“I meant to tell you,” Izzie said, looking at me wide-eyed. “While Sam and I were arguing last night, my grandpa clicked in to tell me that someone had broken into his garage. He didn’t think anything was stolen, but my bet is that some of our equipment is gone.”
“Figured that,” Leona said. “I don’t blame them. I had an impressive spy gear collection.” She looked at Izzie. “And sorry about the arguing with Sam.”
Izzie waved it off with her hand. “It was nothing. No bigs.”
I wanted to crawl into a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. This copy-Kitten had rep-assassinated us and stolen our goods. Would the horror never end?
I let the voices of the squad fade to background noise for a minute as I concentrated hard. I rubbed my eyes and, when I finally opened them, I stared at my reflection. Blotchy. Scared.
“I have to go,” I said suddenly, spinning to face them. I had an assignment to complete.
“Now?” Leona asked. “You look like you’re going to puke, Tess. Maybe you should sit down.”
“Ew, on the toilet?” Kira asked, scrunching her nose in the direction of the stall.
“Maybe we can go to the mall?” Izzie interjected, obviously still itching to use her plastic.
Leona and Kira seemed to consider this, but I interrupted. “No,” I said. “You girls need to practice, get your cheers in order. I have other business to handle. Business involving a certain pouty blonde with an affection for the unholy.”
“Black is still not her color,” Kira added.
“Totally,” I agreed, keeping my voice authoritative. (It helped inspire confidence.) “Now, I’ll run my surveillance and call to set up a rendezvous point for later. Agreed?”
The Kittens stared back at me, looking a bit stunned.
“Whoa,” Leona said, a smile tugging at the corners of her dark lips. “You sounded like the old Tessa just now.”
“It was pretty cool.” Izzie giggled.
“Well…good.” I straightened my posture. The old Tessa would have totally kicked spying tush right about now.
The bell overhead rang and Kira groaned. “I’ve got to jet. Practice immediately after school,” she said, holding up her finger in warning to the girls. “Spread the word.”
“Yes, captain,” Leona said with an eye roll and a salute.
Kira glanced at me. “Good luck, Tess.” She smiled supportively and I nodded, watching as she left.
After Leona and Izzie followed her, I waited and turned to examine my reflection once again. Did I still know how to spy? Investigating someone like Chloe, someone I was clearly connected with, was a conflict of interest. Would I be able to objectively collect information?
The skin under my eyes looked puffy, and I sighed heavily. Then with only the sound of my shoes echoing on the tile floor, I walked up to the bathroom door, yanked it open, and headed out.
It was time to get back to basics. It was time to channel the skirt.
ASSIGNMENTS 1 & 2
5:00 P.M., SEPTEMBER 15
Riley and Jenn were sitting together in a vinyl booth at Mel’s Pizza sharing a slice as the operative observed them. Both seemed a little distracted, but every so often, Riley leaned in to give Jenn a quick kiss. The operative squinted, trying to understand.
Both Riley and Jenn were starting relationships with other people—or so it seemed. How could they so boldly flaunt their infidelity, then act affectionate in public, as though nothing were wrong?
The operative adjusted her black baseball cap downward before reaching for the straw of her cherry Coke, all the while peering from beneath the cap’s bill. She’d never seen a case like this. It would require a serious cheater case study.
Just then, the door to the pizza shop jangled open. The operative glanced over and nearly choked on her carbonated beverage. It was Megan Wright…and she looked stunned.
Riley had been resting his head on Jenn’s shoulder, laughing easily when Megan walked in. Living life, unaware that his sins were about to confront him. When he saw her, he immediately straightened up, but the hurt on Megan’s face was plain. Even as she bravely tried to smile.
“Meg!” Jenn called out, waving her over. “Sit with us.”
The operative tilted her head, enjoying this turn of events. There’d be no way Megan could act her way through this. She was about to get busted. The operative slipped her hand into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out a tiny metal device, which she slipped in her ear. From across the room, she’d be able to hear anything. Even a whisper. Thank you, infomercial.
