Kiss And Blog by ALSON NOËL Read Free Book Online Page B

our parachutes and bail out early, before the whole thing goes down in a cloud of smoke.
    But when I walk in the door, I see Sloane at our usual table, with two coffees and a chocolate chip scone before her, smiling and waving like everything’s completely normal. And as I take the seat across from hers, I can’t help but wonder if maybe I’m just overreacting, and getting all paranoid and resistant to change. I mean, maybe things aren’t really as bad as I think. And maybe I’m just panicking because it’s been kind of hardwatching her fit in so much easier than me. Because the fact is we made a deal, I mean, we even went so far as to sign an actual popularity contract (her idea, though I’m the one who drafted it), so now I guess I’m just gonna have to pitch in a little more, and do my part to see it through.
    “Hey,” she says, pushing my coffee toward me, and taking a quick sip of hers. “You think Jaci will show up in her shoplifted skirt today?” She breaks off a piece of scone and smiles.
    I roll my eyes and laugh. “Yeah, what’s up with that?” I ask, sipping my coffee, and looking at her. “I thought her family was supposed to be like, mega-rich or something?”
    “Believe me, they are,” she says, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “I don’t know how she can stomach it though, ‘cause when I got home, I felt so bad about that stupid eye pencil that I ended up giving it to my mom. It’s like, I just felt way too guilty to actually use it, yet I also couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. So I just ended up telling her it was part of some gift with purchase, and that I didn’t really need it because I already had one. But I gotta admit it’s kind of funny to think about her lining her eyes with a stolen pencil.” She laughs.
    And when I look at her, I start laughing, too. Not because it’s all that funny, but because I’m thinking maybe I can start to relax again, now that everything’s finally back to normal.
     
    But by break when Sloane doesn’t show up at my locker, I decide to head for hers. And when I’m halfway there I find her standing in the middle of the quad, talking and laughing with Jaci, Holly, and Claire.
    “Hey,” I say, smiling as I join them, doing my best to convince myself that Sloane was right, and that all that weird stuff at the mall was just part of some crazy popularity hazing ritual that I’ve successfully passed, and can firmly put behind me.
    But the only response I get is a lazy-eyed glance followed by, “Oh, he-”
    I swear, that’s exactly how they say it, like it’s just way too much effort to add that final
y
for someone as unimportant as me. So I just stand there, feeling my confidence plummet as they completely ignore me and continue right where they left off. And if you think Sloane, my best friend in the whole wide world, makes any effort to fill me in, or at the very least, acknowledge my presence, well, think again.
    But when the bell rings, and the three of them scatter off to class, Sloane finally turns and looks at me, rolling her eyes when she whispers, “Omigod, did you
see
Jaci’s outfit? I think the only thing she didn’t steal was her shoes. But then again, she probably swiped those the week before!” She shakes her head and laughs. “Listen, I can’t be late to English, but let’s go over our cheer at lunch, k?”
    And I stand there in the hall, watching as she runs to class, and then I turn around and head toward mine.
     
    By Friday morning I’m in a total panic. During the course of the week I’d already worn every piece of clothing from my collection of knockoffs, in addition to the two items with labels that I was actually proud of, and now I find myself marching dangerously close to the much dreaded territory of
retail repeat.
Not that anyone would notice, mind you. Because even though it definitely seems like I’m blending in better than ever before, it’s not like any hot guys (or
any
guys for that matter)