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enough—in a moment the playing fields at the rear of the school came into view. Gretchen cruised around the parking lot slowly, waiting patiently as the car in front of her pulled intoa spot. They were late. The parking lot was packed with cars but nearly empty of people. Everyone had gotten to school early.
Best foot forward
, Gretchen thought.
For them
.
    A dark, hooded figure darted through the rain, toward the glass double doors.
Kirk
. Gretchen wondered what he thought of school. She was sort of surprised to see him going to class just like a normal person.
    In the end, the only available parking spot was between two oversized SUVs. Gretchen pulled in carefully. “Do you have enough room to get out?”
    Will peered out the window. “Barely,” he said.
    The wind howled again as Will reached over the rear of his seat for his backpack. “Grab my umbrella—it’s in the backseat,” Gretchen said as she yanked open the handle and ducked into the rain. The wind blew harder, splattering her skin as it flew at her sideways.
    The bell rang just as they hurried through the double doors. Water lay across the floor, and wet tracks led down the hall. A few students still loitered near lockers or strode past doorways, looking for classes. Gretchen pulled her damp class schedule from her bag. “Where am I going?” she asked, showing the limp paper to Will.
    “That’s right down the hall.” Will pointed it out to her. “Third door on the right.”
    “Where’s yours?” Gretchen asked.
    “English is in the other wing. I’d better haul.”
    Gretchen bit her lip and gave Will a half wave as hehurried in the other direction. Until she saw him rushing away, she hadn’t realized just how much comfort it gave her to know he was there. She was hit with another sense of vertigo, similar to the one she’d had going over the bridge. She didn’t like the thought of him being in the other wing. She wanted to keep him close.
    Gretchen turned toward her class, remembering the moment a few weeks earlier when she had awoken in the hospital. Will had been there. He had kissed her on the forehead, and the soft touch of his lips had sent warmth through her whole body.
    She had loved Will for years, but it was a love that almost frightened her with its intensity and implications. That was why she often sought out other boyfriends—guys who were fun but didn’t mean much to her. Like Jason Detenber. He was smart and handsome, but he’d had a mean streak.
    Class had already started by the time Gretchen arrived at advanced-placement chemistry. She stood in the doorway, waiting for the teacher to look up. Blood was still pounding in her ears, and she felt hot, despite being drenched to the skin. She shivered, although she wasn’t cold.
    The teacher stood before a whiteboard, already talking about the requirements for labs. She was petite, and wore rimless glasses before large brown eyes. Her close-cropped hair and tailored clothes told Gretchen that she was the organized type, someone who would hand out a syllabus and expect all assignments on time—no excuses.
    “Mrs. Hoover?”
    “It’s Ms.,” the teacher corrected automatically, a fraction of a second before her eyebrows lifted archly.
Looking my best
, Gretchen thought wryly as the teacher’s face registered surprise at Gretchen’s disheveled appearance.
    A murmur ran through the class.
    “May I help you?” Ms. Hoover asked, as if Gretchen couldn’t possibly be one of her students.
    Gretchen walked in and handed her teacher the schedule. “I’m in this class.”
    Ms. Hoover read it, sighed, and looked at Gretchen. “Okay, there’s a seat at the back. We’re reviewing our equipment.”
    Gretchen nodded and made her way to a table at the back, where a girl with long brown-black hair and golden skin sat beside an empty lab stool. As Gretchen passed, the other students smirked and snickered, but her lab partner just nodded as Gretchen slid onto the stool. She didn’t seem