The International Kissing Club (3 page)

Piper’s breath caught at the implication that Tanner might be even a little interested in her, but just as she was beginning to contemplate
following Mei’s advice, Germaine looked up from the conversation she’d been having with one of the other football players and shot Piper a death glare.

Piper settled back against the wall. Yeah, right. Who was she kidding? Germaine would never let her within ten feet of Tanner—at least not without humiliating Piper all over again. And really, she just didn’t think she had it in her to kiss any more swine.

“Or maybe not,” Mei said. “God, how does she make her eyes do that? I swear, I expect lasers to shoot out of them any minute now.”

Piper laughed, like she knew Mei had wanted her to, before taking another sip of her drink. Maybe if she got drunk enough, she wouldn’t care what everyone was saying about her or what evil plot Germaine was hatching even now. But using alcohol to escape was her mother’s favorite game, and it was one Piper wasn’t particularly interested in playing. She put her Ice down before stretching her legs out in front of her.

“Your toes look cool,” Mei said. “I like that color.”

“‘Crimson and Clover,’” she said with a toe wiggle. “If it’s good enough for Joan Jett—”

“Then it’s good enough for us!”

“Exactly. You can borrow it if you want.”

“I just might. But only because of the cool name. I can wear it when I’m practicing ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’ on my Fender Strat.”

“Right, of course. We wouldn’t want anyone to think you were turning country if they saw you without your black nail polish.”

“Damn straight.” Mei took another sip of her drink, then coughed.

Piper patted her on the back. “God, don’t die on me now. I’m not sure I could face this party without you.”

Mei didn’t answer, and when Piper followed her gaze, it was easy to see why. Germaine and her unmerry band of malicious minions were working their way over to the stall where Mei and Piper were sitting. Of course they were. Because really, the snorts and pig grunts hadn’t been
enough to ruin her night—she needed a close encounter with her own personal nightmare to really make the evening complete.

“Ignore her and she’ll go away,” Mei said. “She just wants to get a rise out of you.”

Piper nodded, knowing Mei was right. She wouldn’t react this time, wouldn’t even acknowledge Germaine’s existence. It would be almost impossible, but Piper refused to give Germaine any more ammunition. That girl could turn the most innocuous comment into a way to make fun of her enemies. It was a gift Piper would kill to have, at least at times like these.

But as Germaine stopped a few feet away from Piper’s hiding place, Piper realized her archnemesis had a new brand of torture in mind.

“Sorry to drag you guys back to the losers section,” she said to her friends with a pointed look at Piper and Mei, “but I had to get away from Tanner for a few minutes. I swear that boy is
way
too clingy. Every five minutes he’s telling me how beautiful I am and how much he
loves
me.”

Piper’s hands curled into fists. She was going to lose it if she had to sit here and listen to how much Tanner adored the cruelest skank ever to walk the halls of Paris High. Piper would do anything to be with Tanner, and he barely knew she was alive. Germaine did nothing but talk badly about him and he was crazy about her.

“Ignore it,” Mei whispered again, and Piper tried. She really did. But it was so hard to sit by and listen as her worst enemy made fun of the guy she’d wanted forever. Of course, Germaine knew that. It was why she’d stationed herself next to Piper and Mei to begin with.

“You’re lucky,” sighed Rosemary, Germaine’s best friend and one of the fawning minions. “He’s so cute, he could have any girl here. It’s awesome that he wants
you
.”

“Who else would he possibly want?” came the scathing retort. “Besides, cute isn’t everything. He’s about as exciting as a piece of toast—without the butter. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep pretending to like him.”

“Well, you could break up with him,” suggested Elizabeth, another of the cheerleaders. “It’s not like you’d have trouble finding another boyfriend.”

Germaine laughed, a cold, calculating sound that made Piper shiver despite herself. “Of course I wouldn’t. But, really. Who else would I date? Tanner may be pathetically dull, but he’s the best Paris High has to offer. Even if he does kiss like a dead fish.” Piper shook her head in disbelief. Every time she figured Germaine had reached a new low, every time she decided Germaine couldn’t get
any
worse, she did something to make Piper change her mind.

