Cat Bennet, Queen of Nothing

by Mary Strand

  Mary nodded. “Really, Cat, we think this will work.”

  I rolled my eyes at her. “And I’m supposed to believe you? Why?”

  Liz jumped in. “Because she’s right. Mary’s right a lot more often than you’d think. It was news to me, too.”

  As my jaw dropped, Liz jabbed Mary in the ribs. Shocking me even more, Mary laughed.

  I totally didn’t get it. And I wasn’t part of it. And I definitely wasn’t going to a party tonight.

  Jane and Mary stood up, followed by Liz, and they all headed for the stairs. Jane glanced back at me, still sitting at the table. When she smiled, it didn’t mask the iron in her voice. “We’re leaving in a half hour, and you’ll want to look good. We’re going to crash Kirk Easton’s party.”

  Holy crap.

  They couldn’t make me.

  Stuck in the back seat of the Prius with Mary, and babed out in skinny jeans and a low-cut black sweater that Jane pulled out of my closet even though I swore I’d never seen it before, I cursed all three of my sisters—loudly—as we pulled up in front of Kirk’s house. Jane squeezed into the only free parking space, across the street from his house. I unbuckled my seatbelt, but I was not getting out of this car.

  Jane and Liz were already out of the Prius, Jane looking perfect and Liz adjusting her own outfit, both of them grinning. No clue why. I mean, they didn’t exactly get off on going to high school parties anymore. Especially if they had to drag Mary and me along.

  “C’mon, Cat. You can do it.” Mary gave me a faint smile before climbing out of the back seat.

  I crossed my arms and stayed put. “I didn’t say I couldn’t. I said—like, a million times—I didn’t want to do it.” I slammed the lock on my door an instant before Liz reached for the door handle. “You guys go in. I’ll wait here.”

  Before I knew what was happening, Jane hit the unlock button and Liz whipped my door open. “Don’t think I won’t haul you out of there on your butt. But our plan didn’t involve making you look stupid.”

  “What did it involve, then?”

  She winked at me. “Making Tess look stupid. Preferably along with your buddy Kirk.”

  “He’s not my—”

  “He set you up, and Mary thinks Tess has the hots for Kirk, so we can kill two birds with one stone. So to speak. Jane says I can’t actually kill anyone tonight.”

  I lifted one eyebrow even as part of me wondered if Jane needed to make that clear to Liz. “How does Mary know Tess likes Kirk? I don’t even know that.”

  Okay, not definitely, but it wouldn’t shock me if she liked Kirk. He was the hottest guy in school. Who wouldn’t want to go out with him?

  Except, at the moment, me.

  I finally climbed out of the Prius. I admit, I was curious. I wouldn’t have thought anyone could take on Kirk and Tess, especially at Kirk’s own house, but I hadn’t considered Liz. Was she still invincible at a school she’d left behind two years ago? Or would Kirk and Tess crush her?

  Against my better judgment, I wanted to find out.

  And in thirty seconds, give or take, I would.

  Liz didn’t bother knocking; she just pushed the door open and waltzed in. Mary and I had barely gotten inside when Liz yelled “Cops!” in a booming voice, then laughed when a hundred kids started running in every direction.

  Oh. My. God.

  I hissed at her under my breath. “I thought your so-called plan didn’t include utter humiliation?”

  Liz had to shout over the uproar. “I’m not humiliating you, babe. Trust me.”

  When pigs fly. I couldn’t say anything back to her, though, because I spotted Kirk strolling toward us. He was the only kid besides my sisters and me not running. Figured.

  “Mary.” He grinned at her as if nothing had changed, but his grin faltered when he saw me. “Oh, Cat. Hey.”

  As a mortified flush zoomed up my face, Kirk turned to Liz and Jane, as if he were scouting out dating prospects. Idiot. He wouldn’t know Jane, since she was four years older than us, but he had to know who Liz was. Queen of Woodbury High her senior year, when even Kirk had been a lowly freshman.

  Jane didn’t say a word. Liz studied Kirk with narrowed eyes, the way she might look at roadkill.

  “Kirk, this is my sister Jane, and that’s Liz.” Mary was acting so nice to Kirk, I felt like puking. On Mary.

