insides twist as I watch people pair off into twos and threes to complete their assignments.

Left alone, I sidle up to the board and sigh so heavily that the posted paper moves. Surely I can convince Mr. Knox that I am, within

myself, a four-layered pyramid.

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“You can work with me.”

My heart stutters at the sound of Ryan’s

voice. Damn, why do I have to find everything about this boy attractive? His voice, his face, his biceps, his abs… stop it! I cross my arms over my chest and turn to face him. “I thought we had an agreement.”

“No. You threw a hissy fit on the first day of school. That doesn’t constitute an agreement.”

Ryan isn’t wearing his baseball cap and I love it. His sandy-blond hair has a golden tone.

It’s styled-yet-not-styled into the disarray of not quite curls that kick out in various

directions. Get a grip, Beth. Hot guys don’t go for loser girls. “Leave me alone.”

I walk away from Ryan because he shows no sign of leaving me. Stacks of equipment line the wall on the other side of the gym. One of the four items that can be completed on my own is jumping rope. I can do that. I think. I used to jump rope when I was a kid.

I grasp one of the ropes and twenty others tumble out of the box along with it. All of them knotted and intertwined. Gwen and a group of girls giggle as they gawk at me. I wonder if they’ll still be giggling when I turn and beat HC TITLE-AUTHOR

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them with the jump-rope knot from hell.

“Trust fall.” Lacy magically teleports in front of me.

Still holding the train of ropes, I glance up at her. “What?”

“Trust fall. Me and the boys are doing it and you’re going to do it with us.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. Requirements say that we

have to have at least two girls in the group.”

I blink twice. “Go ask one of the girls

grooming each other like monkeys.”

“Those aren’t girls. They’re vultures.”

Ryan and Chris watch us. The other one

studies the five-foot platform we’re supposed to “fall” from. I ask, “What’s the guy with black hair doing in this class?” He wasn’t last week, but he is in my English class and had the balls to tease me on my first day. Platform guy is lucky to be alive.

Lacy waves him off. “That’s Logan. He

tested out of his math and they switched his schedule and the rest is totally not important.

Let’s go.” She snatches my hand and the rope drags with me until I remember to drop it.

She releases me when we reach the

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platform. Ryan gives me a condescending

smile. “Changed your mind? Don’t worry,

most girls do when it comes to me.”

I wish I had a jacket that I could pull around myself and hide in. I don’t, so I do the next best thing. “Did you have to bribe those girls with tacos or was that reserved for me?”

Chris and Logan chuckle and Ryan angles

his shoulders away from me. On the other side of the gym, Lacy kicks at a huge foam mat.

The boys rescue her by lifting the gigantic mat into the air like it weighs nothing, then tossing it in front of the platform. A spark of panic hurts my lungs. “What’s that for?”

“In case we drop you,” says Logan.

“In case you what?” Frantically, I eyeball the wooden platform that reminds me of a

diving board at a public pool. I can’t swim and I don’t jump.

“Drop you,” he repeats.

Lacy smacks the back of Logan’s head.

“Stop it. We won’t drop you.”

Of course they won’t, because I’m not

jumping. I step backward.

“What’s the plan, Boss Man?” asks Logan as he looks at Ryan. I snort and Ryan glances at HC TITLE-AUTHOR

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me. Of course, they see perfect Ryan as

their fearless leader.

Ryan rearranges the mat to center it with the platform. “Each of us takes one practice run.

We perfect our technique and then we show Coach. Logan, you’re first. That way if we have the wrong technique, we drop a guy, not a girl.”

Chris, Ryan, and Lacy gather around the

mat. I stay planted in my spot. “If you’re the boss, then why don’t you go first?”

“Because Logan’s crazy and would go first even if I didn’t ask. At least now someone’s here to catch him.”

“It’s true,” adds Lacy. “Logan’s too smart for common sense.”

“Fear.” Logan sits on the platform. His legs dangle over the side. “Too smart for fear.”

Lacy shrugs. “Potayto, potahto. Same

thing.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Shut it down,” says Ryan. “Come on, Beth.

You and Lacy take the area toward his feet.

Chris and I will handle his back.”

“Why, so we can get kicked in the head?

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That’s real gallant.”

“No,” says Ryan with forced patience.

“Logan’s all upper body. Chris and I are going to take the heavier part.”

Logan pumps his chest with his fist. “Solid wall, baby.”

“Less talking, more jumping,” says Chris.

“Let’s go, dawg.”

I take my place across from Lacy. Without giving me much of a choice, Lacy grabs hold of my hands and seconds later we grip each other tighter when heavy legs plop onto our arms.

“Son-of-a-bitch, Junior,” swears Chris. “You were supposed to count down before you

jumped. Drop his sorry ass.”

Okay. Lacy and I let go and Logan falls the remaining way onto the mat. He laughs as he scrambles up. “You caught me just fine.”

“My turn!” Lacy hops over the mat and

climbs the platform.

Ryan takes Lacy’s place across from me and offers me his hands. I stare down at them. I don’t touch people and they don’t touch me. I mean, Lacy has, but it’s different. We used to be friends, even if was a long time ago. Sweat HC TITLE-AUTHOR

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forms on my palms and I rub them against

my shorts and place my hands over Ryan’s. His fingers clutch mine. His skin is the right mixture of strength and warmth, and his touch sends shivers through my body. I’ve gone two torturous weeks without a cigarette and I really crave one right now.

“All right, Lace,” Ryan says in that deep, soothing voice. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Ryan and I have been holding hands for five seconds.

“It’s kind of high.” Lacy stands on the edge of the platform. A bit of the fire that constantly lives in her eyes diminishes.

Ryan gives me that glorious smile—the cute one with a hint of dimples. A curling heat spreads in my bloodstream. Damn, I like that smile.

“You can do this, baby,” says Chris.

Ryan’s thumb moves across the top of my

hands and every single cell of my being

becomes a live electrical socket. We’ve been holding hands for ten seconds.

“I know.” Lacy doesn’t look like she knows.

She looks as unsure as I feel about catching her. “Maybe one of you guys should go.”

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“Turn around, Lace, and fall backwards.”

Ryan uses a gentle yet commanding tone. Even though he speaks to Lacy, he keeps those

brilliant light brown eyes locked on me. His thumb does another heart-skipping sweep

across my hand. “You’ve got this and you

know we got you.”

I wonder what it would be like if he held me in his arms? Would I feel as alive as I do now?

“You’re right,” she sighs. “Give me a sec.”

My hands sweat again and I don’t want any more thoughts of my body lying next to his or visions of his hands on my skin or hope that his smile is for me. I don’t want anyone

touching me anymore. Especially guys that are strong and warm and slightly cute and can make my heart stutter. I try to pull away, but Ryan tightens his grip. “What are you doing?”

“She can’t do it,” I say. “And she shouldn’t have to.”

Ryan studies me for a second. “Yes, she can.