Bad Taste in Boys Read Online Free Page A

shoulder.
    Jonah was going to pee twice and die when she delivered those towels.
    “So did Mike say anything to you?” Rocky asked.
    “He asked if I wanted seconds,” I said.
    “He did not!”
    “Yep.”
    “And what did you say?”
    “I took him up on it. Hooking up with him was the best moment of my young life. And barf really turns me on.”
    “You did not!”
    “I’m joking, Rocky.” I shook my head. “Of course I didn’t. I wish I hadn’t done it the first time.”
    “Well, you did,” she started, but then Kiki walked back downthe driveway juggling a stack of towels and a couple of plastic cups. Thank god. Rocky knew I didn’t like talking about my moronic Mike moment but persisted in bringing it up anyway. I felt pretty stupid for hooking up with such a loser, even if I had been under the influence at the time. And to make matters worse, now he was convinced I was easy.
    I turned away from Rocky, hoping she’d get the point and shut up about it already.
    “Somebody take one of these cups before I spill all over the place,” said Kiki, walking carefully over to us.
    “I don’t think you want that stuff on your towels, Kiki,” I said, taking the cups. “It really reeks.”
    “They’re destined for the garbage bin anyway. Be right back.”
    I thought Jonah really was going to pee when he saw Kiki walking toward him. He managed to trip over his own foot instead. He put a hand out to steady himself—right in the middle of the black glop on my hood—and shrieked like a little girl. I couldn’t exactly blame him. I had a good stomach for that sort of thing, but it still grossed me out. Kiki held out a towel and murmured something soothing as she helped him clean up. I couldn’t watch anymore; he was practically panting.
    Rocky took her cup and gulped down half of its contents. I stared at mine. I didn’t even like beer. Parties were so not my thing. I wondered if it was too early to leave.
    “Kate!”
    Aaron sprinted toward us, shouting my name. Maybe parties
were
my thing. I wasn’t sure whether to be excited or frightened.
    “Uh … yeah?” I dropped the beer out of sheer nervousness. It sprayed foam all over my shoes. Brilliant, Kate. Just brilliant.
    “We need you,” he said, grabbing my hand. “Medical emergency.”
    And then I was running through the yard hand in hand with Aaron. It was very romantic except for the part where I yelled, “Rocky, get the first-aid kit out of my car! And make sure you don’t get any puke on it!”

spent the first minute of our sprint trying not to squeal in Aaron-induced excitement and the next minute trying not to trip over anything. Then it occurred to me that I was hurtling toward a medical emergency. It would be smart to gather a little more intel before we got there and I actually had to do something useful.
    “What happened?” I gasped. I was not the running type. Aaron was doing most of the work and dragging me along behind him.
    “We were standing by the fire, and he just collapsed. I didn’t know what to do, so I came looking for you.”
    “Who?” I asked, but it was barely audible. Not enough airflow to my lungs. So it was no surprise when he didn’t respond.
    Aaron led me across an expanse of manicured landscape and into a barren field behind the house. The bonfire loomed in themiddle, stacked high with wooden pallets and shooting sparks into the air. The space was ringed with lawn chairs and packed with people who should have been busily making fools of themselves but instead were standing in a silent, sober cluster.
    I’d been out in the semidark for too long; the light from the fire completely blinded me. Little red splotches danced across my field of vision. I managed to dodge the black shadowy things that I was pretty sure were my classmates but promptly tripped over a prostrate figure at my feet.
    The moment I looked down, I knew something was very, very wrong.
    It was Mike. His entire body was bent backward in an unnatural