Page 25 of Kiss Collector

When I get out of the shower, Mom is home with two-day-old pastries they can’t sell anymore. My mouth waters as I put an almond croissant in the microwave and then eat it while it’s hot enough to burn my fingers and mouth.

“Careful, Zae!” Mom scolds.

“I smell bread.” Zebby comes into the cramped kitchen like a zombie.

My phone dings, so I sit at the table to read my text while I eat.

Kenzie:Are u going 2 the baseball fund-raiser at the mall?

Oh, crap, I’d forgotten about that. The pizza parlor and arcade are donating a certain percentage of their proceeds to our baseball team from noon to two this afternoon. I still don’t feel like being social, though. Plus, I’m not asking for money from Mom for overpriced mall pizza.

No $.I tell her.LMK if you do something tonight.

OMG just let me pay for your pizza. Plz come?

I glance over at Zeb, who is inhaling a cold cheese Danish in one hand and a smashed bear claw in the other.Do you care if I bring Zeb? He’ll just play at the arcade the whole time.

Aw, my lil’ boyfriend! Of course I don’t care!

I laugh. “Hey, Zebby. Wanna come to the arcade at the mall?”

“Yeah!” He spews crumbs, and Mom gives his arm a small whap.

“Okay, I’ve got some quarters in my piggy bank,” I tell him. “We’ll leave at eleven thirty.”

“That will be nice,” Mom says, and I realize I didn’t ask for her permission, and she’s trying to make me acknowledge her.

“There’s a fund-raiser for the baseball team,” I force myself to explain.

I brush my hands over a napkin, then hole myself in my room until it’s time to go.

The girls flirt mercilessly with Zebby in the van, hugging him and ruffling his curls. He gobbles up their attention like candy, and I think his face might break from smiling. It makes me glad I brought him.

My plan is to let Zeb have my piece of pizza, but it turns out Mom slipped him a fiver, which he uses to get his own slice with sausage, then I fill his pockets with quarters and send him on his way.

“Don’t leave the arcade,” I call after him. “And if anyone tries to steal you, dig your fingers into their eyeballs andscream!” He rolls his eyes and heads to the blinking, bleeping room, looking taller and skinnier than ever.

“I can’t get over how cute he is,” Kenzie says.

I’m glad we got here right on time so we could get a booth, because now the place is getting packed. Two guys from the baseball team, Kyle and Callum, wearing their blue Panther hats, squeeze onto the edges of our booth seats, squashing us in.

“Thanks for the support, ladies,” Kyle says with a cocky smile.

“Oh, is there something going on here for the baseball team?” Monica asks. “We were just craving pizza.”

The guys laugh at her sarcasm.

“Hey, my parents are leaving tomorrow for a cruise,” Callum says. “You guys wanna come over tomorrow night?”

Kenzie opens her happy-looking mouth, and I grab her leg under the table.

“We’ll think about it,” I say.

“Cool.” Callum stands, and Kyle follows. “Y’all know where I live, right? Around the corner from Monica? We’ll have beer.” He knocks twice on the table and turns to bother another table of girls.

“Will John be there?” I ask Lin since John’s on the team.

She shakes her head. “His family’s out of town for spring break.”