Homecoming came and went with little fanfare. Well, it did for me, at least. I steered clear of all the festivities even as they took over the school, including the wave of voting for homecoming court and the rest of the chaos that surrounded the event. Dustin and Libby were crowned king and queen as expected. Megan gave me the minimal details of what took place at the dance, her only emphasis being on how bored Dustin looked throughout the whole event—something I’d already known seeing how he’d called me every hour until he showed up under our trees, looking very handsome in his suit. Not that I’d let him keep the ensemble on for long.

The month that followed homecoming passed too quickly considering how much my life had changed in those weeks. I was still the reclusive girl in the shadows, but I’d found the sunshine able to penetrate my darkness in Dustin. The persona he played off in the halls of Childress High couldn’t have been a bigger contrast to the person I knew in private. Dustin used the image the team and his so-called friends had of him to keep Libby at arm’s length. From what I understood, Troy had found out about Libby’s determination to create trouble between him and Erin and was more than happy to help with the egotistical, fabricated stories about Libby’s sexual prowess with Dustin. Hearing sex stories about my boyfriend and another girl was very strange for me to process, but only the two people we trusted most in the world knew, so I was grateful that my little jealous streak was all I had to contend with.

When Dustin was with me, however, he was possibly the single most thoughtful person on the face of the planet.

Every minute we spent alone together, I fell more and more for him until my love was undeniable. I loved Dustin Hill. I loved him so much it hurt most days, but I kept those three words locked up tightly inside of me. We slept together most nights and woke up together the following mornings. When he’d walk past me in the halls, his hand would reach to touch me surreptitiously as I passed, even when I hadn’t seen him there. There were days when our eyes met in the halls, and the smile he offered me would send little pulses of electricity through my body, my heart expanding to bursting point before I broke eye contact. My stomach wasn’t able to control the throbbing that pooled and heated my blood.

My love for Dustin wasn’t just about the amazing sex between us, even if we did make love often and excelled in the very act together. Being in his company was always enough for me. Listening to him talk with passion about the things he loved never got old. He simply fascinated me. I learned little facts about him; like how his uncle had been his favorite person in the world before he died. He’d been injured in the Vietnam war, and his stories had spurred on his nephew’s fascination. Dustin could recall any fact about that war with perfect clarity, something that grew in intensity when his uncle died when he was only fourteen years old. He could quote movies on the war verbatim and confided in me that his greatest wish was to become a doctor and help the veterans so they no longer had to suffer the fate his uncle had. He never stopped surprising me. I didn’t think he ever would, even if I spent a lifetime with him.

In only seven weeks, Dustin had become my entire world. I’d spent so many years convincing myself I was better off alone, and in less than two months, this wonderful, handsome, and thoughtful guy had taught me how wrong I’d been. He could read my moods, navigate my stoic silences, and make me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry. He knew what I was thinking when I refused to admit it to myself, and he called me out on every ounce of bullshit I threw his way. There was nothing about him I didn’t love, and though he may not have said the love word, either, I knew he was beginning to feel the same way I did.

Even today, standing clear down the far end of the main corridor of school from him with my eyes on the contents of my locker, I could feel the heat of his gaze on my ass. Dustin had a way of making me feel completely naked, even when I was wearing a giant hoodie and jeans.

“Hey!” Libby’s voice rang clear in the packed corridor, the sharpness of the one word silencing almost everyone as the students stepped out of her way cutting her a direct path for her to reach Dustin. The scene was like something from a movie and would have been funny if she hadn’t looked like she was going to physically hurt him.

“Wanna try that again, Lib? I don’t think they heard you in Cottle County,” Troy said. When I looked over at him, he had his arms wrapped around Erin’s waist, his chin on her shoulder.

“Shut up, you ass. I wasn’t talking to you,” Libby snapped in her haughty tone.

“Don’t know if you noticed, but you shut everyone up. Hard to know who you were talking to.” Troy’s tone was still calm with an itch of humor injected in, which was smart in my opinion.

Libby couldn’t have cared less, though. Coming to a stop in front of Troy, Erin, and Dustin, she jutted her hip and pressed her hand against it. She had her attitude down to a fine art, yet not one of the group seemed concerned by her acerbic temperament. As the volume of their voices dropped, everyone else still in the corridor started going back about their business, voices muted as their discussion now turned to Libby and her obvious frustration. I wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but the word ‘boyfriend’ came across the din of conversation, loud and clear.

“She is such a bitch,” Megan said, making me jump as she pressed her back against the locker next to mine. I had been so focused on the group I hadn’t noticed her approaching me.

I glanced up at my best friend with a knowing smile. “You don’t have to hate her on my account.”

“I don’t. I just had my eyes opened for me. She’s awful. When she saw Dustin and the others standing down there, she shoved this tiny freshman out of her way. Who does that?”

“Someone who has gotten their own way their whole damn life,” I replied, rolling my eyes.

“No shit.” Megan bent one leg, her foot resting against the locker next to mine as I turned and gave the contents my undivided attention again. I already missed the heat of Dustin’s gaze. “Bet you can’t wait until the winter formal is over with.”

