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him like she was a mute.
    He stepped closer to her, and even though it made her feel crazy for thinking it, she could have sworn that waves of heat blew off of him like he was some kind of electric radiator. Sweat dotted her brow. “I said, what is your name?”
    “Her name isn’t any of your business,” a smooth, deep voice cut in.
    Dawson stood beside her, but he was glowering at the other boy. He cocked his head to the side. “Give her back the ball, Andrew.”
    The temperature in the gym skyrocketed. Kids were starting to stare.
    Andrew’s lips curved into a half grin.
    “Or do you have a problem understanding English?” Dawson asked. There was a smile on his face, but the way his muscles were tensing up, he was a second away from taking the ball from the other kid.
    All of this over a ping-pong ball? How completely bizarre. She cleared her throat and extended her hand. “My name is Bethany. Now can I please have my ball back?”
    “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Andrew’s eyes never left Dawson’s. “We’re going to have to talk soon.”
    “Or not,” Dawson replied.
    Andrew dropped the ball in her outstretched hand with an arched brow. Then he pivoted around, stalking off toward his table.
    “Wow,” she mumbled, unsure of what to make of all of this.
    Dawson cleared his throat. “He’s a bit…ah, yeah, Andrew’s just an ass of the highest order. Don’t pay attention to him.”
    Bethany nodded and glanced down at her palm, sucking in a sharp breath. Holy smokes…
    The ping-pong ball had been melted into an irregular circle.

Chapter 5
     
    Weirded out to the max by Andrew’s hostility toward her and the microwaved ping-pong ball, Bethany took her time cleaning up and changing after gym. Something was going down between the two guys, like they were communicating through epic death glares. It reminded her of the way Dawson and his twin had acted that morning. Like their epic death stares were something else entirely.
    Shaking her head, she pulled the band out of her hair and ran her brush through it, then she tossed the brush in her bag and turned around, letting out a little yelp.
    Kimmy stood behind her, slender arms crossed over her chest. Lips so glossed they looked like an oil slick.
    “God, you scared me.” Bethany picked up her bag, slipping it over her shoulder, and waited for Kimmy to say something. Anything. And she waited some more. Silence. Oookay. “Did you need something? ’Cuz I’m running late.”
    “Late to what?” she asked.
    Bethany glared at her. As if her comings and goings were any of Barbie’s business. Don’t think so . She stepped around her. “See you later.”
    “Wait.” Kimmy darted in front of her, blocking both doors. “Is it true Dawson asked you out?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Because I heard him ask you during class earlier and my friend Kelly said he asked you to do something today, too.”
    If she’d heard him in class, why was she asking now?
    “Look, let me give you a piece of advice.” She smiled, a poor attempt at being gracious, as if she were talking to a dear friend. It was so, so fake. “Dawson is a total player. Been through the entire school and then some. So has his brother, and they like to mess with people. Pretending to be each other, if you get my drift.”
    Disappointment spiked. Memories of her relationship with Daniel surfaced and flickered through her mind. Old wounds were lanced open, and she blurted out, “Why are you telling me this?”
    Kimmy gave her an are you for real look. “You’re the new girl. Why else do you think he’s so interested in you?” Her gaze traveled over Bethany’s jeans and sweater like she seriously couldn’t figure it out. “I’m just trying to do my good deed of the day and warn you. That boy…well, he’s been around.”
    With that, Kimmy turned on her heel and strutted off.
    “What the hell?” Bethany said out loud, her voice echoing in the empty room. Was everyone in the