So Many Boys (The Naughty List #2)(48)

“No, my cat ran away. Of course it’s about Marco!” she choked out between sobs.

My shoulders slumped. “Hey,” I said soothingly. “Why don’t you come over and we’ll have a beauty-treatment night?” Some self-therapy could be just what the beautician ordered right now.

“Yeah, sounds like a blast.”

“I have pore minimizer….”

“Fine,” Leona said, unable to turn down an offer that would help her complexion. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. And I’ll bring the cucumbers.”

When Leona arrived, I was shocked. Her dark eyes were ringed in red, her nose was pink and stuffy, and her hair—well, it was just too awful to describe.

We started in the kitchen, slicing up cucumbers for our eyes and mixing oatmeal and egg for our faces. Once our products set, we moved into my bedroom, surrounded by soft colors and fluffy comforters.

“Okay,” I said as I smeared a lumpy spoonful on her face. “Tell me what happened.”

Leona sighed, staring up at the ceiling as I smoothed the mixture under her eyes. “Marco told me that he’s not interested. Turns out…he has a girlfriend.”

I nearly dropped the bowl of goop into my lap. “What? Are you serious?”

“Deadly. He’s been seeing some chick from West Washington since summer but never brought it up. So when I took your advice and asked him to ask me out…” Her eyes welled up. “He said he couldn’t.”

“Oh, Leona!” I set down the mixture and wrapped my arms around her in a hug. This was horrible! She’d been trying so hard. I saw her in the halls when she was talking to Marco, and she was smiling! She smiled for him!

I straightened up and held her by the shoulders, giving her my very best supportive expression. “This isn’t awful,” I said. “At least you found out that he had a girlfriend. This could have gone on until senior prom.”

Leona pressed her lips together, blinking away her tears. “You’re right,” she said. “And at least he wasn’t trying to cheat on his girlfriend.”

“Exactly.” Her eyes locked on mine, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing. “Sam?” I asked.

“I think he was seeing someone else before he broke it off with Izzie,” Leona said quietly. “And I have to tell you, Tess, I think Izzie has gone off the deep end. She isn’t answering calls, and when I went by her house last night, her car was gone. I think she might be stalking him.”

It was entirely possible that Izzie was stalking. She was very dedicated by nature. I clenched my jaw, trying to think of the right course of action. “This is bad,” I murmured.

“Horribly bad.”

Just then my cell phone vibrated on my rosewood side table. “It’s Kira,” I said to Leona.

“Power trip,” she sang out, picking up the bowl of oatmeal and walking over to my vanity to continue the application process.

“Hello,” I said, touching once the drying mixture on my face.

“It’s me,” Kira said. “I was wondering if you had a second?”

I smiled, or at least I tried to. The mask I was wearing was making my skin tight. “Of course. I love to help.”

“I know.” Kira sighed. “Look, I’m sorry if I’ve been a pill lately. You know I’ve missed you as a Smitten Kitten. Without you, we just don’t have that same pep.”

That was sweet of her to say. It reminded me of how much I missed her. “Aw…thanks, K.”

She laughed, sounding happy with my happiness. “So I guess what I’m saying is…I’ll stand up for you, Tess. I want you on the squad. Full-time.”

I straightened, completely caught off guard. It was the best thing I could’ve heard. I felt completely vindicated. “Really?”

“Yes,” Kira said. “Being captain takes a lot of stuffing, and I’m just not sure I’m enough Kitten for it. I need more time for my life, my boyfriend. So I could use your help.”

My eyes were beginning to tear, and I shot a glance over to Leona, who was still at my mirror applying oatmeal to her face with the back of a spoon.

“You have no idea what this means to me,” I murmured. “Thank you.”

“Course,” Kira responded. “No one cheers like you, Tess. No one.”

After we’d hung up, I put my phone back on the side table and sat down on my bed, wrapping my arms around my knees. Finally I had part of me back. I was going to be a Smitten Kitten again.

“What was that about?” Leona asked, turning to look at me through a face of oatmeal.

I met her gaze and smiled (sort of). “I’m back on the squad!”

Leona pursed her lips as she seemed to consider it, then she shrugged. “It’s about time.” Then she flipped over her wrist to look down at the watch she always wore. “Hey, I have to babysit my little sister tonight. I’ll just keep this junk on my face until it falls off. My pores have been seriously neglected.” She began walking to my bedroom door.

“No cucumbers?” I asked. She paused.

“I’ll take a few for the road.”

After Leona was gone, I decided to treat my eyelids to a little cucumber time of their own. I stretched out on my couch and closed my eyes, dropping two perfectly circular veggies on my eyes.