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"Well, there’s Jeffrey" the strawberry blond said

"Already begun," Faye said, shed When she did, her extraordinary chest jiggled in a way thatunderneath her apricot-colored sweater

"I still don’t see the point of Jeffrey Lovejoy," the biker girl said, scowling

"You don’t see the point of any guy, Deborah; that’s your problem," said Suzan

"And your proble else," Deborah retorted "But Jeffrey’s worse than ot more teeth than brain cells"

"It isn’t his teeth I’ to start with, Suzan?"

"Oh, I don’t know It’s so hard to decide There’s Mark Fleerwood and David Downey - he’s in lish class, and he’s developed this killer body over the summer And then there’s always Nick"

Deborah hooted "Our Nick? The only way he’d look at you is if you had four wheels and a clutch"

"And besides, he’s taken," Faye said, and her sle cat

"You just said you wanted Jeffrey - "

"They both have their uses Get this straight, Suzan Nick and I have an arrangement So you just back off and pick yourself a nice outsider, all right?"

There was a ed "Okay, I’ll take David Downey I didn’t really want Nick anyway He’s an iguana"

Deborah looked up "He’s uana He kisseda reptile"

"Can we get back to business?" Faye said "Who’s on the hate list?"

"Sally Waltman," Suzan said immediately

"She already thinks because she’s class president she can stand up to us, and if you take Jeffrey, she’s going to be really mad"

"Sally" Faytruly special for dear old Sally What’s wrong, Deborah?"

Deborah had stiffened, looking up the hill toward the school entrance "Intruder alert," she said "In fact, it looks like a whole delegation"

Cassie had seen it too, a group of guys and girls coe of hope Maybe while Faye and the other tere occupied with the quickly, she watched the new group approach

A broad-shouldered boy in front, who seemed to be the leader, spoke up

"Look, Faye, the cafeteria’s crowded So we’re going to eat out here - okay?" His voice started out belligerent, but it wavered toward the end, beco more of a question than a statement

Faye looked up at him without haste, then smiled her slow, beautiful smile "No," she said, briefly and sweetly "It isn’t okay" Then she turned back to her lunch

"How coh "You didn’t stop us last year"

"Last year," Faye said, "ere only juniors This year we’re seniors - and we’re wicked As wicked as anna be"

Deborah and Suzan sht So far there had never been aaway Coroup of guys and girls went on standing there for a lances But finally they turned and walked back toward the school building - all except one

"Uh, Faye? Did you irl, and young Probably a sophoet packed off like the others, but to her surprise Faye raised her eyebrows and then patted the landing invitingly

"Why, Kori," she said, "of course you can stay We just i in the cafeteria with the Princess of Purity and the rest of the goody-goodies"

Kori sat down "Too ," she said

Faye tilted her head and sht you were a namby-pamby little Puritan Silly me," she said "Well, you know you’re alelcome here You’re almost one of us, aren’t you?"

Kori ducked her head "I’ll be fifteen in teeks"

"There, you see," Faye said to the others "She’s al about? That new slasher ht," Deborah said, showing her teeth "The one where the guy chops people up and makes them into condi a Twinkie "Oh, Deborah, don’t You’reme sick"

"Well, you s," Deborah said "You never stop eating them That’s what those are, you know," she told Kori, pointing at Suzan’s chest "Two giant Twinkies If Hostess went out of business, she’d be wearing a double A"

Faye laughed her sleepy, throaty laugh, and even Suzan giggled Kori was s unco you, are we?" Faye exclaiolden eyes wide

"Don’t be silly I don’t embarrass easily," Kori said

"Well, with brothers like yours, I should think not Still," Faye went on, "you seeinal But that’s probably just a false i now All three senior girls were looking at her with insinuating smiles

"Well, sure - I- " Kori sed, looking confused "I went out with Jimmy Clark all last summer," she ended defensively

"Why don’t you tell us all about it?" Faye murmured Kori looked more confused

"I - well - I think I’d better get going I’ve got gy I’ll see you guys" She got up quickly and disappeared

"Strange, she left her lunch," Faye e of cupcakes froled

Deborah, though, was frowning "That was stupid, Faye We’re going to need her later - like in teeks One empty space, one candidate, you know?"

"True," Faye said "Oh, well, I’ll make it up to her Don’t worry; when the time comes, she’ll be on our side"

"I suppose we’d better gettoo," Suzan said, and behind her rock, Cassie shut her eyes in relief "I’ve got to cliebra"

"Which could take hours," Deborah said maliciously "But don’t strain yourself just yet There’s hed in exasperation, without turning "Who now? What do we have to do to get a little peace around here?"

"It’s Madame Class President herself Sally And there’s stea out of her ears"

Faye’s expression of annoyance vanished, dissolving into soerous Still sitting with her back to the school, she sers like a cat exercising its claws "And I thought today was going to be boring," she ue "It just shows you can never tell Well, hetto, Sally," she said aloud, standing and turning in one smooth motion "What a lovely surprise Hoas your suirl who’d just ood head shorter than Faye, and slighter of build, but her ars had a wiry look and her fists were clenched as if she were prepared to do physical battle "I didn’t coood talk in so long Did you do so"

Cassie looked at Sally’s hair It had a rusty cast to it, and looked frizzled and overperirl raised a defensive hand to her head Cassie could alled - if it all hadn’t been so horrible

"I didn’t come to talk about my hair, either!" snapped Sally She had a strident voice that was cliher with every sentence "I came to talk about Jeffrey You leave him alone!"

Faye smiled, very slowly "Why?" she murmured, and in contrast to Sally’s voice hers seemed even lower and more sensual "Afraid of what he’ll do if you’re not there to hold his hand?"

"He’s not interested in you!"

"Is that what he told you? H ht"

"Because you’rea big boy like Jeffrey can’t say no when he wants to?" Faye shook her head "And why isn’t he here now to speak for hi, Sally," she added, her voice dropping confidentially "He didn’t fight hard this ht hard at all"

Sally’s hand drew back as if she wanted to hit the bigger girl, but she didn’t "You think you can do anything, Faye - you and the rest of the Club! Well, it’s time somebody showed you that you can’t There arepushed around It’s time somebody took a stand"

"Is that what you’re planning to do?" Faye said pleasantly Sally had been circling her like a bulldog looking for an opening, and now the wiry girl had ended on the edge of the landing with her back to the steps leading down

"Yes!" Sally cried defiantly

"Funny,"to be hard to do that flat on your back" With the last words she flicked her long red fingernails in Sally’s face