Tori walked up to the table, between Andre and Beck, and with a huff set down her sushi bento box and mineral water.
"Why so glumpy, Tori?" Cat asked.
"Glumpy?" The brunette asked as she sat.
"You know, gloomy and, well, I don't know. Frumpy?"
"You need to stop just inventing words, Cat."
"My, you are glumpy," Jade said with a sharklike grin. "Maybe you should sit somewhere else."
Tori glared at her not-really-a-friend.
"Not today. Don't do it."
"What's got your panties in a bunch? Damn, I meant to say granny panties."
"Don't." Urrr, she thought, they're all staring now. "Do you really want to know? 'cause I'll tell you, I really will."
"Then start talking, you know you want to," Andre said.
"What's bothering you today, sweet thang?" Rex said.
"I've been here for months now, and the only boy I've kissed is Sinjin. That's not right."
"You kissed Sinjin? And you know that's not the only kiss." Cat said.
"Oh, Cat, please. You know how sorry I am about that, but he doesn't count. He doesn't go here. I mean I haven't even had a real date here yet."
"You kissed Sinjin?" Robbie asked.
"It was nothing, just a peck on the cheek when he built the fake soda machine for me."
"Wow. We both kissed Danny and Sinjin."
"Wait... Cat... you kissed Sinjin? When?" Tori asked.
"The start of the school year. I was new here, he asked me out. To a party. He was really nice. Everyone there was playing these old style party games. We sat in on Spin the Bottle. I kissed Sinjin, and not just him."
Jade glared at the redhead, murder clearly in mind.
"Cat, maybe you should stop there," Beck said.
"You're just saying that because you don't want everyone to know you kissed me."
"That's it!" Jade yelled. "I'm gonna yank on that red hair 'til I can see what color your roots are."
Beck stood and wrapped his arms around Jade, preventing her assault.
"Calm down. It was just a party game. You were there, and when I spun after, I got you."
"I've always wondered about that," Cat said. "Did you do that on purpose? Can you aim a spun bottle? Can all boys?"
"Hey, we're losing track of what matters here, me getting a date. Focus, people."
"You could go out with me, I'd be happy to take you out." Robbie said.
"No need to frighten the girl," Rex added.
"Maybe you should go out with Robbie. He's a good kisser."
That brought the whole table to attention, Robbie included.
"You kissed Robbie too?" Tori asked.
"Just to show him a stage kiss is just a stage kiss," Cat answered.
"You know," Andre said, "I'm beginning to feel a bit kiss challenged myself."
"Again, focus. I need someone from outside the group. In would feel a little too close for me."
Rex's head turned, stopping at Cat, then Beck, and then Jade.
"You let that kiss your boyfriend? Are you insane?"
This proved to be an unwise comment. Jade grabbed Rex's head and turned it around until a popping sound indicated she had done some real damage.
"Rex!" Robbie cried out. "Don't worry, I'll get you to the school nurse."
He ran off with the dummy.
"You know, I think I know what's making you so testy," Cat said.
Jade glared at the redhead.
"You don't want anyone to know that when you spun, it landed on me. You don't want anyone to know that you kissed me."
Beck again found himself preventing his girlfriend committing capital homicide.
. . . . .
"This should be easier, Cat. This is a school full of creative, talented, motivated boys. Why isn't this happening?"
"Tori, you need to ease up. You're making too big a deal of this. It's getting in the way of it happening."
The two walked into the academic class they shared, English Lit, and sat at adjacent desks. Cat turned to Tori.
"Not to change the subject, but any new word on the visiting exchange student who's going to be staying with your family?"
"No. My parents aren't telling Trina or me much, considering she's going to be staying over for two weeks. They did say she was from up north, but they're being kind of evasive. Like they're nervous about something. I guess that means she's from Canada. International student exchanges must be more complicated than domestic."
"Oooh, another country. I hope she speaks english, I don't know any canadian."
"Cat, they speak english in Canada. No problem there. I just hope Trina doesn't scare her away. If she's coming all this distance, she must really want to go to this school."
"Don't worry. We'll be her friends. She'll like us."