Page 16 of Taming the Beasts (Crooked Point #3)

Friday

Zoey

“Perfect,” I said as I put the bunny mask over Kebe’s face. I would have given her my black wig, but her hair was already black.

“I’m glad it’s a bunny mask and not a cat mask,” Kebe said. “The catsuit was fun at all, but I’m not really a big fan of cats.”

Yeah, she’d made that abundantly clear. I stared at her eyeliner that gave her the perfect cat eye effect. The eyeliner that was apparently tattooed to her face. Did she even realize how ironic she was being right now?

Emma just shook her head. I was glad someone else noticed.

I switched on my ring lights and logged in to my account.

I scanned my subscribers that were on. King wasn’t listed.

But I hadn’t really expected him to be. He usually only came on at night.

I’d have to figure out another time to talk to him privately.

But I wasn’t waiting any longer to tell my boyfriends about the cure.

My phone buzzed with a text from Grudge. “I knew you’d get both of your friends in front of the camera. I owe you one. So about the pillow fight…”

He was acting like we were all about to make out or something. As good as that would be to get more subscribers, that wasn’t my top concern anymore. I ignored his text and took a step back to make sure the lighting worked for the camera angles.

“Okay, you’re all set,” I said.

“Wait,” Kebe said. “Where’s your costume? Aren’t you doing this with me?”

“Nope.” I grabbed my remote that controlled everything and stepped to the side of the room. “You’re live in three…two…”

“I don’t know what to do!”

“One.” I hit the button to go live.

Kebe’s eyes grew round as she just stared at the screen.

I moved my hand, trying to show her that she should talk.

But she just sat there, staring at the screen with a whole deer in headlights thing that didn’t exactly embody a sexy bunny.

“Shouldn’t she be talking or something?” Emma whispered. “This isn’t very sexy.”

No, it really wasn’t. “Say hi and introduce yourself,” I whispered.

“Hi,” Kebe said and waved at the camera. “I’m Kebech…” she coughed.

Wow. Okay. She was really awkward in front of the camera.

I was pretty sure she’d decided at the last minute to use a fake name instead of her real name.

But Kebech? It sounded too much like capisce.

Maybe she was Italian. Her accent was hard to place.

But capisce was not a name, let alone a sexy one!

Come on, Kebe. I started gesturing with my hands again.

“Kebe,” she said. “Y’all can just call me Kebe.”

And now she’s southern? What the fuck?

Emma giggled .

Not helping. I elbowed her in her side and turned back to Kebe. “And I’m taking over for my friend,” I whispered.

“And I’ll be taking over for just a little bit while my friend Zoey is on vacation.”

Sure. Whatever. “Eat a banana,” I whispered.

“Why?”

Don’t talk to me off screen! She was going to make me lose subscribers. “Just do something sexy.”

She stared at the camera again without doing anything.

Jesus, what was wrong with her?

“Yikes,” Emma whispered.

Yikes was right. I sent Grudge a text, demanding he ask for a private session. A second later I saw his name at the top of the screen. I used my remote to click on it.

The screen switched to a video of Grudge.

He usually had empty energy drink bottles and granola bar wrappers everywhere, but his desk was cleaned off.

And his blue hair wasn’t sticking up in every direction.

He’d at least run his fingers through it, but it was possible he’d used some gel to tame it or something. And his t-shirt wasn’t wrinkly.

“Did you do something different with your hair?” I asked. And everything else?

“This is how I always look, Zoey.”

Um…no it definitely wasn’t.

He started typing something on his phone. My phone buzzed with a text from him: “Be cool, man.”

Man? I texted him back. “Don’t call me man, man.”

He tossed his phone to the side on the screen and stared at Kebe. “So, Kebe,” Grudge said and leaned forward. “It’s nice to officially meet you. ”

Kebe smiled, her cheeks turning rosy.

Okay, it was time for me to bow out. “I was hoping you could show her the ropes for all this, Grudge.”

“Shouldn’t you be showing her the ropes?” he asked. “I’m not you. And I’m happy to watch you show her.”

Perv. I shook my head. He’d asked for a private session with her. This was it. “But you know what guys want. And she needs to know what to expect in private sessions .” I stared at him, hoping he’d get the hint that this was his private session with her. “Get her up to speed.”

“But what about the pillow fight…”

I grabbed a pillow and smacked Kebe in the side of the face with it. That actually felt really good.

“What the hell?!” Kebe shrieked just as Emma hit her with a pillow too.

“Sorry, Grudge wanted it,” Emma said.

“Not like that,” Grudge said.

