Page 11 of Shark 2

“Drinks on the house?” I challenged back, cupping my hands around my mouth to make sure he heard me.

Several people looked at us, but quickly averted their gazes when they saw my wide grin, revealing my shark teeth.

Silver just waved at me without turning to face me.

That was a yes.

I skipped down the street, humming a song I couldn’t remember the lyrics to.

My skipping abruptly halted when I found Theo making out with Tristan out in front of the shop she worked at.

Theo stepped back from Tristan her eyes bright with adoration.

“I think I’m going to puke,” I muttered and placed a hand on my stomach.

Theo turned and noticed me; her eyes widened, and she squeaked.

Tristan looked in the direction she was and smiled. “Hey, Kass. What are you up to tonight?”

“Kass, I, uh …” Theo didn’t finish the thought.

I waved my hand at them. “I’ve got to get home. I can’t stomach this discussion right now.”

“Kass, he isn’t like them!” Theo yelled.

Fury blazed down my spine, but I held myself in check. Theo was my best friend after all, and it wasn’t her fault that she’d been suckered into his charm. Instead of spinning around to yell like I wanted, I simply said, “Ask him about winter last year.”

Dropping that bomb, I wrapped my arms around myself and resumed walking home.

Tomorrow, my friend and I would have a long chat.

5

“You want to go on a date with me?” Reed asked.

I nodded and smiled wide. “Yes, why is that so hard to believe? It’s been a while and I thought it would be nice if we went out to dinner and watched a movie, just the two of us. What do you think?”

“I can’t tonight,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Tomorrow night?”

“It’s a date!” I said with a wink, spun away, and hurried up the stairs to my room so I could change to go see Silver and have the dreaded talk with Theo.

“Who are you getting all dressed up for?” Grant teased.

I spun in a circle like I wore a dress despite only wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top. “I was invited to the King’s Gala! Can you believe it?”

He leaned his shoulder against my doorframe. “The king better not be single or thinking about setting you up with the prince.”

After applying my eyeliner, I turned, hands clasped together against my chest and said in a higher than usual voice, “Oh, that would be the perfect dream, wouldn’t it? If only I were so lucky.”

“You don’t believe in luck,” he countered.

Skipping over, I tapped the tip of his nose and said, “True.”

“Reed looked … perplexed when he left earlier. What did you say to him?”

“I asked him on a date,” I replied honestly, walked to my closet, and pondered over which shirt to wear. I could go out in the tank top, but I wanted a nicer shirt. One I could use to catch a few men during my pool shark escapades to pay for my dinner.

“The maroon one with the v-neck,” Grant said from the doorway.

---