Not

yet.

The Kittens and I met in full uniform in the gymnasium

Monday morning. To keep the peace, I’d told them all about
Aiden and let Chloe explain her evidence. Several of them
offered their condolences, but I just waved them off. I didn’t
want their pity.

Before school, I’d e-mailed Joel and asked him to

keep our relationship status secret until I could talk to Kira
in private. But now that I was here, I didn’t have the guts to
tell her. It was just that it was so nice having us all gathered
around, forming plans of action. I’d ruin the moment if I told
her. But I would. Eventually.

We’d all arrived at school early enough to miss the

crowd. Or rather, angry mob. Things hadn’t really toned
down yet. After the weekend, I’d had the small hope that the
student body had moved on to bigger news. Cheerleader
spies. Jeez, was there nothing else going on?

But I did look into our latest SOS case and planned to

steal the SIM card from Midas’s phone later today. I thought
the girls might appreciate my ambition.

As I crutched to center court, ready to begin practice,

Kira stood up from where she was sitting on the bleachers.

“K!” I gasped, touching my chest. “Your skirt is well

above regulation length.” And that was putting it mildly. Her
maroon skirt barely covered her bloomers.

She smiled. “Well, I figured if the boys were distracted,

they might not be so mean.” She tapped her temple. “I’m
thinking ahead.”

She had a good point. Kira’s legs were well-known for

their distractive quality. But still, we had an image to
maintain. “Make sure you wear matching bloomers, then.”

“Got it, Tess.”
“Now,” I said, looking around at the girls. “I have

something amazing planned for the ESPN game. It came to
me last night, and I worked it all out so that despite my
handicap, we should be able to pull it off no problem.”

“Excellent,” Leona said, coming to stand next to me.

The girls were buzzing about the possible routine, but I
looked at the empty spot in my lineup and felt sad. No Izzie.
It just didn’t seem like the Smitten Kittens without her.
“She’ll be back soon,” Leona whispered, bumping my
shoulder. “I’m going to go by there after school, so I’ll teach
her the moves so she’ll be ready on game day. We won’t
go on without her.”

I smiled. “You’re the best.”
“Actually,” Kira called, putting her hand on her hip. “I

was hoping we could try my routine. It has way more
pizzazz.”

“K, it’s way too dangerous. Someone could get hurt.”

Kira’s cheer was great, amazing really. But the projection of
the jumper and the impossible amount of twists made it a
no-no.

“But a stellar cheer can get the school back on our

side!”

“I agree,” Chloe chimed in, tying her blond hair up in a

ponytail. “I’ve seen Kira do it, and it freaking rocks.”

“I like you’re train of thought,” I said to them. “But I’ve

been working on a cheer, a safer one, that I think can still
wow the crowd without needing an ambulance.”

Kira’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what this is about? You

want to use your cheer instead?”

“No.” I looked around and saw all of the girls watch me

suspiciously. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just—”

“Whatever.”

Kira and I stared each other down. “I’m thinking about

our safety,” I said, my adrenaline heightened now that she
was confronting me. “Not about taking credit for a cheer.”

“Sure, Tessa. Of course.” She smiled as if all were

forgiven, but I knew differently; I knew

her

. And suddenly, I

realized that she already knew about Joel and me. I could
see it in her blue, icy glare.

I blinked quickly and moved back on my crutches,

confused. How did she know?

“See,” Leona said, looking back and forth between us.

“All better. Now, let’s see Tessa’s routine before the bell
rings.”

And just then, my cell rang inside my backpack, the

sound echoing through the gym. I didn’t recognize the
standard ring tone. “Hold up.” I crutched over to it, unzipping
and pulling it out when Kira scoffed.

“Answering your phone during practice?”
“I’m waiting for a call from my doctor. We did x-rays on

Friday.” It seemed that all the progress that Kira and I had
made had just flown out the sunroof. She’d been faking
friendly earlier—maybe hoping to get her cheer in the
rotation.

Mr. Awesome. My mouth twitched when I saw Aiden’s

alias on my screen. What would the girls say if I answered?
What would Aiden say?

But as I stared at his goofy smile, I couldn’t help

picking up. Maybe it was important.

“I’m at practice,” I said as a greeting. I glanced

nervously over my shoulder and saw Chloe watching me,
her head tilted slightly. The rest of the squad started talking
among themselves.

“Didn’t think you would answer,” he said with an

embarrassed laugh. “Sort of hoping I could just leave a
message.”

“Why?”

“Uh … it’s sort of hard to say, Tess. And now that I’ve

got you on the phone, I’m not really sure where to start.”

Well, he could start by apologizing, admitting what he’d

done and then possibly explaining why he did it. But I wasn’t
Aiden’s guardian angel. He needed to figure it out himself.

“Try.”
He sucked in a breath as if he really didn’t want to.

“Look, will you meet me? I’d rather talk about it in person.”

My stomach dropped. “What?”
“It’s complicated. If we had dinner, maybe I could

explain better.”

“Aiden, I—”
“Wait,” Kira snapped. “You’re talking with Aiden?”
I looked back at her, hearing the accusation in her

voice. “Yes, but he knows who—”

“Wow,” she said, turning away from me. “It’s never

enough for you, is it?” “Hey!”

“Listen,” Leona said quickly, stepping in front of Kira

and motioning to the rest of the squad. “Class is about to
start, so let’s head into the locker room and draw up the
blueprints for the Midas Murdock investigation. I’m sure
Tessa will be there in a second.”

She glanced over at me, and I nodded, putting my

hand over the phone. “I’m sorry. This will only take a sec.”

Leona turned, leading the girls toward the heavy

double doors as if it were no big deal, but Kira wouldn’t
look my way at all. She even gave me a hair flip.

Chloe paused in mid court, glancing my way with a

hitched eyebrow. “If it makes you feel any better,” she said,
“I would’ve answered, too.”

My expression faltered, and she shrugged, trotting

toward the rest of the squad. Yeah. Of course, she would
have. Argh! This was becoming such a bad day, and the
first bell hadn’t even rang yet!

I took a second to compose myself and then put the

phone to my ear. “Aiden, I’m not sure I have the emotional
stability to deal with this right now. Is there any way—”

“Just meet me one more time, Tess,” he said softly.

“And if you don’t want to see me after that, I’ll understand.”
Somehow the thought of never seeing him again made my
heart hurt.

“When?”
“Tonight. I’ll come by at seven.”

Excalibur

! This was such a bad idea. But I really

wanted to hear his explanation. I almost felt like I needed to.
“Fine.”

He sighed, sounding relieved. “Fine. Oh, and, Tess,

you probably shouldn’t mention this to your boyfriend.” And
he hung up.

“What are we doing here?” I whispered to Kira as we

squatted down on the carpet in the back of the deserted
public library. And it wasn’t easy to squat with a giant cast
on my leg!

“Shhh …” She put her polished finger to her lips.

“Midas is in that study carrel with Carnie Trinadad.”

“The girl from his English class?”
“Yep.”
“Are they studying?”
Kira glanced over at me sharply and held out her

phone. There was a message from Carnie to Midas—it
was about her underwear. Or lack of. Gross!

Ugh. After this morning, the rest of my day had been

just as awful. Blaze Harmon’s cronies had stuck maxi pads
all over the front of my locker—which I didn’t even
understand. What was he trying to say?

Then Joel wasn’t around during lunch because he’d

gotten called to the office for skipping school last week. I’d
planned on asking him why he told Kira we were going out,
but I didn’t get a chance. Instead, I got five minutes with him

in exchange for a quick peck on the lips.

Immediately after class, the squad practiced my new

routine, which I had to admit looked stellar. And finally, at
4:45, Kira and I hightailed it over to the library to catch the
cheater. I was a busy Kitten!

“So do you want to snap the pics?” I asked, quietly

unzipping my backpack to take out the camera.

“I probably should.” Kira paused before seeming to

waver over something. “I want to apologize,” she
whispered. “I was mean to you at practice today. I’m not
even sure why.”

Kira saying she was sorry was enough to make me

jump for joy—if I could jump at all. I hated fighting, and now
that Joel and I were a couple (and Kira knew about it), we
should try to bury the hatchet. Preferably not in my back. “K,
that means so much to me. You have no idea how—”

“Wait, that’s not true. I do know why.”
“Oh.” I shifted uncomfortably, needing to sit down to

take the pressure off my good leg. I stretched out my cast in
front of me on the navy carpet, and Kira joined me on the
floor. “Why?”

Kira’s lips pulled into a pout. “Joel told me that you two

are going out now. And he told me that you kissed.”

My stomach flipped. I felt a little grossed out that she

knew that. Not that I hadn’t told her plenty about Aiden and
me, but that was different. She didn’t have personal
experience with him. “He told you that?”

She nodded, her face pale. “He’s in love with you,

Tessa.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure if I should be happy, or feel offended

that he told Kira personal information about us.

Lady and

the Tramp

! Love?

She shook her head, her curls bouncing over her

shoulders. “I didn’t even want to bring it up. Have every
intention of sucking it up and moving on.” She stopped,

intention of sucking it up and moving on.” She stopped,
looking away as if she might cry.

“I’m sorry,” I said, touching her shoulder. “I didn’t want

to hurt you. I wanted us to be friends again.”

Kira closed her eyes before opening them to glance

over her shoulder at me. “I want that, too, Tess. I really do.
But … I just can’t. Not when you’re with him. It’s too hard for
me.”

It was like a dagger in my chest. I basically had to

choose. My new boyfriend or my former best friend. Just
then, my phone beeped a text message alert in my pocket.
Kira motioned for me to answer it.

MR. AWESOME IS ON HIS WAY

I laughed despite myself and deleted the message.
“Who is Mr. Awesome?” Kira scrunched her nose.
My smile faded as I looked up at Kira. “Oh, that’s

Aiden. He programmed it into my phone as a joke when I
forgot it in his car after Rick’s party.”

Kira’s eyes widened. If she were a cartoon, a lightbulb

would have illuminated over her head. “I see.”