Megan looked from Jenn to Riley, then she pursed her lips and nodded. She walked over to the booth and slid in across from Jenn—directly next to Riley. The tension was delicious. The operative happily picked up her slice of pizza and took a bite.
“I haven’t seen you in forever,” Jenn said to Megan, reaching in her purse to pull out a tube of lip gloss. “Where’ve you been?”
“Um…I’ve been studying. My classes are tough this semester.” Megan glanced sideways at Riley, but he kept his eyes trained on the table.
“You’re such a nerd.” Jenn laughed, touching her mouth with the napkin.
Riley started to open his mouth, then looked quickly back down at the table. Had he been about to defend his accomplice? The operative smiled. Riley exposing himself like that would be a lethal mistake.
Jenn sighed and glanced at her watch. “I have to babysit in half an hour,” she said to Riley. “You ready?”
He nodded, his face turning a deep pink. Jenn looked at him strangely, then rolled her eyes and slid from the booth. “I’ll be right back; I have to pee first.” She took one last sip from her drink before heading past the counter to the back restrooms.
“I’m so sorry, Meg,” Riley murmured to Megan the minute his girlfriend was out of sight. “I didn’t mean to—”
“I have to go,” Megan said, the vinyl of the seat sticking to her thighs as she moved away from him. “I can’t do this anymore. Tell Jenn I’ll call her later.” Megan grabbed her purse angrily before jumping to her feet.
The operative tilted her head. For a second, she admired Megan’s loyalty to her friend. But what she saw next made her lip curl. Megan paused at the end of the booth; suddenly she leaned down, her blonde hair falling forward to block the operative’s view. She bent toward Riley’s ear.
“I love you too,” she whispered. Then, without even buying what she came for, she walked out of the shop.
The operative’s stomach turned. She was momentarily stunned by Megan’s careless statement. Megan wasn’t allowed to tell him that. She wasn’t allowed to do that! This was treachery in the first degree.
Reaching up to remove the listening device from her ear, the operative accidentally bumped into the table, knocking over her cherry Coke.
“Shit,” she said, jumping away as the liquid streamed to the floor. When Riley glanced over his shoulder at her, she nearly passed out. But he chuckled at the party foul without seeming to register the operative’s presence.
Exhaling in relief, she then grabbed her leather backpack and headed toward the exit, trying to wrap her mind around the interactions she’d been witnessing. This was too complicated, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to prove anything.
“I know, Tate.”
The operative stopped mid-step and glanced down the hallway to the bathroom. Jenn was standing there, pressing her cell to one ear.
“I’ll be there,” she murmured. “Ten thirty tomorrow at Skinner Butte.” She smiled. “I’ll see you then.”
Before Jenn could look up, the operative turned on her heels and made for the front door. Score one for the spy.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I YANKED MY T-SHIRT OVER MY HEAD AS THE midday sun filtered in through my sheer bedroom curtains. My parents were out of town until tonight doing a gig at a coffeehouse in Vancouver, which was a good thing. I was pretty sure they’d be unhappy with me cutting school. But it was a gorgeous day, and I had a
mission—I was already feeling like the old me.
I went right for it. The skirt was tucked under my winter sweaters, where I liked to keep it hidden. Sometimes when I was feeling down, I’d wear the uniform for moral support. But I never told anyone that. It was sort of sad. But—this was different.
I wiggled out of my dark denim jeans and tossed them into the corner. Then I smoothed my hands reverently over the polyester fabric of the skirt. One foot at time, I stepped into it, pulling the waistband slowly over my hips and thighs until it rested at my waist.
Next I shook out the sleeveless top before pulling it down over my flesh-colored bra. Wow. I must have been downing more Frappuccinos than I realized—my cleavage was overflowing—okay for in the house, but not really game appropriate. Sort of like how Chloe used to dress. Provocatively.
I slid my feet into my official regulation-style sneakers, tying the laces tightly. Without missing a beat, I crossed over to my vanity, adrenaline already pumping. This felt right. This felt natural. I knew I’d be able to think and plan more clearly with the power of the skirt.
