Free The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder Page A

to Matt until I say so! Or else, you'll be violating your Lipstick Oath."
    Enough with the Lipstick Laws already! I feel like strangling Brat-ney!
    "Anyway," Erin says to antagonize me, "you know Brandon is going to kiss you, right?"
    I raise my voice. "No way. I can assure you I will not be kissing Brandon Smith ever!"
    Jessica tries to calm me. "You'll be fine, April. There'll be so many people at the bonfire, you guys might not even be alone to make out."
    "Remember Emma last year?" Brianna recalls hauntingly. "He totally harassed her, and now she's at a private boarding school."
    "I heard she has a lip ring and wears black lipstick now, too. What a freak funnel." Britney laughs.
    "What happened?" I yelp in fear, suddenly forgetting how mad I am.
    "They went on a date last year, and not only did he say she's the sloppiest, most disgusting kisser ... he pulled tube socks out of her bra!" Britney cackles.
    The other girls burst into laughter.
    "Can you imagine? Someone actually thinking that she can get away with stuffing tube socks in her bra?" Erin says. "Pathetic!"
    I glance down at my toilet-paper-padded chest and tremble in terror. The horrifying thought of Brandon the slug releasing tissues from my bra like caged doves keeps me up all night.

Chapter Seven
    I'm in so much pain, I can barely breathe. My feet are throbbing, and I have no idea how I'm going to get through the night. I don't care if these horrendous lime green torture chambers are from a Paris fashion show. They are hideous, and they hurt! At this point, I'd rather be wearing swimming flippers or clown stilts than what Britney made me change into.
    "Remember Lipstick Law Two, April. Shame on you," Brit scolded earlier this evening. Apparently, she didn't approve of my original shoe choice. "Here, put these on."
    "But Brit ... these are a size six and a half. I'm a size seven and a half."
    "So? Never sacrifice style for comfort. Put them on!"
    Britney never loses an argument. She's also the reason I'm not wearing a coat on my way to an outside party in November.
    "You look like the Pillsbury Doughboy in that. You can't wear it!" she ordered.
    So now I'm miserable and on my way to Troy Hoffman's party, with the head Lipstick Lawlord in front of me, tourniquet shoes below me, and slug boy of the year beside me. Brandon leans closer to me. His onion breath accosts my neck, making me nauseous.
    "Don't be a stranger, April."
    I'm not moving closer to him. I don't care what he says. I'm jammed as close to the back door of Kyle's Range Rover as I can be. I don't acknowledge him. I can't get Matt out of my mind. How did Britney convince me not to talk to him for two whole weeks? She's such a brainwasher! How will I ever explain ignoring him for Brandon the slug? Matt is going to forget about me. He probably already has.
    Kyle parks among a sea of cars. Troy lives on several acres, and I'm sure that every bit of his parents' property will be torn to shreds from tire marks.
    "Dude, you may never get out of here if the cops come," Brandon says. "Cars are gonna pile up behind you."
    "Don't jinx us, bro," Kyle replies. "He lives in the middle of nowhere. Who's gonna call the cops?"
    Actually, he doesn't live in the middle of nowhere. I know exactly where I am. My neighborhood is only about a mile up the road, which is good to know if I need to escape from Brandon's clutch.
    "Is Jamie Bradshaw going to be here?" Britney asks as we get out of the SUV.
    "Of course, she's Troy's girl," Kyle responds, putting his arm around her tiny waist.
    Britney doesn't show it, but I know she's upset. She hates Jamie Bradshaw. She and Brit have been rivals for years. Jamie is the beautiful senior captain of the varsity cheerleading team. Britney insists that Jamie is the only reason she didn't make the team this year. "She's jealous of me" is her excuse. The truth is that Britney's eyes practically pop out of her head with envy every time Jamie is around. Jamie has the two things that