“It’s not like that.”
“Like what?” she asked innocently. “I’m sure you have

a perfectly good reason to be exchanging texts with Mr.
Awesome.” She swallowed with a click and put her hands
on the ground, pushing herself up. “And it’s none of my
business. Joel chose you.” She paused, taking the cap off
the camera lens. “He deserves whatever he gets.”

I wanted to explain why I was meeting with Aiden, but

really, what was the point? Kira was firmly on Team Aiden,
and that was only because she wanted Joel for herself.

Grabbing my crutches from the carpeted floor, I pulled

myself to a standing position. I would end this ridiculous
Aiden situation tonight. I needed to know why he did it, not
for the squad, for me. I deserved the explanation.

I started crutching forward, determined to get on with

this investigation and on with my life. Kira was close behind
me, camera poised in hand, as we got to the other side of
the study carrel—silent as ninjas.

She tugged my sleeve from behind and we both

crouched down. She got in position and zoomed in, clicking
off frames.

Ew. The library was no longer a sacred place.

Seriously, cheaters were making me nauseous.

SOS

CHEATER INCIDENT

REPORT

CASE:

069

CLIENT:

Hillary Hamm

SUBJECT:

Midas Murdock

FINDINGS

: At approximately 4:00 p.m. on October

14, Mr. Murdock’s phone received an obscene text from
Carnie Trinidad (the slutty new girl from his writing class).
The exact text was recorded and transcribed; you’ll find it
included with this letter.

Take note on page three of the mention of “no

underwear” and meeting in the library study carrel. It is our
assertion that you were correct about Ms. Trinidad. You
were also correct about Mr. Murdock’s infidelity. He was
later observed engaging in inappropriate forms of PDA in
the library. The front office was notified.

SOS offers 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

: )

SOS

Text: 555-0101 * Exposing Cheaters for Over Three

Years

Chapter 18

Hillary Hamm did not take the news well. Leona and I

delivered the envelope (along with a dozen perfectly pink
carnations) to her house just before I was supposed to
meet Aiden.

The moment she saw us on her large covered front

porch, she started crying. Then she cursed and took out her
cell to send the most tragic text ever to Midas. Something
along the lines of hoping he caught a nasty venereal
disease.

But she appreciated the pink carnations I’d brought.
“So when are you meeting with Aiden?” Leona asked

as we got into her Beamer, watching the sun fade behind
the trees.

“In about twenty minutes.” My nose twitched. I was still

upset from my conversation with Kira. In fact, I’d ignored all
of Joel’s texts because I wasn’t sure if she’d run back to tell
him. It was pretty cheerless having your boyfriend tell his ex
everything. And vice versa. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yep,” Leona said, checking her rearview before

pulling out into the street.

“Do you think Aiden is the reason I’m having a tough

time dating Joel?”

“Um …” She turned to me, her dark eyebrows pulled

together and then looked back at the street. “Well, first, I
didn’t know you were officially dating Joel. Second, of
course. Aiden is the reason you do anything. And third, why
the hell didn’t I know you were dating Joel?”

“I don’t know. I really didn’t tell anybody because I was

afraid it’d hurt Kira’s feelings. Even though Joel told her and
—wait. What do you mean, ‘Aiden is the reason you do
anything’?”

Leona smiled. “Why are you meeting with him tonight?”
“To find out why he turned us in.”

“And you don’t think if you would have asked

really

nicely, he would have told you over the phone?”

I guess I hadn’t really thought about that. He said he’d

rather tell me in person. I assumed it was because it was
difficult to talk about. Like he was embarrassed. But maybe
…”

“All I’m saying, Tessa, is that it’s okay to still care

about Aiden, even if he’s just pulled the biggest d-bag
move in history. And honestly, I don’t think he’s a bad guy. I
think you

trying

to make him the bad guy is what’s eating at

you. If you’re looking for excuses as to why you’re not
hooking up with Joel on a regular basis, I think it has to do
with you more than anyone else.”

“Meaning?”
“What am I a freaking fortune cookie? I don’t know,

Tess. Figure it out. Decide what you want and do it. Stop
waffling. It’s not becoming of a Smitten Kitten.”

I smiled. Waffles were delicious. “You’re right,” I said

as she paused at a red light. “I need to clear my head.
Maybe I should go back to meditating?”

“It did keep you wonderfully centered.”
“Agreed.”
Leona drove me home, and after I got inside my

house, I heard the first splatters of rain hit my bedroom
window. The season was starting. It would rain for months
at a time, but I think I was getting used to it. Maybe the fact
that it always happened made it more comforting
somehow.

I decided to meditate before I was supposed to meet

with Aiden. I wanted to be in top form when we talked. He
was smooth, and I needed to be prepared for that. Sitting
on a fluffy pink pillow on the carpeted floor, I tried to clear
my mind as best as I could. But something always popped
in there.

First it was SOS and how now that we weren’t a

First it was SOS and how now that we weren’t a

secret, people didn’t like us. Well, some of the girls still did
—evidenced by our steady stream of cheater requests. I’d
actually gotten into a very thoughtful debate in sociology
class about the anatomy of a cheater. My teacher was very
impressed. But mostly the guys called us names, or tossed
wads of paper at us when we passed by.

But I kept my head held high. After all, I’d caught most

of them in compromising positions. Who was the one that
should really be embarrassed?

Then I thought about Joel, and I got a little angry. He

had told Kira what I had explicitly told him not to. Why would
he do that? I understood that they were friends, but was he
completely clueless about her feelings for him? Ugh. I’d
have to speak with him about that.

I was about to try to blank out my brain again when my

phone went off. I glanced down at it, vibrating on my floor.
The screen said it was Joel. I held in a breath, but I didn’t
move. I hadn’t thought about what to say to him. I’d needed
notes for this.

I glanced over at my alarm clock and saw that it was

almost seven. Aiden would be here any minute, and even
though I didn’t have to get pretty (not like I cared what he
thought), I did want to put on a warm, sort of cute sweater.

Hm … now where did I put my lip gloss?

When my doorbell rang, I thought my heart would be

stuck in my throat forever. It had been a while since Aiden
had been to my house—at least, a while since he’d been
invited. I crutched into the kitchen, but before I could open
the door, I heard voices on the other side. What was going
on?

Just then the door opened, startling me.
“Sorry, honey,” my father said when he saw me, a huge

grin on his face. “Didn’t mean to frighten you. But look who I
found on our doorstep.” He was beaming as his hand

clutched Aiden’s shoulder. I was a little too breathless to
respond.

There was my ex-boyfriend, smiling as he stood with

my father. His skin looked warm and tan, so inviting in the
cooling fall weather. His hair a little longer, growing out to
become the messy curls that I used to love. Like always,
just looking at Aiden was enough to make someone melt.
But I quickly pulled myself together.

“Hello, Aiden,” I said nonchalantly, and crutched over

for a glass of water. Cold water. “Dad, where’s mom?” A
change of subject was in order.

“She’s setting up at the club for tonight.” I didn’t look at

him, but I could hear the elation in his voice. “Aiden, would
you want to come watch our set tonight?”

“Really? Yeah, that’d—”
“He can’t,” I said quickly, spinning to face them. “Aiden

and I are going to have a talk, and then he’s going back to
school.” Let’s just nip this in the bud before it gets any
worse.

Aiden’s expression faltered, but then he recovered and

smiled at my father. “Next time?”

“Sure.” My dad nodded and then shot me a dirty look.

“Maybe I can come up and catch a game at WSU when the
season starts.”

I took in a breath. That reminded me. Chloe had said

that Aiden was dropping out of WSU, something he’d
neglected to tell me. I wondered why he was trying to hide
it.

“Yeah, let me know. I’ve got a guy that can set aside

some tickets and—”

“We should go,” I said, hobbling over to where my two

guys stood. “Night, Dad.” I opened the door and motioned
for Aiden to leave. This father and son meeting was too
hard to watch. Aiden looked over at me, his face scrunched
as he stared. Maybe he thought I was crazy. I sort of felt like

it.

He said his good-byes to my father, and they did a

man embrace (shoulder lean with a pat on the back). When
he got out the door, I held up my finger. “Just give me a
sec?”

His green gaze shifted between me and my dad, and

then he nodded before walking out. When I turned to my
father, his expression was bordering on furious.

“Tessa Crimson, you were not raised to be so rude.”
“Me? How about the way you treat Joel?”
“This has nothing to do with Joel. Aiden was a part of

this family for a long while. I understand that you’re upset
with him, I really do. But I do not appreciate the unpleasant
way you treated me in front of him.”

I didn’t like being scolded. Heat swarmed my cheeks

and I frowned. He might have been right about me being a
bit disrespectful. “I’m sorry. But you don’t know everything.”

“That may be true. But understand, part of being a well-

adjusted adult is treating others with respect. No matter
what. I’d hate to see you lose your compassion.”

I nodded. I knew how much my parents cared about

Aiden. It was unfair to force them to be angry with him. He’d
been like a son to them. Even if he weren’t my boyfriend
anymore.

Aiden’s car was idling in my driveway, but before I got

in, I took out my phone and shut it off. Then I packed it
safely away in my purse. I didn’t want to lose it again. And
… I didn’t want to explain to Joel where I was. I hadn’t
decided the best way to explain this to him yet.

I eased into the car and placed my crutches across the

backseat before lifting my booted foot into the car. Aiden
stared at it.

“Did I mention how much I’m digging the sparkles?”
I smiled. Dang him and his smooth talk. “No, you

haven’t.”

“I’m digging the sparkles.”
“Thanks.”
We sat quietly for a second, then Aiden shifted into

gear. “What are you hungry for?”

I felt a twist in my stomach, the feeling that I was doing

something I shouldn’t. This wasn’t really fair to Joel. “Aiden,
I’m just here to talk. I think you have some explaining to do.”

“I do?” Aiden looked sideways at me, studying my

expression. Then he turned to the road, eyebrows pulled
together. He backed out into the street and began driving
down the dark streets. “You’re right,” he said. “But first, why
don’t you tell me what you know so far.”

My lip curled. “What? You’re supposed to be spilling

your guts, remember?”

“I just want to make sure I’m not out of line here. Come

on, Tess. Tell me what the Kittens have discovered so far.”
The light on the corner of Elmhurst and Longview turned
red, and we eased to a stop.

