The Kings Of Cool

101

Kim is a triumph at the cocktail party.

Think Cinderella (if you haven’t already), think Sabrina (see above); point is, she kills.

Even the Orange County bitches, who normally would have sliced her up like a gang of Benzedrine-crazed chefs at Benihana, can’t touch her. It’s not a matter of kindness, God knows, but of cowardice. Not one of them is brave enough to be the first shark to draw blood and start the feeding frenzy, and by the time they work themselves into a sufficiently collective indignation at this parvenu to socially gang-rape her, it’s too late because one of the Young Men recognizes himself as a cultural trope and obediently plays

Prince Charming.

Brad Donnelly is a scion of OC nobility. Twenty-five, UCLA alum, doing great things in Dad’s real estate business, looks to match.

“I’m Brad,” he says. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“I’m Kim,” she says.

It’s working just the way she imagined it a million times just the way she planned it.

He smiles and walks her onto the broad deck, with its stunning view of the beach and the ocean, the sun setting like it knows it’s in her movie.

“Who are you?” Brad asks. “Why haven’t I seen you before?”

“I guess you haven’t been looking.”

“I’m looking now.”

“So I see.”

He juts his chin back toward the party inside. “They’re all talking about us, you know.”

“I know. Do you mind?”

“I don’t care,” Brad answers. They make inconsequential chitchat for a few minutes, then Brad asks, “You want to get out of here and go to a really cool party?”

“I would love to.”