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Flotsam’s party this weekend. That was the first I heard of it, but I figured we were going to go, so I told him we were. I mean, if Chad goes, you’re going to go, right?”
    “Probably. I don’t know.”
    The thought of another party didn’t exactly fill me with glee. High school parties weren’t as much fun as I’d thought they’d be. They were just a bunch of people I didn’t like getting drunk and acting like idiots. Chad would drag me around for awhile, making sure everyone saw us together. Then he’d go off with his friends and I’d pretend to have a great time wandering around by myself. As the day got into full swing and more people wanted to talk about their weekends, I found myself dreading Saturday more and more.
    Lunch was like every other day. Chad spent the time ignoring me to talk to his friends. As usual, they planned out everything we were going to do that weekend without consulting me. When I objected, Chad got annoyed and grumbled at me to stop complaining.
    I turned to Kennedy for assistance, but she couldn’t have cared less. Unlike me, high school agreed with her. She fit in well with our new group of friends and was too involved in making plans with them to be bothered. After a few failed attempts at getting her attention, I gave up and looked across the table at Joy.
    “What are you doing this weekend?” I asked.
    “Going to a concert with my youth group,” she answered.
    “What concert?”
    “His Grace is going to be in Ashton,” she said.
    “Never heard of them.”
    “They’re a Christian band.”
    “Are they any good?”
    “Yeah.” She nodded. “You’re welcome to come if you want. Jenny has some family thing so we have an extra ticket.”
    “That’s okay.” I shook my head.
    Glancing behind her, I spotted Devon, the guy I’d met the week before. I hadn’t talked to him since then, but I’d seen him a few other times in the halls. He was always with one of the guys from the out-crowd, a group of social outcasts most people avoided. Some of them were friends with my brother, but most I only knew by reputation.
    “Tori, are you okay?” Joy nudged me.
    “Yeah, why?” I answered, not taking my eyes off the gorgeous boy.
    “You’re kind of staring off into space.”
    I didn’t answer her. I was busy fantasizing about what Devon looked like without his shirt. Unlike a lot of teenage boys still trying to grow into their bodies, he wasn’t lanky and awkward. From what I could see, he was well-built. His arms were muscular and I imagined his chest looked like it had been carved from stone. My heart beat faster as I thought about how it would feel to be close to him.
    “Hello. Earth to Tori.” Joy waved her hand in front of my face. “Did you hear me? Lunch is over. Everybody’s leaving.”
    “Uh-huh,” I said absentmindedly. “Sure.”
    “ What are you looking at?” She turned around.
    When I realized that I was about to get caught, I dropped my eyes. “Lunch is over? We should probably get going then.” I got up and grabbed my tray, noticing that Joy and I were the only ones left at the table. “We don’t want to be late for—”
    “ Really , Tori?” She scowled at me.
    “What?”
    “You know what. I know what you were looking at. Or should I say who ?”
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    She gathered her stuff and we both walked toward the trash cans. As we emptied our trash and put our trays up, I scanned the cafeteria, but I didn’t see Devon.
    “He went out the other doors,” Joy said.
    I looked at her. “Huh?”
    “That guy you’re looking for. He already left.”
    “I wasn’t looking for a guy. I was just looking around.”
    “ Sure , you were,” she said. “You know, you should stay away from that guy.”
    “What guy?”
    “You know what guy. The one you keep ogling. He’s kind of bad news. Angie Sherwood heard some of the stoner girls talking. They said he’s on probation for stealing a car.”
    I shook my