Character Analysis
Like Totally Clueless
When we first meet Kayla, on the first page of the book, we see her talking really fast and kind of ignoring Zoey's well-being. This is how Zoey describes it: "Kayla was talking nonstop in her usual K-babble" (1.1). She doesn't seem to notice how sick Zoey is, and she's trying to convince Zoey that it doesn't matter if her boyfriend is turning into a beer-guzzling loser.
Zoey's response is to roll her eyes, "not bothering to hide my annoyance at her typical shallowness" (1.16). It seems like all Kayla can focus on is looks (like how hot Zoey's boyfriend is) and chattering, so when Zoey gets distracted by the vampyre standing next to her locker, Kayla whines: "Zoey, you're so not listening to me!" (1.20). Gee, you think? There's a vampyre who's about to Mark her and change her life permanently. Way to be super clueless, Kayla.
She's also a little high-strung. When the Tracker shows up to Mark Zoey, she screams, "Then she pressed a shaking hand against her white lips, unsuccessfully trying to hold back a sob" (1.26). She also backs away from Zoey (1.39)—so, yeah, it doesn't seem like Kayla handles getting freaked out particularly well. Not someone we'd exactly call cool under pressure.
Bestie or Betrayer?
For all that Zoey thinks of Kayla as her BFF, we're not so convinced. For one thing, Kayla freaks out when Zoey's marked. This actually makes Zoey kind of mad: "It wasn't like I'd asked for this. K and I had been best friends since third grade, and now she was looking at me like I had turned into a monster" (1.40). We're totally on Team Zoey for this one—Kayla comes across as a fair weather friend in this moment.
Then, when Kayla and Heath come to visit Zoey at the House of Night, Zoey notices something between the two of them: "it was while she was giggling and he was hauling that I saw it—the unmistakable way Kayla grinned and giggled and blushed at Heath" (17.45). Uh-oh…
Yes, indeed, folks, Zoey finally figures it out: "So my best friend was going after my boyfriend" (17.52). Not only that, Kayla's also smoking weed regularly, and she starts treating Zoey kind of meanly, like "people she didn't consider part of her girlfriend group" (17.64). Yuck. By the end of the book, Zoey is done with Kayla, and so are we. Which is fine—Zoey has way better friends now.