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just poked me in the face!”
    Jeffie
smacked his arm. “You are such an idiot. Okay, fine. I was thinking about what
you said—about whether everything is going to change or go back to the way it
was or whatever. Life’s probably going to be weird for a while.”
    Brickert
grinned and put his hands behind his head. “Yep, especially weird for you.”
    She
tried to hit him again, but he reacted too quickly and jerked his arm out of
reach. “I’m going to poke you in the face for real.”
    Brickert
answered with a laugh, which she ignored.
    The
more she thought about her dilemma, the more she realized how difficult (and
unfair) it would be to explore a relationship with Sammy while still dating
Kobe. I have to choose. But they both seemed like the right choice.
Neither boy was perfect. Kobe was still somewhat conceited, but much less than
before Rio, and often in a silly, charming way. He oozed confidence again,
which Jeffie liked. Both boys had handsome features and strong bodies, which
she appreciated, though if she had to pick, Sammy slightly edged out Kobe in
this regard. On the other hand, Kobe still didn’t get along with Brickert, and
sometimes she felt like she was dating both Kaden and Kobe because the twins
were as inseparable as the two sides of a coin. But Kobe was surprisingly
romantic when he put his mind to it, and every two or three weeks he had some
new way of sweeping her off of her feet.
    Sammy,
however, had never displayed an ounce of romance. He had no experience dating a
girl, and probably didn’t know what charm and suave meant. He cared little for
flirting and things of that nature. Yet, at the same time, she could talk to
him for hours in more meaningful and deeper ways than she’d ever experienced
with Kobe. At one point she thought she’d been in love with Sammy. She hadn’t
reached that point with Kobe.
    I
have to choose , she repeated to herself, now with more force. Sammy or Kobe or neither. Sammy? Kobe? Neither?
    “You
can talk to me about it, Jeff,” Brickert said quietly.
    “Really?
Let me ask you one question.”
    “What?”
    “The
last time you spoke to Kobe, how many times did you punch him in the face?”
    Brickert’s
cheeks went red, and he fell silent, leaving Jeffie to her thoughts. I need
a grown-up’s advice , she realized, and then she remembered that she hadn’t
called her family in over five weeks. Byron allowed each Beta just one phone
call home per month, and Jeffie hadn’t used hers yet. The prospect of getting
counsel from her mother set her mind at ease. Tomorrow , she thought. I’ll
call home tomorrow .
    By
the time she and Brickert arrived at headquarters, it was still morning. Jeffie
planned to go straight to her room and change into her Beta jumpsuit. As they passed
the cafeteria, the door opened and Kobe appeared, smiling.
    “Hey
Jeff,” he said. “Hey Brick. Welcome back.”
    Brickert
gave Kobe a curt half-nod, and then told Jeffie he’d see her at lunch. Once
Kobe and Jeffie were alone, Kobe pulled her into a warm hug, kissing her cheek
softly as he did so. His arms made her feel comfortable and safe.
    “I
was so worried about you,” Kobe told her. “These last couple of days have
dragged. I’m glad you’re back and okay.”
    “Please,
Kobe,” she responded in her most serious tone of voice, “get a grip. You act
like I’ve never been shot before.” She kept her face straight as long she could
until she cracked into a smile.
    His
chest rose and fell against hers as he laughed. “That’s one more thing we have
in common.” He released her from the embrace so they could speak, but she
pulled him in for longer, still enjoying the security she felt. He spoke to her
softly. “Let’s hang out. Just me and you. What do you think?”
    “Right
now?” she teased. “And skip all our classes?”
    “I
meant more like this weekend. Friday or Saturday? Which would you prefer?”
    The
momentary peace she had found during their romantic moment