TORCH (29 page)

If Chaz is my new director, choreography is going to be the least of my worries.

©
Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Zahra, Kali, and Syd would never have met if their parents' marriages hadn't fallen apart. But when the three girls collide in group counseling, they discover they have something else in common: they've each been triple-timed by the same nefarious charmer, Eric, aka Rico, aka Rick.

Talk about eye-opening therapy. Cheerful, diplomatic Zahra is devastated. Rico had been her rock and sole confidant. How could she have missed the signs? Free-spirited, flirtatious Kali feels almost as bad. She and Rick hadn't been together long, but they'd felt so promising. Hardened vintage-vixen Syd is beyond tears. She and Eric had real history... Or so she'd thought. Now all three girls have one mission: to show that cheater the folly of his ways.

Project Payback is such a success, the girls soon have clients lining up for their consulting services. Is your boyfriend acting shady? Are you dying to know if your crush is into you? If you need a little help to make-up, break-up or meet someone new, look no further than Love, Inc.

Excerpt

I knew starting tenth grade at Austin High would be tough. Hollis and Fletcher seem to rank pretty high in the sophomore chain of command, and the way I react now could make or break my year.

Still, I got to class fifteen minutes early to stake my claim on exactly the right desk-second row in from the window, five rows from the front. I assumed (wrongly, as it turns out) that this was the perfect place to be overlooked. If I give it up now, will it say I'm a loser who's desperate to please? Or will it say I'm a team player?

I stare down at Hollis's flip-flops as I ponder. Her toenails are polished a deep metallic blue embellished with tiny daisies. She has rings on four toes.

Finally I look up. "Take-"

"-the empty seat, Hollis," Senora interrupts. "Now."

Hollis's flip-flops turn and she drops her purse, her backpack, and another bag to the floor, each landing a little closer to my feet. Finally she settles into her seat and crosses her legs.

Five little daisies bob into my sight line to remind me I'm in trouble. Fletcher's swampy eyes are still boring into me from the other side.

Obviously, indecision was the wrong decision. I should have gotten my butt out of this seat and laid a red carpet for Hollis. I'm always a beat late. It's the story of my life.

I let my hair fall forward, grateful for the cover of the mass of red curls that polite people call auburn. I wish I could go back to my old school. Mom would be glad to have me at home, but I've vowed not to return while my grandparents are there.

When they flew in from Pakistan last spring, I had no idea their visit would push my family over the edge. Mom had barely spoken to them since they'd disowned her for marrying a Scottish-American instead of what my sister and I secretly call an MOT-a Member of the Tribe. My parents' marriage may not have been solid, but it was holding together until my grandparents put down roots in my bedroom. Mom talked less and less and Dad worked more and more, until July, when Dad finally realized he wasn't wanted and moved out. I went with him, partly to make a grand

statement, and partly to divide and conquer. My sister, Saliyah, is working the reunion angle at Mom's end.

At first I thought living downtown was kind of cool, and I went back to Anderson Mill a lot over the summer to visit my best friends, Shanna and Morgan. Now that I'm in school and working part-time, I won't be able to tackle the one-and-a-half-hour bus ride as often. I feel homesick and friend-sick. Too bad grand statements don't come with back doors.

Senora Mendoza turns to the board. "Let's start by reviewing some verbs you learned last year.

Suggestions?"

I start conjugating in my notebook:

I hate it here.

You hate it here.

She hates it here.

He hates it here.

We hate it here.

They hate it here.

It's unanimous.

©
Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

(
Love, Inc. Volume 2
)

Kali Esposito, matchmaker extraordinaire, couldn't be happier that Love, Inc., the relationship management service she created with best friends, Syd and Zahra, is back in business. After a brief setback, the girls are once again using their skills to help the lovelorn break-up, make-up or take-up with someone new.

Fun, flirtatious Kali is a little gun shy about commitment—no big surprise when your mom's racked up four divorces and your dad's permanently AWOL—but she's a diehard romantic when it comes to bringing others together, and her end-to-end makeovers can transform the most socially-challenged client into a confident charmer.

The "Kali Method" she develops is helping Love, Inc. grow by leaps and bounds.

