Save Me, Sinners

Lizzie sucks her teeth in disgust. “Your daddy owes me $400.”

“He what?” I gasp.

But they don't answer me. They tilt their heads toward each other, laughing as though sharing a joke between them.

“What are you guys talking about?”

They don't look at me for a few seconds, and I can feel myself getting red. I don't like to be angry. I don't like to speak out, but this is a little ridiculous, I think.

Lizzie starts laughing out loud again, staring up at the ceiling with her mouth open so wide I can see her molars. “Oh my God, you know what's really funny? I didn't even think you had a daddy. You been holding out on us, little innocent Kita?”

“That's not a nice thing to say,” I mumble under my breath, but I don't even think they hear me. They just hold each other as they laugh, doubling over and running out of breath over and over again.

Honestly. It really isn't very nice.

I back out of the room and head upstairs. Emma sees me on the stairs and almost stops in her tracks, her mouth falling open slightly. Then she gathers herself and raises her eyebrows, smirking.

“Oh, good morning, Emma.”

She doesn't say anything as she passes me. On my way to my room, I see Lonnie and Babs in their room, and they seem to cut off in the middle of saying something as soon as they see me. Then they raise their hands in cutesy little waves with their fingertips.

I need to get out of Daniel’s shirt. I think everybody thinks I slept with him or something. They're all laughing at me, and I hate that. Especially since I didn't. I've never slept with anybody, not that I go around flaunting that information or anything. But I don't like people thinking they know something, when obviously they don't know anything.

As I walk into my room, I feel someone slipping behind me. It's Serena. She looks pissed, then relieved, then pissed again. It's not that unusual for Serena. She is sort of a dark person.

Without a word, she walks past me into my own room and opens the laptop on my desk. She taps the screen.

“Password,” she barks.

“I'm sorry, what?”

“Fine, enter your own password. I need show you something, Kita. Right now.”

I really want to get a shower, get into my own clothes, but the way she's looking at me I can tell she means business. Normally I wouldn't oblige her sort of rude command, but something tells me she won't leave this room until I do.

I slide in next to her at the desk and enter my password. She takes over the keyboard immediately, bringing up YouTube and a video with the Chi Rho Pi logo on it. The video loads a close up on Lizzie's face, then the interior of the bar. The camera is kind of shaky, and I see Claudia pointing toward the dance floor and the three podiums.

“Turn it up. What is she saying?”

That's me, next to Claudia. I'm standing there with my arms over my head, grinning like some kind of idiot. My shirt barely covers my breasts. Lizzie moves the camera back to her own face.

“This year we have a really creamy crop of newbies, if you know what I mean. Kita here is our very own Russian spy doll. Her mom is in jail right now!”

I gasp, my fingers flying up to cover my mouth. Serena snorts sympathetically.

“We’re not sure she’s a spy, but she’s definitely jailbait! She really needs to be taught a lesson… A little light spanking should do the trick! Bet she’ll just tell you all her secrets!”

I shake my head. This isn’t happening. Lizzie said this? Posted the video? It’s already got twenty-thousand hits and the comments say things like:

Loved my cherry pie last year. Ur the best Lizzie!

Bake sale is a classic! So sorry I missed getting that sweet tight ass this year!

The camera focuses on my face again, and I don't look right. My eyes are almost closed, and I'm smiling, sort of, but lopsided. My arms are still over my head.

“Do that dance again, Kita!”

I shake my head, to slowly, but continue to sway.