How could she say those things about Tanner?

How could she call him pathetic when he
so
didn’t deserve it?

It wasn’t like he was just any guy, after all. He was the smartest, hottest, nicest guy to ever grace the halls of PHS—not to mention the best wide receiver their team had ever had. He’d even scored the winning touchdown at state last year, and that was saying something, as they were a tiny little school in the middle of nowhere.

Not that Piper had been surprised. She’d known that Tanner was amazing and wonderful and exceptional—even before he’d pulled that hideous pig off her. That had just been the final bit of proof that he was as close to perfect as any guy could get, except, of course, for his one glaring flaw: he was dating Germaine the Vain.

It
so
wasn’t fair.

How could he not see what a total and complete jerk Germaine was to everyone around her? Especially since she’d spent most of the last four years making up vicious rumors about anyone who wasn’t under her spell—which included Piper and her friends.

Plus, she was totally responsible for the pig incident, even if she’d never been questioned about it. More than once Piper had heard her bragging at the Dairy Queen about pulling it off and about what she’d done to “persuade” Jackson to take the fall for her. Manipulative witch.

“So, how does Tanner feel about your views on his kissing talents?”
asked Lisa, another one of the minions. “I mean, if I went around telling people Jimmy kissed like a fish, he’d be really pissed.”

Wow. Piper shot Lisa a look of respect. Finally, a Paris cheerleader with a brain. It was the same question Piper had wanted to ask ever since she’d realized Germaine was dissing her boyfriend like he was some kind of loser.

But it would take more than a challenge from a tiny little nobody like Lisa to throw Germaine off her game. Her grin faded, only to be replaced by what Piper and her friends liked to refer to as her “oh, bless your heart” look, usually reserved for imbeciles, non–Dallas Cowboy fans, and those people who weren’t born in Paris, Texas.

“Obviously, it’s not like I say it to Tanner’s face.” Germaine’s voice cut like broken glass. “And who would be stupid enough to tell him what I said?” The warning in her eyes promised retribution of the Germaine kind if anyone even dared to think about betraying her.

The cheeseburger Piper had eaten during her earlier trip to Dairy Queen with Mei, Izzy, and Cassidy gurgled in her stomach and threatened to crawl back up her esophagus, but Piper womanfully held it back. Still, could Germaine get any more obnoxious?

“That’s a good point,” agreed Michaela, who usually held a spot on the food chain right below Rosemary. “I mean, what Tanner doesn’t know won’t hurt you, right?”

“Exactly,” Germaine said. “But enough about Tanner.” She eyed her friends critically. “I swear y’all gained ten pounds over the summer. If we’re going to be ready for Nationals, you need to work out extra hard for the next few weeks. Plus, if you go around looking like that, Piper might mistake you for a pig and try to kiss you.”

And there it was, the comment Piper had been waiting for. It was as close to acknowledging her presence as Germaine would get. Her entire group laughed, and since Germaine had timed her comment to slip into the brief silence that fell between songs, so did most of the barn. Piper felt Mei tense beside her. Knowing her friend was about to
confront Germaine—and attract the WWW’s ire onto herself—Piper sprang to her feet before Mei could talk herself into the same miserable position Piper had held for four long years.

“What is your problem, Germaine? Don’t you think this whole vendetta thing has gotten a little old?” As Piper spoke, she was conscious of Mei standing behind her, lending her silent support.

Germaine didn’t even seem to notice Mei as she focused directly on Piper for the first time, her eyes so coldly mocking that Piper grew nervous despite her resolve. But in typical Germaine fashion, she waited for the music to start again so that the other partygoers wouldn’t hear her response.

“Old?” she asked icily, as if she’d never heard of the word. “Piper, I’ve barely gotten started.”

