The Heartbreakers by Pamela Wells Page A

hand away but missed.
    â€œThe snackage is not for you,” he said, and moved the bowl to the table.
    â€œI just wanted a few.” She wrinkled her nose at him. Sometimes he was such a pain in the butt.
    Drew brought the soda over to the counter and grabbed four glasses from the cupboard to Kelly’s right.
    Kelly wanted to be mad at him for breaking up with Sydney. She wanted to snub him or tell him he was a jerk, but Drew had been Kelly’s friend far longer than she’d been friends with Sydney. And besides, Drew just wasn’t a jerk. If he broke up with Sydney, there had to be a good reason.
    He was incredibly kind and caring and super-smart. Add in his total hotness and that made him practically perfect in guy terms.
    As a matter of fact, Drew had been Kelly’s first crush. She was eleven when he started hanging out with Todd. He was over at their house all the time. Kelly had just been too shy to say anything. Todd probably would have freaked out anyway.
    Then Sydney met Drew through Kelly, and before Kelly knew it, Sydney was going out with him. Kelly knew the crush was useless after that, but that didn’t stop her from still admiring Drew.
    â€œWant a glass?” Drew said.
    â€œHuh?”
    He laughed. “You’re just staring at me. I thought maybe you were trying to send me a subliminal message that you wanted a glass, too.”
    â€œShe’s staring at you because she’s trying to read your brain waves,” Todd said. “Didn’t I tell you I found out she was an alien?”
    â€œShut up, Todd!” Kelly gave him a shove, but he only budged an inch and then laughed at her.
    Drew grabbed a fifth glass out of the cupboard and poured cola into it. “Here.” He handed the glass over.
    â€œThanks.”
    Cola didn’t really go well with chocolate cake, but she didn’t want him to think she was a huge pig, so she’d just wait until they all went downstairs. For now, she took small sips of the soda.
    â€œAnyway,” Todd said, “we’re outta here.” He rolled the Cheetos bag closed and grabbed one glass of soda. “Kenny, grab the snacks, dude.”
    Kenny pushed his chair back, stood up, and took the Cheetos bowl. Matt came around the counter, nodded a hello/ good-bye at Kelly, then took two glasses of soda and disappeared downstairs.
    â€œTime to kick butt,” Drew said. “You should come downstairs with us.”
    Kelly shook her head. “Nah. It’s guys’ night. Besides, Todd would probably chase me out.”
    â€œI’ll make sure he doesn’t.”
    It was tempting to hang out with a bunch of guys like she did when she was a kid, but her mom’s famous chocolate cake was sitting over on the stovetop, calling.
    â€œI can’t,” she said. “I have to get ready to go to Alexia’s in a little bit, anyway.”
    â€œAll right. See ya.” He grabbed his soda and left.
    Kelly hopped off the counter and went to the stove. She smiled, suddenly giddy. “Well, chocolate cake, it looks like it’s just you and me.”
    After serving herself a slice, she sat down at the kitchen table, pushed aside the morning’s newspaper and Monica’s homework, then she took her first bite.
    Mmmmm.

SEVEN
Rule 6: You must perform a ritual with the help of your girls to rid yourself of The Ex’s pictures and any gifts that he gave you.
    Alexia was used to being home alone. Her older brother, Kyle, had been out of the house for four years now. He was finishing his senior year of college in Hartford. Her parents were always at some function. They owned a small practice in Birch Falls, but their self-help books made them famous. Now their lives were nonstop. Seminars here, book signings there, radio shows all over the nation. This weekend they were…where were they again? Illinois or something. Alexia couldn’t keep their schedules straight.
    They lived in the same