“I know that you’re dropping out of WSU.” His hand

tightened on the steering wheel.

“That … is true. I’m transferring.”
I blinked quickly, realizing that Chloe’s investigation

had been correct. In a way, I might have still been hoping
she was wrong about him. “Where?”

“OSU.” He grinned and looked over. “I’m gonna be a

Beaver.”

My mouth twitched with a smile, but I covered it with my

hand. “Why?”

“Better schedule. Better team.” He glanced at me, then

the street. “What? Did you think I was coming back to live in
Redmond?”

“That would have been a logical assumption. Yes.”
“Oh, baby,” he chuckled. “You have such little faith in

me.”

Prickles broke out over my skin, not liking his choice of

words. Because I didn’t. I didn’t have any faith in him.

“Why did you do it?” I asked suddenly as he turned the

corner to ride into the hills.

“Do what?”
“Tell Blaze about us?”
His mouth opened as if he were offended. “Baby, I

didn’t say shit. What are you talking about? I wouldn’t do
something like that. I’ve spent the last week protecting you.”

My heart stopped as I stared back at him. Relief filling

me. “Banana split, Aiden! Are you serious?”

His eyes continued to dart back and forth from me to

the road. “Who told you that? Leona?” he demanded.

“It … it doesn’t matter. Who were you protecting me

from?”

“You don’t want to know,” he said, shaking his head.
“I think I do.”
Aiden spun his hand over the steering wheel as we

began winding through the streets. “For starters, the football
team was going to trash your uniforms, like throw paint on
you in the hallways. I had to personally call and threaten
each and every one of those fuckers.”

“Oh.” I was stunned. I knew the boys were mad, but the

thought of being assaulted in the hallway frightened me. I
was completely grateful to Aiden for saving us. Oh, my word
—he was innocent! Chloe was so wrong.

“And Stuart French was going to take out a full page

ad in the paper calling for public outrage. I had to pay him
two hundred bucks to stop him from running it.”

“But you don’t have two hundred bucks.”
“No, shit. But I couldn’t let them ruin you.”
My mouth twitched. “That was very sweet, Aiden.

Thank you.”

We came out on the other side of the hills, and Aiden

took the turn onto the freeway back to my neighborhood.
We were just wandering—no place to go. He … he was

such a hero.

“I’m so sorry I accused you,” I said quietly. “I should

have known better.”

“Uh, yeah. You should have.” He looked sideways at

me, his face hardened. But when I met his gaze, he rolled
his eyes. “But I forgive you.”

My breath caught. It was just like my father had said.

“Thanks.”

We didn’t say anything else until he pulled up in front of

my house, parking at the curb. He rested his head against
the seat as if he were so tired he was going to fall asleep
right here. “No matter where we are, Tess,” he murmured,
almost to himself. “I’ll never let anything bad happen to you.”

I watched him. His eyes were closed, and his lips were

slightly parted. His chest rose and fell with his breath. It
would be so natural to just lean over and kiss him; kiss him
like I’d done a million times before. It would feel so right.

“Who was it, Aiden?”
“I’m dying without you, Tess,” he said quietly, not

opening his eyes. Not answering me. His words went
straight to my heart, pulling it open and making it hurt. I
wanted him so much, but I couldn’t have him. I couldn’t
accept this life. My eyes started to water.

“Fine, if you’re not going to tell me, then I have to go.” I

couldn’t sit and listen to him anymore. I’d agreed to move
on with Joel. The past was over. I reached for the handle of
the passenger door.

“Wait.”
I paused, glancing back at him. He straightened up

and looked at me, his eyes weak. “Can we grab an ice
cream or something first?”

Dang it! He knew how much I liked ice cream. “I

shouldn’t.” I didn’t sound all that convincing.

“I promise I’ll tell you everything I know. I talked with

Darrell last night.”

I widened my eyes at him. “You weren’t going to tell me

that?”

He smiled. “I was holding out for ice cream.”
I tsked, but in a way, I appreciated the fact that he had

continued investigating. After Chloe had accused Aiden,
Leona had closed the case.

“Fine,” I said. “But only because I wrongly accused you.

Well, that and the fact that everyone needs a pistachio ice
cream once in a while. It helps with morale.”

“I don’t know about that. But strawberry sounds pretty

good. And, yes,”—he glanced into his lap—“I’ll tell you what
I know.”

It was all so ominous. And although I appreciated

Aiden’s chivalry in wanting to protect me, he’d have to
realize that I’m a grown cheerleader and could handle
myself. He couldn’t always save me.

But maybe just once more wouldn’t hurt. Aiden shifted

the gear, and I looked out the window. There was nothing
wrong with getting ice cream with Aiden. I mean, we’d been
getting ice cream for years. It wasn’t like he was painting
my nails or something.

Luckily, the mall was only a mile away and had a Ben

and Jerry’s. I wasn’t sure I could wait much longer for the
information—my mind had run through all the suspects with
no obvious choice. But now I was totally craving ice cream.

When we got there, I reached into the back to grab my

crutches, and then slowly got out of the Jetta. Once I was
balanced, I glanced over the top of the car as Aiden
stretched, his long, muscular body in full display. His face
was so content. Calm. When he met my eyes across the
roof, he pressed his lips together.

“Let’s go,” he called, walking around the car. When he

got to me, we both paused. I half expected him to take my
hand. But instead, he reached up to tuck a loose strand of
hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ear. When

his finger touched my earlobe, my entire body tingled.

He smiled, close to me. “I know how much you like to

be pulled together.”

I blinked heavily. “I’m letting go of some of my control

issues.” His eyes were green, beautiful. I remembered how
often I used to stare into them completely lost. I felt lost now.

He laughed. “Sure you are. Shall we?” he asked,

motioning toward the mall.

“Never understood why you liked that kind,” Aiden

said, biting into the top of his strawberry swirl as we sat just
outside the Ben and Jerry’s in the food court, the smells of
hamburgers and Panda Express filling the space between
us

“And I never understood how you could

bite

ice cream.

Some things are meant to be licked, Aiden.”

He choked on his mouthful.
“Besides, I think the green is sort of cute.”
“Of course, you do,” he said, still seeming to laugh at

some inside joke and wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“Can I ask you something?” Aiden took another bite.
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking questions?”
“Humor me?”
I took a long lick from my ice cream and then nodded.

Truth was I was curious about what he had to say. Now that
I knew he was innocent, I felt so much more comfortable.
And a little guilty for jumping to conclusions.

Aiden looked down at the metal table. “Are you in love

with him?” he asked. “Are you in love with Joel?”

Stupid Cupid

! I wasn’t expecting that! His question

made my muscles tense, my jaw tighten, my hand scrunch
my cone. So many feelings ran through me. Sad that Aiden
had to ask. Worried that I didn’t know how to answer.

When he finally looked up at me, I felt all of my air

escape as if I’d been sacked. His eyes were glassy even

though he continued to bite at his strawberry swirl as if the
answer didn’t matter. But I knew it mattered.

“Were you in love with Mary?” He flinched at the

question, then looked me straight in the eyes.

“No. I’ve never loved anyone but you.”
Although I should have been upset at my mention of

her name, his answer somehow released me. Like an
unknown fear.

“Are you in love with Joel?” he asked again quietly, this

time not looking away.

My pride wanted to take over. Scream an answer,

maybe make myself feel something that wasn’t there. But
instead I stared back into his eyes, thinking about how
rough Aiden was around the edges. How he bit his nails.
How he swore even when he was trying not to. I thought
about all the imperfect things that made him perfect to me.

“No.” I said, simply. “I’m not in love with Joel.”
Without any noticeable reaction, Aiden licked the side

of his cone. “Is it because you’re still in love with me?”

A chill ran across the back of my neck, and my breath

held in my chest. I could feel myself blushing, my cheeks
getting warm. “Maybe.”

His mouth twitched with a smile as he leaned back into

the painted metal of the food-court chair. He looked across
the room of people—completely pleased. “That’s good,
Tess,” he said, nodding to himself. “Because he’s the one
that set you up.”

Chapter 19

I was too stunned to talk on the way home. Joel. Joel

had turned us over to the football players, ratting us out and
causing our social exodus. He was partly to blame for my
broken ankle. Joel.

When we got home, Aiden walked me inside, helping

me sit down at the kitchen table before getting me a glass
of water. I couldn’t believe this.

I clutched my cup, Aiden now across from me and

looking worried. It couldn’t be true. Why would Joel do
something so cruel? Why would he destroy our lives?

“You’ve made a mistake,” I said quietly, lifting up my

cup to take a sip. “He wouldn’t do this.”

“Darrell confirmed it, Tess. Blaze wasn’t the only one

Joel told. He’d met with them a few times in the locker
room. He knew how to get through to SOS.”

“But how could he know that? I’ve never told him about

SOS.”

Aiden stood up from the kitchen chair and took my

near-empty glass from my hands and brought it to the
kitchen. As he was refilling it, it hit me.

“Sweet’N Low! What if it was Kira?”
“You think she sabotaged you again?”
I blinked quickly. Did I think that? No. Not really. Kira

had nothing to gain by telling Joel about SOS. And she
loved spying. I didn’t think she’d jeopardize it.

Aiden came back over to the table and set the glass

down in front of me. Then he squatted down so that he was
at eye level, putting his hands on my knees. Him being that
close made me dizzy. “I’m really sorry I had to tell you this,”
he said. “I was planning on taking care of it myself, but then
Darrell told me you were dating him. So I knew I had to tell
you.”

“How were you going to ‘take care of it’?”

He glanced away, trying (but not that hard) to hide a

grin. “I would have spoken to him about it.”

“With your fists?”
“You know I don’t condone violence.” Aiden winked

and then stood up. He bent down and kissed the top of my
head, making my insides flutter. “You gonna be okay if I
take off?”

“Depends. Are you going to see Joel?”
“Um … no?”
“Aiden!” I wasn’t even sure if I believed that Joel could

be involved—not without evidence. I didn’t want to falsely
accuse him as I’d just done with Aiden. And I couldn’t very
well let Aiden get in a physical altercation with him.

