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he says. “How about we have that coed party I’ve been talking about? Mom’s working her all-nighter this weekend. It’ll be perfect.”
    “No way,” I insist as I pull into Dylan’s driveway. “Nice try.” I’m pretty sure he’s bluffing and won’t really launch all the boys into teasing me about my crush on Mark.
    “Hey, Dylan!” Josh turns in his seat to greet his hormone-laden friend, “Guess what’s going on in Blaze’s comic book mind?”
    The look I shoot him says You wouldn’t! but his look back says Oh yes, I would. I don’t know for sure whether or not he’d really tell Dylan about my crush, but I do know I can’t risk it.
    “We’re having a party at the house this weekend!” I announce. Where the hell did that come from?
    “We?” Dylan leans forward, adjusts his glasses, and turns to Josh to see if it’s true. “Will Terri and Amanda be there?” He can’t hide the naked hope in his voice.
    “Of course,” Josh answers before I can undo what I’ve started.
    Flaring my nostrils, I start damage-control. “ But absolutely no booze! And I don’t even know if my friends will agree to come. And this is only happening if you boys promise to behave, plus take care of all the details. Dylan, you can bring corn chips.”
    As we pick up each team member they’re greeted with the party announcement and assigned snack items, so by the time I stop for Mark it’s all they can talk about.
    Josh begrudgingly surrenders shotgun when I get to his house.
    Dylan leans forward as Mark climbs in beside me. “Josh and Blaze are throwing a par-tay this weekend.”
    “No we’re not!” I say, “I mean, we are, but it’s no big thing. No alcohol, just the boys and a few of my friends.”
    Mark gives me a smirk that melts my insides to radioactive sludge. “Hmm,” he says in a deep voice. “House party? When is it?”
    Oh, God. He cannot be thinking of coming .
    “Our mom has the overnight shift on Saturday,” I say, then shoot over my shoulder to the boys, “which means she’ll be home by 6:30 Sunday morning, and the house must be spotless.”
    Dylan and Josh are so excited I can almost see radiation waves emanating from their bodies. Even Ajay is paying attention instead of focusing on his DS. Only Andrew seems to take the whole thing in stride. He says, “I can’t stay too late. I’ve got church Sunday morning with my mom.”
    As the others are distracted with calling Andrew “Choir Boy” and butting him with fake finger-horns held to their heads, I steal a glance at Mark. He’s watching me with that sly smile of his, and I get so flustered I nearly crash the minivan. “I’d love to come hang out Saturday, if that’s cool with you.”
    I cannot believe the cretins’ tawdry adolescent fantasy has just morphed into an opportunity to spend time with Mark beyond the smelly bowels of Superturd. Plus, I see a way to entice Terri and Amanda to actually show up.
    “Sounds good.” I shrug, hoping Mark can’t hear my wild heartbeat. “It’s casual. You can bring a friend or two if you like.”
    Mark nods happily, and I realize I should clarify that I don’t need him to bring a date to my house. I glance from the road back to him, trying to gauge whether he’d really use our party to hook up with some slut. Like for instance ‘Wiggles’ of catherinewigglesisaslut.com fame—the diseased girl at our school with a whole website devoted to her slutty exploits.
    I add, “You can bring some extra pop if you do decide to come.”
    His grin doesn’t falter, and I feel reasonably reassured he’s not using our soirée for a cheap date. No matter what happens , I tell myself, nobody had better even consider having sex on my mother’s bed. I try to picture Dylan, with his shaved head and glasses, managing to seduce Amanda or Terri and nearly laugh out loud at that possibility. I have a pretty good imagination but still can’t work up an image that bizarro.
    “DUCKS!” Mark yells at the top