  Kirk grinned at both of them. “Which one of you yelled ‘cops’? Doesn’t seem like something Cat would do, the way she fainted the last time I saw her.” He frowned when he caught Liz’s lethal glare, then looked at me. “What I mean is, you’re okay, right? I heard you missed school this week.”

  I glanced at Liz and Jane, who nodded, before turning back to Kirk. “Oh, I just spent a week at the Dells. You know, lining up a summer job.”

  Kirk frowned. “In February?”

  Liz moved to my side. “It’s when you get the best jobs. Besides, from what I hear, there aren’t so many assholes in the Dells.”

  Kirk’s jaw dropped. He glanced at Jane, probably wondering if she’d attack him, too, but she smiled sweetly. Too sweetly. The way she always did before she crucified a guy in the sweetest possible way.

  “Yeah, well . . .”

  “Kirk? The cops aren’t here? I don’t know how—” Tess sashayed up behind Kirk, draping herself over him the way Chrissie had done a week ago at Tess’s party, but yanked her arms back when she caught sight of me. And Mary. And Liz and Jane. Tess knew exactly how fierce Liz could be. God knows Liz had crushed enough of our shenanigans over the last few years.

  “What are you guys doing here?”

  So much for even pretending to be my friend.

  Mary crossed her arms. “Kirk invited me. And you invited Cat, didn’t you? Or did I hear wrong? You wouldn’t set her up or anything, right?”

  My gaze shot sideways at Mary, wondering what alien had occupied her body. Sure, Mary talked in that snotty tone to me, but she was never like that around her band and its groupies.

  “I didn’t—” Tess broke off, her wide eyes seeking help from Kirk, who was still staring at Jane, who was still smiling sweetly at him. Tess grabbed his arm, looking clingy and pathetic and the opposite of the Tess I’d always known. “Kirk? What are they doing here?”

  He wrenched his arm free, the whole time staring at Jane. Weird. Kirk didn’t drool over girls, let alone unattainable ones. They drooled over him.

  Liz took a step toward Tess, a huge grin plastered on her face. “What are we doing here? We’re having more fun than you. In fact, this party is going to be a total bust for you.”

  Amazingly, Tess didn’t back off, or cower, or start drooling out of the corner of her mouth. But she also wouldn’t try to go one on one with Liz. She wasn’t that stupid. “Kirk? You don’t want Cat at your party, do you?”

  I sucked in a breath. Wow. As if she hadn’t already made it crystal clear, Tess really did hate me.

  Liz brushed a hand against my side, the smallest whisper of a touch, then took another step toward Tess. Kirk, oblivious, kept staring at Jane as if she were the holy grail.

  When Liz smiled at Tess, her eyes glittered. “What Kirk doesn’t want at his party is some pathetic trash who has a little girl’s crush on him. Shouldn’t you try to find a guy in your own league, Tess?” She glanced up and down the huge front hallway as if looking for someone. “Maybe a freshman?”

  “Liz, you little—”

  “Little?” Liz drew herself up to her full height, which was five-eight without the high-heeled black boots she wore, but her swimmer’s shoulders and athletic build made her seem bigger. If not terrifying. “Babe, I still remember you playing in a sandbox and crying when someone wanted to share your toys. By the way, when did you last take a shower? You reek.”

  Even Kirk’s head jerked at that. His gaze went straight to Tess, and he sniffed the air.

  Tess could only sputter. “You can’t— I don’t—”

  “You seriously reek, in more ways than one.” Liz s
hook her head. “And the way you drool all over Kirk, his shirt must be soaking wet.”

  Kirk laughed along with the rest of us, and Tess stumbled backward. The stuck-up look she’d worn on her face all term was gone, replaced with a bright-red, pinched look of pain. If it were anyone but Tess—or Amber, who was oddly missing in action—I would’ve told Liz to stop. I’d never seen Liz like this. Sure, she’s fierce, but she’s not rude. I couldn’t believe she was openly taunting Tess.

  I also couldn’t believe Kirk didn’t give a rip. He turned his back on Tess, and I didn’t think it was just so he could hit on Jane. Although it’s possible.

  Liz took several long strides toward Tess, who kept backing up. “Isn’t it past your bedtime, little girl?” In a loud voice that must’ve reached half the kids at the party, Liz finished her off. “You should go home. Kirk thinks you’re a loser, you know. A pathetic, whiny, insecure, sniveling, jealous twit with a totally hopeless crush on him.”

