The Queen B* and the Homecoming King Read Online Free Page B

Josh hadn’t intervened.
    “Sounds like he deserved it, and that explains why you forgave Brett for making out withSummer.”
    “But that’s the thing—Brett never did make out with Summer. She tried to jump his bones the same way Gavin did me, and Brett chewed her out for it.” He chewed her out for more than just that. She’d also lied to him, twisting the story of how our friendship had ended so that she was the victim and I was the one exposing her secrets. Who knew how long he’d believed her version of the past?

    “But back to Morgan,” I said, since setting the record straight was far more important to me than filling Richard in on my relationship with Brett. “She ran into him today and believed his spin on Saturday night and is totally on his side.”
    For the second time during our conversation, Richard’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “What?”
    “Trust me—I totally regret accepting a date with Gavin, especiallywith the way the evening turned out. But she wouldn’t even hear my side of the story.”
    “In her defense, all she knows is that you tried to steal her man and then he got beat up for it.”
    “But I wasn’t trying to steal him.”
    “It looks that way to her.” Richard scraped his bowl clean before asking, “So, what are you going to do now?”
    “If she would’ve just let me get a word in edgewise, we wouldn’teven be having this conversation. But she jumped to the wrong conclusion, got pissed off, and was firing off at me without giving me a chance to explain.” My pulse pounded in my temples, and I was this close to calling her back and telling her off.
    “Gee, where have I seen that before?” Richard ate the last bite of his yogurt and leaned back in his seat. “Do you want me to try to talk to herand smooth things over?”
    For the first time since Morgan hung up on me, I felt relief. “Will you?”
    “I’ll do my best to get her to at least listen to you, but I’m not apologizing for you.”
    “Understood. Believe me—no one is sorrier than I am for going out with Gavin.”
    “Yeah, that was a new level of retaliation, even for you,” he replied.
    “Screw you,” I shot back.
    “You wish.” He rose fromthe table, his empty bowl in his hands. “Will you come to the tryout tomorrow?”
    “Of course.” I’d already pissed off one friend. I couldn’t afford to piss off the other. Besides, my gut told me that as long as the Queen B* was in the audience, Kelsey wouldn’t harass Richard.
    “Excellent. Now, time to tackle some calculus before scanning the web for current events. I want to be ready for whateverthey throw at me.” He threw away his trash and gave me a hug. “Don’t worry about Morgan. I’ll give her a day to remember why she shouldn’t care about him and then set the record straight.”
    “Thanks.”
    I drove home, surprised to find my mom’s car in the garage. Since she’d started “studying” laser surgery with her new boyfriend, Pete, she rarely came home before eight. Even more shocking was thefact she was curled up on the couch in a T-shirt and yoga pants without any makeup on. True to her beauty pageant queen roots, she never went anywhere without looking perfect. The woman before me looked tired and pale, her hair pulled up in a messy ponytail.
    I hung at the edge of the room, unsure what to say. “Mom?”
    She turned away from the movie she’d been watching. “Hi, Alexis,” she replied,her voice as exhausted as the bags under her eyes implied.
    Most girls would have enough tact to sidestep the issue, but I’d never been known for biting my tongue. “What’s wrong? Did you and Pete break up or something?”
    Her brows twitched like they wanted to furrow in confusion, but the Botox kept them from moving. “What makes you say that?”
    “Besides the fact you’re home?” I left out the partwhere she looked like crap.
    “Oh, that.” She waved her hand and hugged a throw pillow. “I stayed home from the office today. I