But when a competitor steals the Kali Method and corrupts it to turn regular guys into wicked players, Kali is forced to rethink her views on love, and come up with a plan to reclaim Love, Inc.'s trade secrets before every girl in Austin gets her heart broken.

Excerpt

So Gabriel's no angel," Syd says.

"Far from it." I stare at her image, which appears on one side of my computer screen, while Zahra's image appears on the other. I've called an emergency Skype videoconference to bring my friends up to speed. "I can't believe I fell for his act."

"Sounds like the guy was pretty convincing," Syd says. Her hair is pulled back with a thick hair band, the red lipstick is gone, and she's wearing a ratty UT sweatshirt that belonged to her dad when he was in college. Apparently, it's her lucky study charm.

Zahra's study style features a grey hoodie and pajamas covered in a cookie print.

"Jesse Sheridan knows how to charm a girl," she says. "If he's giving tips to his pals, it's not surprising you fell for Gabriel."

"What if they aren't pals?" Syd asks. Her shoulder is moving and she keeps looking down, so I can tell she's sketching. "What if Jesse sold his tips to Gabriel?"

"I considered that," I say. "Especially since he knows that we sell dating advice. But like Z said, we've experienced Jesse in action and Gabriel's approach was different. Yes, Jesse's charming, but he comes on strong and you know you're being charmed. Gabriel was far more subtle and I really thought we were connecting. He'd taken the time to plan a date I'd enjoy based on our conversations. He asked all kinds of questions, and made me feel like I was someone special. It worked so well that I was let down when he suggested ending the date after two hours." I sigh. "I even liked the stupid nickname he gave me. How pathetic is that?"

Syd and Zahra both look thunderstruck.

"Keep it short," Zahra says. "Think quality not quantity, and you'll always leave her wanting more."

Syd picks up from there. "Always have a plan," she says. "Putting thought into a date shows you care."

"Listen," Zahra adds. "Ask questions and find common interests."

Stunned, I finish the list. "Identify one unique quality about the girl you like. A nickname will create a connection and make her feel special. Oh my god, it's The Kali Method! Do you guys know what this means?"

"Yeah," Syd says, pointing a pencil at her camera. "You've been seducing yourself."

I cover my face with my hands and groan. "I need a shower."

********

Pulling a damp wad of paper out of her pocket, she hands it to me, and says, "I found this in the bathroom at my school and figured it might be yours."

It's a copy of The Kali Method: Flirting Made Easy. Only now it's called Flirting for Action. In the top right corner, our Love, Inc. logo has been replaced with a symbol in the shape of a fish.

Promising to give Phil some advice when our work is done, I send her back to the van to collect items we don't even need. When she's gone, I show Syd and Zahra what Phil gave me. "Our Love, Inc. material is circulating for free," I say. The thought makes me feel sick. I spent a lot of time and effort developing that guide. It's not just course material, it's a reflection of who I am. I've only shared it with a few trusted clients, always with the explanation that it's Love, Inc. property.

That someone would share our trade secrets is a complete violation.

"This could explain the recent drop in business," I say. After a busy couple of months, May has brought few new clients. Worse, one existing client dumped us with no explanation.

"But why would a client share information she paid good money for?" Syd asks. "It doesn't make sense."

Zahra, as always, puts a positive spin on it. "Someone probably left it behind by accident."

"Not when our company logo's been erased and replaced," I point out. "That's no accident. It looks like someone is stealing our business."

"So you are running a business," Philomena says.

Pushing my hood back, I give her look. "We give advice from time to time. It's more of a community service."

"Hi Dieter," Zahra says, her voice give-away loud.

Tipping back his umbrella, Dieter says, "Why are you here so early, Phil?"

"She's trying to make friends," I say. "So we invited her to hang with us on Saturday."

Dieter's eyebrows rise. We aren't the type of friends he had in mind for his niece.

Syd doesn't look thrilled, either. Saturday is the fundraiser for the veterinary hospital that saved Banksy's life. But I believe in the old saying, Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Helping Philomena is the best way to keep her on our side. And if someone is ripping off our materials and passing them off as their own, we already have a big enough enemy.