I twiddled my fingers on the side of my thigh, looking at my feet. “Um, no. Rutherford is my mom’s maiden name. I don’t know who my biological father is. She was married once before. He was the closest thing I had to a father, but he died in a car accident. Six months later, she married Ralph.” I shrugged.

Shut up. Shut up now! You’re telling too much.

“Birthday?” he asked.

“Ugh, you’re not going to ask me what my sign is, are you?”

“No.” He snorted a laugh. “I just want to know when your birthday is.”

“May first.” I took a few steps backward, lifting my feet to swing forward.

“Really? Mine is April first.”

I skimmed my feet against the packed dirt ground under the swings until I came to a stop and angled myself toward Brody. “Your birthday is on April Fool’s Day?”

“Yes.” A grin tugged at his lips.

I giggled. “So you’re just a fool, then.”

He looked into my eyes, his blue eyes twinkling. “A fool for you.” He didn’t smile. There was no trace of teasing in his voice.

“Brody, you’re no one’s fool.” I tried to wave off what he’d said.

I’m with Jaden. Brody and I are just friends. So why did what he said make my stomach do somersaults? And why do my lips tingle with the need to feel his on them? Who am I kidding? Brody and I crossed the friend line a long time ago. And Jaden will never let me go.

We sat on the swings talking for more than an hour before Brody took me home.

“Would it be too greedy for me to ask if you can get away tomorrow night?” Brody asked before I got out of the Jeep.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t ask.”

He let out a breath and shook his head. “When it comes to you, it goes without saying that I want to spend every second I can with you.”

His answer filled me with the most exquisite feeling. I felt it bubble up within me, beginning in my heart and moving through my veins until it touched every part of me. I didn’t know what it was, but I’d never felt something so good, so right. “Then I’ll definitely be waiting for you tomorrow night. Same time.”

I was already looking forward to the next night and wondered what we’d do, what we’d talk about, where we’d go. Jaden never entered my mind.

“Oh, and Willow? The answer to the question is purple.” I tilted my head and looked at him, my brow wrinkled. He waved his hand at me. “Your shirt, ‘If you choke a Smurf, what color would it turn?’ It’d turn purple.”

“I don’t even want to know how you know that.” I shook my head slowly and jumped from the Jeep.

Brody chuckled. “See you in class.”

“Bye, Brody.”

I was still smiling when I climbed into bed. When I fell asleep, I dreamt of bright blue eyes looking into mine, as if they could see directly into my soul.

Wednesday. I dressed normally for Jenna. Well, I guessed you could call it normal. I called it my mourning outfit, a short, black shirt, black leggings, a black belt sitting diagonally on my hips, black boots, black nail polish, and black eyeliner. I looked like I’d just come from a funeral. Totally the vibe I was going for. I slipped in my skull and cross bone earrings that Jenna had bought me as a joke on Halloween the year before, and left for school.

Walking into the school building, I saw Jaden leaning against the locker next to mine. Jenna was pulling out her books from her locker. Papers and pens were falling from the shelf. Jaden stood there watching her, shaking his head. The idiot didn’t even try to help.

Handing Jenna a Starbucks caramel macchiato, I picked up the pens and crap falling out of the locker, stuffing them back on the shelf. “Thanks,” she said over her shoulder. “Holy black hole, Batman. Did a funeral throw up on you?”

I glanced at Jaden and then back at Jenna. “Something like that.”

“Ah. Your mourning outfit. How could I forget?” Jenna nodded.

“Doesn’t my girl look hot in black?” Jaden asked, wrapping his arm around me and kissing me hard on the lips. I felt nothing. Empty. Dead.

Brody set my body on fire with just a look. Jaden turned it cold with the sound of his voice. He made me feel dirty with his touch. Being with him was wrong. But he knew, damn it all to hell. He knew… and I didn’t know how to get out from under his threat of exposing what she did—what we did. That one night… one decision. Every day, I wish we could go back. I’d make her do something. Something other than what she did best—watching.

I grabbed my biology book out of my locker and walked to class, Jaden following close behind me. Stopping outside the door, I stood with my back to the wall and one foot propped against it. I could see Brody watching me out of the corner of my eye.

“Aren’t you going in?” Jaden asked.

“Nope.” I took a sip of my macchiato

“Why not?”

“I’m drinking my caffeine. I can’t take it in with me,” I said and looked around the hall, saying hi to people as they passed.

“I don’t want to stand in the hall while you drink your macchi-whatever the hell it is. Let’s go.” He grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the door.

I yanked free of his grasp. “If you don’t want to stand here, don’t. Go to your class. I’m finishing my drink. I can’t take it in the room with me, so that means I’m staying out here until I’m done. Don’t like it? Tough.” I took another sip of my Starbucks, watching him over the rim of my cup. I braced myself for his outburst, but he was too smart to do anything in school. He’d wait until after, and then he’d mete out his punishment.

“Fine. We’ll do it your way today. But from now on, make sure your drink is gone before you get to school. I’m not waiting in the hall for you to finish your coffee again.”

“Macchiato.”

“Whatever,” he snapped.

I deliberately drank as slow as humanly possible. When the first bell rang, Jaden started getting nervous. He shifted from foot to foot, scanning the hallway.

“You’re going to be late for class, Jaden. You know if you’re tardy too many times, you’ll be benched.” I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, knowing he wouldn’t risk not being able to play in his precious game.

“Go in and sit down,” he said through clenched teeth.

“I will. I still have some drink left,” I lied. My macchiato had been gone before I even got to the door of the classroom.

He turned with a huff and stalked away. I grinned behind my cup. As soon as he was out of sight, I walked past the classroom door. Brody got up and walked into the hall.

“Hey, Ace,” I said with a smile. “Tired?”

“Nah. I could stay up all night.” He let his hand brush against mine quickly. I wrapped my finger around one of his and squeezed.

“We’d better get in there, I guess.”

“Is your Starbucks gone?”

I laughed. “It was gone before I even got here.”

“Sneaky. You go in first. I’ll wait a minute and follow.”

I squeezed his hand one more time and walked into class, dumping my cup in the garbage on my way to my seat. I didn’t look up when Brody walked in and sat down next to me. We didn’t speak in class, and we scooted our chairs as far from each other as possible.

It was all about appearances. That was my life. Smoke and mirrors until I wasn’t even sure what was real and what wasn’t.

Ugh. Midnight will never get here. They’ve been in bed for a half an hour. I’m sure they’re out for the night.

I stood at my window, overlooking the street, waiting for Brody to drive up. As soon as I saw his Jeep, I hurried out of my bedroom and slipped out of the sunroom door. I jogged to his Jeep and hopped in.

“Hey you,” he said, with a smile. Jeez, he could stop hearts with that smile.

“Hey back.”

“Wanna go to my aunt’s property? I want to show you something.”