Pants on Fire

Pants on Fire

Katie Ellison is not a liar. It's just that telling the truth is so . . . tricky. She knows she shouldn't be making out with a drama club hottie behind her football-player boyfriend's back. She should probably admit that she can't stand eating quahogs (clams), especially since she's running for Quahog Princess in her hometown's annual Quahog Festival. And it would be a relief to finally tell someone what really happened the night Tommy Sullivan is a freak was spray-painted on the new wall outside the junior high school gymnasium—in neon orange, which still hasn't been sandblasted off. After all, everyone knows that's what drove Tommy out of town four years ago. But now Tommy Sullivan has come back. Katie is sure he's out for revenge, and she'll do anything to hang on to her perfect (if slightly dishonest) existence. Even if it means telling more lies than ever. Even if, now that Tommy's around, she's actually—no lie—having the time of her life. Katie Ellison is a big-time liar: she is running for the title of Quahog Princess, but she can't stand the clams her town is famous for, and she juggles two boyfriends. But the lie that weighs on her soul the most is the big secret that she is keeping about her former best friend, Tommy. To complicate matters, Tommy suddenly returns to town after a four-year absence that began after he spilled the beans about local football players who cheated on their SATs. Katie sorts through her attraction to multiple guys, including Tommy, who became all grown up and gorgeous while he was away. Lightweight and predictable, this is still an enjoyable read that's sure to be popular with Cabot's many fans. Debbie Carton Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to writing adult contemporary fiction, she is the author of the bestselling young adult fiction series The Princess Diaries. She lives in Key West, Florida, with her husband. Pants on Fire By Meg Cabot HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Copyright ©2007 Meg Cabot All right reserved. ISBN: 9780060880156 Chapter Two "The Gull 'n Gulp just so isn't Morgan Castle's kind of place," Sidney was going on, into my cell phone. I grunted in response. I was trying to work some leave-in conditioner through my wet hair with a comb. I'd had to wash it three times after my shift in order to get the smell of fried quahog out of it. Seriously, I don't know how Seth can stand to make out with me when I stink so much of clams. But the stink is pretty much the only downside of waitressing at one of the most popular restaurants in town. Especially when you pocket forty-eight bucks in tips, like I did tonight. Not to mention the added bonus of getting kissed by Eric Fluteley at the soda station."I mean, shouldn't she have been over at the Oaken Bucket?" Sidney asked. "Totally." I don't know what's going on with my hair. I have been trying to grow it out ever since an unfortunate bob incident midway through sophomore year. It's almost shoulder-length now, with a lot of layers (because he stick-straight thing that works so well for Sidney doesn't work at all for me) and gold highlights to make it less aggressively brown. According to Marty over at Supercuts, I'm supposed to let it dry naturally, then scrunch it with curl enhancer to make it fuller and give it bounce. But that only seems to work when it's humid outside, or I'm in the vicinity of the Gull 'n Gulp's kitchen. Sidney was right, of course. The Oaken Bucket, the vegan café across town, is much more Morgan's scene than the Gull 'n Gulp. I mean, the Bucket serves stuff like falafel in a pita with hummus and avocado, and tofu stir fry over brown rice. You won't find a single item on the menu made with quahogs over at the Bucket, that's for sure. "There's only one reason she'd go there," Sidney went on, in her most malevolent tone. "And we all know what it is." I nearly dropped my phone. Right into the toilet, which is where the comb ended up. Fortunately, I'd remembered to flush earlier. I caught the phone at the last minute and pressed it to my ear. "W-wait," I stammered. "What? We do?" How could she know? She couldn't know! No one had seen me with Eric—had they?I knew I should have slapped him. Oh, why had I kissed him back? I wouldn't have, if I'd thought there was any chance that Seth—or Sidney—might have seen us. But the soda station is totally hidden from view from the corner booth. And from where Morgan Castle was sitting. So instead of slapping Eric Fluteley when he started kissing me, I melted, exactly as if I'd been one of Mrs. Hogarth's birthday candles left to burn too long. Well, what else was I going to do? I mean, Eric's just. . . hot. When Eric finally let me up for air, though, I said, very indignantly (though admittedly through delightfully tingly lips), "What are you, crazy? Did you see who's sitting in the corner booth? The entire Quahog football team!" Er