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"Yep! Whoo-hoo! We found ya, baby!" Heath yelled, and even in the awful flashlight glare I could see him hurl himself at the wall and then start to scra ie monster, I called down to hi to break so" Well, unless he landed on his head--then he’d probably be okay

"Nothi the wall "Hey, Zoey, check it out--look atout his ar alcohol- scented air all over o out with him

"Okay, there’s no need to forever make fun of lared at hi more like myself than I had in hours "Actually, it’s kinda like my unfortunate ex-infatuation with you Only it didn’t last as long, and you didn’t make a bunch of cheesy but cool movies"

"Hey, you’re not still et the look, which used to be really cute when he was in eighth grade Too bad the cuteness had stopped working for hio "And, anye came all the way over here to bust you out"

"What?" I shook hts off They’re killing my eyes"

"If we turn them off we can’t see," Heath said

"Fine Then turn theestured out away from the school (andout into the night, and so did Kayla I was able to drop , and stop squinting Heath’s eyes widened when he saw my Mark

"Check it out! It’s colored in no! It’s likelikeon TV or sos never change Heath was still Heath--cute, but not the brightest Crayola in the pack

"Hey! What about me? I’et up there, but be careful Let me put my new purse down Oh, and I better take off these shoes Zoey, you would not believe the sale you missed yesterday at Bakers All of their summer shoes totally on closeout I ot five pairs for"

"Help her up," I told Heath "Now It’s the only way she’ll stop talking"

Yep Soe

Heath scooted around till he was on his belly, and then leaned down to offer his hands to Kayla Giggling, she grabbed them and let him haul her up on top of the ith us And it hile she was giggling and he was hauling that I saw it--the unled and blushed at Heath I knew it as well as I kneould never be a mathematician Kayla liked Heath Okay, not liked She liked Heath

Suddenly Heath’s guilty co around on me at the party I’d missed made perfect sense

"So how’s Jared?" I asked abruptly, totally stopping K-babble’s giggles

"Okay, I guess," she said without uess?"

She moved her shoulders and I saw that under her very cute leather jacket she earing the tiny little cream lace cami we used to call the Boob Shirt, because not only did it show a lot of cleavage, but it was the color of skin, so it looked like it was showing even more than it actually was

"I dunno We haven’t really talked much the past couple days or so"

She still wouldn’t look at lance at Heath, who looked clueless--but that was really his only look Soafter my boyfriend Now that pissed me off, and for a second I wished it wasn’t such a nice warht I wished it was cold and Kayla would freeze her over-developed boobies right off

From the north the hipped around us suddenly, viciously, bringing an al not to look obvious, Kayla pulled her jacket closed and giggled again, this ti whiff of beer, and so that had been so recently imprinted into ht away

"Kayla you’ve been drinking and s?"

She shivered and blinked at me like a very slow rabbit "Just a couple Beers, I mean And, well, um, Heath had one little bitty joint and I was really, really scared to come here, so I just had a couple tiny hits off it"

"She needed soood ords over two syllables, so it sounded like fort-fi-ka-shun

"Since when have you started s deal, Zo I just have a joint once in a while They’re safer than cigarettes"

I really hated it when he called me Zo

"Heath," I tried to sound patient "They are not safer than cigarettes, and even if they are that’s not sayingand they kill you And, seriously, the biggest losers at school smoke pot Besides the fact that you really can not afford to kill any more brain cells" I alo there Heath would definitely get the wrong idea if I made a reference to his man parts

"Nu uh," Kayla said

"What Kayla?"

She was still clutching her jacket against the chill Her eyes had changed fronized the change She did it constantly with people she didn’t consider part of her girlfriend group It used to drive me crazy and I would yell at her and tell her she shouldn’t be sothat crap on me?

"I said nu uh because not just losers smoke--at least not just once in a while You know those two really hot running backs who play for Union, Chris Ford and Brad Higeons? I saw theht They smoke"

"Hey, they’re not that hot," Heath said

Kayla ignored hian, as in Morgie who’s a Tigette?" Yes, I was pissed at K, but good gossip is good gossip

"Yeah She also just got her tongue and her"--K broke off and ine how et pierced?" Heath said

"Nothing," K and I said together, for aeerily like the best friends we used to be

"Kayla, you’re not staying on subject Again The Union football players have always been drug-happy Hello! Please recall their steroid use, which is why it took sixteen years for us to beat theers! Yeah, we kicked Union’s ass!" Heath said I rolledher lanced at Heath and reconsidered "Her body and sht for a second "Me!"

I sighed "Look, I just don’t think it’s s" The hateful glint was back in her eyes

I looked froain "Clearly, you’re right I don’t know everything"

Her ain, and I suddenly couldn’t help coh I’d only known for a couple days, I was absolutely, totally sure would not ever go after my boyfriend, whether he was an almost-ex or not I also didn’t think she would run away from me and treat me like I was a monster when I needed her the most