The Naughty List (The Naughty List #1)(53)

“I’m not going to stake out Aiden,” I said simply. It wasn’t right. It would mean I thought he was cheating, and I didn’t. I wouldn’t.

“I’ll help you,” he said softly. “And I promise I am only there to help. No touching you. Nothing.”

Right. I may have been upset, but I wasn’t stupid. “Not going to happen,” I said. He turned to me suddenly.

“Okay, I didn’t want to say anything,” he blurted, like he’d been holding in a secret for a while. “Aiden’s going out with my sister tonight.”

My insides collapsed. “What?” No. No. No.

“Man, Tessa,” Christian whined. “I hate having to be the one to tell you this.” He shook his head. “I never believe Chloe. But she said that tonight they’re going out to dinner and then to his house. She told me his mother’s out of town.”

I gagged but quickly got his door open to dry-heave outside. No puke. My head spun and I dragged myself out of the car to sit at the curb, putting my elbows on my knees and holding my head in my hands. Aiden’s mother was out of town. That was true.

Christian got out and walked around the car, his sandals scraping on the pavement. He sat next to me on the curb and then bumped his knee against mine. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I was trying to not hurt you. You could just dump him, Tessa. You don’t have to spy on him.”

But a force rippled through me, making me shiver, and then it passed. It was gone. The pain was gone. I had become SOS. I had become the client and the spy.

“Where were they going to dinner?” I asked, my voice thick. I felt suddenly cold. Emotionally and physically. I was shaking.

“I don’t know,” Christian said. He was trying to talk quietly, be comforting. But there was little he could do for me now. I needed to know. I needed to know that it wasn’t true.

I turned to Christian and our faces were close, but I didn’t feel any tingles. There were no prickles. I was numb. “Pick me up at nine,” I said.

Without another glance, I stood up, crossing my arms over my chest, and walked inside my house.

What to tell the Smitten Kittens? They’d want to know what I was going to do about Aiden. I sat on my couch, my sneakered feet on the coffee table as I tried to think of an answer.

I looked at my phone. It didn’t ring. I bit my lip, hard enough to make it hurt. Then I marched into my room, snatched my cheerleading uniform, and slid it on before grabbing my car keys and heading back to school.

The squad was waiting for me in the gym, sitting on the bleachers looking downright nauseous. I was glad they were worried about me, but it would make what I was about to say that much harder.

“Tess?” Kira asked, jumping up. Her shoes squeaked as she crossed the floor. She was looking over my uniform, seemingly worried. Most of the girls were in their spandex or workout clothes. I was in complete uniform, ponytail, and ribbons. It helped me feel better. I felt stronger like this.

I waved Kira off and she stopped dead in front of me. Normally, I would have smiled. Instead, I closed my eyes. “I quit SOS,” I said quietly.

“No!” Izzie yelled, her shout echoing through the gymnasium as she began to cry.

“Chill out, Iz,” Leona said. I looked at her. She nodded at me.

“I’m sorry, girls. I just… can’t do it anymore. Every day, every boy, all I think is, ‘Is he cheating?’ Then the one person I should have been sure about…” I didn’t finish the sentence. I still didn’t want to believe it was true about Aiden. The warning signs had all been there. I just chose to ignore them. There was only one more thing to do, and then I was done with the spying business. Forever.

“It’ll be okay,” Kira said to me, her blue eyes filled with tears. “Maybe—”

“I just quit,” I said again, feeling the impact of my words. “It’s over. I can’t take the lying, the cheating, the broken hearts….” I sniffled. Corn bread muffin! I was going to cry too.

Instead, I cleared my throat. “I can’t cheer this weekend.” I stepped up to Kira, putting my hands on the shoulders of her spandex top, staring seriously into her face. “K, you’re lead until I get back.”

She gasped. Leona growled.

The worry left Kira’s face, and she jumped up and down, clapping. It sort of warmed my heart. But only for a second, because I knew I was lying. SOS might be over, but there was one more mission. Without the squad. I dropped my head, backing away.

“I’ll see you later,” I said quietly, moving toward the double doors.

“Tessa,” Leona called out. I turned back to look at her. “Be careful,” she said.

We stared at each other. Then I smiled like a true Smitten Kitten and left to spy on my sweetie. Or at least, the boy that used to be my sweetie.

Christian’s eyes widened as I got in his car, still in uniform. He had gone to the trouble of putting on a fitted black sweater and black pants. There was even a beanie on his console.

“You’re … you’re spying in that?” he asked, sounding unsure.

“Yep. I draw my strength from the skirt.”

He laughed, but when I didn’t, he turned back to the street. Had I cracked? Possibly. But it didn’t matter. After this, everything I ever was could be wrecked. What difference would it make if I were wearing a cheerleading uniform?