Speechless(7)

                Natalie scowls at me in return. “I’m surprised you have an                     opinion,” she says. “Aren’t you supposed to just be Kristen’s little mouthpiece?                     Enjoy it while you can—she’ll throw you away like she does everyone else soon                     enough.”

                “Hmm, shouldn’t you be stocking up on more hooker heels?” I                     shoot back. I let my eyes travel down to the ones she has on and smirk. “Leopard                     print? Keeping it classy, I see.”

                She glares and makes an annoyed sound in the back of her                     throat, but it does the trick—she spins around and stalks off, wobbling. Whether                     that’s due to her drunkenness or the height of her stupid heels, I can’t be                     sure.

                Brendon looks at me, miffed. “That was kind of rude.”

                “Me or her?” I ask.

                “Both, actually.”

                “She started it,” I reply. “Besides, maybe I’d be nicer to her                     if she dressed a little better.” It would also help if she stayed away from                     Brendon and didn’t get her slutty germs all over him. Natalie is the kind of                     girl who can give you an STD from eye contact alone.

                “I think she dresses just fine.”

                Warren’s voice from behind me makes me jump a little, and I                     whirl to see him standing there with Kristen and his friend Joey Morgan. Kristen                     smacks him hard on the shoulder, and Warren in turn grabs her in a greedy kiss,                     which she readily reciprocates. Gross. Those two are always slobbering all over                     each other. Get a room already.

                “I don’t know, man,” Brendon says. “Personally I prefer                     something left to the imagination.”

                He winks at me, and the surge of butterflies in my stomach is                     so strong I think I may throw up right there. I need something to calm my                     nerves. The most obvious remedy is more alcohol. They don’t call it liquid                     courage for nothing.

                Two Jell-O shots later and I’m thinking about what Natalie                     said—about me being Kristen’s mouthpiece. I know that’s how I’m seen, and if I’m                     being honest with myself, it’s kind of true. It’s no secret that Kristen is the                     ringleader of our social group. The real thing that’s bugging me is what she                     said about me being tossed aside. Being Kristen’s friend is a balancing act,                     yes, but it’s one I’ve pulled off for a few years; if she wanted to get rid of                     me, she would’ve by now.