I picked up a ponytail holder and gathered my hair in one hand, securing the elastic with the other. Once I had it fastened, I selected a maroon ribbon from the bunch I kept draped across the top of my dresser. Holding it delicately, I wrapped it around my ponytail and tied it into a perfect bow. I took a step back, looked myself over, and smiled. My ritual was complete.
In uniform—albeit a tight one—I was in control. My cheer skirt (a little short), my top (a little revealing), and even my ribbon (perky as ever!) were what I was born to wear.
Suddenly I wasn’t scared anymore. I was seriously PO’d. Someone had been tampering with my name, my computer, and—worse yet—my reputation. And I had a pretty good feeling I knew who she was.
With renewed determination, I walked out of my bedroom ready to fight. Ready to claw out the eyes of the imposter. It was only a matter of time before she exposed our identities, and that was totally unacceptable.
I crossed my living room, my sneakers squeaking against the wood floors. I loved that sound. Pacing the room, I began to formulate a plan. I knew the skirt would help!
Okay, first I was going to drive toward Chloe’s neighborhood and see if there was a clear path to her room. Then I’d—
A shuffling sound behind me made my back go rigid. I paused at the edge of the kitchen and spied my car keys lying on the granite counter. Quickly I grabbed them, holding them between my knuckles as a weapon. I swallowed hard. Someone was here. I’d read about stranger danger in last month’s Cosmo—
“Hey, baby.”
“Aaiii!” I spun around, swinging my key weapon, striking out wildly. Aiden screamed back, obviously not expecting me to stab him in the ribs.
“Tess!”
“Frizzlesticks, Aiden! What are you doing here?” My heart was pounding out of my chest. Relief followed by giddiness at seeing Aiden were almost too much for me to handle. I dropped my car keys on the floor with a clank and to put my hands on his shoulders.
Aiden was bent over, holding his left side near his rib cage and looking up at me like I was the crazy one.
“Aw, fuck,” he said quietly. “Am I bleeding?” He lifted up the side of his T-shirt, peering down at his chest.
Luckily he wasn’t bleeding. But I glanced over his torso anyway, just to survey the damage. Okay, he was bleeding a little. I bit my lip guiltily.
“I am so sorry. You scared me and—”
“Tess,” he said, sucking in a harsh breath. “Can you get me a bandage and an ice pack or something? It hurts.”
I widened my eyes. “Oh. Right. Hang on.” I dashed to the bathroom and rummaged through the medicine cabinet until I found my favorite pink Band-Aids with the strawberries. They were really cute. Just the sort of thing to cheer him up.
When I got back, I handed one to him with an apologetic smile. “They’re scented,” I told him. He rolled his eyes and handed it back.
“Can you please put it on for me? It’s hard to see the spot where I was stabbed.”
Sheesh. I’d already apologized. Besides, he had no idea what kind of pressure I’d been facing. Aiden pulled his T-shirt over his head, tossing it on the kitchen table, and stood there, barechested. Kind of sweaty. I breathed in deeply, loving that athletic smell.
I glanced up to meet his green-eyed stare.
“Like you haven’t seen it before,” he mumbled as he looked toward the ceiling with a huge grin.
I laughed, but it didn’t stop me from taking a little longer than necessary (I was really concentrating on applying the adhesive). “There,” I whispered, smoothing it down.
“Thank you, baby,” he said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “And hello. It’s nice to see you. I have to say, I’ve definitely missed this uniform.” He must have noticed the cleavage too.
“Sorry I assaulted you.” I did feel awfully bad about that. “You just—”
“I know. I was trying to surprise you, not give you a heart attack. I stopped by the school to see Darren and bumped into Kira. She said you left early. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m just happy to see you. I called you a little while ago, but you didn’t answer.”
“Must have been on my way here,” he said before walking over to the fridge. “Oh, yeah,” he said, peering inside. “Your back door was unlocked. That’s how I got in. Did you forget to lock it this morning?”
“What? It was? No.” I looked toward the living room and furrowed my brow. I was 99.5 percent sure that I’d locked it before school.
Alarmed, I ran my fingers along the door frame. I gasped. Deep scratches.
