“What’s with the whispering?” he whispers back, leaning into me. “You don’t want people to know we live together?”
“We don’t live together!” I hiss. I jab him in the chest—or try to, anyway. Say what you want, the guy’s pecs are as thick as his head.
Donovan interrupts us, laughing. “If you guys are gonna make out, don’t let me stop you!”
I whip my hand away from Lane and take two paces back. Becca has wandered over, in full sunshine mode.
“Hey!” I say, with all the perkiness I can muster. “How about a girls’ night?”
“Sorry, but Donny invited me to their party! He told me you’ll be there, too, so we can still hang out.”
She’s practically bouncing.
“Well, how about that?” Lane claps a hand on my shoulder. “Great news, huh?”
“What party?”
“Every fall, when school starts, we have a party at Lane’s for his birthday.”
Lane smirks at me. “Want the address?”
I stare him straight in the eye. “In that case, I’ll go to the library.”
“No can do. It’s not open on weekend evenings.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath in.
“Come on, Lois! You and Kirk can come along, it’ll be fun.” Becca links arms with Donovan.
“Who’s Kirk?” Lane asks her.
Oh, kill me now.
“Her guy.”
“Really?”
He tilts his head at me, staring me down. He knows I haven’t told Becca about the breakup, and he’s wondering why.
“See you later!” She waves. “Will you walk me to the quad, Don?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
As the pair of them vanish around the corner, I’m frantically racking my brain for a way out, when Lane kicks my foot.
“Kirk?”
“Shut up,” I hiss with a glare.
Speak of the devil. There he is, just a few feet away from me, and though he’s looking away, I’ve got a feeling he was watching us. I can’t believe this is happening! I’ve wanted so badly to see him and he’s been nowhere to be found. Now the moment Lane and his idiot friends are around, he’s everywhere I turn. It’s official: I’m cursed.
“Lane, could you ask your friends to be a little less… intense?”
“Meaning?”
I shuffle my feet. “If they could play it like we’ve never met, that would be great.”
“Why don’t you tell them yourself?”