  When Kirk laughed again, Tess ran past all of us and straight out the front door. She didn’t have a jacket or purse or probably keys to her car, but I had a feeling she wasn’t coming back. Not in this lifetime.

  Kirk shook his head. “I hate to say it, but Tess had it coming. She totally set up Cat.” He glanced at Liz, looking only a little nervous. “None of us wanted to, but you know Tess.”

  Liz nodded. “A jerk like that needs to go down.”

  Relaxing now, stupidly enough, Kirk eased sideways toward Jane. He wasn’t quite touching her, but he was definitely considering it. In the very near future.

  Liz stepped away, turning her back on Kirk as she slid her cell phone out of her pocket. She tapped something on the screen, then put her phone away. Frowning, I started to ask what she was doing when the doorbell rang. Had she really called the cops? No way.

  I relaxed when Liz didn’t open the door. Kirk ignored the doorbell, too, because he’d moved even closer to Jane, his hip touching hers now. When the doorbell rang again, I rolled my eyes and went to answer it.

  “Charlie? Alex?” I stared at the two guys, who were more dressed up than I usually saw them, in khakis and blazers. Behind them stood Josh, wearing jeans, a ski jacket, and a grim look. “Josh? What are you guys doing here?”

  Charlie stepped past me into the front hall, blowing warm air into his hands. “Duty calls.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Charlie winked at me. “All I can say is that this is what happens when Jane lets Liz run the show.”

  Jane. I suddenly remembered how Kirk and Jane were getting cozy right when the doorbell rang, and I whirled around. Still cozy. Charlie just grinned as he moved toward them, stopping on the other side of Jane, who kept smiling at Kirk.

  Alex came up beside me, but he shook his head at Liz, who nodded in Jane’s direction.

  I didn’t have a clue what was going on. Sure, I’d seen Jane toy with guys, but not since she started dating Charlie. She didn’t even flirt with other guys now, let alone let their hips brush against hers.

  But Charlie wasn’t pissed. In fact, he was as goofy-happy as I’d ever seen him.

  Jane glanced up at Charlie just then, as if she hadn’t seen him. She fluttered her eyelashes.

  “Charlie!” She practically cooed. “You made it.”

  Alex rolled his eyes, but Charlie just grinned at Jane like an overgrown puppy. I saw Kirk blink once, twice, but he didn’t move away from Jane.

  Jane threw both her arms around Charlie. “You haven’t met Kurt, have you?”

  “Kirk.” Kirk’s eyebrows knit together, and his rock-star grin slipped a notch. “Kirk Easton.”

  “Kirk. Sorry.” Jane obviously wasn’t one bit sorry. “Kirk is one of Cat’s friends. At least, he pretended to be her friend before he and Tess and Cat’s other so-called friends decided to be stupid. You know, the way younger kids sometimes do.”

  “Younger kids? Stupid?” Kirk was pissed now, arms crossed. “I don’t know who these guys are, but a minute ago you wanted me.” He grinned wolfishly at Jane. Major ick.

  “You?” Jane’s lips twitched. “Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t possibly.”

  “Couldn’t possibly what?”

  She laughed. “Want you. I’ve never been interested in nasty little boys.”

  Liz stepped forward and punched Kirk on the arm. “I hear Tess is still available.” She grabbed my hand, looped her other arm around Alex’s waist, and hustled us out the front door. “C’mon, guys. This party is a dead bore.”

  Behind us, Jane and Charlie sailed out together, and Mary brushed past a shell-shocked Kirk as Josh followed, closing the door behind him.

  The moment I heard it click shut, the enormity of what they’d just done sank in. I put my hands on my hips and glared at them. Liz, Jane, everyone. “How could you?”

  Liz grinned at me. “Easy. We just—”

  “Just? You just ruined my life.” Or what was left of it. I shivered against the cold night air, feeling the icy glitter of tears in the corners of my eyes. “I hate you all.”

  Chapter 19

  The elder Miss Bennets alone were still able to eat, drink, and sleep, and pursue the usual course of their employments. Very frequently were they reproached for this insensibility by Kitty and Lydia.

  — Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Volume III, Chapter Eighteen

  Liz stared at me, speechless. But this was Liz. Never speechless for long. “You should be thanking us.”

