Sirenz - By Charlotte Bennardo Page 0,4

of impoverished Far Eastern children and—”

“Big surprise,” she said, cocking her head and puckering her lips in a sarcastic attitude. “Just like I always thought. Shallow and selfish in the same package.” She shoved the shoes at me, then tore the sunglasses from her head and threw them on the ground. I whirled around to watch her storm out past the stragglers coming in late.

I scooped up the shoes. Someone had to get them at this price; it might as well be me. I nearly tripped over the mountain of boxes Meg left behind. In the center of the pile were the sunglasses she’d been using as a headband. I felt a sting of guilt—or was it that karma thing she was always talking about? Perhaps the last bit, about the starving children, was too much. But then, she did call me Miss Teen Vogue—as if! I’m more a Cosmo type.

I turned the glasses over in my hand. They were five dollars—her usual price limit. Getting them for her might help patch up this latest argument. I bought the shoes and the glasses.

The wind slapped me with a driving force as I bolted out the door. I strode quickly down the block, head down, gloved hands stuffed into my jacket. Looking up for a second to get my bearings, I spied the subway station with relief—and dread. I hated the subway. Down in its creepy depths, my footsteps echoed ominously. I swiped my metro card and slipped through the turnstile, praying my white down jacket wasn’t getting grimy.

At first, the platform looked empty, but then someone stepped out from behind a tiled pillar. My heart jumped into my throat. Sweet Jeans! I thought about Meg’s five-dollar sunglasses at the bottom of the shopping bag. Did good karma come this cheap?

She probably already caught a train, but maybe I won’t have to ride home alone after all. This couldn’t have worked out better if I’d planned it. Fate was on my side.

Oh. My. Gods!

My face still burned, even after several brisk walks around the block. Shar always acts like SHE got cheated being burdened with ME, I thought furiously. For four months I’ve dealt with her giggling girlfriends, OCD wardrobe, and coordinated bedding. And now this! I get publicly humiliated and miss a chance to see Elysian Fields with, oh, probably the most beautiful guy in the city. Talk about being divinely screwed. Why did I ever agree to go shopping with her? I’m insane, that’s why. There’s no other plausible explanation.

I trudged down the subway steps behind a gaggle of clubbers. Half of me hoped she’d be down there, the other half hoped we’d miss each other. If I did see her, I had a few choice things to say.

One by one we passed through the turnstile. As the club kids moved out of my way and toward the back of the station, I saw her. There she was, standing near the platform—talking to my Bad-Ass Jacket!

She was deluding herself if she thought he was interested in her. And that sad attempt to act like she knew what we were talking about? Pathetic! At least, that’s how it seemed back at the pizzeria. Shoes I could forget, but she’d made a mistake of global proportions by going after the guy. Apocalypse? NOW.

“Thanks for the great evening!” I said, stomping over to her. Bad-Ass Jacket backed up a step, while Shar gaped at me, mortified.

“Meg …” She trailed off and flicked her eyes at him. I hoped I was embarrassing her.

“I see you had time to buy my red shoes,” I said, pointing at the shopping bag.

“I can’t believe you’re freaking out over a pair of shoes!” she shouted, moving away from me, toward the tracks.

“Get over yourself, Mary Poppins.”

That earned me some applause from the club kids, a snicker from Bad-Ass Jacket, and a nasty glare from Shar. A muffled rumbling came from the tunnel. The train would be here any second.

“You want them so bad, come get them!” Shar taunted, waving the bag and clonking Bad-Ass in the chest with it.

He backed up a step into the yellow zone. “Hey, it’s just a pair of shoes,” he started to say, but without warning I lunged for the bag, latched onto the handles, and pulled.

“Hands off!” Shar tugged.

I lost my balance and tottered backwards toward the tracks. Time seemed to slow as I felt my heart thudding in my chest and my legs starting to give way. The roar of