How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot Read Free Book Online

considering what I was doing last night, so will I).
    Fortunately for Grandpa, Kitty isn’t exactly the most religious person, either. They’re having a civil ceremony, performed by one of Greene County’s judges, outside at the country club a week from today, instead of a church wedding.
    “Right,” I said. “I’d better go. You getting nervous yet?”
    “Nervous?” Gramps threw me a reproachful look as he locked up. “What’ve I got to be nervous for? I’m marrying the prettiest gal in Greene County.”
    “I mean about having to stand up in front of all thosepeople next Sunday,” I said dryly.
    “Jealous,” Grandpa said decidedly. “That’s what they’re all going to be of me. ’Cause she’s marrying ME and not them.”
    The best part is, Gramps really believes this. He thinks the sun rises and sets on Katherine T. Hollenbach. Which I believe is due entirely to her having followed the instructions in The Book. The two of them—Grandpa and Kitty—have known each other since THEY went to Bloomville High School, back in the fifties. Only Grandpa says Kitty didn’t even know he was alive back in those days, because she was so pretty and popular, and he was so little and shy. She didn’t even acknowledge his existence until last year, when they met at the exclusive condo community they both moved to on the lake, Gramps after he got his I-69 money, Kitty after deciding she’d had enough of life in town.
    “Any sign of weakening on her part?” Grandpa asked with a nod toward my mother. Mom’s boycotting his wedding on principle, not because she doesn’t like Kitty—although she’s not exactly her favorite person in the world. Mom is not the only person to have pointed out to Grandpa that Kitty never glanced his way before he got his recent financial windfall. But Grandpa doesn’t seem to care one bit about this—mostly because she’s still so mad about the Super Sav-Mart thing.
    She’s letting the rest of us go, though…which is a good thing, since I’m Kitty’s maid of honor, Pete’s one of Gramps’s best men (Jason’s the other one), and Catie andRobbie are the flower girl and ring bearer (Sara was judged too young to do anything).
    I like Kitty a lot, and not just because everyone likes her (except my mom). But also because she’s always kept my most shameful secret—which isn’t that shameful now, because I realize it was just part of growing up.
    But at the time, it was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I had been invited by Jason to spend the night—way back in kindergarten, when it was still okay for girls and boys to have slumber parties together—while his parents were out of town and his grandmother was taking care of him.
    One thing I had always admired about Jason’s parents is that they knew enough to stop at just one kid—unlike my own parents, who just keep having more and more—so they can afford to do things like take romantic vacations to Paris together without Jason, and install a pool in their backyard (except, of course, whenever I complain about this to my mother, she’s always like, “Well, which of you kids would you suggest I shouldn’t have had?” which is a mean question, because of course I love my brothers and sisters).
    (Though I don’t think anyone would miss Pete much.)
    Anyway, it had been my first overnight visit, and I guess I’d had a little too much excitement—or possibly Coke, which Kitty had given us, and of which I’d consumed far too much, having never been allowed to have Coke before, except on very special occasions like Thanksgiving and Easter—and I’d wet my underpants inwhat I’d assumed was the dead of night (although it had probably only been around midnight).
    I remembered lying there in my wet panties, going, “What do I do now?” Jason was asleep, but even if he hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have told him what had happened. I was convinced I’d never have heard the end of it. “Wet the bed like a baby!”