Heat Lightning

Chapter Four

"Kim!" Dale gasped.

"Oh, you remember me?" Kim's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Kim ..." Dale began.

Kim cut him off with a wave of her hand, then she turned to Lauren. "You make me sick, you cheap floozy!" Kim seethed.

Lauren cringed and fluffed her hair back and sighed.

"Don't talk to her that way!" Dale barked.

Kim's eyes were as round as saucers. "Excuse me? You're picking up for this low-class tramp?"

"I don't want to be with you anymore," Dale said suddenly, looking at Kim with a stern expression.

She sunk to her knees. "Why!?" she wailed.

"Because unfortunately it seems you've turned out to be quite a hateful stuck-up snob," Dale stated, his lips curled into a sneer now.

"I'm not a snob," Kim cried. "I'm not hateful."

"You are," said Dale. "I happen to like Lauren, and you insulted her several times. Sadly, it's goodbye, Kim." He grabbed Lauren's hand and led her away.

"Dale!" Kim called after him, collapsing into a heap of sobs.

I caught up with Alison in the games field. It was apparent she had quickly noticed Lauren with Dale.

"Oh, he's gorgeous," she whispered to me. "They're probably talking about me right now."

Alison had a dreamy look on her face. She ran across the field in utter happiness. That's when Alison saw someone bent down and crying. She approached the sobbing girl. I followed her.

"Alison," I said. "I need to talk to you!"

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Alison asked the crying girl.

Kim looked up, and her makeup was smeared down her face from the torrent of tears.

"That blond girl, Lauren, stole my boyfriend," Kim bawled.

"Lauren is my friend," Alison said, eyes wide. "Who's your boyfriend?"

"Let me explain!" I begged.

"D-Dale Grimson," Kim cried.

"What do you mean, stole your boyfriend?" Alison asked, looking furious.

Kim wiped her face.

"Well, I was dating him, and I caught him kissing that Lauren girl in the woods. I was looking for him and saw them going in there, so I spied on them. They were practically making out the whole time. That girl was with them." She pointed to me. Alison glared at me.

"What's going on then?" she asked me, nostrils flaring.

"Lauren and Dale ended up getting together!" I said breathlessly. My stomach was in knots. Should I get a counselor? Alison would probably never speak to me again.

Alison sat next to Kim and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Are you sure?" she asked, shaking her.

Kim pushed Alison away.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" Kim bellowed. "Buzz off!"

Alison grabbed a fistful of grass and pulled it out of the ground. She turned to face me.

"I'll kill her!" She threw the grass across the field.

"No, let me explain. I was there!" I yelled.