Free Fair-Weather Friends by Reshonda Tate Billingsley Page A

up.
    â€œ
French
kiss.” Tori giggled. “Don’t you know what a French kiss is?”
    Alexis sighed, then leaned back in, kissing him again. This time she parted her lips and let her tongue quickly intertwine with C. J.’s.
    She stood back after she was finished and turned toward Tori. “There, are you happy?” Her voice was about to crack.
    Tori leaned over and looked across the courtyard. Jasmine was standing there, her mouth open, her backpack hanging loosely by her side. I could see the shock on her face as she looked back and forth between C. J. and Alexis.
    â€œJasmine!” Alexis held her hand up to her mouth. “Oh no!”
    Even from across the grassy courtyard, I could see Jasmine’s chest heaving up and down. She shook her head in disgust, threw down a cell phone she was holding in her hand, then spun around and raced out of the courtyard. C. J. took off after her, calling her name as he tried to catch her.
    A wide smile crossed Tori’s face. “Did you ask me was I happy?” she said, glancing in the direction Jasmine had run. “Very. I’m very happy. I just hoped someone would tell her. The fact that she saw it is gravy.” She turned back to Alexis. “Congratulations, Alexis. It looks like you do have what it takes to be a Theta.”

14

Jasmine
    I f either of them knew what was good for them, they would get out of my face.
    Both Alexis and C. J. had been calling me all night. Then Camille had played stalker at school all day today. Even Tameka had followed me during lunchtime trying to talk to me. But I wasn’t trying to hear nothing none of them had to say.
    Alexis kissing C. J. was the ultimate low, and nothing any of them said could change that.
    I knew they were going to try to use tonight’s Good Girlz meeting to beg my forgiveness. But they might as well not even waste their breath.
    As I suspected, Alexis, Camille, and Tameka were standing by the door as soon as I walked into the room.
    Alexis had tears in her eyes. I shot her a look to let her know I wasn’t moved.
    â€œJust let me explain,” she whimpered.
    â€œExplain what?” I angrily shrugged. “Let me guess: the Thetas made you do it.”
    Alexis lowered her eyes to the floor. “They did.”
    â€œAnd of course, being a Theta is more important than our friendship. More important than me getting hurt, right?”
    Tameka took a step toward me. “Come on, Jaz. You know Alexis didn’t mean anything. It’s all just part of the process.”
    â€œUggghhh!” I huffed as I stomped over to the window. “I am so sick and tired of hearing that mess about it being part of the process.” I spun around to face them. “What part of ‘I don’t care what the Thetas told you to do’ do you not get? What you did was foul. Low-down! If I hadn’t forgotten to give C. J. back his phone, I would’ve never come back. What then? Would you all just have pretended it never happened? You know someone was bound to tell me!”
    Tameka walked over to the window and stood in front of me again. “It was just a stupid kiss. You know it didn’t mean anything,” she said.
    I bit down on my bottom lip, trying to keep from going off. “Tameka, you would want to get out of my face.” I finally replied through gritted teeth.
    I guess my expression told her I wasn’t playing because she backed down.
    I looked at Camille, surprised that she hadn’t said anything yet.
    â€œJasmine, you don’t know how sorry I am,” Alexis repeated for the twelve thousandth time.
    â€œPut on a new song because that one is getting old,” I replied.
    â€œBut it’s the truth.” Alexis wiped away the stream of tears trickling down her face. “You know I love you like you’re my blood sister. And I would never intentionally hurt you.”
    I angrily rolled my eyes. I was mad as all get-out, so