The Naughty List (The Naughty List #1)(20)

Someone cleared their throat behind me. I blinked quickly and turned. Oh, my.

“I brought your notebook,” Christian said, glancing at my feet. I followed his eyes. Red nail polish was smeared across my toes. It made me think about my weekend with Aiden.

“And I’m really sorry about calling you….”

“Tess,” Kira whispered from our table. I looked over, and she held up the cell and waved it at me.

Gingersnaps! Another assignment. I hadn’t even gotten the rundown on the last one. It seemed like they were coming nonstop lately. SOS was a full-time job.

I looked up at Christian. Poor thing, he was still trying to apologize for getting my phone number. I should let him down easy.

“Excuse me, Christian?” I said in my sweetest voice. I’d hate for him to think I was rude. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I really have to sit down and sort out my things for class.”

His eyes widened. “Sure. Sorry.” He motioned forward with his hands.

“No worries,” I said. “Maybe I’ll see you at lunch or something.” There was a pang in my belly. Suddenly his sister’s scowl popped in my head. I wondered if it was just because she was sour at her parents’ divorce and switching schools. Or—I bit the inside of my cheek—maybe it was because she was interested in Aiden. She wouldn’t be the first girl. Luckily my guy didn’t notice silly things like that. I swallowed hard.

“Lunch would be great,” Christian said, beaming and brushing a lock of his hair behind his ear.

Uh-oh. I wasn’t really inviting him. I’d better not do any more damage. I twirled and walked to my table, sitting down in my seat. Pulling my bag into my lap, I grabbed out my history book as I looked over Kira’s shoulder at the cell phone screen. Wait.

I turned. Christian was at the end of our table, smiling. I raised my eyebrow. He stared back for a minute.

“Right,” he said, holding up his finger like he’d forgotten to tell me something. “I …” He laughed to himself and shook his head. “Never mind. See you girls later.”

I watched him walk away, feeling a little uncomfortable, and then looked sideways at Kira.

She stared down, tapping her fingernails on the table. “My word,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Looks like I have a lot of work to do with that one.”

I laughed as she turned around in her seat to smile and wave at Christian. Kira was excellent at keeping a positive attitude. Even though Darren had just cheated on her a few days ago, she was already picking herself back up and moving on. It was brave, really. I was impressed with her tenacity.

“So how did the last assignment meeting go?” I asked when she’d settled down.

“Shit! I forgot.” She slapped her hand on the table.

“Kira, language!”

“Sorry, Tess. It just slipped out.”

It wasn’t like I was the purest soul on Earth, but there was something to be said for old-fashioned manners. And cussing like a sailor was unbecoming of a Smitten Kitten. We were supposed to lead by example.

“So no meeting?” I asked. I should’ve just come to school on Friday. The girls of Washington needed me. SOS needed a strong leader, and lately, I’d been failing.

“I got sort of sidetracked,” she said apologetically.

I exhaled. “By what?”

“Um …” Her eyes wandered around the room. Mr. Powell got up, walking to the podium, and opened his oversized teacher’s book. I plucked the phone out of Kira’s hands.

“Never mind,” I whispered. “We’ll talk about it later.” The bell rang, and I quickly scrolled through the SOS message.

911! I think my BF, Marcus Billings, is cheating! I can’t catch him, and I’ve been told SOS is the best. If that bastard hooked up wl someone else, I will be so pissed blc we had sex for the first time this wknd. Thx, Cassandra

I cringed. Sometimes TMI was a given. I handed the phone to Kira and let her read.

“Ew,” she said, looking at me with her lip curled. “Too much information.”

“I know.”

Mr. Powell cleared his throat and told us to open our books to page ninety-six. Kira leaned over to whisper to me, “So when do you want to start this assignment?”

“I can’t tonight,” I said. “I’m going to Aiden’s for dinner. His mother is demanding it.” My stomach turned. She did this every few months, mostly to scare me away. But it never worked. I had some very sharp claws for a Kitten, and they were firmly planted in her son’s backside.

“Sorry for you,” Kira said, pretending to gag. She was so sweet.

“But this weekend,” I said. “We need to catch up on these assignments. We’re falling behind.”

“I know, Tess,” she groaned. “But there are just so many. I mean, Darren told me that part of the reason he cheated with Charlie was because I was never around.”

“Wait,” I whispered forcefully as I touched her arm. “When did you talk to Darren?” Oh, Kira.

She bit her lip. “Late Friday night.”

“Gross, K. Breakup sex? You’re so above that.”

“I know.” Her shoulders slumped. It hurt my heart to see her sad, so I gave her a quick hug. When I pulled back, I furrowed my brow.