Read Online Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters - Free Book Online

sugar and all those chemically things to be moody?"
    "Must be the ...formaldehyde," Colette said.
    Margi's cackle cut across the whole cafeteria.
    Karen turned toward Colette and broke the orange in half, offering it to her.
    "I'm so glad you're ...progressing," Karen said. Colette refused the orange, and when neither Margi or Phoebe wanted a piece she set it on the napkin in front of her.
    "Speaking of progressing," Phoebe said. "I was thinking that we should do something nice for Adam to try and cheer him up.
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    Maybe we could have a party for him? At the Haunted House?"
    "That's a great idea!" Karen said. "Really, Phoebe. I think having a ...party for Adam is a great thing. Being surrounded by people who love him ...can only help."
    "I ...think ... it is a good thing ...too," Colette said, "I wish ...someone ...had done ...that for me."
    Margi rolled her eyes, reaching for the orange slices. "You had to go there again. When will you give it a rest?"
    Colette looked at her, the nervous ticking smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "I will ...never ... be ... at rest," she said, which sent Margi off again. Colette's laughter was a lot different from Karen's, which sounded realistic. Her's sounded more like a choking mirthful hiccup, like the sound someone would make if they started laughing with a mouthful of milk.
    "Hey," Colette said, still smiling, "did you guys ...see the newspaper ...this morning?"
    Margi snickered, but neither Karen nor Phoebe had seen it.
    "The ...boys ...played another prank," Colette said. "Their idea of...reprisal, I guess. Did you bring it?" she asked Margi, who was rooting around in her purse.
    "Really?" Karen asked, too innocently, Phoebe thought.
    "Yeah. It's ...hilarious," Colette said.
    Margi produced a wrinkly square of newsprint and dropped it on the table. George stared out at them from the photo.
    Phoebe laughed. "That's great! Better than marking up the school, anyhow."
    "Tak and Popeye can be pretty clever," Karen said.
    Phoebe saw right through Karen's enigmatic expression and
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    was about to call her on it when Margi asked a question.
    "Is Tak the guy with the perma-smile? And who is Popeye?"
    "You'll meet them when you come to Adam's ...party," Karen said.
    "Ugh," Colette said, "do they ...have ... to be there? I like their ...tricks, but ..."
    "Don't you want to meet the artists?" Karen said. "Besides, it isn't like I can ...uninvite them. It's their home."
    "I ...know, I ...know. They're just ...unpleasant ...sometimes. Especially to ...trads."
    "They are pretty bold," Margi said. "Speaking as a traditionally biotic person."
    "I just hope they don't go ...too far," Colette said.
    "At least they're going ...somewhere," Karen said, waving her hand. "Tak probably won't want to come, anyway."
    And that would be just fine, Phoebe thought. "Maybe we could decorate the Haunted House?" she said. "Sort of like you did for homecoming?"
    "Okay, Phoebe," Karen said. "That sounds good."
    "I'll invite Thorny," Phoebe said.
    "What about the rest of the football team?" Margi asked. "All his old buddies?"
    Phoebe thought of some of Adam's "old buddies": psychotic Martinsburg and the mindlessly violent Stavis. "I don't know ... I don't think many of them would be interested in going. Maybe Thorny would have some ideas."
    "Let's call it... a wake," Colette said. "I really ...wish ...I'd had ...one."
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    "There she goes again."
    "I'm choosing to ignore you too, Margi," Phoebe said. "What do you think, Karen? Is Saturday too soon?"
    "Saturday is good," Karen replied. "We've got all the time in the world."
    "Speaking of time," Phoebe said, looking at Karen and with a nervous pout, "there's something I need you to do for me."
    She didn't want to drag the apology out any longer than she had to. If she hadn't put off talking to him for so long, things might not have gone the way they did in the hallway. And Karen was right; she did owe Tommy an explanation, at least.
    Even so, she was almost