The Karma Club (12 page)

I stuff my phone in my pocket and start flipping through a couple of the bras, trying to look like just another interested shopper. Then I casually glance over my left shoulder and see Leslie carrying three shopping bags and browsing through a low-rise bikini table while Ryan stands off to her side, looking very bored and extremely uncomfortable.

“I don’t know why you dragged me in here,” he is saying to her as he stuffs his hands nervously in his pockets. “I look like a perv standing in the middle of a bunch of women’s underwear.”

Leslie rolls her eyes and continues sifting through the items on the table. “No, you don’t. Not as long as you stay next to me. Then you just look like the boyfriend of a girl who wears very hot underwear. I thought you’d like that.”

He crosses his arms over his chest and doesn’t respond. His body language pretty much speaks for itself. This apparently frustrates Leslie, because she stamps her foot a little and says, “I told you why we’re here, Ryan. I got a coupon in the mail the other day and it expires
today
! Do you even know how valuable a fifty percent off coupon is in Eve’s Closet?”

Ryan sighs, indicating that, in fact, he does not know.

“Be patient,” Leslie tells him in a very motherly tone as he slides into a nearby chair and starts to sulk. “I just need to stock up on underwear and maybe a few new bras.”

I inch my way to the left and hide safely behind a circular rack of sexy boy shorts while I take my phone out of my pocket and send a text to Jade.

Back of the store, low-cut bikini table

Then I begin to sift through the boy shorts and wait for Jade to appear to execute the next phase in the plan. Except after a few minutes, she’s still nowhere in sight. I glance up to see that she’s standing behind the register waiting on a customer. And behind that customer, there are at least five people waiting to pay for their items. She catches my eye and glances frustratedly at the line, indicating that she’s pretty much stuck there.

I look back at Leslie, whose arms are now full of various bras and panties and, from what it looks like, some type of corset. She struggles to hold everything and still manage to hang on to her three shopping bags.

Ryan, who looks even more bored than he did a few minutes ago, goes “Look, I’m just gonna wait outside. This store makes me nervous.”

Leslie pouts slightly and replies, “Fine, go.”

My eyes widen, and I look back at Jade and her line of customers, which has grown by two people in the last thirty seconds. I try to get her attention by doing everything short of waving my hands in the air and jumping up and down, then finally dig out my phone once again and quickly type out a frantic text message. But my panicked fingers are totally slipping all over the keys.

Rxan leazing, whav sgould I do?

Jade doesn’t look up. She’s far too involved with the customer in front of her to even notice that her cell phone has just buzzed in her pocket.

I look back at Ryan, who’s now happily making his way to the
front of the store, and I know that we’re about to lose our opportunity to do what we came here to do. And if that happens, Ryan’s universal imbalance will go completely unchecked. I immediately start to freak out.

Then I hear Leslie’s voice. “Hey!”

And for a minute I think she’s talking to me, which would mean that my cover is blown. Not that it matters anyway, now that Ryan is about to leave the store and Jade is bogged down behind a register, unable to do anything about it.

But when I turn my head toward Leslie, I notice that she’s not even looking at me. Or anywhere in my direction. She’s looking at Ryan. And he stops just thirty feet short of the entrance to the mall. His shoulders drop like those of a prison inmate about to get his first taste of paroled freedom only to be called back inside the moment he sees the light of day. He faces her. “What?”

“Can you at least take these bags with you?” Leslie calls from halfway across the store, her arms still overflowing with underwear. “I can’t carry them
and
all this stuff.”

Ryan reluctantly makes his way to the back of the store again.

My mind is racing. I take one more look at Jade. She’s still oblivious to everything that’s been going on. It’s now or never. If this operation is going to end with a victory and a charm for our bracelets, I know it’s entirely up to me.

With my back still turned to Leslie and Ryan, I reach over to the rack in front of me and grab three random pairs of panties. Then I slide along the wall until I come to another circular rack. This one is filled with slinky baby dolls. I casually bat at one with my hand until it falls to the ground, and then I crouch down next
to the rack as if I’m going to retrieve it. Except instead of picking it up, I crawl along the base of the rack toward the center of the store.

