Read Online Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elisa Ludwig
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like a little kid.
“Of course,” Cherise said. “There’s some bathing suits in the cabana, if you didn’t bring one. Kellie always buys a few extra ones for guests.”
“Hey, guys,” Kellie said, rushing over to us. She was wearing a sequined minidress and stiletto heels and carrying something in a martini glass that was dribbling over the edges. She kissed us each on the cheek.
“Oh my God, Kellie, your house is out-of-control amazing,” I gushed.
“Thanks,” she said, waving a hand like it was nothing, the glamorama vibes bouncing off her like the light on her glittery frock.
Standing next to her, I felt noticeably underdressed. I was wearing a new pair of jeans I’d scored at the mall and a repurposed sundress that I’d sewn and belted into a tunic. Cherise had assured me that it was fine, but now, as Kellie was eyeing me, I wondered.
“What happened to the new shirt, Willa?” she asked, frowning, as she reached out to feel the fabric on the sleeve.
“I don’t know—I tried it on again and it was a little too big.”
“We’ll have to exchange it then, won’t we?” Kellie said, linking my arm with hers as the three of us walked across her lawn. “I love returns just as much as shopping. Maybe we can look at the new jackets, too. Next week?”
“Absolutely!” I said. Actually, it was more of a squeal. I wasn’t sure how I could score more money from the safe without my mom noticing, but I’d worry about that later.
Two guys holding cups of beer walked by. One was tall with light brown hair and a rumpled button-down shirt; the other was blond and shorter with a soccer-player build. Both were seriously cute in the preppy private-school way, which was starting to grow on me.
“Hey, Kellie. Hey, Cherise. Hey, Willa.”
Did I know them? I never remembered seeing them before. I smiled anyway, not really knowing quite how I got here, how this could actually be a scene from my own life. But it was, and it felt like an amusement park.
“This is Willa’s first Richardson throw-down,” Cherise said. “We have to make sure she has fun tonight.”
Like it would take a lot of effort. This place was a hotbed of awesome.
“Totals,” Kellie said. “Feel free to wander around, you guys … the hot tub’s going. The keg’s in the gazebo. We’re putting Superbad on in the theater. I’ve gotta check if Donovan’s here yet. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Who’s Donovan?” I asked, after she left.
“Donovan’s her new man,” Cherise explained, eyebrows lifting suggestively. “He’s a senior at Willard. But who knows with her? There might be someone else by the end of the night.”
“So that’s why she’s infamous?” I asked, watching Kellie from a distance as she draped her arms around the blond guy who’d just passed us.
Cherise laughed in a surprised chirp. “Sssh. No. That’s not what I meant.” Then she looked around to see if anyone else had heard us. “You never know who’s gonna blab to the Buzz.”
“I haven’t looked at it since that day in the mall,” I admitted. “Though I have heard people talking about it at school.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it’s best just to ignore it. That thing is bad karma.”
Cherise and I milled around outside between the palm trees. She stopped to talk to a guy she said she knew from her parents’ tennis club. I could tell by the way she was tilting her head to the side that he was crush material, so I left her for a moment and continued on to check out the grounds. Who knew what else was out here? A Ferris wheel? A petting zoo?
Outside the lighted windows of the garage I could make out a silhouette of a figure. As I got closer, I recognized him as Tre Walker, the kid Kellie had pointed out in the lunchroom. You couldn’t not notice him, then or now. He was at least six foot five, wearing a thin windbreaker and jeans that barely seemed to contain his muscular frame. He was holding a red plastic cup between his
“Of course,” Cherise said. “There’s some bathing suits in the cabana, if you didn’t bring one. Kellie always buys a few extra ones for guests.”
“Hey, guys,” Kellie said, rushing over to us. She was wearing a sequined minidress and stiletto heels and carrying something in a martini glass that was dribbling over the edges. She kissed us each on the cheek.
“Oh my God, Kellie, your house is out-of-control amazing,” I gushed.
“Thanks,” she said, waving a hand like it was nothing, the glamorama vibes bouncing off her like the light on her glittery frock.
Standing next to her, I felt noticeably underdressed. I was wearing a new pair of jeans I’d scored at the mall and a repurposed sundress that I’d sewn and belted into a tunic. Cherise had assured me that it was fine, but now, as Kellie was eyeing me, I wondered.
“What happened to the new shirt, Willa?” she asked, frowning, as she reached out to feel the fabric on the sleeve.
“I don’t know—I tried it on again and it was a little too big.”
“We’ll have to exchange it then, won’t we?” Kellie said, linking my arm with hers as the three of us walked across her lawn. “I love returns just as much as shopping. Maybe we can look at the new jackets, too. Next week?”
“Absolutely!” I said. Actually, it was more of a squeal. I wasn’t sure how I could score more money from the safe without my mom noticing, but I’d worry about that later.
Two guys holding cups of beer walked by. One was tall with light brown hair and a rumpled button-down shirt; the other was blond and shorter with a soccer-player build. Both were seriously cute in the preppy private-school way, which was starting to grow on me.
“Hey, Kellie. Hey, Cherise. Hey, Willa.”
Did I know them? I never remembered seeing them before. I smiled anyway, not really knowing quite how I got here, how this could actually be a scene from my own life. But it was, and it felt like an amusement park.
“This is Willa’s first Richardson throw-down,” Cherise said. “We have to make sure she has fun tonight.”
Like it would take a lot of effort. This place was a hotbed of awesome.
“Totals,” Kellie said. “Feel free to wander around, you guys … the hot tub’s going. The keg’s in the gazebo. We’re putting Superbad on in the theater. I’ve gotta check if Donovan’s here yet. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Who’s Donovan?” I asked, after she left.
“Donovan’s her new man,” Cherise explained, eyebrows lifting suggestively. “He’s a senior at Willard. But who knows with her? There might be someone else by the end of the night.”
“So that’s why she’s infamous?” I asked, watching Kellie from a distance as she draped her arms around the blond guy who’d just passed us.
Cherise laughed in a surprised chirp. “Sssh. No. That’s not what I meant.” Then she looked around to see if anyone else had heard us. “You never know who’s gonna blab to the Buzz.”
“I haven’t looked at it since that day in the mall,” I admitted. “Though I have heard people talking about it at school.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it’s best just to ignore it. That thing is bad karma.”
Cherise and I milled around outside between the palm trees. She stopped to talk to a guy she said she knew from her parents’ tennis club. I could tell by the way she was tilting her head to the side that he was crush material, so I left her for a moment and continued on to check out the grounds. Who knew what else was out here? A Ferris wheel? A petting zoo?
Outside the lighted windows of the garage I could make out a silhouette of a figure. As I got closer, I recognized him as Tre Walker, the kid Kellie had pointed out in the lunchroom. You couldn’t not notice him, then or now. He was at least six foot five, wearing a thin windbreaker and jeans that barely seemed to contain his muscular frame. He was holding a red plastic cup between his
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