Bryce had given him his ‘out.’ Don’t ever say best friends don’t look out for each other.

“It’s true, you know.” Becky tore my attention from the guys back to her.

“What is?” I asked, suddenly tired of the game. Baiting her wasn’t fun without Corrigan to suffer the consequences.

“Me and Corrigan. We hooked up at Bryce’s party on Friday. You weren’t there.”

No, I wasn’t. I knew everyone wanted to know where I was, but I told none.

“You and Bryce have a fight or something?” Becky shifted closer to me, like it was a whispered secret between the two of us.

“Well, if we did then we just kissed and made up.”

“I don’t get the two of you. You’re on his arm half the time and the other half, he’s got someone else on his arm. What’s the deal?”

“So…you and Corrigan, huh? Good luck with that.” I patted her shoulder and pushed past to my own locker.

I wasn’t really surprised to see that Corrigan had waited for me.

“Your girlfriend’s a bit too nosy for her well-being,” I murmured as I opened my locker and stashed my book.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he muttered.

“Where’d Bryce go?” Spanish for second period wasn’t looking too enticing. Sex was.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “What am I going to do about Lew?”

Spanish it was. Sadly.

Corrigan fell into step beside me when I pointed out, “It’d help if I knew what happened.”

“We hooked up,” he evaded. That was a duh, but what else happened? There was always something else.

“And went back for seconds last night?” I guessed the ‘something else.’

“Please,” he puffed his chest up, arrogantly. “Thirds was last night.”

His cockiness just rolled over off his shoulders.

“And you suggested a fourth tonight?”

“Something like that.”

“So Becky Lew is your new screw-buddy and she doesn’t know it?”

“She thinks she’s my girlfriend.”

Bingo. We just found the problem. So many thought they were the girlfriend.

“And that’s why you want me to bring Steele’s sister.” It made sense. A movie star’s sister would trump Becky Lew on any day.

“Oh no, I just want to get laid by a movie star’s sister. You know me better than that, Sheldon. I can dodge Lew all week.” He flashed another arrogant smile.

I think the girl behind me fainted, but I didn’t care. I called him a not-so-nice word instead, but I did it with a sparkle in my eye.

“Please,” he huffed. “You and Bryce are always all over each other, but the minute emotions might come into play, the two of you are all over someone else. Who’s the bad guy between us?”

Coolly, I promised, “Watch it.” He knew where to step and where to avoid. He’d just stepped wrong. Corrigan knew the conversation that had words like Bryce, myself, and emotions were automatically off limits.

“I’m just saying, help me out.”

“You don’t need my help getting laid, Corrigan.” Had he not just left Becky Lew in his dust?

“It’s different. Girls in school are different. Seriously, make friends with Steele’s sister for me?”

“How do you even know if she’s hot? Maybe there’s a reason why she’s not known. She could be ugly and fat.”

“She’s not. I’ve already met her.” He cursed at his slip.

I arched an eyebrow and asked, “You didn’t want me to know that?”

“Look.” He glanced up and down the hallway and moved closer. One of his hands rested at my hip as he whispered, “She’s not exactly a fan of mine.”

I slapped his hand away and said, “You already shagged her, didn’t you?”

“Not quite,” he sounded pained, but shook his head. “Just…do it for me? Please, Sheldon?”

Whatever.

I sighed and replied dully, “Yeah. I’ll make buddy-buddy and bring her round.”

“To the party?” he pressed.

“To the party.” I was such a sucker.

CHAPTER TWO

When I entered Spanish, I saw the normal crowd in the back. Bryce sat, listening to whatever Chad Yerling was saying. A few of the other guys were also listening while some of the girls either gossiped or had perched on the guys’ laps.

Stephanie Hills was perched on Bryce’s table, but not his lap.

As I moved forward and dropped to the empty seat at Bryce’s table, she shot off and scurried away.

Bryce switched his attention to me and leaned closer.

“What were you talking to Corrigan about?”

I shrugged and refused to meet his eyes.

“Wanna skip?” he suggested.

I smiled slowly and asked, “And do what?”

“You know.” His eyes fell to my lips and stayed there. One of his hands rested on my knee and started a slow rhythmic caress.

“Scout,” Chad called loudly.

Bryce ignored him and asked me again, “Now or never. Wanna go?”

I bit my lip, knowing it’d turn him on, but murmured, “You’re in a weird mood today.”

Bryce sighed and leaned back. His hand stayed in place.

“So a no, then?” he asked. Bryce and I had our own language. And we both knew my response was an evade.

I could never say no or yes. Neither could he.

“Scout,” Chad said again, a little huffy now.

I leaned forward and pressed a slow, torturous kiss to Bryce’s lips.

He grasped the back of my head and held me in place as he explored me in return.

I’m pretty sure I heard Chad groan in frustration. He’d effectively lost the battle for Bryce’s attention.

“Mr. Scout and Miss Jeneve.”

Our teacher, Mr. Dwellsworth, banged a ruler on his desk.

I tried to pull back, but Bryce finished the kiss, languidly, before he released me.

I was a little relieved to hear Bryce panting right alongside me.

“Mr. Scout and Miss Jeneve!” Our teacher tried again.

“Yeah?” I asked, knowing my voice was hoarse.

“I don’t want the two of you to sit at the same table. Mr. Scout, please switch seats with Miss Veera.”