Kebe readjusted her mask.

“Well, you should have been more specific,” I said and started walking toward the door.

“Wait, where are you two going?” Kebe asked.

“Just grabbing a cup of coffee,” I lied. “We’ll be right downstairs.”

She nodded.

“Have fun you two!” I pulled Emma out of the room and closed the door.

“So why exactly did you think that was a good idea?” Emma asked. “She was really freaking awkward.”

“I know, right? She’s usually so cool. But it had to be done.

” We walked downstairs. “I owed Grudge a private session with her for his help last night. It makes it so I don’t actually have to make a goodbye video, since she’ll just be taking over.

” Hopefully. As long as she got better at it. “I always hate goodbyes.”

“Goodbyes really are the worst.” Emma started to walk into the kitchen like she was actually going to pour herself another cup of coffee.

“What are you doing?”

“I thought you wanted a refill too?”

I shook my head. I had plenty of nervous energy swirling around my stomach. I did not need any more coffee. “The main part of the plan was to make sure Kebe would be preoccupied while we go tell the guys about the coin.”

“Oh. Ooooh.” Emma put the coffee cup down and glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s a little early, do you think the guys will be able to take a break from work before lunch?”

“For this? Absolutely. Can you get Callum there?”

“Yeah.” She shot him a quick text. “He’ll be there.”

“Let’s go.”

“Um.” She stared at me. “I know I’m all about comfy clothes.” She gestured to her sweater.

“Sweaters aren’t comfy. They’re itchy as hell.”

She laughed. “Fair. But what in heaven’s name are you wearing?”

I looked down at my frumpy sweatpants. Yeah, this did not scream “tell your boyfriends about a cure.” I’d wanted to tell them about it in my sexy catsuit so they could ravish me. But that plan had gone up in flames. “Bennett picked it out for me.”

“Really?” She raised her eyebrows. “I’m starting to think that Kebe is right about werecats having terrible taste. ”

“Hilarious. No. He was jealous at the thought of other guys seeing me in something more…well…me.”

“He’s going to have to get used to it. You are you.”

All of this was an adjustment. Bennett was going to have to get used to tampering down his jealousy though.

“Nothing I can do about it right now,” I said.

“I’m not about to walk in on Grudge and Kebe doing whatever it is they’re doing.

” Grudge had moved on very quickly from me and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

“Come with me, I think I still have a few things here I didn’t take to Callum’s.” She looped her arm through mine and pulled me back up the stairs.

Emma pulled open a drawer and grabbed a sweater that looked like the one she was wearing.

“No thanks,” I said and rummaged around through a different drawer.

No wonder she hadn’t taken any of this stuff.

“Wait. I have an idea.” I walked out into the hall and pulled a storage bin out of the closet.

I picked up my old high school uniform skirt.

There was also a threadbare white tank top and some knee length white socks.

Oh, and a varsity jacket from my old boyfriend.

This outfit was going to look perfect with the sneakers I was wearing. I quickly changed.

“So you’re going for the naughty school girl porno look?” Emma asked and folded her arms across her chest.

“I mean, I wasn’t exactly, but I’m loving if that’s the vibe I’m giving off.”

“Aren’t they going to be mad that you’re wearing a letter jacket that is definitely not one of theirs?”

“I can’t wait for them to rip it off me. Besides, the sweatshirt Bennett picked out for me belonged to a guy I hooked up with in college. ”

Emma laughed. “Well, I doubt he knew that.”

True. I grabbed the coin out of my hoodie pocket and slid it into my jacket. “The important thing here is that I look cute for this. What do you think?” I did a twirl.

“You probably gave all the males in your class heart attacks.”

“More like the teachers.” I winked at her.

She laughed. “Come on. Let’s get there before Callum shows up. The last thing we need is for the guys to start fighting.”

“Good point.” We hurried down the stairs.

“So you’re not worried about anything Kebe said last night?” Emma asked as we walked down the sidewalk. “About this changing out relationships with the guys? It’s all silly, right?”

“Honestly?”

She nodded.

“I’m a little nervous about it.”

“Me too.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” I said. “Callum is in love with you. And has been for ten years. I only just started dating these guys.”

“They’re smitten with you,” she said. “I can tell.”

“But they can all go off and date whoever they want soon. Since they won’t need to be together all the time. You know?”

“Yeah.” She pressed her lips together as we tuned onto Main Street. “Let’s just focus on the positives. They all really want this cure. They’re going to be so happy.”

I imagined Otto’s smiling face. “So happy.”

“And seriously, screw Kebe. ”