Birthday Vicious Read Online Free

she’d kissed at a Seven Minutes in Heaven party, the boy who acted like he was totally into her. A. A. still didn’t understand what had happened between her and Tri—one day theywere best friends, then suddenly it was as if they hardly knew each other at all. One day they were kissing, the next day he acted like it had never happened. A. A. just didn’t get him.
    And there was something else she didn’t get. It had been only a couple of weeks since Ashley had broken up with him after the Preteen Queen party, and Tri had already found another girlfriend. Her name was Cecily, and he’d brought her along tonight. A double date—Tri’s idea. Cecily was sitting there next to him in Buzz Burgers, holding his hand. At least Hunter had the sense to eat his soup and not paw at her like a lovesick puppy every few minutes.
    That’s what she liked about Hunter—he didn’t push. They didn’t have to make out every second to show the world they liked each other. Of course, they kissed—what couple didn’t? But it was nothing like the kiss she’d experienced with Tri. Not that she was comparing. Kissing Hunter felt comfortable and safe. It didn’t have the same dizzying energy as kissing Tri, but maybe that was for the best. Maybe Tri’s kiss had been memorable merely because it was the only one they would ever share.
    Forty-four, forty-five, forty-six . . . the waitresstook away Hunter’s scraped-clean bread bowl. . . . Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine . . . was that their food? No, it was another table’s. . . . Fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two . . . God, what was Tri’s disagreeable girlfriend jabbering about now?
    â€œI wish I hadn’t ordered a burger,” Cecily lamented, rubbing her flat-as-a-washboard stomach with the hand that Tri wasn’t clinging to. Great—just what the world needed. Another girl talking about her teensy-weensy appetite, pretending to boys that she lived on a handful of almonds and a teaspoon of low-fat salad dressing. Cecily gestured with her head (she had the Jennifer Lawrence pixie) to the next table. “They just look huge .”
    â€œThat’s the point,” A. A. said, knowing she sounded snippy, but she didn’t care. They were at Buzz Burgers, get it? If she wanted to hang out with picky eaters, she’d rather be with Ashley and Lili anytime.
    â€œNot everyone knows that.” Suddenly Tri was talking to her, after not directing a single word to her all evening. “But then I guess you know everything.”
    A. A.’s mouth fell open. Whenever they saw each other these days, it felt like Tri was angry at her . What was up with that? He was the one who’d kissed her in the closet while he was still officially going out with Ashley.He was the one who said he was planning to break up with Ashley, and then—the very next day —went round to Ashley’s house to beg her forgiveness and tell her she was the only girl in the world. And now that Ashley had dumped him, he’d instantly pounced on a new girlfriend. He was a grade-A jerk.
    â€œHere’s our food,” Hunter said, sounding relieved, as the waitress swooped down on them with dinner plates as large as trays. At least he wouldn’t force A. A. into another hideous double date. She stopped trying to think of a nasty response to Tri’s rude comment and focused on the burger in front of her—a towering mass of meaty deliciousness in the middle of a sea of golden, crinkled fries.
    â€œSo, what’s it like at Miss Gamble’s?” Cecily was trying to make polite conversation, carefully squeezing a pool of ketchup onto the side of her plate.
    â€œIt’s cool.” A. A. shrugged, her mouth full. Cecily didn’t even go to school: She and her sisters had private tutors, since they had to travel so often. Her parents owned swanky hotels and