Envy - 2 by Robin Wasserman Page B

of a handsome boy. Now she final y had one.
    It started out just as she’d hoped. Hand in hand, they traipsed through the colorful booths, mocking the lame Wild West theme, squealing in fear and delight as the carnival rides swung them through the air, gorging themselves on cotton candy and corn dogs. Adam even spent ten dol ars trying to win her a prize—but the water gun target shoot, the whack-a-mole, even the basketbal free throw game failed to cough up any booty. Final y Beth tried her hand at Skee-Bal , and in about five minutes had succeeded in winning Adam a stuffed pink elephant, which he accepted with a rueful but gracious grin. It was relaxing, carefree, fun, sweet—and it couldn’t last.
    Adam spotted him first, but Beth was the one to cal him over. That was before she noticed the buxom brunette on his arm. Kane waved eagerly and hurried over to say hel o, his Kewpie dol fol owing close on his heels. In a moment everyone was introduced.
    Beth, meet Hilary, a brainless idiot with a twenty-three-inch waist and a six-inch hol ow space in her head.
    You can’t judge her before she even opens her mouth , Beth chided herself, appal ed by her nasty knee-jerk reaction. She smiled at Hilary and, as sweetly as she could to make up for the evil thoughts swarming around her head, asked, “So, Hilary, do you go to Haven High too? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around.” Hilary giggled, and responded in a thin, airy voice. “Oh, no, I’m home schooled—my parents think public school teaches you to be immoral.” Beth and Adam both shifted uncomfortably in silence. What, exactly, was one supposed to say to that?
    No matter—Hilary wasn’t waiting for an answer. She draped an arm around Kane’s waist.
    “Of course,” she giggled again, “now I’ve got Kane for that. Right, sweetie?” She slapped him gently on the ass and he jumped in surprise, flashing Beth and Adam a bemused and slightly abashed look. At least, Beth read it as abashed—but maybe she was wrong, since the next thing he did was pul Hilary toward him and give her a long, hard kiss. How embarrassed by her could he be?
    After a long moment he released Hilary, who looked up at him, flushed and adoring.
    “I’m teaching her everything I know about bad behavior,” Kane explained.
    Hilary put on a fake pout and a grating baby voice. “And now I’m a bad, bad girl, aren’t I?”
    “You sure are,” Kane agreed, pinching her ass.
    “Ooh!” she squealed. “I’l get you for that.” And she lunged toward him.
    It was the obvious start of some kind of tickle slap fight that Beth was sure would soon end in another grope match—not something she needed to see.
    “Come on, Adam,” she whispered, tugging at his shirt. “Let’s go.”
    They waved hasty good-byes and began to back away from the squealing couple.
    “Off to win your lady love a bigger prize?” Kane cal ed out from amid the tickle storm. He gestured to the smal stuffed elephant Beth was holding in her arms; Hilary was toting a stuffed pink panda about four times as large.
    “Actual y, I won this for him ,” Beth pointed out.
    “A true champion, eh?” Kane cal ed jovial y. Then his voice grew serious and he locked eyes with Beth, ignoring the giggling and pawing going on around him. “I never had any doubt.”
    Beth tore her gaze away with difficulty.
    “Let’s go,” she urged Adam again. “Now.”
    Once they were a safe distance away, Adam began to shake with laughter.
    “He’s a real piece of work,” he said, shaking his head.
    “Him? What about her ?” Beth asked as they wandered toward the Ferris wheel.
    “Ah, she’s no different from any of the other girls he picks up. Smarter, maybe.”
    “Smarter? You’ve got to be kidding me.” Beth rol ed her eyes and climbed into a Ferris wheel cart after Adam. They began to swing upward toward the stars.
    “No, it’s true—think about it, any girl with half a brain at our school is too smart to go near