Angelfire
Page 25

I would have much preferred to have just hit a sign instead of what had actual y happened. "I found my car like that yesterday," I explained. "I swear I didn't hit anything, Mom. It made me so angry and I didn't want it to ruin my day, so I tried not to think about it. I was so busy with homework and then going out for Movie Night, I total y forgot. I'm sorry."
She frowned. "I guess we'l have to take care of that. I hope the dealership's repair shop wil fix it up since you've only had the thing for two days." She stressed those last two words uncomfortably. "Whoever you've pissed off at school . . . You should try to make nice before that someone slashes your tires and breaks your windows."
"Yeah, for sure," I added. If she ended up having to pay for it, I'd feel real y crappy.
"I'l give them a cal ," she sighed. "Try parking in the back of the lot, El ie."
"Mom, it's almost winter," I protested. "I don't want to park out in the middle of nowhere and freeze to death walking inside. Not to mention, my car is white. He'l camouflage in the snow and I'l never find him."
"You're wearing a skirt," she observed. "It's perfectly warm outside."
I huffed. "Not for long."
She frowned again. "Wel , I don't know what to tel you. Have fun with Kate today." She handed me a credit card. "Be reasonable. One dress. And get yourself lunch while you're out. You look tired, and I don't want your blood sugar to get too low. You know what a grouch you become when you don't eat."
I smiled. "Thanks, Mom."
She turned but did a double take. "Where did that necklace come from?"
I touched the pendant. "A friend."
"A boy?"
Yikes. "He's a friend who's a boy."
Her mouth twitched in amusement and her gaze left the necklace. "First roses, and now a necklace? Are you sure Landon isn't your boyfriend?"
"This wasn't from him, Mom."
"So you have two boyfriends?"
"No, Mom!" I almost shouted. "Neither of them is my boyfriend. Trust me. They're just boys who are friends. No connecting of words going on . . . or connecting of anything else, for that matter."
She stared at me. "Hmm." Then she left my room. She was so weird sometimes.
A few minutes later Kate was almost obnoxiously cheerful as she burst into my bedroom.
"So!" she chirped, flopping onto my bed, blond hair flying.
"How did it go?"
"How did what go?" I asked, pul ing a bit of the front of my hair out of my eyes and pinning it down with a bobby pin as I stared into the mirror over my dresser.
Kate chucked a pil ow at my butt, knocking me into my dresser and making me rattle a couple of perfume bottles.
"You know what I mean! How was your date with Wil ?"
"It wasn't a date," I said, scowling at her through the mirror, steadying the vase of Landon's roses. "I promise you."
"Then enlighten me. What exactly was it?"
"He's been helping me with . . . homework. Econ has been kicking my ass." And so had Will, I thought. Kate laughed aloud. "He's your tutor? Oh, El ie, that is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard."
"Wel , it's the truth," I lied. I hated lying to my best friend, but it wasn't like I could tel her what was real y going on. "I don't like him or anything, trust me. He's kind of a jerk, actual y. He's not as nice as I thought."
"I wish I had a hot tutor."
"Don't be so smart then."
"Whatever," Kate said, sitting up. "You're a big, fat liar. Let's go shopping."
We drove in Kate's BMW to the mal and pul ed up to the Saks Fifth Avenue entrance. Kate gave her keys to a real y cute valet guy and tucked her ticket into her purse before we went inside. Glamorous counters gleaming gold and ivory lined the main floor with just hints of frosty hues announcing the fal and winter arrivals. Kate stopped to ogle a table topped with shoes by Chanel and slowed us down again to fondle a particular bag in the Valentino col ection as I dragged her up the escalator to the dress boutique. I decided on a cute, strapless, cream Badgley Mischka cocktail dress. The bodice fit comfortably and the poufy chiffon layers of the skirt fel to just above my knees. I knew I had the perfect matching black Marc Jacobs satin shoes to complement it. I wasn't surprised when Kate chose a rather adventurous black mesh-front Dolce&Gabbana bustier sheath dress. If anyone could pul it off, Kate could. She had legs that went on for miles, and if al she wore was a handful of raggedy old washcloths pieced together with duct tape, she'd stil look ready for the red carpet.
I paid with the card my mom gave me and then we walked around for another hour before we went to eat lunch at P. F. Chang's. Kate knew a manager there who helped us skip the two-hour wait and seated us immediately.
As I ate my Szechuan chicken and listened to Kate run her mouth about spotting Josie Newport leaving the Louis Vuitton boutique with a new bag, I found myself thinking about Wil . I wondered if he was in the Grim at that moment. I felt comforted, safe, knowing that if something decided to attack, he'd be there in an instant. Even though I'd rightful y kicked his ass the night before, I stil didn't want to fight on my own. To be honest, it probably would have felt very weird if he had decided to accompany us where we could see him. I imagined him wandering around the mal , fol owing us on our shopping trip with our bags in his hands, helping us choose dresses, and I couldn't help letting out a little laugh.