If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them // Kendall Vertes

Chapter 8

I walked through the door, slamming it behind me. Slurpee dripped from my hair onto my ripped faded jeans.

"Kendall? What happened?" My mom took in my outfit.

"Nick happened." I said grumpily.

"Give me your clothes."

I gave them to her and took a shower, washing the slurpee out.

"Kendall, what happened?" Mom stood curiously at my door.

"Mom, I need to get changed."

I pushed past her into my room and changed into sweats.

"So?"

"Nick and I had a fight, I threw slurpee at him and he threw it at me too." I turned on my blow drier and dried my hair, raking the comb through it labouriously. Mom watched me for a while, before sighing and leaving.

I dialed Paige's number.

"Kendall?" Her sweet voice answered.

"Yeah, hey. Do you wanna catch up at starbucks for a coffee?"

"Yeah, sure! When?"

"Now?"

~

I sat opposite Paige, who was sipping on a skinny latte.

"What's up? Is it Nick?"

"No... it's Maddie..."

"Maddie?" Paige raised her eyebrows.

"Has she always been so..."

"Secretive?"

"More.... secret keeping."

"I understand. She remembers everything. She writes it out. She'll use it against you. You should talk to her!"

"She writes it out? LIke in diaries?"

"Yep. Anyway, Kendall, I sense something she said is upsetting you. If it's a secret, you should worry. After all... It's Maddie. Secrets are important to her."

~

My chat with Paige had helped, but she'd mostly helped with my plan. I had a plan- read these 'diaries.'

The next day, I was picked up by Maddie in her 'daddy's corvette'. We drove to school, making light chatter, until I scored a sleepover with her tonight.

~

"Kendall?" It was now lunchtime.

"Kelsey?" Kelsey was the leader of the 'beauties'.

"We really need to talk."

"Can it wait? We need her for lunch." Maddie told her. Kelsey turned bright red and almost spluttered.

"Um hi Maddie- I will only be like, a minute."

"It better be." Paige leaned in and added.

Kelsey and I moved under the oak tree.

"Look, you are part of us, so why are you hanging out with them?"

I didn't respond, I just raised my eyebrows.

"I get it, you want to be popular, but you know Paige only likes Maddie, and Maddie will drop you like a hot potato if you befriend freaks or dress weird or put on weight! This group would never, ever and you would be known as the girl who overthrew-"

Maddie sauntered up to us.

"Kelsey...You pick things up over the summer..." Maddie threw back her hair and laughed, "Like lip reading." She cocked her head and looked menacing.