Monday morning came way too soon. I’d spent most of Sunday in my room doing homework, mentally cursing myself for putting it off until the last minute. I may have been annoyed with Jake, but I was grateful for the notes he took in biology and European history. And he was right; I was pleasantly surprised at the level of detail he included. His notes ended up being way more helpful than the stuff the teachers had posted onto the portal, but a full week’s work was still a lot to cram into my Sunday.

The parking lot was practically deserted when I arrived at school Monday morning. As much as I complained about all the times Mom used to drop me off at school super early in the morning before I got my license, there was something kind of nice about being there before everyone else. I trudged up to the main building and noted how the rain from the past week had brightened up all the grassy areas. The bougainvillea wrapped around the gates surrounding the campus were starting to bloom.

I could see how people were drawn to the campus from the school’s website and promotional brochures. Westgate Prep really was a pretty school.

I headed for the library, the only place likely to be open forty-five minutes before the first bell rang. It felt more like a lounge than a traditional library. Large tables well suited for group projects and card games were positioned in the center of the room. Leather chairs and small tables occupied one corner, and a collection of carrel desks was crammed together in another. In the far back were the stacks, where someone would be as likely to find people making out as they would whatever reference material they needed, but I rarely went back there because I could find most of the stuff I needed online.

I greeted Mrs. Ryan, the librarian, with a small wave before I went to the carrel farthest from the door and pulled out my laptop. I’d fallen asleep in the middle of my French homework the previous evening; there was no other time I’d be able to get it done.

About half an hour later, I was writing my last few sentences when Ally materialized beside me.

“There you are,” she exclaimed. Mrs. Ryan hushed her, and Ally lowered her voice. “I saw your car in the lot but couldn’t find you,” she said in a loud whisper. “Why are you hiding in here?”

I spared her a glance but kept my head down. “I’m not hiding,” I said. “I’m finishing up French.”

“Homework?” She dropped her backpack onto the floor beside me and slid into a nearby chair. “Since when do you do your homework at school?”

“Since I totally procrastinated and did a bunch of non-homework stuff all last week.” I saved my work and prepared to shut down my computer.

“Jake’s all worried about you,” she said as I packed up my stuff. “He asked if I’d seen you because I guess you never texted him yesterday or something?”

I kept my eyes down. “I must’ve had my phone off.”

“But you texted me,” she said after half a beat. “What’s really going on?”

“Nothing.” I flung my backpack onto my shoulder and nodded toward the door. “Come on. We might as well go to homeroom.”

“Are you mad at him?” she asked when we stepped outside.

“No.” I was tempted to ask why she thought that, but I also knew if I asked any questions, she’d follow them up with more of her own. I loved Ally like a sister, but sometimes she could give Dr. Griffin lessons in prying.

The expression on her face said she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t press any further.

“I asked Hunter to the Sweetheart’s Dance,” she said after a short pause, her eyes bright with excitement. “Last night. He said yes.”

“Of course he did.”

“Jake would probably go with you if you asked him, you know.”

I stopped in the middle of the hall. “Out with it, Ally,” I said. “Subtlety is not your strong suit.”

She grabbed my arm and continued walking. “You know I can’t reveal my sources, but I have it on extremely good authority that Jake really likes—”

“He’s going out with Clover,” I blurted. Just saying the words aloud made my chest ache.

“What?” It was her turn to block traffic. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” I kept moving, knowing she’d catch up.

“Okay, I need deets,” she demanded.

I made her wait another minute until we got to homeroom before I said, “If I tell you something, you have to swear to absolute secrecy.”

She sat down in the seat in front of mine. “Of course.”

“I’m serious, Ally,” I said, fixing her with my most intense stare. “Not a single word. Not spoken, not on your blog, nothing.”

She drew an X across her heart and held up her right hand. “I’ll take it to the grave.”

I put my backpack on the ground beside my desk and put my head down. “I kissed him.”

“Who?”

“Jake.” It came out barely louder than a whisper, but when she screamed, I knew she’d heard me.

“You’re kidding!” She practically squealed.

“Shush,” I said. A couple of people turned in our direction, and I didn’t want them to overhear our conversation.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, though I doubted she really was. “When?”

I propped my elbows on my desk and rested my chin in my hands. “Friday night,” I said. “I went to his house after everyone went home.”

She beamed. “Was it amazing? It must have been amazing. Tell me it was amazing.”

I watched as a few people entered the room and took their seats near the front of the class. “I’m not discussing details.”

“Come on. You can at least tell me.”

I chose to ignore her. “Whatever. It’s not important.” I leaned back in my seat, and my stomach twisted as I explained, “He had a date with Clover the next night, anyway.”

Ally frowned. “Are you sure? Because my source—”

“Your source is wrong,” I said as the first bell rang and more people poured into the room. Ally moved to her seat one desk over as Bianca hurried to the spot she’d just vacated.

“Jake was looking for you,” she said, setting down her backpack. “Have you been hiding out all morning?”

“She was in the library doing homework,” Ally answered for me.

“You should turn your phone back on, at least.” Bianca slid into her seat and turned around. “Unless you’re just ignoring him.” When I didn’t respond, she let out a sigh and faced forward. “Passive-aggressive,” I heard her mutter.

“I don’t want to talk to him,” I said.

Ally whipped around in her seat. “What exactly happened?” She poked Bianca. “Did you get deets? I’ve heard next to nothing.”

I folded my arms on my desk and put my head down while my two best friends speculated about what was going on between Jake and me as if I wasn’t there. After a while, I tuned them out. I didn’t want to add to their conversation, anyway.

****

“So maybe he was just meeting up with her Saturday night,” Ally said as we left our geometry class a few periods later. “It doesn’t mean it was a date. I mean, they’re always hanging out, anyway, aren’t they?”

Mrs. Kanda, our math teacher, was out that day, and Coach Norton subbed, basically giving us a free period. As a result, I’d spent most of the last hour updating Ally on everything that had happened and answering most of the questions that followed.

“That’s kind of the point,” I said, stepping around a group of senior girls congregating in the middle of the hall. “They’re always together. And, I mean, after the way he kissed me—?”

“Wait,” Ally said. She had to move quickly to keep up with me. “I thought you kissed him.”

I stopped in front of my locker. “I did. But he kissed me back. And it was like, I don’t know.” I searched for the right words. “It was like it meant something.” I opened my locker and shoved my coat inside.

“Maybe that’s because it did.” She held up her hands. “Look, my source is absolutely certain—”

“Then ask your source for clarification, because this doesn’t make sense to me.”