“Listen,” Aiden said from the doorway, zipping up his

jacket. “I won’t punch him. I won’t even kick him. I just want
to talk to the guy.”

“No. I think we both know you’re not great at self-

restraint.”

He smirked. “Sometimes I am.”
“Not really.”
Aiden groaned, leaning his long body against the door

frame as if exasperated. “You make me crazy.”

“Ditto.”
“Are you going to do something dangerous?” he

asked. “Because I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Again.”

I couldn’t help the rush of warmth and protection that

wrapped around me. Even though Aiden might be wrong
about Joel, he still wanted to beat him up. Part of that was
jealousy. And part of it was looking out for me. It made me
feel pretty good.

Reaching out, I grabbed one of my crutches to balance

on and hobbled over to where Aiden was standing. When I
stopped in front of him, his face fell as if he were suddenly
nervous. Like me walking up to him meant something.

I reached a hand behind his neck and drew him closer.

And when he was within striking distance, I got on my tiptoe
(one of them) and put my lips against the soft, warm skin of
his cheek. I felt him touch gingerly at my back, like he was
scared to touch me completely. As if I’d run away.

When I pulled back, I whispered, “Thank you.”
He laughed softly, his hand falling. He stared down at

me. “Anything for you, baby.”

Then he turned around and left.

The first thing I did after Aiden left was take a deep

breath. The second thing I did was turn on my phone and
call Leona. But she didn’t answer.

Hello Kitty! I needed to talk to her. I was in a downward

spiral and desperate for answers. I tried her house, but her
mother (who’d just gotten back from a lengthy business trip)
told me she hadn’t seen her. I dialed Izzie’s number, but her
mother said she was at therapy. Well, at least, that was
something positive.

I looked around the room, trying to figure out what to do

next. I didn’t want to call Kira until I’d discussed the situation
with Leona. She was great at evaluating emergencies. My
cell phone began to vibrate on the table, and my stomach
dropped when I glanced at the caller ID. Joel.

Argh! What was I supposed to do? I tapped my healthy

foot on the floor and then impulsively answered. Maybe
Aiden was wrong. “Hi.”

“Hey! I’ve been trying to call you. Where’ve you been?”
Okay, here was the point where I should fess up that I

ate ice cream with Aiden and then ask Joel point blank if he
told the football team that the Smitten Kittens were really
SOS. But I was a spy. Point blank wasn’t one of my
strengths.

“Spending time with my parents before their show.”
“That’s cool. So … do you want to do something

tonight?” The oblivious tone of his voice could mean only

two things. Aiden was completely off base, or Joel was a
good liar.

“Did—” The words froze in my mouth. I couldn’t bring

myself to ask him. I was so torn up and confused. I liked
Joel. It couldn’t be true.

“

Did

what?”

I closed my eyes. “Did you want to do something

tomorrow? I’m free then.” I needed to talk to Leona first.
She’d know the correct way to handle this.

“What are you doing tonight?”
Spying on you. “I’ve got a headache. My father talks a

lot.” It was the only thing I could do. I had to find out the truth
for myself. I refused to confront him until I did.

“Ah, the old headache excuse.”
“No, Joel. It’s not that. I—”
“It’s fine, Tessa.” But he didn’t sound fine. He sounded

annoyed. “I’ll see you tomorrow in school then.” And he
hung up.

My eyes stung, and I put down my phone. I was losing

my mind. Joel was my

boyfriend

! I shouldn’t be accusing

him of things he didn’t do. And I shouldn’t be avoiding him.
And I definitely shouldn’t still be thinking about how
wonderful Aiden smelled when I kissed his cheek.

Wow. I was falling apart.

Ding Dong

. I looked up at the sound of my doorbell.

Butterflies fluttered as I wondered if Aiden had come back. I
left my crutch leaning against the table and hopped to the
door, swinging it open.

“Hey, Prez.”
“Chloe.” At this point, I wasn’t even surprised to see

her. “I have a major bone to pick with you—like femur-
sized.”

“Okaaay. Well, first, this is going to sound insane.” She

brushed her long blond hair over her shoulder and shifted
her weight to her left hip. “But I’m here to apologize.”

her weight to her left hip. “But I’m here to apologize.”

“You’re right. That does sound insane.”
“Can I come in?” she asked.
I looked behind me into the house, debating. She

could be like a vampire. Once I let her in the house, she
could enter at will. I smiled to myself, picturing Chloe turning
into a bat and flying away.

“Fine.” I hopped aside and watched as Chloe strolled

into my house, heading for the living room couch as if she
owned the place. I sighed and shut the door.

I gathered both crutches and made my way into the

room with her. Sitting down across from her in my father’s
recliner, I tried to cross my leg over my cast, trying to look
calm. “Why are you really here?” I asked.

“I told you. I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For accusing Aiden. I just bumped into him, by the

way. God, he’s still so hot.”

“Ahem.”
“Sorry. Anyway, I just saw him filling up at the gas

station, and he told me that he was just leaving your house.
Nice.”

“Nothing happened with me and Aiden.”
She smirked, obviously liking my denial. “Didn’t say it

did. Wow, paranoid, much? Anyway, I told him that I’d
thought he was the one who tried to ruin the SOS, but he
set me straight. Told me who he thought it really was.”

I flinched, partly embarrassed. “And?”
“You’ve got a problem. I’m pretty sure he’s right. Your

new boyfriend totally sold you out. And I think I can prove it.”

I was waiting for the irony police to bust in at any

moment. Chloe—of all people—helping me. “How?”

She batted her eyelashes innocently. “I might have

hacked into someone’s e-mail.”

I gasped. “Whose?”
“Joel’s. And Blaze’s.”

A thought occurred to me. “And mine?”
Her snide look seemed to falter. “Occasionally. But

now that we’re on the same team, I won’t do it again.”

“You read my personal e-mails!” I couldn’t believe that

little snake. Then again, it was great that she knew how to
hack. Still! My e-mails were private! “Wait, was that how
you always knew where Aiden was?”

“Um … yup.” She didn’t look apologetic. “Are we going

to dwell, Tessa, or do you want my help?”

I wanted to dwell! Deep breath. I needed to pull myself

together and hear Chloe out. Maybe afterward, I could
construct an appropriate punishment. “Okay,” I said. “What
did you find?”

She leaned back into the couch and picked at her

fingernails. “Blaze may have mentioned something about a
meeting tonight—nine o’clock in the field house.” She
grinned. “Wanna spy?”

My stomach twisted with anxiety. “Chloe,” I closed my

eyes, scared of her answer. “You were wrong about Aiden
last time. Do you really think it’s Joel? If you’re wrong and
he finds out that I investigated him, he’ll hate me.”

She was quiet, but when I opened my eyes to look at

her, she didn’t have her usual witchy expression. Instead,
she shrugged. “Let’s go on a mission and find out for sure
—he’ll never even know.” She grinned deviously.

“But I can’t get hold of Leona,” I said.
Chloe laughed. “She’s out with Chris. I saw them

tonguing over at Cavallo’s.”

“We don’t say, ‘tonguing,’ Chloe. Making out is more

appropriate. Wait. They were making out?”

“Sure were. Really going for it, too. Apparently, they’re

back together.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. This girl had the pulse of the

entire school. She was like a ready-made James Bond
character—albeit an evil one. But a talented one

nonetheless.

“And, yes,” she added. “I read their e-mails to find out

what happened. They got back together earlier this
afternoon. He forgives her. She misses him. Yadda yadda.”

“Whoa.” I couldn’t believe that Leona hadn’t called me

immediately following her reconciliation. Then again, I knew
what it was like to get swept up in the moment. Good for
her!

Chloe flipped her wrist and glanced at her watch.

“Look, there’s a meeting in, like, a half hour. Do you want to
go or not?”

I bit down on my lip, unsure of what to do. I really

wanted Leona or even Izzie’s opinion on this. Just then,
Chloe stood up, looking me square in the eye.

“We’re teammates now,” she said more sincerely than

I’d ever seen her. “I’m all in on this, Tessa. Sure, I may have
hated your guts—pretty passionately—but I’m over all that
now. I’m a Smitten Kitten. I’ve memorized the effing
handbook. So if you’re ready to put the past behind us and
rebuild our team, then I’m here to do it with you.”

Her eyes were twinkling, determination painting her

cheeks pink. I couldn’t believe I was about to do this. I
couldn’t believe I trusted her. “You said, ‘effing.’”

She smiled. “Told you I memorized the handbook.”
I nodded with a short laugh and watched as Chloe held

out her hand to help me up. In some alternate universe, we
may have always been friends. But here and now, this was
a start. And I was scared as heck about it.

But I took her hand anyway.

To the Wildcat’s Den Editor:

I must take exception to Mr. Jimenez’s comments

to the editor on October 10th. I understand his
frustration with being caught cheating in the
girls’ bathroom last year, but to be honest, it’s
his own dang fault! It is irresponsible for him to
blame others for his own adulterous actions.

And I find it highly offensive that Mr. Jimenez

would call for the dissolution of the Smitten
Kittens when he knows perfectly well that they are
the most successful Washington High sports team.
And, yes, cheerleading is a sport.

I think the real problem here is not that SOS

investigates cheaters. The problem is that cheaters
exist in the first place.

By the way, be sure to check out the Smitten

Kitten’s new halftime routine. Word is out that the
Guinness World Records will be there to document
it. Apparently, it is the highest, twistiest, and
most dangerous cheer ever attempted.

Keep smiling!

An anonymous, concerned student

Chapter 20

Outside, it was darker than I’d anticipated, and when I

climbed out of Chloe’s passenger seat, I noticed that the
sequins and sparkles on my crutches weren’t exactly subtle.
I wished I had a cane. Hm … something cute. Maybe
rosewood?

“Tessa, are you coming?” Chloe whispered harshly

from behind her car. Right.

I tossed one crutch into the backseat and used the

other to lean on for my bad ankle. Running would be
impossible, but at this point, they already knew we were
spies. How much escaping would I really have to do?

“I have the equipment,” Chloe said before zipping

closed a black backpack and putting it over her shoulders.
“Did we want to record or just do reconnaissance?”