Just then, Ryan stomps past me, Leslie’s shopping bags in hand, and while still managing to keep my head buried in a sea of satin and lace, I subtly reach out my arm and drop the panties into one of the shopping bags.

It’s not until a few seconds later, while I’m pulling myself to my feet and dusting off my hands, that I hear the alarms go off.

And that’s when I know that our mission is a success.

In a rumor
mill like Colonial High, it doesn’t take long on Monday for word to spread about Ryan Feldman’s new criminal record. Particularly when it’s discovered that the stolen merchandise found in his shopping bag was none other than three pairs of extra-large women’s underwear. And although I know it would be that much more impressive if I could truthfully say that it was all part of some premeditated plan and that I specifically selected the cotton briefs popular among women over the age of fifty-five, I can’t really take the credit. I didn’t even know Eve’s Closet sold underwear like that. It was just a sign that fate was on our side and that Ryan was destined to receive the punishment he deserved. And based on the gossip churning this morning, that very punishment is currently being decided by the school’s administration. It is explicitly stated in the rules of the official California Interscholastic Federation that any illegal activity conducted during the course of the season warrants immediate suspension from the
team. Which is exactly why we chose this particular mission in the first place.

Jade told us that, because the value of the stolen merchandise was so low, Ryan wouldn’t have to spend any time in jail, but the crime would go on his record as a misdemeanor.

She also informed us that Ryan tried to pin it on Leslie, who was forced to wait outside for the entire time Ryan was being interrogated in a back room of the store. He argued that obviously Leslie had thrown the underwear in the bag before she gave it to him to hold.

Apparently he hasn’t grown out of trying to use his girlfriends as scapegoats. I guess some things never change.

At lunch, I’m in the counseling office checking to see when I’m next scheduled to tutor Seth Taylor’s little brother, because the fate of our fourth mission is dependent upon me getting inside Seth’s house and snooping through his stuff. When I check the bulletin board, I see that Jacob Taylor has signed up for a session with me on Wednesday after school. As I’m turning to leave, I hear a voice behind me call out my name.

“Maddy?”

I spin around to see Mr. Wilson, the guidance counselor. “Can I see you in my office?”

I immediately rack my brain, trying to figure out what I might have done wrong. Maybe a parent complained about my tutoring style. Or that I’ve been distracted in my sessions lately. Or possibly one of my students failed a test. That never looks good for the tutor.

I sit down across from Mr. Wilson and try to appear relaxed and carefree. Nothing looks worse on the face of someone who’s about to get reprimanded than a guilty expression. “Is everything okay?” I ask casually. “Did Penny pass her trig test?”

“Oh, yes, Maddy. Everything is fine. Penny got a B plus.”

“That’s great!” I say.
But if that’s not the problem, why am I sitting here?

“I think you’re doing a great job in this student tutoring program,” Mr. Wilson begins. “We’ve had nothing but positive feedback about you from the parents and the teachers.”

I feel a sense of relief wash over me. “Well, that’s good.”

“How are you handling your own workload?” Mr. Wilson asks.

“Fine. No problems.” There’s really no point in telling him that nearly every night I have to force myself to stop obsessing over Mason Brooks so I can finish my homework. In fact, I haven’t even told Jade and Angie that I still cry when I get into bed and the room is dark and my phone is silent. Those are the times I miss Mason the most. The times when he used to call me up and sometimes we would talk until I fell asleep. I know Angie and Jade would disapprove of that. Because this whole Karma Club thing is supposed to be getting me over him. It’s supposed to be how I move on. But the truth is, I haven’t. At least not entirely.

I keep that to myself, though.

“Good,” Mr. Wilson says. “Glad to hear it. Well, I brought you in here because your French teacher told me that you’re doing exceptionally well in your AP class this semester and that you have an incredible grasp of the language, and I was wondering if you . . .”