  I kept my hands on my hips, hoping she couldn’t see me trembling. “Tess needed to go down, but I could’ve done it. And Kirk didn’t do anything to me—” I broke off, wondering if he had planned it with Tess, or if he’d smiled at me all those times as a joke. “At least, you don’t know.”

  Mary shook her head. “He was totally in on it with Tess.”

  I whirled on her. “So you knew about it? And didn’t warn me? Or stop them?”

  “I did try to stop you. I told you not to sing. But even though I had a bad feeling about Tess, I didn’t know they were going to do it. Jeremy didn’t, either. He knocked over half of his drum set when you fainted.”

  “Too late.” I snorted. “I crashed to the floor without anyone’s help, thank you very much.”

  “He wasn’t trying to get to you—I mean, not at first. But I did stop your head from slamming against the floor.”

  “He wasn’t trying to help me? Sweet.”

  Not that Jeremy owed me anything, or had a crush on me anymore. He’d even told me I was basically a lousy singer and the band didn’t need me. But he didn’t bother trying to catch me when I went down? What a jerk.

  “He was trying to get to Kirk.” Mary gave me a weird look, as if the whole thing made sense and I was the only one who didn’t get it. “He punched the crap out of him.”

  “He did not.” I tried to picture it and couldn’t. “I don’t care. It was bad enough that my friends humiliated me, but now everyone thinks my sisters have to fight my own fights for me. I might as well have brought Mom and Dad to the party.”

  Liz marched up to me, her nose in my face. “You’re comparing me to Mom and Dad?”

  I didn’t back up, even though Liz had a way of striking terror into my gut—and pretty much every other body part. “When you put it like that? Yeah.”

  Alex grabbed Liz and pulled her back, but her eyes looked more amused than pissed. “You’ll thank me some day, babe.”

  “Don’t hold your breath.”

  “Liz.” Jane stepped between us. “Cat, I’ve known girls like Tess. She needed to be taken down by a group. One on one, I don’t think you could do it.”

  I felt steam rising from me even as the icy air froze other parts of me. “But Liz could do it. Gee, thanks.”

  “Liz didn’t do it alone. Sure, she said the words—” Jane shook her head, smiling, even though Liz’s words to Tess would never come out of Jane’s mouth. “But she did it knowing we’d keep anyone from rushing to Tess’s defense.” />
  Mary stepped forward. “For instance, I might’ve gotten Amber in trouble at school today.” She grinned at Liz, who high-fived her. “I’m guessing she’s grounded for the weekend.”

  Jane nodded. “And I was trying to distract Kirk.”

  My eyebrows went up. “That’s what you were doing?”

  Charlie laughed. “Based on the look on the guy’s face, yeah, that’s exactly what she was doing.”

  “Hey, let’s go. It’s freezing out here.” Alex nodded at the driveway, where he’d parked his black Lamborghini. “You guys can fight all night, but I’d rather have a ringside seat somewhere warm.”

  Liz started toward his car, then sighed loudly when Jane tugged her toward the Prius. “Meet at our house?”

  “Oh, boy.” Alex laughed, even though the idea of a Friday night at his girlfriend’s parents’ house—with three of her sisters—had to be the definition of torture.

  Especially when I was one of the sisters in question.

  After a silent drive home, Jane pulled up in front of our house and cut the engine. Charlie and Alex were on the front steps, waiting for us. Josh slouched against Alex’s car, looking as if he didn’t relish setting foot inside the house any more than I did.

  Liz sprinted to the front door, greeting Alex with a kiss I would’ve been embarrassed to give a guy in front of all of my sisters. But Liz wasn’t me, or even Jane or Mary.

  Understatement.

  Liz managed to unlock herself from Alex long enough to open the front door, then pulled Alex inside. As Mary joined Josh at the Lamborghini, I stormed inside the house, past Jane and Charlie, who were outside whispering to each other despite the frigid temps. Sheesh.

  I shrugged out of my jacket and threw it at the doorknob on the front hall closet, missing the doorknob, then headed to the stairs. Liz was sitting on the third step, alone. When I tried to get past her, her arm shot out and stopped me.

  “You can’t spend your whole life alone in your room. Or running away to Wisconsin Dells.”