Snitch by Kat Kirst Read Free Book Online Page B

and surprised me by giggling. “I know the whole team calls you Andy-O , but I think of you more as a s paghetti-O.”
    Liz burst out laughing and so did I.
    And again Liz was right: once Kate relaxed, she could be funny.
    The weirdest thing was that without me realizing it, Johnny and Kate actually became friends. Talk about two opposites! I didn’t think it could happen, but somehow it did. I noticed it one morning when I was sitting over at Liz’s table. Across the cafeteria half the basketball team was eyeing us , making kissing sounds and smacking each other’s backs . Several of my “ friends ” were busy drawing little hearts in the air, snickering the whole time.
    At first I was embarrassed, but then I was just glad Liz couldn’t see the whole thing because I didn’t want to deal with her whole anger issue again. That’s when I realized Kate was aware of the whole thing , and she was smiling. She tried to hide it by putting her hand in front of her mouth, but it was too late; I saw it. Suddenly, I felt a shadow standing over my shoulder , which turned out to be Johnny.
    “The boys and I were wondering why you were keeping all the pretty ladies for yourself.” He smiled as he grabbed a chair and plopped it between Kate and me. Johnny was working his impish smile girls couldn’t resist. “Don’t you think you should be kind to your friends and share?”
    Normally Johnny is smooth, but this time something went wrong. His foot wrapped around the chair leg, or maybe he tripped over it. Any way it happened, it resulted in the chair tipping over and Johnny almost falling into my lap.
    I pushed Johnny up and away from me. Now I was embarrassed.
    “Geez! Walk much?”
    “You didn’t know I cared so much did you?” he said, trying to find his footing. “Actually, I don’t think I knew it either.”
    To my surprise Kate didn’t shy away. Instead, she let out a loud laugh.
    Johnny righted his chair and sat down. “Glad I could be the morning entertainment,” he said, still smiling. Now, everyone was cracking up.
    Dang, Johnny was good. I would have been plain embarrassed; Johnny used his clumsiness as a pick-up magnet. After that , Kate and Johnny talked —not like they were best friends or anything, but it was as if Kate suddenly felt as comfortable with Johnny as she did with me. There were even a couple of times when Liz and I went out, and Kate and Johnny tagged along —not that they were going out or anything. Johnny still had his eye on Tammera .
    I was glad this payback thing between Kate and Seth seemed to have died down, because I wanted to concentrate on having a real girlfriend and I wanted Liz to concentrate on me. There was still a whisper here and there, but hallway gossip isn’t very interesting for too long, and since there’s always something new to talk about I figured Kate would become old news and some other poor soul would become the person of interest. I tried to convince myself Seth and Chrissy had moved on just like the rest of Jameson High had.
    Besides, my life was getting good. On Thursday nights Liz was in the stands cheering me on. It was a proud kind of feeling, having a beautiful girl who watched you as you ran a lay-up or scored a basket, but it was a pressure I hadn’t felt before. I didn’t want to screw up. Not in front of Liz.
    “You’re falling in love,” Johnny teased me one night in the locker room after the game.
    “I’m not. She’s just…”
    Ben slapped me on the back. “ Lov -e- ly ,” he teased.
    The boys made little bird coos and put their hands over their hearts.
    “Andy-O’s a goner! He’s a man in love!” Charlie sang.
    “I never even see him anymore,” Johnny complained. “He’s always with his sweeeet Lizzie.”
    “Not true,” I said.
    “Then what are you doing this weekend? Wan t to hang with us? Charlie, Ben, and I are going to the mall for some…shopping,” Johnny laughed.
    “What are you shopping for?” Wes