“Aiden,” I said, my voice trembling, “someone broke in again!” My heart nearly exploded in my chest as I slammed and locked the door.
Jimmying open my lock was bad form. Sneaking in a window. Using a pick. All acceptable forms of breaking and entering. But actually damaging my property? Inexcusable. This copy-Kitten was either a complete rookie spy or thoroughly evil.
“Broke in?” Aiden asked. “What the hell do you mean, again?” He stomped over and protectively draped his arm around me. He was breathing heavily, as if he was ready to fight. He was still shirtless.
“Someone’s been in your house?” His eyes were wide as he searched the room. “No wonder you’re spazzing out, Tess. You should have told me.” He exhaled. “Stay here. I need to make sure the house is safe.”
“Safe?” I squeaked. It hadn’t occurred to me that they could still be here. I’d just gotten dressed! What if some creepy stalker had been watching me? I sucked in a frightened breath.
Aiden took his hands from me, jetting his gaze around carefully until it landed on my mother’s empty crystal candy dish from the side table. He lifted it above his head and slowly crept toward my room, looking decidedly dangerous.
I gulped. If someone was in my room, they’d need more than a strawberry Band-Aid once Aiden got done with them. My ex-boyfriend (sort of) was not about to let me get stalked. Um… again.
As I stood alone in my living room, all that registered was silence. But after a few minutes, my brain began to generate every horrible scenario imaginable. I couldn’t wait any longer.
I walked toward my room, running my hand along the tan-painted wall to steady myself. “Aiden,” I whispered. He didn’t answer. I shouldn’t feel this frightened. I’d been scaling trellises my entire high school career. But now I was acting like a scaredy-cat!
When I reached my half-closed door, I took a steadying breath. The hallway was silent, more silent than it should have been. As I slowly began to push open the door, I felt a tickle in my nose. I tried to wiggle it away, but it was too late.
I sneezed. A full-force, loud, bend-over sneeze. I knocked my forehead into my bedroom door and Aiden yelped as it banged into his back.
Then he dropped the crystal. There was a thunk (my head), a yelp (Aiden), and then the sound of glass breaking (loudly).
“Shit, Tessa!” Aiden yelled, holding his back where the doorknob had struck him. “I told you to wait!” He looked frustrated. Aiden’s unexpected visit wasn’t going all that well.
I reached up to feel my forehead. I was no longer scared, but definitely kind of sore. My forehead would no doubt be bruised after this little stunt. I couldn’t believe that even in uniform, I could feel this discombobulated. “Ow,” I said.
Aiden sighed, then stepped carefully around the broken shards of dish. He paused in front of me, reaching out to cup my face and tilt it up to him. “The room’s clear,” he said, his gorgeous green eyes shifting from my wound to my eyes. “But you’ve got a lump.” He ran his finger over it gently. “And I have a stab wound.”
I scrunched my nose. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he whispered, leaning over to kiss my shoulder, his fingers at the waistband of my skirt. “It just means that later, you’re going to have to be nice to me. Really nice.”
Heat rushed over me as I closed my eyes, letting Aiden wrap me up in his arms. I had so much to talk to him about, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment. I just wanted him.
I lay back into the soft chenille sofa with an ice pack on my head. After Aiden and I made out vigorously—working on our relationship—I realized that the bump on my head was totally killing me. Now he was being sweet—tending to my skull between bites of ice cream.
“So,” I asked him as he spooned some Chunky Monkey into my mouth. “How did things go at school? Did you talk to Darren?” I let the bite slide down my throat, but I was still uneasy. I didn’t know if Aiden had heard that SOS had been revealed, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for him to know. He might go ballistic with worry.
“Yep,” Aiden said, licking the back of the spoon before dipping back into the pint of ice cream. He glanced over at me. “Darren told me about SOS. That it’s all over school. That some”—he held up finger quotes—“ ‘crazy bitches’ are spying on people.” Aiden looked away and took a heaping spoonful of ice cream, chomping on it like he was mad. “What have you girls gotten yourselves into?” he asked, scooping more ice cream and holding it out to me.