Brianna lifted her chin. “I’ve never gotten dumped. I’m always the dumper, not the dumpee,” she informed us proudly.
“But wait… I thought Ace--” Kendra started.
Brianna cut her off. “It was mutual.”
I smiled inside. “I did find out something funny, though.” I couldn’t leave them with nothing.
“What?!” they both asked.
“She stole some of Mrs. Henderson’s shoes.”
They were both riveted. “What?! Why? Is she a klepto? Does she wear them?” Kendra asked.
“No, she doesn’t wear them,” I explained. “She just steals one shoe so Jenna can’t wear them. She just does it to mess with her.”
“How do you know?” Kendra asked.
“I saw them, in her closet.”
Brianna’s jaw was hanging. “So she keeps them like little trophies?” She stretched her legs. “I knew there was something up with that girl. She’s obviously fucked up. If someone messed with my shoe collection, I’d be livid.”
Of course, Brianna would have a shoe collection.
“Seriously,” she went on. “We should definitely tell Simone about this. The girl’s obviously disturbed.”
I shook my head. The girl wasn’t disturbed. She was just a typical moody teenager with envy issues. She certainly wasn't a baby stealer. “Well, I’ll be giving Simone all my findings, of course.”
“You should.”
I suddenly felt a surge of energy, and no longer wanted to sink into my crummy bed. When Brianna suggested we go hang out in the lounge downstairs, I was all for it. Kendra thought it would be funny if we did it in our pajamas. Why the hell not? I figured there'd be no one there, at eleven o’clock on a Wednesday night.
We padded along the carpeted halls and elevator in our PJs and slippers. I wore my yellow penguin covered flannel with pride.
Until I got to the lounge.
Ace and Leo were playing a game of pool. And by all appearances, Leo was kicking his butt. I found myself happily cheering for Leo. I wasn’t sure at what point Ace had become my enemy, but he had.
Leo’s gaze traveled from the table directly to me, and his face split into a shit-eating grin. Without a single word, he’d managed to make me feel completely uncomfortable. I looked down at the penguins on my PJs. They were eating ice cream cones. I’d never noticed that before, but it made sense, them living in the Arctic and all. But did penguins even live in the Arctic?
I wasn’t sure if Leo could read my silly thoughts, but he definitely thought I was the cutest thing around. He didn’t even glance at Kendra or Brianna. My heart was doing that silly hopscotch jump thing, and when he neared closed, it became even more frantic.
It was a vicious circle. The more I worried about him reading my mind, the more my heart raced. And the more my heart raced, the more I worried about him being able to tell. It got to the point where I could hardly breathe.
And the fact that he looked amazing without his uniform didn’t help the matter. He wore a plain V-neck white tee, and dark jeans that hung perfectly on his hips. A silver chain dangled from his pocket, and I wondered what it held, probably a watch.
“Nice pyjamas,” Ace teased.
Brianna flashed him a smile. Of course she would. She was wearing sexy silk pants and a pink tank top with a heart on it, not a silly PJ like mine. I wished I could go back in time, and wear something less embarrassing. But I did love these pajamas; they were a Christmas gift from Kylie. And who cared what the boys thought? I held my head up high. “Who’s winning?” I asked, although the answer was evident – Leo was clearing the table.
“He’s destroying me,” Ace said, admitting defeat. He didn’t seem to be bothered too much by it.
Brianna bounced a little on her feet, and her boobs jiggled. “Can I play the winner?”
Leo, who was aiming at the eight ball, looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Sure thing.”
My heart sank. I wished I were as outgoing as her. She’d beaten me to the punch. She’d get to play with him, and I’d just have to stand by, like I always do. And I like playing pool. My dad and I always play at the family restaurant/pub close to our place.
Leo won the game. Ace still had five balls on the table. “I thought you Brits were supposed to be good at this game,” Leo taunted.