“No recording. This is personal.”
My face stung. I’d just kissed Joel the other night. And

it had been … nice. He was nice. I had to believe this was a
setup, just like all the other times I’d suspected my
boyfriends of things. I wouldn’t be so naive this time. I would
get proof.

“Let’s go.” I limped ahead, careful to stick to the

darkened, out-of-bounds area of the field. My entire body
was humming with adrenaline. I’d find out the truth tonight,
and then I could focus on what was left of my high school
career.

When we paused just outside the door, I reached to

pull down my black cap, tucking my hair underneath. It
wasn’t exactly necessary, but it made me feel a little more
professional to dress the part.

Chloe stood next to me, but as I took a loud breath,

she touched my arm. “I can do this alone.”

I looked sideways, meeting her carefully lined brown

eyes. Chef Boyardee! She really did want to help. I sort of

felt like a heel for being so mean to her these past few
weeks. But it also made me think of something else.

“Do you think people can change?” I asked her

suddenly. Because it was clear to me now that this wasn’t
the same girl that had attacked me last year.

She dropped her arm and stepped back, seeming to

think about it. Then she looked at me. “Yeah. I do. Is this
about me … or Aiden?”

I smiled and glanced toward the grass. “I guess it’s

about Aiden.”

“Can I tell you something?”
Uh-oh. Never a good start to a question. “Sure.”
“Aiden’s a good guy.” She pressed her lips together,

looking nostalgic. “In fact, he’s the perfect guy. For

you

. You

may not care what I think, but I’m saying this from a place of
cynicism. Aiden has tried to move on—I read his e-mails,
too.”

I snorted. “You really have to stop doing that.”
“I will. But the point is, he couldn’t move on. You should

see his draft folder. All messages to you. All saying he’s
sorry. All saying he misses you. It’s a little Pathetic
Wholesale Club in there. A bit of a turnoff.”

“Aiden sends me e-mails,” I said. “I know that he’s

sorry.” I tried to sound matter-of-fact, but I just sounded sad.
It made me melancholy to think of Aiden spending so much
time on the internet torturing himself.

“He sends you some,” she agreed. “But what you

haven’t seen is what he does when you’re not around. He
told Mary—very politely, if that helps—that he was in love
with you and would spend his life trying to win you back. He
threatened nearly every guy in school that if they tried to hurt
you in any way, he and his college buddies would make a
stop in Redmond to kick some ass. He’s transferring
schools because he’s hoping you’ll go to U of O and be
closer to him.” Chloe threw back her head and laughed, a

deep throaty sound. “He even made you a freaking
presentation!”

“A what?”
“Presentation! The Top Ten reason why Tessa

Crimson should go out with me.”

“That’s how he got me to date him in the first place!”

Just thinking about that moment during my freshman year
made tears spring to my eyes. He had gotten up onstage in
front of everyone at the assembly, and instead of giving a
speech on recycling, he recited the ‘Top Ten Reasons
Tessa Crimson Should Go Out with Me.’ He had handouts.”
I covered my mouth, not sure whether I wanted to cry or
laugh.

“Yeah?” Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Romantic. Anyway,

it was probably one of the stupidest things I’ve ever read—I
mean, seriously? You’re like a ball of sunshine? How is that
a reason to date?” She waved her hand. “So here’s my
unsolicited advice: Even if Joel didn’t rat you out. Even if
he’s the nicest guy you’ve ever met. He didn’t write you an
effing presentation, and he certainly isn’t ruining his life for
you. You belong with Aiden. And trust me, a good boy is
hard to find.”

I stood there in disbelief. Did Chloe just read me the

riot act? Did she just shrink my entire dilemma down to one
simplified paragraph of dialogue? How did she get so
dang good at spying and relationship advice?

“Crap!” Chloe grabbed my arm and pulled me

sideways around the corner, backing us up against the wall.
I nearly dropped my crutch!

“What—”
“Shhh …” Just then I heard the sound of male voices

close by. I held my breath and pushed my back against the
brick. It was time.

The locks of the field house door clicked as it opened.

To avoid being seen, Chloe and I slunk around the back of

the building, just as the inside lights flicked on. We found
the window near the showers, and luckily it was still ajar.

“You first,” Chloe said. I looked back at her with my lip

curled. She rolled her eyes. “Because I can give you a
boost. You have a broken bone, remember?”

“Of course.” She had me there. There was rustling

inside, what sounded like a chair screeching across the
floor, and I knew that the coast in the shower room was
clear.

Carefully, Chloe bent her knee so that I could stand on

it with my good foot. When I got up high enough, I peered in.
Perfectly empty. On my belly, I slid into the room, taking
special precautions not to injure my foot as I climbed
through. My crutch would have to wait outside.

Once in the shower stall, I moved aside and watched

as Chloe pulled herself up through the window. She was
amazingly athletic. I was a bit in awe of her.

She checked her watch and then pointed to the first

stall closest to the door. I nodded. Gingerly stepping on my
boot, I limped with her to take cover and set up surveillance.
The shower-room door was open just enough for us to peek
out into the main area.

And I saw him. Joel was sitting on the bench, his

elbows on his knees as he leaned forward and listened.
Blaze was swinging his arms animatedly, cursing about
how “one of his boys” had just gotten caught cheating. I
reset my stance—just because Joel was here now didn’t
mean that this was all his doing. Everyone knew about us;
so it wasn’t like we were a secret.

Joel exhaled heavily. “I don’t know what you want me to

say, Blaze. How about you guys stop cheating?”

“Fuck you, man. How about you tell your little girlfriend

to stop spying?”

Joel smiled as if he were fondly thinking of me. “I have.

She’s nothing if not stubborn.”

He really was too sweet. I could feel Chloe shifting next

to me to get a better look. I noticed for the first time that she
smelled like vanilla, and it wasn’t unpleasant. Somehow I
had expected brimstone.

“She’s a pain in the ass,” Blaze said.
“Watch it.” Joel stood up, and I felt a new surge of

attraction for him. See! He was defending my honor. He
didn’t give us up.

Blaze put up his hands apologetically. “Sorry. It’s just

… man, we had them. I thought this shit was done. I thought
you were going to take care of it?”

My stomach hit the floor.
“Look,” Joel said, “I didn’t do this so that you guys can

just go on cheating! I did it because it was unethical.”

Blaze snorted. “Ethics? Come on, man.”
Joel shook his head and looked around the room. But

when his eyes touched on the shower-room door, I gasped
and moved quickly out of the way. Ginger snaps! Did he
see me?

Chloe grasped my arm as we both stood with our

backs to the tiled shower wall. I could feel her trembling. I
guess she was human after all.

“You okay?” she mouthed.

Okay

? It hit me. It was true. Joel had been the one that

told Blaze and the football team about us. He was the
reason my high school career had fallen apart. I thought he
… well, I thought he liked me.

Ethics? SOS was trying to instill morality at our school.

We were helping fight crimes of the heart! My hurt suddenly
turned to anger. I was going to talk very sternly with him the
moment I got—

“Why don’t you go ahead and take off?” I heard Joel

say. I took the chance and peeked back through the
doorway. He was talking to Blaze.

“Yeah, whatever. Just remember, those bitches were

wrong. Not us.”

Joel’s jaw clenched, and he turned his back on Blaze

and sat back down on the bench, once again resting his
elbows on his knees. It seemed that Mr. Fletcher had bitten
off more than he could chew with his stupid, deceptive
mouth. Oo … I was so ticked.

I waited as Blaze stormed out, still cursing under his

breath. The minute the main door closed, Joel sniffled and
sat up. “Hi, Tessa.”

For a second I froze, not sure if I should answer. I was

… spying, after all. Chloe pushed me, and I catapulted
forward, catching the door to stop from falling on my face.
When I looked back, she shrugged.

“Believe me,” she said, “you’ll thank me for that later.”
“Still rude.” I watched as she made her way back

through the shower room and hiked herself up and out the
window. When her sneaker was out of sight, I turned to Joel
as he stared at me. We were alone.

“Do you hate me?” he asked.
“Maybe.” He looked so distraught. His usually adorable

hair was a bit too shaggy, his clothes were wrinkled as if
he’d thrown them on at the last minute. His face was pale.

He smiled sadly. “I wanted to tell you,” he said. “But

after you broke your ankle … I just chickened out.”

“You do that a lot.”
Joel laughed and then sighed heavily. “I didn’t mean for

it to go down like this. I just figured if they knew who you
were, you’d stop spying. They’d stop cheating. You know,
delusional optimism.” He paused. “I told you about my
parents, about how cheating had destroyed them both. I
didn’t want to watch the cycle repeat itself—the cheating
and the catching. The revenge. It’s not right, Tessa. You
shouldn’t spy on people.”

“Joel, every guy we’ve ever investigated ended up with

a confirmed cheat. There’s not much optimism in that.” I

already felt my anger fading. In a way, I appreciated his
glass-half-full outlook on life. But he hadn’t seen the things
we had. He didn’t know that the cheating never went away.

I limped forward and sat next to him on the bench, both

of us staring ahead.

“How did you find out, anyway?” I asked. “Kira?”
He shook his head. “Naw. It really didn’t take a genius

—granted there are no geniuses on this football team.
Basically, when I heard about SOS last month … I knew.
You and Kira both disappearing all the time. Unreachable.
There’s only so much practicing one squad can do. I put
two and two together. After that, all I had to do was get a
quick peek at your phone. From there, I got your account,
the forms, the list. All of it.”

“You’re too smart.” I smiled, still looking ahead. I should

have known that someone would eventually figure it out.
We’d been sloppy with our cover stories lately. And it didn’t
help that Joel had dated both Kira and me. He had really
gotten a good glimpse into the squad.

He exhaled roughly. “Then I went to Blaze, gave him

the information I’d gathered. I didn’t know he was going to
set you up like that. Please believe I would have never put
you in that situation.” He reached out to touch my hand, and
I looked down at it. This was all just so sad. Such a tragic
misunderstanding—almost like a Shakesperarean play.
Well, except that nobody killed themselves. Or ruined a
kingdom or anything.

