Only Kristin was really stoking the fires anymore—but I figured she would be an evergreen thorn in my side, so to speak. I was pretty positive Kristin was my Lady Eleanor, except that she went for character assassination as opposed to actual assassination. The latest rumor? That I cheated on Brendan with a group of guys from Xavier High School. Never mind the fact that Brendan and I had only been public for a week and it would have been physically impossible to accomplish the level of whoring around in five days that I was accused of committing. But Kristin refused to let up. Still, it seemed like Brendan’s method of dispelling the rumors—remaining an ever-present figure by my side—was working. If there was one thing he knew, it was how to navigate these shark-infested waters. You know, if the sharks carried Dior purses. I didn’t think it was possible to feel more out of my element than at Vince A—and then, that Saturday, I went dress shopping with Aunt Christine, Ashley and her mom, my aunt Jess.
