Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters Page B
Authors: Daniel Waters
Tags: Fiction, General, Death, All Ages, Children's Books, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction; Fantasy; & Magic, Social Issues, Interpersonal relations, Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9), Young Adult Fiction, Zombies, Love & Romance, Monsters, Death & Dying, Friendship, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Schools, First person narratives, High schools, Social Issues - Friendship, Emotions & Feelings, Prejudices, Triangles (Interpersonal relations), Goth culture
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chain of idiots," so she let the comment slide. "What really happened?"
"I don't know why I even talk to you sometimes."
Margi crossed her eyes. "Because I'm such an insightful listener?"
Phoebe turned to look at Margi, who had now added a wagging tongue to her crossed eyes, completing her performance art piece of congenital idiocy. The dead girls kept their silence, as though they could sense the storm brewing inside Phoebe.
67
And then a strange thing happened; looking at Margi's display, Phoebe felt the dark cloud dissipate. "Oh, Margi," she said, laughing.
"See?" her friend said. "That's why you hang out with me." "That must be it."
"Come on, Pheebes," Margi said, leaning over so that Phoebe could feel the points of Margi's spiky hair tickling her cheeks. "Talk about it. Let it out. We're your buds."
"I know you are," Phoebe said. Karen and Colette looked as though they would breathe a sigh of relief if they could. "You really are."
The questions came at a rapid clip, tumbling on each other like a free-verse poem. "What did he say?" "Is he okay?" "What did Pete say? "Was it really so bad?"
Phoebe held up her hand. "Did they really say that Adam freaked?"
Margi nodded. "Kinda."
"I didn't hear anything," Karen said, holding out the cup of strawberries so Colette could try to smell them. "No one talks to me. I just assumed ... it went badly because you looked like you wanted ... to kill everyone."
Phoebe sighed and rolled the bruised apple on the table with her fingers. "He didn't 'freak.' Martinsburg's lawyer asked a million questions, and was being as condescending as he could. Adam tried so hard, but he just couldn't speak."
68
"Oh, man," Margi said, "poor Adam." "I felt so bad for him," Phoebe said.
Karen looked like she wanted to say something, but she put a slice of strawberry on her tongue instead. "What did he do?" Margi asked.
"He tried to answer a question. He did answer it, but his answer wasn't...understandable. And it was loud."
"I still ... do that," Colette said, "sometimes."
"Really?" Margi said. "I thought that was you trying to sing."
"Shut ...up." Colette shot Margi a dark look.
"It doesn't matter," Karen said.
"What do you mean?" Phoebe was stunned.
"Well, Phoebe," she said, "of course it matters to Adam, and to you. But it wouldn't have mattered how ...eloquent ...Adam was on the stand. That boy wasn't going to get punished, no matter what."
"He got community service," Phoebe said. "And he has to get counseling."
"Big deal," Karen said, selecting another slice of strawberry. "Counseling. And they didn't even let Tommy speak. It wasn't ...easy for him to go, you know."
Phoebe looked at her to see if she was being accused of something, but Karen's strange eyes were guileless. "I would have liked to see him get a tougher penalty too."
"Like a beating," Margi said. "Or worse."
"Some would agree with you," Karen said. "Only they would not be ...joking."
She smiled and licked the strawberry juice from her lips.
69
"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked, watching Karen slice into an orange with the edge of her fingernail.
"Well, that's a funny question, isn't it," Karen said, husking the fruit with a sudden violent twist of her hands. "Considering the circumstances."
"You seem like something is bothering you," Phoebe said. "Is it something I said? Or is it the trial?"
Karen looked up at her, and for a moment Phoebe could swear she saw a coppery light in the glittering retinas of her eyes.
Karen lifted the orange to her face and inhaled deeply. She was even weirder than usual, Phoebe thought. She came to school wearing jeans and a heavy sweatshirt with a school logo on it, instead of her usual skirts or dresses. Short skirts, and short dresses, ones that showed a lot of her ice-white skin, even now when the weather was getting colder.
