The Basic Eight Read Online Free PDF Page B

saying, “Who said that? I didn’t say that.”
    “Killing Bodin would be extremely difficult,” Natasha said. “Digging a grave that large would be six weeks’ work.”
    “Is there some creative murder method in La Boheme ?” Kate asked in a tone of voice meant to imply that she once knew the answer, but it had slipped her mind.
    “Nobody gets killed, they just get sick,” Douglas said, and drew out his pocket watch. “It’s almost homeroom,” he said.
    “Then we’d much rather discuss something of infinitely more importance,” Kate said, “like the first dinner party of the season.”
    “ That’s more like it,” Gabriel said.
    Kate pulled out a spiral notebook. “I was thinking this Saturday, if everyone’s free.” We all nodded; we’d postpone surgery for one of our dinner parties.
    “Let’s make a list,” Lily said, licking jelly off her fingers. “You and your lists ,” V said fondly, swatting at her. Lily
    kissed her on the cheek. “I can’t have it at my house, even though I’d love to. My parents are entertaining.”
    “ Your parents? Entertaining ?” Kate asked in mock surprise. Her parents are always entertaining, though in person they are never entertaining, if you follow me. We’ve never had a dinner party at V ’s house, even though each time she says she’d love to.
    “We’ll have it at my house,” Kate pronounced. “Now, a guest list.”

    “Well, everyone here,” Lily said, counting us off on her fingers. “There’s Flannery, Gabriel–”
    “Yes, yes, yes,” Kate said. “We don’t have to list all of us . We’re you know, the basics.” She scribbled down our names on a piece of paper. “The Basic Eight.”
    “Are there only eight of us?” Jennifer Rose Milton asked. “We’re such a menagerie it seems like more.”
    “Yep, just eight. The Basic Eight are as follows: Kate Gordon, Natasha Hyatt, Jennifer Rose Milton, Flannery Culp, Lily Chandly, V , Douglas Wilde and Gabriel Gallon.”
    “Why are the men last?” V asked.
    “If you have to ask…” Natasha said, rolling her eyes. “…you can’t afford it,” I finished, and Natasha smiled at me.
    “Who else shall we invite besides, um, the Basic Eight?” Lily asked.
    “How about Lara Trent?” Gabriel asked. “I’ve always thought she was nice.”
    “ Absolutely not ,” Natasha Hyatt said. “Such a drip .”
    Jennifer Rose Milton put her hands on her hips. “She can’t be that bad. Let’s invite her. We’ll give her a chance.”
    “ Absolutely not ,” Natasha said. “She once told me I wasn’t a good Christian.”
    We all threw up our hands and said “ No !” in unison. One thing we don’t tolerate is organized religion. Right-wing parent activists are going to love that sentence, but loath as I am to give any am- munition to those who are frothing at the mouth about our god- less schools, it’s true.
    “How about Adam State?” Kate asked. She met my eyes quietly, and I appreciated her tact, which was a little out of character. Not that Kate is the sort to tease about our romantic inclinations, but she might at least

    raise her eyebrows. Just about everyone must have known about me and Adam, so just about everyone waited for me to answer. “He seems a little conceited to me,” Gabriel said. Don’t smirk
    at me, reader; I said just about everyone, not everyone .
    “And we certainly don’t want any egotism ,” Natasha said. “ Heaven forfend . We don’t want to be friends with anyone who’s at all self-important.” Millie snorted in the corner at that.
    “I think he’s nice,” I said, casually. I’m sorry, I didn’t write that in a way that properly conveyed the mood. “I think he’s nice,” I said, CASUALLY.
    “I do too,” Lily said, loyally, and Kate wrote him down. “How about Flora Habstat? She’s my only friend in home-
    room.”
    Kate narrowed her eyes and sighed. “It’s always difficult to tell if someone’s interesting in homeroom. The setting is