“I believe you,” I said.
“So what do we do now?” he asked. “I messed up

pretty bad, and I tried, but I can’t seem to fix it. The guys
want your head on a platter.”

I gasped.
“Figuratively,” he said quickly. I blew out a relieved

breath and looked at him.

“You don’t have to do anything, Joel. The Smitten

Kittens already have a plan—starting with the cheer for the
big game. We’ll get it figured out.” A lump began to form in
my throat. I could feel the mood changing as I chewed on
my lip.

“Shit. You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?” He tried

to smile, but his hazel eyes were glassing over. “I just got
you, and I’m already losing you.”

I fought back the tears that were starting to fall and

leaned over to hug him. He squeezed me, resting his face
in my hair. He still felt good. It still felt like it could work.
Maybe I should forgive him.

Still holding me, he leaned close to my ear. “Although I

think we both know you were never really going to be mine.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting to deny it, but I didn’t.

Joel and I stayed like that for a while until I pulled back

and wiped at my face. “I’m sorry we didn’t work out,” I said
truthfully. “Despite this,” I waved my arms around, “you’re a
super guy.”

“And you’re a tough girl to hold on to. Never could get

close enough.”

His words rang true in my head. There was always

something keeping me from him. I used to think it was Kira.
Or Aiden. But it was me. I never fully committed to our
routine.

“Do you hate me?” he asked, reaching over to wipe

one last tear from my cheek.

I looked into my lap and then at him. “No. I think I’m big

on forgiveness lately.”

“Good girl.” Joel leaned forward and ever-so-gently

kissed my lips. Just a peck. A completely sweet, caring
movement.

I smiled as he pulled back. “Thank you.”
And with that, I slowly stood up, my crutch still

somewhere in the grass outside. I limped toward the main
door, and Joel raced ahead, pulling it open for me. I

nodded at him.

“Least I could do.” He was still so charming.
When we got outside, I let him walk me around the

building to where my crutch sparkled from the ground.
When Joel bent down to pick it up, I cleared my throat.

“You know that Leona is going to want to kick your

rear, right?”

He chuckled. “Yep. Been practicing my self-defense

techniques.”

“Well,” I steadied myself and began moving forward. “I

think she and Chris have made up so you may get a
reprieve.”

“Ah … a last minute pardon.”
“Possibly.”
Joel walked me all the way across the field to where

Chloe was leaning on her car, watching us. “You’re still
alive,” she said to Joel when we approached.

“So are you.”
“Touché.” Chloe smirked at me and then walked to get

in the driver’s seat. Joel opened the back door and put my
crutch in there for me.

“Miss Crimson,” he said, motioning toward the

passenger door, “I guess I’ll see you around then.” Joel
stared at me, some color returning to his cheeks from the
cool air, his eyes no longer glassy but still sad. I did care
about him. I honestly did. But I think we both knew it wasn’t
in the way he wanted me to. I’d never love him.

“Good night, Joel.” And I got in the car.

From:

Kira Reynolds <[e-mail]>

To:

Tessa Crimson <[e-mail]>

Sent:

Tues, October 15, 11:36 PM

Subject:

WTH!

Tessa, did you just seriously break up with Joel? It’s all

over the IMs! What is going on?

Did you do this for me?

Call me!

Kira

P.S. I’ve been working with the squad, and I think we

have your routine nailed shut. It looks great.

Chapter 21

Kira stared ahead, a stunned expression on her face.

“I don’t understand,” she murmured. We were in Leona’s
father’s study, surrounded by law books and mahogany.
When I called the emergency meeting, Leona asked us to
come here. Only the essential members had gathered:
Leona, Kira, Izzie, Chloe … and me.

“I’m going to kill him,” Leona said, pacing behind her

father’s desk, occasionally looking out the bay window. “I’m
going to commit homicide and spend the rest of my life in
prison.”

“Now, now,” I soothed. “No need to do time for this.

Joel is completely sorry. He’ll help if we need him, but I told
him that we have it handled. What’s done is done, girls.
Now we just have to win back the respect of the school.”

Leona looked sharply at me. “You’re not still dating

him, are you?” I shook my head no. She blinked quickly, as
if she were almost sad to hear that, but then went back to
pacing.

“He wasn’t the right guy for me,” I added.
Chloe snorted from behind me, but I ignored it. My

attempt at moving on might have been a bit misguided, but
at least, I didn’t hack into people’s e-mail accounts to stalk
them.

“I’m proud of you, Tessa.” I looked at Izzie sitting cross-

legged on the floor. Her curls were bouncy and hanging to
her chin. Her freckles were visible across her nose, and
she was wearing lip gloss again. I smiled at her.

“For what?”
“Figuring it out. You totally pulled your life together after

the unfortunate Mary Rudick incident, and I think it’s
amazing. And … you still have all of your hair.” She grinned.
I didn’t like to think about how sad Izzie had been. Not that
she was the princess of perk now, but she was getting

better. Slowly and steadily. And she’d stopped seeing
Sam. That was a huge step forward.

“Wow, do you guys always get all snuggly like this?”

Chloe asked. “Should we have a pillow fight in our
underwear now?”

I laughed and looked over my shoulder at her. She

shrugged. “That was actually funny,” I said.

“Thanks. Now, are we going to practice, or what?

Because I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of getting
called a slut in the hallways.”

“You sure that has anything to do with the Smitten

Kittens?” Leona joked. The girls giggled, and I felt the
change. The Smitten Kittens had a new dynamic. It seemed
we’d just gone from G-rated to PG-13. It was kind of nice.

“You know,” I said, leaning back in the leather chair.

“I’ve been thinking about my cheer.”

“It looks great,” Kira assured the squad, as if she were

sticking up for me. I looked over at her, and she smiled in a
way that said all of our problems were behind us. I
wondered if she really felt that way, or if she were faking.
Then I wondered if my break-up with Joel had somehow let
her move on.

“Thanks,” I said. “But I’ve made a decision. If we really

want to wow the crowd and get some great face time on
ESPN, we can’t do just any cheer.”

Kira’s eyes widened as if she knew what was coming.

I’d spent the night reading her e-mail, considering what her
friendship meant, trying to understand what the Smitten
Kittens were all about. We were there to inspire. Make
champions. And nothing good ever came out of chickening
out.

“We’ll perform the Triple Licorice Twist. It’s stellar.”
She gasped. “Really?”
“Really. It’s dangerous. It’s crazy. But, hey, when have

the Smitten Kittens ever been afraid of a little danger? Only

thing,”—I held up my finger—“I’m the flyer. I won’t put any of
you at risk. It’s just not safe.”

“But your leg?” Kira asked.
I smirked. “I almost think it could be an asset.

Something to show how dedicated we really are. Now,”—I
clapped my hands—“let’s get practicing.”

Turns out cheering with only one good leg is really

flipping hard! But I wouldn’t give up. We spent close to
three days mounting and unmounting. Perfecting a basket
catch that would save me from hitting the ground on my bad
ankle. I just needed to flip. It was difficult, but it could be
done. And it would be delicious.

Leona had the idea to leak the story of our amazing

cheer to the newspaper—pointing out that ESPN would be
there to film it. Technically, they weren’t just there for us, but
we needed all the publicity we could get.

They ended up running a column about our “death-

defying stunt.” Leona may have exaggerated a little, but it
did the job. It created a buzz. Sure, some people were still
catcalling or cursing, but that seemed to die down a bit.
Just enough for me to focus.

The night after I found out about Joel, I’d sent Aiden a

text message, thanking him. I couldn’t really think of
anything else to say. He returned his usual, “Of course,
baby.” But this time, it didn’t make me cringe. I was getting
used to the word again. And I decided to leave Mr.
Awesome in my phone. It was sort of fitting.

When Saturday came, I took three Extra Strength Advil

before the squad and I were going to have a pregame
practice. We were all nervous. Word was that the game
was sold out—the first time since Phil Collins! My parents
had made an extra-large puff paint sign that read, “GO
SMITTEN KITTENS,” rather than the Wildcats. I
appreciated their support.

On the field, Kira was out on the grass, stretching out

her split. “Hey!” she called as I went to sit next to her.

“Hey.”
“Nervous?” she asked, bending to one side and then

the other.

“A little. No, scratch that. A lot.”
Kira paused and looked me over. “You don’t have to

do this for me.”

I watched Kira’s blue eyes take me in, her blond curls

blowing in the breeze. I liked being by her side again. I’d
missed being her friend. “Yes, I do,” I answered.

Her mouth twitched into a smile, and she reached out

to touch my leg. “Can I admit something to you?”

“Anything.”
“Joel and I talk every night. He’s my best friend.” She

paused. “Nothing romantic has gone on, but I thought you
should know… . I was hoping something would. I was
always hoping he’d choose me. I’m still in love with him.”

I pressed my lips together and looked at the grass, her

confession stinging a bit, but not unbearably so. I met her
eyes again. “I know. And you have my blessings.”

She nodded, pulling her hand back to stretch again.

After a minute of silence, I thought of something. “K,
remember when you wanted to talk to me about the
handbook? What did you want to change?”

“Oh.” She stopped a minute, thinking. “I updated it. I

was wondering if you’d take a look.”

Well, that was great of her. I’d been meaning to update

that thing ever since Mary Rudick tried to steal my
boyfriend. She didn’t exactly evoke the best feelings in me.
“That’s spectacular, Kira. I’d love to.”

There was a loud whistle, and we looked up to see the

rest of the squad arriving. The sea of maroon and gray
uniforms and pom-poms made my heart pump.

It was almost time. Out in the parking lot, a bus pulled

up with the ESPN logo painted on it. Fancy!

“Ready or not,” I said to myself, climbing to my feet,

“here we come.”

I looked out over the crowd. The wind was blowing,

and my throat was tight with anxiety. The audience in the
front row of the cheer section were supporters. Smitten
Kitten signs from both of my parents and some of our past
clients. ESPN had set up their cameras near the field post,
and I was keenly aware that the operator must have had a
thing for cheerleaders. He panned over our legs more than
once.

But then, up near the top of the bleachers, were guys—

ones who weren’t exactly fans. They booed to let us know.

