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I just knew it. My first high school
drama. I couldn’t wait.
    “It was eighth grade. I’ve known him
my whole life and I knew it was inevitable.”
    “Because he goes through girls like a
case of head lice in a preschool?” I interrupted. I couldn’t help myself.
Really, I simply could not.
    Becky smiled. “Yeah, kinda like that.
One afternoon I was walking to the park and Alex popped up behind me from a
bush. He scared the crap out of me.”
    I laughed. I could just imagine a
shorter, ganglier Alex doing just that. “But doesn’t he live on a farm?” I
asked.
    “Well, yeah. We may be small town,
but we do have bikes,” Becky said, rolling her eyes. “And cable in town, but only
satellite in the country. Cell phone coverage may be spotty, but we learn
quickly where all the dead zones are. If you get a flat, you’d probably only
have to walk a half a mile to pick up a signal.”
    “Wow, I didn’t know you had such
advanced technology out here,” I said with a smirk. Not that mine had always
been reliable in the field, either. Becky smiled again. I was glad because
sometimes I wondered if my sarcasm turned people off. I think I’d finally found
someone who appreciated my sense of humor.
    “So he followed me to the park. Kept
poking me with a stick, tossing pebbles at me, that kind of thing. Really
annoying stuff.”
    Becky paused and closed her eyes. I
wanted to know so bad, but why was she torturing me? Her motor mouth slowed to
a crawl. Was it a mental flat tire or was she stalling on purpose?
    “And…”
    “And I grabbed the ribbed collar of
his t-shirt and pulled him to me.” Her eyes were still closed but the
expression on her face wasn’t one of rapture. I couldn’t figure it out. My
stomach flipped. I needed to know and I couldn’t stand waiting another second.
    “Tell me,” I yelled, grabbing her by the
shoulders. I gave her a little shake. Not enough to break her neck, though had
I wanted to, I could have.
    “And I kissed him. Then I pushed him away
and told him that was all he’d ever get from me. I’d never hold hands with him.
Never moon over him in the hallway at school like the other girls. I told him I
hoped that one kiss was enough to get him to go away and never bother me
again.”
    My hand flew over my mouth. Shy
Becky. The girl who sat on the outskirts of the crowd and refused to let people
see how beautiful she was. I couldn’t believe it. “You did not!”
    She nodded. “I did and he hasn’t
spoken directly to me since. The next day he was dating Jennifer Simms and
making a pretty big show of it too. I think that lasted a week. Seriously,
Tabs, he’s not worth your time. Don’t let him break your heart.”
    I laughed. But I knew it was already
too late. I’d fallen for him. I had all the telltale signs. I wanted to wrap
myself in his arms and bury my nose in his chest. Normally I’d say shoulder,
but I was unusually short for a white girl and he was unusually tall for an
Asian guy. I had to make do with what we had.
    I also wanted to meet him in a dark
alley, toss him over my knee to the ground, hold his arms down on the gritty
street, and kiss him until he couldn’t breathe.
    “Earth to Tabs.” Becky’s fingers came
into view as she waved her hand back and forth in front of my vacant stare. I’d
been caught daydreaming.
    “It’s too late, isn’t it?” Becky
asked. “I know we don’t know each other that well yet. Not formally. But, I
swear Tabitha Smith, I can read you. You’re already head over heels for Alex. He’s
now the dangerous boy. The one you think you can change. The dark, brooding
stranger who’s stolen your heart. The boy who’s never been faithful to anyone
will be faithful to you. Vomit. You know it only works that way in books and
movies. It’s not realistic.”
    “Oh, but there’s something you don’t
understand,” I said. “I like the dangerous boy, but not because I want him to
change. Because he is that way. I’m not exactly