As Mr. Wilson continues to talk, I hear the faint sound of my cell phone vibrating in the front pocket of my backpack. It only buzzes once, which means it’s a text message. Probably from Angie or Jade. I pretend to be fully absorbed in what he’s saying, nodding and mmm-hmming as I casually lean forward in my chair and attempt to remove the cell phone and hold it out in front of me under Mr. Wilson’s desk so he can’t see it.

Jade’s message is brief.

Verdict is in. Meet at my locker . . . now!

My heart immediately starts beating a little bit faster. This is it. The moment we’ve been waiting for. The administration has made a decision regarding Ryan Feldman’s future on the Colonial High baseball team.

This could be our first official Karma Club victory!

I nod my head at whatever Mr. Wilson is saying as I reach down and slip my cell phone back into my backpack.

Okay, I really don’t know why he’s still talking or why he even called me in here other than to commend me on my excellent grasp of the French language, but I need to get out of here right now. Maybe if I just tell him that—

“Maddy?” Mr. Wilson is looking at me questioningly.

“Huh?”

“Can you help him out with his French homework?” he asks.

Okay, so right now I have two choices. I can either say “Who?” and completely give away the fact that I wasn’t listening to a word he’s been saying because I was too busy daydreaming about Ryan Feldman’s humiliation in front of the entire school. Or I can say
“Sure! No problem!” then get the heck out of here and join my friends to celebrate.

Yes, that’s definitely the option to go with at this point.

“Sure! No problem!” I say, leaping up from my seat, grabbing my backpack, and taking a step toward the door. “Happy to help.”

Mr. Wilson appears relieved. “Oh, that’s great, Maddy. Thanks. He’s really struggling and can definitely benefit from your help. I’ll arrange for the two of you to meet after school in the library today. Does that work?”

I flash him a flustered smile as I place my hand on the doorknob and pull the door toward me. “Yep, fine. I’ll meet him after school. Not a problem. Well, I should probably get to class. Thanks, Mr. Wilson.”

And before he can say anything else, I’m out the door, racing down the main hallway like an Olympic sprinter. When I finally arrive at Jade’s locker, panting and out of breath, I see Angie and Jade standing off to the side, giggling profusely at something.

“What happened?” I exclaim breathlessly. “What did you hear? Tell me everything.”

But honestly, I don’t really have to ask. I can tell by the beaming grin on Angie’s face that the news is good.

Jade turns to Angie. “Do you want to do the honors? Since he’s
your
ex?”

Angie grins gratefully and in a very hushed but animated voice says, “He’s out.”

“Out?” I repeat. “As in suspended for three games out?”

She simply shakes her head.

“As in
off the team
out?” I ask again.

She nods, and I immediately start jumping up and down. I just can’t help myself. Mason and Heather might still be together and Heather’s face might still be flawless (for now), but at least this is a sign that our hard work and careful planning are
actually
paying off.

Jade suggests, “Let’s go pick out our first victory charm for our bracelets after school.”

“Yes!” I say without hesitation, but then remember that I just agreed to tutor some kid this afternoon, and my shoulders drop. “Oh, crap. I can’t. I have a tutoring session.”

Jade’s face lights up. “Is it Seth’s little brother?”

I shake my head. “No, that’s not until Wednesday. But today’s session should only take an hour, so I can meet you guys after.”

We agree to meet at 4:15 p.m. at a well-known hippie jewelry store on Main Street and then disperse toward our fifth-period classrooms.

By the end of the day, I’m really starting to regret my decision to take on another tutoring student. Well, technically, it wasn’t really a decision, at least not a conscious one. It was more like a desperate attempt to avoid getting caught not paying attention to Mr. Wilson. My mom would probably say that was a decision in and of itself, so there you go.

The point is, all I really want to do is ditch my session with the new student and hang out with my friends so we can continue our successful scheming efforts. It’s amazing how one victory can make you feel empowered and inspire you to keep going. I mean, after hearing the news about Ryan, I just want to dedicate my life
to creating Karma for everyone in the world who deserves it. I’d be like Mother Teresa or something. Circling the globe, helping those in need. All the victims of the Heather Campbells and the Mason Brookses of the world.