As we stood in formation on the sidelines, waiting for

halftime, Blaze Harmon—who was walking off an on-field
collision—walked directly between us. He was carrying his
maroon helmet at his side, black smeared under his eyes.
He looked menacing. When he passed by, he snorted, then
spit toward Chloe. Barely missing her.

“Hey, Harmon,” she called casually as he continued to

walk away. He looked over his shoulder at her, a snide
expression on his face. She smiled sweetly. “Next time you
try to spit on me, I’ll knee your nuts so hard they’ll rename
you Nancy.”

Leona choked on her laughter. Blaze’s face fell as he

looked between us and then limped back toward his bench.
I didn’t correct Chloe’s statement. It was about time the
Smitten Kittens grew a set of claws.

Just then the buzzer sounded for halftime. My breath

caught in my chest, and I darted a look over to ESPN’s
cameras. This was it. As if sensing the tension, some
people in the bleachers stood up. My mother clutched the
collar of her turtleneck. My father put his arm around her
and gave me a thumbs-up.

It was showtime.
I used my crutches, now even more bedazzled, as we

hurried out into center field. Once there, I laid them off to the
side and took a deep breath as the girls formed two lines
behind me.

“Ready? Okay.” I began, my projection reaching the

crowd, my voice ringing with confidence even though I
didn’t entirely feel it. I kept my knee bent as I did the arm
movements, and the girls did a full-scale cheer behind me. I
tried to concentrate.

Chloe zoomed past me, in front of the squad, as she

did backflip after backflip until she was out of sight. Izzie
and Kira did simultaneous cartwheels that got them back to
the building spot. Now.

“And when we’re done,” I yelled, hopping backward

until I felt Leona’s steady hand at my back. As carefully as I
could, I began to climb. It seemed like forever, and I heard
the girls echo my cheer line, signaling me. I was almost
there.

At the top, Izzie grinned at me, her hands ready to

clasp my feet. And I was there, on top of the largest
pyramid we’d ever built. On top of the best group of
cheerleaders ever assembled.

I screamed the last line, ready to take the leap. “You’ll

see we’ve won!”

I jumped. Twisting, turning, tucking and … falling. My

boot was heavy, and as I tried to bring it around for the last
move of the Licorice Twist, gravity wouldn’t let me. It was
pulling me toward Earth faster than I could spin.

As if I were having an out-of-body experience, I heard

Leona yell out, and the girls scrambled to get in position for
the basket catch. But we had horribly misjudged the timing.
Trying to avoid a face-plant in the grass, I got my legs
underneath me and braced for the impact.

Control top pantyhose! This was going to hurt.

I landed hard, my ankle in the cast immediately

buckling on impact. I screamed, falling to my knees, the
pain vibrating up my entire leg. Twisting my stomach.
Banging into my head. I’d never felt anything like it as I
writhed on the ground, my cast splitting and a little bit of
blood visibly leaking out.

I realized—my only clear thought—that I didn’t just

break my ankle this time; I had broken my leg. We’d failed.

“Oh, my God!” I heard Kira’s frantic voice, but I couldn’t

even open my eyes. I was praying for the shock to numb
me. Hadn’t I heard that going into shock stopped the pain?

There was yelling all around me, and I dug my fingers

in the field, my nails embedding in the dirt underneath the
grass. Someone was brushing back my hair. Someone
else told me to hang on.

“Get the fuck out of the way!”
And I breathed. A big breath of air filled me, and I

slowly turned my head to see Aiden bending over me.

“Christ, Tessa. Your fucking bone is sticking out.”
“Ew, really?” Ah, this was the shock. But they lied! It still

hurt like

H-E Double Hockey Sticks

!

Aiden stared at me and let out an I-can’t-believe-you

laugh. Then he plopped himself down in the grass next to
me and put my head in his lap, wiping my tears off my
cheeks.

“Can’t move you off the field,” he said quietly among all

the screaming.

They’re calling an ambulance.” I stared up at him, his

face pale from either the sight of blood or the scare I’d
given him. Maybe both.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice thick

from tears. “I didn’t know you’d be in town.” He shrugged.

“Chloe called me. Said you were doing something

really stupid. Like jumping off a human pyramid with a cast
on.”

I went to laugh, but stopped myself. I found that if I

stayed completely still and tried not to breathe, it didn’t hurt
as much. Ouch.

Kira came into view above me. Her mascara was

running down her cheeks and her palms were pressed
together in front of her lips. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t factor in the weight of the cast

times the—”

The siren of an ambulance broke through the air.

Thank goodness. I needed a shot of some really good stuff
right about now.

“Honey?” My mother rushed over, kneeling at my side.

She looked down at my leg and then at my father. He took
off his glasses and stared sternly at me.

“I thought I told you not to hurt yourself again?”
I couldn’t help it. Despite the incredible pain in my leg, I

laughed. Only for a second before I winced.

Aiden’s hand lay protectively behind my neck before

his other hand slid down to touch mine. At first, we didn’t
move—although people around us were visibly frantic—we
just sat there, his hand against mine, neither of us
technically holding.

Aiden bent down to kiss my forehead, adjusting my

head in his lap. The world was so loud, but right here,
between us … it was peaceful. It was so strawberry
smoothie.

“Clear a path, please,” I heard an authoritative voice

shout. Then the EMTs came running forward, a gurney with
them. I was never so glad to see someone in the medical
field.

Before we could even say anything, Aiden’s hand

moved away from mine as the EMTs began to assess the
damage. The taller one with the mustache looked at me, a
disbelieving expression on his face.

“Were you cheering with a broken ankle?”

“Yep.”
“Brilliant,” he said and shook his head.
“Thank you!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the ESPN camera

pointed in my direction. I wondered if he’d caught the fall.
Darnit. I can’t believe I messed up the routine.

Aiden and my parents stayed close by as the EMTs

got me on the gurney and began to wheel me off the field.
They assured me that I had indeed broken my leg—
possibly in three different places. Well, I was nothing if not
an overachiever.

And just as I was about to exit the field, the weirdest

thing happened. There
was … applause. Over the loudspeaker, I heard the
announcer: “And it looks like our Smitten Kitten is going to
be okay!”

I lifted my head slightly to see that in the stands people

were up and cheering, looking concerned but grateful that I
was alive. Even the football team was clapping from the
bench, their helmets off with respect. Well, other than Blaze
Harmon, who sat fully uniformed and looking in the opposite
direction. That boy needed some sparkles of his own.

“Wow,” Leona said, appearing and putting a pom-pom

in the gurney next to me. “Looks like all we needed to be
popular again is to nearly kill ourselves. Good to know for
the future.” She smiled and pointed at the pom-pom she’d
given me. “So you know we’re thinking about you.”

Leona. She was the kitten’s meow. I was so lucky to

have her. Have all my friends. For a second, I felt like
Dorothy in

The Wizard of Oz

. The part where she wakes up

and sees all of her friends and family. It was surreal. But
then again, I didn’t think Dorothy had

her leg broken in

three places

!

“Who’s riding with us?” the driver asked as he opened

the double doors to the back of the ambulance. The lights

the double doors to the back of the ambulance. The lights
were still swirling, and I felt a little dizzy.

“You go ahead,” my father said to my mother. But just

before she climbed in, I touched at her arm.

“I want Aiden,” I murmured softly.
My mother turned to look at me, probably thinking I was

out of it, but then her face cleared and she smiled softly.
“Okay, then. We’ll be right behind you, sweetheart.”

I thanked her and as they lifted me into the back of the

van, I caught Aiden looking at me. His green eyes were
beautiful, a devious twinkle to them. He licked his lips and
glanced away as if he hadn’t just been staring. Sigh. He
was the most fantastic thing I’d ever known.

After I was settled, Aiden started to climb in when the

ambulance guy stopped him. “Hold on a second,” he said,
sounding impatient. “Who are you?”

I smiled to myself and Aiden caught my eye. “He’s my

boyfriend,” I said. Without any noticeable reaction, Aiden
got into the ambulance and brought his long legs under him
as he leaned close to my bed. The doors shut and as one
EMTs worked off my cast, Aiden snuggled his head onto
the pillow next to me. His fingers, gentle and tender, slid
down my arm, tickling me. And when he got to my palm, he
paused.

“The reasons Tessa Crimson should go out with me,”

he whispered so that only I could hear him. “Number ten:
She looks very perky in her cheerleading uniform.” I giggled
and felt a breathy laugh on my neck as he continued.
“Number nine: She can make me smile with all of her cute
phrases. Number eight: She—”

I turned to him, my nose nearly touching his. “I’ve heard

this before,” I murmured.

“Not number one.”
I smiled. “Ball of sunshine.”
“Nope.”
“Then what?”

“Number one: Because I love her.” Only he didn’t

whisper it. He said it as if it were something that was so
true, something that was just a fact. Like he was telling me
that whipped cream was delicious or puppies were cute.
He said it as if he meant it.

I intertwined my fingers with his, looking at him. In him.

Because he was my guy. Aiden would always be my only
guy.

Epilogue

I sat on the top bleacher, my braced leg resting on the

empty seat ahead of me as I observed practice. The gym
had been newly remodeled, which would be a huge draw
for the basketball finals. In fact, the ESPN crew would be
returning, this time with broadcasters.

The Fall Heard Round the World had become a Web

sensation. It was even on Sport’s Center’s Top 10. I used to
get mad at Aiden for watching it over and over again. But
he said that he was just proud that his girlfriend made the
Clip of the Week.

At the game, the Wildcats had been slaughtered by the

Ducks (as usual), but no one seemed to remember that.
Instead, my disastrous cheer had gotten nearly three million
hits on youtube. As a result, the games were sold out for the
rest of the season. It was considered a job well done for the
Smitten Kittens.

“Line up,” Leona shouted from center court. My mouth

twitched with a smile as the Smitten Kittens took their spots
for their final routine run-through.

“Popcorn?”
I looked sideways at Aiden as he held out the bag of

popcorn he’d picked up from 7-Eleven. He said it would
help me with the transition if I ate popcorn in the stands like
a true spectator, but I think he was just hungry.

