Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters

eyes.
    He winked at her.
    I've still got my list, honey, he thought, remembering the expression on her face as he'd spread out the Undead Studies student list where the name "Evan Talbot" had been crossed out. She looked down at her desk so swiftly that his new boss noticed and glanced up at him. Pete suddenly took a great interest in steering the mop bucket to its destination.
    "You aren't listening," Davidson said.
    "Excuse me?"
    "Cameras everywhere. You think punk stuff like that is going to endear you to anyone?" "What do you mean?"
    Davidson stopped and turned with such abruptness that
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    Pete almost plowed into him with the bucket. That's all I need, he thought, to slosh my boss's shiny black boots.
    "I don't think you're getting it," Davidson said. "Do you want to get away with murder or not?"
    Pete looked up at him, not sure how he should respond to that.
    "You have an opportunity here," Davidson said. "Don't squander it."
    "Okay," Pete said. "Okay."
    Davidson regarded him a moment longer before turning on his heel.
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    CHAPTER TWELVE
    WHY DOES HE always have to be the welcome wagon? Phoebe thought, seeing Takayuki perched like a vulture on the railing of the slumping porch. He lifted his head enough to glare at their approaching car, his dark hair brushed back from his face. "He looks friendly," her dad said.
    "That's Takayuki," Margi said from the backseat. "He's not." "I was being sarcastic." "I know."
    He rolled the vehicle to a stop, then got out of the car to help Margi and her extract Adam from the backseat. Phoebe thought she heard Takayuki make a noise of disgust, but when she turned toward him he dropped to the ground and headed off into the woods, the rusted chains of his motorcycle jacket somehow failing to make any noise as he passed.
    "Hey, Adam!" came a cheer from the house, as some of the
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    zombies--Karen, Colette, and Tommy among them, all wearing absurd pointed party hats--came out to welcome him. Tommy made fleeting eye contact with her, and she recalled their conversation--all of his questions about how she felt about Adam. Turning, she waved at Mal, a zombie who rivaled Adam in sheer size, and he waggled his fingers back at her. She leaned into Adam, wondering if Tommy was still watching but refusing to look at him.
    Thorny was already at the house, along with Norm Lathrop--who had been Margi's date on homecoming night-- Denny Mackenzie, and Gary Greene. Phoebe saw Gary hide a can of beer behind his back upon seeing her father.
    Holding his hand, Phoebe looked for Adam's reaction, and for a long time there was none--but then she saw his mouth tic upward.
    She breathed a long sigh of relief. Thank you, God, she thought.
    "I didn't know Norm was going to be here," Margi whispered. "We haven't talked much since the dance."
    "Hi, Margi!" Norm said, waving at her.
    "No better time than the present," Phoebe said, nudging her forward.
    "Phoebe," her dad said. "I need to talk to you for a minute."
    Phoebe didn't want to let go of Adam, not even for a second, but she joined her father over by the car, watching as Karen and Colette each took one of Adam's arms and guided him up the rickety porch steps.
    "Phoebe, was that beer I saw in that boy's hand?"
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    She held her breath as Adam tottered at the top of the stairs near Takayuki's perch, then let it out when a gentle tug from Karen righted him again. She was about to say "what beer?" But she decided to go with honesty.
    "I think so."
    "You know how I feel about you going to parties where there's going to be drinking."
    "I do. I didn't know that there would be drinking. I really didn't think there would be any trad biotic kids here except for Margi and Thorny."
    Her dad looked at her and she could almost hear the wheels of his mind whirring.
    "The living impaired kids don't drink, do they?"
    "They're called differently biotic now, Dad." she said. "And no, they don't drink, or eat, or sleep. Except Karen. She'll eat a piece of fruit every so often,