Page 31 of Karma's Kiss

“One, two,three.”

“Chicken parmesan.”

“Chicken parm.”

It’s so silly, and yet our eyes lock and it’s like we’ve just cast a love spell. It’s the goofiest thing. Chicken breaded and fried, covered in tomato sauce. We’ll serve it at our wedding.

I screech my chair back and excuse myself, claiming I need to use the bathroom.

Kendra doesn’t answer the first time I call her, but I try again while I hover in a stall, repeating, “Pick up. Pick up.Pick up,” over and over again.

A toilet flushes beside me and someone walks out of a stall to wash their hands. The bathroom door opens and closes, and I’m left alone right as Kendra finally answers.

“Sorry! Was putting the kids to bed. What’s up?”

“This is a disaster!” I exclaim. “I’m developing feelings for him, Kendra!”

“Oh no.” She sounds deeply concerned. “We should have assumed that was a possibility. His dimples are impossible to resist. Like kryptonite to the entire female population.”

“It’s not even just the dimples. He’s charming! Funny!”

“No nono… Can’t you just remember how he stomped all over my heart in high school? Surely that’s enough to remind you of your mission?”

I rub my forehead in annoyance. “Yes. Maybe that will help. Remind me what happened between you two again? Start at the beginning. I know you were obsessed with him.”

“Yes, foryears, and then we went out on that one date—”

“You only went out ONCE?!”

“Let mefinish, will you?” She sounds exasperated (which makes two of us). “The first date was so sweet. We studied together in the library during lunch.”

Oh my god.

I feel the color drain from my face.

“Kendra,” I say slowly. “Did Sawyerknowthis was a date?”

“How could he not?! He let me borrow his pencil and highlighter. He helped me figure out this really tricky math problem and he leaned in so close while he did it. We almost kissed. It wassoromantic.”

“I’m going to be sick.”

“And!Andhe walked me to class afterward.” She says this like it’s totally damning, the closing argument of The People vs. Sawyer Garnett.

“I remember. That was the day Mr. Garcel gave us both detention. You told me Sawyer asked you out.”

“No. I said he wasgoingto ask me out.”

Is this true? Have I remembered it all wrong?

“But that’s when things took a turn.” She goes on, “After that day we studied together in the library, I followed him around school for a week straight, but he wouldn’t even give me the time of day. He acted like I didn’t exist. I overheard him saying, ‘Some freshman left a mixed CD in my locker,’ and then he gave it to Hunter! Like it meant nothing!”

“What did you expect him to do, Kendra?”

“Fall madly in love with me, of course! TO ME it was a date, okay?! That’s all that matters. I loved him—”

I roll my eyes. “No, you didn’t.”

“Okay, but I thought he was very hot, and to a teenager, that feels a lot like love.”

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