Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe Read Free Book Online Page B

an airplane is a long time. I was getting quite interested to see exactly what kind of guy could inspire this level of rivalry after they’d only known him for, as far as I could figure out, about half an hour.
    “He thought I was totally Jordache. That means I had the look he wanted to know better. It’s vintage,” Veronique explained. “Anyway, he said, ‘I couldn’t help noticing you on the flight from London.’ He has the sweetest eyes and when he looks right at you it’s like he’s—”
    “You don’t have to write a five-paragraph essay about it,” Alyson snarled. “Besides, he was looking at me when he said that.”
    “He was looking at me too!”
    “Maybe he’s cross-eyed,” I offered. Because it is my way to be the peacemaker.
    “Shut up, Jas,” my cousin hissed.
    A way that is apparently not appreciated by all.
    Veronique touched Alyson on the arm and said, “Be nice to Jas, Sapphyre.”
    Alyson put up a hand. “This is not your battle, Tiger’s*Eye.”
    I paused in the middle of picking up my water glass to look from one to the other of them. “I’m sorry, did you just call each other Sapphire and Tiger’s*Eye?”
    “Yes,” Alyson said. “Sapphyre with a ‘Y’ and Tiger’s *Eye with a star in the middle, but the star is silent. They’re our faerie names.”
    Little Life Lesson 12: Even shortly after watching your fondest dreams be shredded in front of your eyes, you can still burst into uncontrolled laughter.
    Little Life Lesson 13: Water propelled out of the mouth by uncontrolled laughter can go really far. And also backward. Which is easy to see if the woman behind you is wearing a white satin dress.
    If that happens, however, do not expect the person responsible for making you spit water to apologize or anything. No, she will turn her blamethrower on you and say,“Can’t you go for just one second, Jas, without totally mortifying the whole family?”
    And you (meaning me) will say: “Le not.”
    If you are taking the high road.
    But I only partially heard that because I’d turned around to try to dry off the woman Alyson had made me spit on. As I bent down to retrieve the silverware that had flipped off the table when she’d leaped to her feet in horror, Veronique bent down with me and whispered, “I just wanted to tell you I think you are so brave.”
    “You do?”
    “Yeah. The way you’re going on like this, despite…well, you know.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Everything that’s going on with you. All alone here, with no friends. It’s got to be totally hard. But you’re just going along like it’s all normal.”
    I couldn’t believe it. Out of everyone, only Veronique seemed to understand what I had been through during the past month and a half. I was genuinely touched. I believe a tear might even have quivered in my eye. I said, “Thank you, Vero—Tiger’s *Eye. I’m really…that’s just really nice.”
    Veronique nodded, then went on. “Also, I want you to know that I still have my tonsils. And my appendix.”
    I blinked at her.
    “I mean, if you need them. I would totally donate them.”
    More blinking.
    “Well, that’s all. I’m so glad you’re enjoying your precious time.”
    “My—what? What are you talking about?”
    “Your terminal illness. Sapphyre told me that’s why you moved here right when school was starting. Because you’re dying and your father didn’t want your friends to see you when you were all, like, decrepit. I mean, it’s the only thing that makes sense, isn’t it?”
    “Alyson told you I was dying,” I repeated.
    “Sapphyre. She told everyone at school. Some of the seventh graders made a supercute card for you. I have it in my room. I was a little scared before we saw you, because Alyson said you’d probably be covered with oozing sores, but you look really normal. What kind of cover-up are you using on them? I bet it’s expensive. Not that you’re not totally L’Oréal. You know, worth it.”
    I