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Kevin. When she reached him, she slid her hands around him, locking her fingers across the small of his back.
    â€œGo ahead,” she said. “Remind me.”
    Kevin didn’t hesitate. He lifted her face and leaned down to kiss her. Emily closed her eyes and pulled him so close there was no room for worry or fear. The rest of the world melted away. His kiss on her neck and his hand through her hair were the only things that mattered, the only things she needed or wanted.
    When they stopped kissing, he whispered, “You taste so good.”
    â€œIt’s bubble gum,” she said and giggled.
    The bell rang.
    â€œThat’s the first bell,” he said. “We have time.”
    â€œNot enough,” she said.
    â€œSays who?”
    They laughed.
    â€œKevin, we are in
school
,” she said. “I don’t want to get suspended on the first day.”
    â€œA suspension on day one would be bad, but then everyone would know. No more worrying about when or how or if to tell them. Problem solved, right?”
    â€œNot exactly.” Emily gently pushed herself away from him and stepped back. She grabbed her backpack and slung one strap over her shoulder. “You don’t get it.”
    â€œI get it. Everyone will talk about us for a few days, and then something else will happen, and we’ll become old news. I give us a week, two tops, and then nobody will care.”
    â€œI don’t know,” she said. “I mean, that picture of us was everywhere and my dad was so mad. Madder than I’ve ever seen him.”
    â€œBut wasn’t your dad more concerned about the beer in your hand than the kiss?”
    â€œTrust me, my dad cared about the kiss
and
the beer. My point is, it was all public. I was embarrassed and had to do that ridiculous community service and I was grounded forever. If everyone knew we were together after that …”
    Kevin moved close to her and cupped one side of her face in his hand. He stroked her cheek with his thumb.
    â€œThey’d what? Think you were stupid? So what? I’ve been called a lot worse. Who cares, Em?”
    â€œI do,” she said and pulled away from him. “Abby and Sarah are my best friends, but they can’t keep things quiet. And everything I do gets back to my dad, like it or not. I’mpart of a family that’s in the public spotlight. I hate it, but I can’t do anything about it, except keep a low profile.”
    Kevin shook his head.
    â€œWe’ve got to go,” she said.
    â€œFine.” Kevin grabbed his cell phone and aimed the light at the door. “You go first.”
    Emily opened the door and peeked out to see if anyone was in the hallway. Before she walked through, Kevin said, “I’ll see you in first period, but don’t worry. I’ll act like I don’t know you.”
    She stared at him for a second, but didn’t say anything. She wondered if it really had to be all or nothing. If it did, then which would be worse: being exposed again or being ignored? She couldn’t decide. She turned away from him and smoothed the front of her shirt with both hands. She looked out the door one more time before she left.
    When she reached the upstairs main hallway, she slipped into the noisy crowd and headed to her first period English class. As she walked, she pressed a palm to her flushed cheek and then swiped her fingertips over her bare lips. Before entering her class, she pulled out the pink lip gloss from her pocket and smeared on a fresh layer.

Chapter 8

“We introduce ourselves”
    Elizabeth could peg a teacher within twenty minutes, and she gave them one class period to amuse or impress her. If they did, then she’d engage. If they didn’t, she’d do barely enough to get by. If they weren’t going to try, why should she?
    As she approached her period one English class, Elizabeth saw Ms. Diaz standing near the door with a welcoming grin on