The light left her eyes. "I'm sorry, Phoebe," she said. "I'm a little off today, aren't I? But why is that, do you think? Don't you need hormones and blood
"I don't know why I even talk to you sometimes."
Margi crossed her eyes. "Because I'm such an insightful listener?"
Phoebe turned to look at Margi, who had now added a wagging tongue to her crossed eyes, completing her performance art piece of congenital idiocy. The dead girls kept their silence, as though they could sense the storm brewing inside Phoebe.
67
And then a strange thing happened; looking at Margi's display, Phoebe felt the dark cloud dissipate. "Oh, Margi," she said, laughing.
"See?" her friend said. "That's why you hang out with me." "That must be it."
"Come on, Pheebes," Margi said, leaning over so that Phoebe could feel the points of Margi's spiky hair tickling her cheeks. "Talk about it. Let it out. We're your buds."
"I know you are," Phoebe said. Karen and Colette looked as though they would breathe a sigh of relief if they could. "You really are."
The questions came at a rapid clip, tumbling on each other like a free-verse poem. "What did he say?" "Is he okay?" "What did Pete say? "Was it really so bad?"
Phoebe held up her hand. "Did they really say that Adam freaked?"
Margi nodded. "Kinda."
"I didn't hear anything," Karen said, holding out the cup of strawberries so Colette could try to smell them. "No one talks to me. I just assumed ... it went badly because you looked like you wanted ... to kill everyone."
Phoebe sighed and rolled the bruised apple on the table with her fingers. "He didn't 'freak.' Martinsburg's lawyer asked a million questions, and was being as condescending as he could. Adam tried so hard, but he just couldn't speak."
68
"Oh, man," Margi said, "poor Adam." "I felt so bad for him," Phoebe said.
Karen looked like she wanted to say something, but she put a slice of strawberry on her tongue instead. "What did he do?" Margi asked.
"He tried to answer a question. He did answer it, but his answer wasn't...understandable. And it was loud."
"I still ... do that," Colette said, "sometimes."
"Really?" Margi said. "I thought that was you trying to sing."
"Shut ...up." Colette shot Margi a dark look.
"It doesn't matter," Karen said.
"What do you mean?" Phoebe was stunned.
"Well, Phoebe," she said, "of course it matters to Adam, and to you. But it wouldn't have mattered how ...eloquent ...Adam was on the stand. That boy wasn't going to get punished, no matter what."
"He got community service," Phoebe said. "And he has to get counseling."
"Big deal," Karen said, selecting another slice of strawberry. "Counseling. And they didn't even let Tommy speak. It wasn't ...easy for him to go, you know."
Phoebe looked at her to see if she was being accused of something, but Karen's strange eyes were guileless. "I would have liked to see him get a tougher penalty too."
"Like a beating," Margi said. "Or worse."
"Some would agree with you," Karen said. "Only they would not be ...joking."
She smiled and licked the strawberry juice from her lips.
69
"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked, watching Karen slice into an orange with the edge of her fingernail.
"Well, that's a funny question, isn't it," Karen said, husking the fruit with a sudden violent twist of her hands. "Considering the circumstances."
"You seem like something is bothering you," Phoebe said. "Is it something I said? Or is it the trial?"
Karen looked up at her, and for a moment Phoebe could swear she saw a coppery light in the glittering retinas of her eyes.
Karen lifted the orange to her face and inhaled deeply. She was even weirder than usual, Phoebe thought. She came to school wearing jeans and a heavy sweatshirt with a school logo on it, instead of her usual skirts or dresses. Short skirts, and short dresses, ones that showed a lot of her ice-white skin, even now when the weather was getting colder.
The light left her eyes. "I'm sorry, Phoebe," she said. "I'm a little off today, aren't I? But why is that, do you think? Don't you need hormones and blood
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