“Thanks.” I took a handful and watched him. He was

dressed in a red Oregon State University T-shirt and baggy
khaki shorts, his blond floppy curls sticking out every which
way. When I reached over to smooth them down, he tried to
bite my hand.

“Stop!” I laughed. Instead, he leaned over and

pretended to bite at my neck. Which I really didn’t want him
to stop.

“Ready? Okay.” The routine began, and both Aiden

and I turned to the court.

“Is she really that good?” he murmured, his breath

warm on my neck.

“Just watch.”
“Can’t be as good as you.”
Even though I wasn’t on the court, which still stung a

little, I was more than happy to be in the stands with Aiden.
After my operation—six pins and a titanium plate—I
wouldn’t be cheering any time soon. The actual word the
doctor used was

never

, but he obviously underestimated

my tenacity. Aiden had become my personal physical
therapist, helping with strength training, endurance … and
well, lots of other super-fun stuff.

We were encouraged by my progress so far.
Aiden was granted a temporary leave from college as

he regrouped and transferred to OSU. Luckily, it wouldn’t
affect his scholarship, and in fact, it put us in the same
graduating class and only forty-five minutes away from each
other.

I’d decided that I never really wanted to go to WSU—it

was just that Aiden was supposed to be there. Now that he
was a Beaver, there wasn’t much of a reason. And with the
year almost out, I’d been accepted to the University of
Oregon for their Kinesiology program. I planned to work in
sports medicine, which would be pretty awesome,
considering how much I enjoyed being around athletes.

But officially—I was now a Duck. Ironic.
“Dunk it!” Chloe yelled, projecting her voice through the

gymnasium. “Slam it! Get that ball!”

I reached over for more popcorn as Aiden

straightened, watching intently as Chloe led the squad in
their cheer. “Damn,” he said, shaking his head. “She’s
good.”

“Watch it,” I said through a mouthful of popcorn.
“Psht. Like I even look at anyone else.” He tilted his

head to glance at me, batting his eyelashes. “You’re the
only girl I have eyes for.”

“Stalker eyes.”
“You know it.”
I laughed, leaning into Aiden and resting my head on

his shoulder. We had indeed become smoother than ever
—completely and sickeningly perfect together. Leona let
me know on several occasions.

Unfortunately her relationship with Chris didn’t make it

past my final cheer. They broke up later that night amid a
slew of insults. She later admitted that part of the reason
she took him back in the first place was because she
couldn’t stand the idea of him dumping her. She felt that
she needed the closure of being the one to call it quits.

She had rebounded nicely though. She was now

dating a guy from WSU—someone that Aiden knew—and
we double-dated often. It was cool, especially because we
all loved sports.

There were squeaking noises as Kira and Izzie moved

across the court, doing cartwheels, their sneakers giving off
the perky sound that I loved. It was great to see Izzie so
vibrant again. She continued therapy through the season,
but soon she was off medication.

She’d relapsed briefly—I caught her texting Sam—but

we’d reacted quickly this time. No more letting her slip
through the cracks. She was coming with me to U of O next
year. She was going to be my roommate.

Just then Kira’s sneaker caught the edge of Leona’s,

and she stumbled a bit but straightened and started
laughing. “My bad,” she called before clapping and
counting off again. They sprang back into action, Kira’s
blond curls flying all around her shoulders as she turned
head over feet.

It had been strange when I returned to school after my

fall. First, because I had to be in a wheelchair for three

weeks. The gym hadn’t been handicapped accessible, but
thanks to Leona’s father, a lawyer, they’d remodeled the
entire thing. It was a victory for students everywhere.

Anyway, after I’d gotten back, I was popular again.

People were talking to me; football players were hitting on
me (not that I cared). Blaze Harmon even apologized. Of
course, it was after school while I was standing with Aiden,
but I doubted that had anything to do with it.

Kira and I had forgiven each other completely, even

hanging out a few times, just the two of us. It wasn’t the way
it had been before—I knew it never could be—but we’d
reached a comfortable place. One we could both smile
about.

And it seemed that she and Joel had worked out some

sort of quiet, sweet friendship—one that wasn’t up for
discussion with the Kittens. Leona and I had speculated
that they were back together once, but then Kira went on a
date with Rhett. So we weren’t entirely sure. She liked her
privacy now, and we respected that.

I sighed as I watched the Smitten Kittens, building a

base for Chloe to climb. “I should go out there,” I murmured,
straightening up as they got ready to fly.

“Baby,” Aiden said. “You don’t need to go out there.

You’re like the most famous cheerleader that’s ever lived.
Five thousand Facebook fans can’t be wrong.”

I laughed. Just then I caught my breath as Chloe leapt

in the air, her arms wrapped tightly over her chest, her legs
perfectly straight. Her form was held until just before they
caught her. I twitched my mouth. She’d have to work on that.
Maybe a few more run-throughs and she’d have it. She’d
been training hard.

Chloe Ferril was a natural-born cheerleader. Despite

her years of disliking cheerleaders, she’d found that her
school spirit was both infectious and less annoying than
ours. People really seemed to relate to her and her brand

of sarcasm. She occasionally swore and often gave dirty or
rude looks, but they were always coupled with a brilliant
idea or a new plan. SOS had never been stronger.

Of course, I didn’t spy anymore. I couldn’t. And

although I thought it would bother me, it didn’t. Leaving our
organization in capable hands somehow made it easier.

Chloe made a great captain.
“Nice job!” I called from the bleachers, clapping as they

headed for their water bottles. Izzie waved and Kira blew
me a kiss. Leona was already on her phone, and Chloe
was standing by herself, silently redoing her move. She was
a perfectionist.

“You ready to go?” Aiden asked, standing up and

stretching his long legs. When his arms were above his
head, his T-shirt lifted just enough to show off his amazing
athletic abs. He caught me looking.

“Be quiet,” I said before he teased me. He laughed

and instead took my arm and pulled me to my foot/cast.

Once standing, Aiden put his warm hands on either

side of my face as he looked down at me. His green eyes
were my most favorite color in the world, and I stared back
into them, ready to get lost forever.

Instead, he smiled the huge, goofy grin of Mr.

Awesome. “You’re so insanely in love with me, Tessa. What
are you going to do with yourself?”

I laughed, my body tingling. “Question is what are you

going to do with me, point guard?”

“Mm …” he said, pressing his lips together as if he had

to think about it. “That’s a tough one. But I do have some
ideas.”

“I bet.”
He licked his bottom lip, everything about him sexy.

Mine.

“I do love you,” I said seriously, my hand tangling in the

soft fabric of his T-shirt.

With a satisfied look, he leaned in to kiss me, his

mouth the perfect fit against mine. And as he pulled back,
he brushed the back of his finger softly against my cheek
and smiled. “I know you do, baby. Now shut up and kiss
me.”

SOS

THE OFFICAL

HANDBOOK

(Revised)

Mission Statement

The mission of SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens) is to

make a positive difference in the dating lives of the girls at
Washington High—primarily through investigation, client
confidentiality, and inspirational cheer sets—all the while
building the self-esteem, individuality, and confidence of the
female population by providing a high standard of
leadership, competence, and fabulous accessorizing.

Smitten Kitten Code of Conduct

Never be seen at the location of an investigation.

Being covert means being invisible.

Never leave a Smitten Kitten behind. When faced with

exposure, use the predetermined escape routes and stay
in formation.

Always be upbeat and positive. School spirit is

essential to success. Unless you’re having a really bad
day or PMS. Occasional moodiness is acceptable if
not in excess.

Refrain from using any profane language. Smitten

Kittens never cuss

.

But stand up for yourselves!

Nobody likes a doormat.

Be on time for all practices, games, and SOS

meetings and missions.

Do not engage in any dating activities with a subject.

Making out with a suspect is bad form. Unless he is an
ex-boyfriend. Then it’s okay.

Dress appropriately for all games and missions.

Cheer skirts for games, spandex for practice, and black,
drab outfits for missions. Just look fabulous!

Although a Smitten Kitten is often privy to detailed

encounters of the cheating variety, she must always
maintain her class in and out of school. Never speak to
anyone outside of SOS about the missions. If needed, an
SOS-approved counselor can help with Post Traumatic
SOS Disorder–related issues.

The Laws

The Cheat: An official cheat requires the subject to be

engaged in romantic or sexual activity with a person other
than the client. These offenses include, but are not limited
to, hand-holding, kissing, dirty talk, or any of the four bases.

Double Jeopardy: We will never investigate the same

subject twice for the same cheat. Once cleared or
convicted, the subject is free to continue his inappropriate
lifestyle without our supervision.

Evidence: Each subject is innocent until proven

cheating. To confirm the crime, more than one form of
evidence must be provided to the client. This can include
photos, audio or video surveillance, e-mails, eyewitness
accounts, recovered items with fingerprints or DNA, or
admission of guilt. Instincts and bad reputations do not
count as evidence.

Interference: Never interfere with a cheat in progress.

Although it may be difficult to witness these crimes of
passion, it’s the SOS’s responsibility to investigate without
bias.

Confidentiality: It is key to every mission to maintain

the secrecy of the client and the SOS organization. Never
engage a client or subject directly with collected evidence.
All communication must be anonymous. Wear your SOS
badge with pride.

Discipline

If a Smitten Kitten is caught breaking these rules, an

official disciplinary form will be sent. The infractions could

official disciplinary form will be sent. The infractions could
result in

Verbal or written warnings
Suspension of assignment
Loss of cheer time
Dismissal

Payment and Equipment

SOS is a nonprofit organization. There are no charges

for our services, and all proceeds from donations go
directly toward equipment and other essential supplies, like
uniforms. Only the president and treasurer have access to
these funds.

Responsibilities

Smitten Kittens are expected to keep a cheerful

attitude at all times (see above). The SOS reputation is
dependent on the squad’s conduct along with our success
on missions.

All Smitten Kittens are responsible for learning cheers,

stunts, lock picking, wall scaling, equipment handling and
maintenance, and herkies. And e-mail hacking.

Never let them see you sweat! Go, Smitten

Kittens!

Table of Contents

THE OFFICAL HANDBOOK (Revised)