“You’ve humiliated me in front of half of North America. Surely that’s enough to satisfy even
your
vanity.”

Germaine smiled nastily. “I look at it more as my duty to society, weeding out the weak members of the herd. It is survival of the fittest, after all.”

“This isn’t the jungle, you know. It’s a town.”

“Oh, no, Piper. This isn’t just
a
town. It’s
my
town. And as long as you live here, it’ll never be over. The pig thing was just the beginning.” And then she turned and walked away, her minions trailing in her wake as if Piper was no longer worth their interest.

But as her words echoed in Piper’s head, she knew Germaine’s lack of concern was just an act. The last four years had been miserable and the next two would be just as bad.

“Piper.” Mei rubbed a comforting hand on her back, but Piper shrugged her off.

“I need some fresh air.”

“I’ll go with you—”

“No, stay here. I’ll be fine. I just need a few minutes by myself.” Leaving her friend behind, Piper weaved her way through the crowd,
trying her best to ignore the new chorus of snorts and oinks that followed her.

By the time she got outside, Piper was shaking so badly that she wasn’t sure how much longer her legs would support her. Sinking down onto the hard, parched ground, she leaned her head against the barn and dashed away the frustrated tears rolling silently down her cheeks. Behind her the party was still going on. She didn’t want anyone to see her this upset, but her efforts didn’t seem to matter—new tears spilled over, and the more she told herself not to cry, the faster the tears came. Her lack of control infuriated her.

For the first time since this whole stupid thing had happened, Piper felt hopeless.

Like things really weren’t going to die down.

Like she really would spend the rest of her life being pointed at, laughed at, and made fun of.

Turning her head, Piper saw Germaine work her way through the crowd that had gathered in front of the barn’s entrance. Everyone fawned over her or ran from her—just as she liked it—and as Piper watched, she knew that Germaine was right.

As long as she stayed in this stupid backwoods town, it would never be over. She would be at Germaine’s mercy forever.

Chapter 2
Cassidy

The tardy bell rang just as Cassidy slid into the back row of homeroom.

“Thanks for saving my seat, Izzy.” She set her backpack on the floor between their desks. Mei and Piper took up the other two seats in the row. Every year the four of them finagled getting “C” Class homeroom—it was the only period their disparate schedules allowed them to be all together.

“How’s it going, Piper?” she whispered down the line. Talking was not allowed during homeroom, but Cassidy saw it more as a guideline, really.

Piper shrugged and gave her a little smile to say she was hanging in. “Atta girl,” Cassidy said.

“Shhhh,” Mei scolded her.

“That librarian impression is really coming along, Mei, but you need to learn to shush with a lot more authority—really engage those core muscles.”

“Some of us have actual studying to do, Cassidy. That’s what homeroom is for.”

Cassidy rolled her eyes. “It’s only the second day of school, Little Miss Valedictorian. I’m pretty sure your GPA is not at stake at this very moment.”

“Ignore her,” Izzy said. “She’s freaking out because Mr. Canales asked her to lead the first lab practical in her AP Chem class on Friday.”

“You academic types are way too uptight. You need more exercise to relieve your stress. That’s why I stick to athletic pursuits.”

“I seem to recall that last year, right before the district basketball playoffs, you threw up all over your Nikes, Cassidy Barlow, so don’t lecture me on being uptight,” Mei said.

Piper giggled, the first time Cassidy had heard her do that in at least a week. “Meowww. Mei, I didn’t know you had it in you,” she said.

Cassidy was about to follow Piper’s comment with a smart-ass retort of her own when the lights went dark in the room.

“Your attention, please, boys and girls,” said Ms. Vogel as she bustled up to the front of the class, a box in her arms. “Now, I know you all have studying to be doing”—Mei shot Cassidy a little self-righteous smirk—“but I need a few minutes of your time.”

The entire classroom began to glow a hazy blue as cell phones were whipped out of hiding the second the overhead lights dimmed.