“When is it again?”

“Just before winter break… I think,” she said in a low voice, pushing gum into her mouth. “Goes to prove it’s all about who you know. They’ve only just announced that there’s going to be an ice court this year.”

“Not surprising, but she wants to be the official ice queen?”

Megan started laughing and shook her head. “Snow Queen, but still a shitty title. Bet she was the one that thought it up, too.”

Laughing quietly into my locker, I shrugged and sighed. I wasn’t sure Libby was going to loosen her hold on Dustin anytime soon. I could almost see her going back to Dustin’s dad and negotiating the prom out of him, too. Even though I saw Dustin every night, the hours between practice and about nine at night were now dedicated to spending time with his mom. I encouraged him to go there and spend time with her, even when he was finding it hard to watch her deteriorate. When being with her got particularly bad, he would sneak off and call my cell phone, which I now kept religiously charged. I was the only one he felt comfortable showing his grief to. Mainly because he knew his dad would use that pain against him if he saw even a hint of it in Dustin’s eyes.

“You think she’s going for prom, too, huh?”

“She’d be crazy not to. Have you seen him in a tux?” I asked, forcing my eyes to stay on the books in my locker. The memory of our night together demanded that I turn to look at him, but I knew I couldn’t. One look at me and Dustin would know. He always knew.

“I don’t think Dustin would let that slide. He can’t stand her.”

I nodded. Dustin didn’t hide his disgust for Libby from Megan. I trusted my best friend, so he did, too. For him, the reasoning was that cut and dry. No further explanation needed. “Doesn’t mean his dad agrees.”

“Well, football season will almost be over by then. Maybe he won’t be such an asshole anymore.”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath,” I said quietly, shuffling my books around. I figured you’d have to be a poor human being to use your wife’s sickness to control your son. Football or not, emotional blackmail should never have been a consideration.

“Yeah, I guess. You just have to trust Dustin to do the right thing.”

I glanced over sharply, taking a moment to suck in some breaths and calm my defensive stance before I responded. “He is doing the right thing, Meg. He’s putting his mom first. Just like he needs to. I’m not even sure I want to go public with our relationship, remember?”

“Easy, momma bear. I was talking about doing the right thing for himself.” Megan laughed, immediately forgiving me for my overly-defensive response.

“Oh.” I felt my cheeks heat, and looked back at my locker, feeling guilty.

“That includes wanting to show you off,” said Meg softly, nudging me with her science book. “He’s lucky to have you, and he knows that. He’s also crazy about you.”

“I’m crazy about him,” I admitted, fighting the urge to bang my head against my locker repeatedly. “Of all the people in this school, he was the last person I thought I would ever date. And here I am like a crazy person watching him from across the corridor, while he argues with his fake girlfriend.”

“Well, yeah. Only you could get yourself in a fucked up situation like that.”

“Shut up.” I laughed, peering over my shoulder before directing my glance back at Megan.

“You know it’s true. Just remember it’s you he wants, and not that…” She trailed off and looked at me apologetically. “Shit. She’s coming over, and Dustin’s right behind her.”

“What?”

“Don’t. Move,” Megan hissed through her teeth, plastering a fake smile on her lips.

“Megan,” Libby said from the other side of me, while my eyes widened at my best friend.

“Libby.”

“Who’s your friend?”

“This is my best friend, Miki. Miki,” Megan’s eyes met mine and nodded toward the space behind me, “This is Libby.”

I turned slowly and offered a half-smile to the gorgeous girl looking down on me like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe, her lip curling as she spoke.

“Hey.”

The one word was an echo of her earlier statement, just without the injected venom. I was perfectly capable of being civil and returned the same word with a small nod of acknowledgment, hiding the fact that I was counting in my head to keep myself from freaking out.

“Do you think you and I could talk?” she asked, while Dustin growled behind her and shook his head, encouraging me to say no.

“It’s a free country,” I replied coolly. I knew that I wasn’t helping the situation, but suddenly faced with Libby, I wasn’t feeling all that charitable or cowed, which is what I guessed she’d been aiming for. She was only an inch or so taller than me, with blonde, shiny hair that gleamed like melted gold. Her frame was tiny, with narrow shoulders and thin arms. I think if the two of us got into a physical fight, there was a chance I would break her. But Libby didn’t fight with her fists. She was far too clever for that. I was the one who had to remember herself here.

“Not here.” Her voice was sweet enough to rot my teeth.

“Leave her alone, Libby,” Dustin warned her, his tone acidic.

“Hush now, lover. Let the girls talk,” she cooed patronizingly, waving her fingers over her shoulder in an attempt to dismiss him, but from the glare he gave her, this wasn’t a new move on her part. “Go and do your boy things.”

I raised my eyebrows, surprised at my own anger rising rapidly. Gritting my jaw, I looked back at Dustin and smiled sweetly before drawing my eyes back to hers and slamming my locker shut. I’d dealt with women much worse than her. My dad had a certain prerequisite for the women he invited home with him these days, and some of them would have made Libby look like a doormat in comparison. I didn’t like confrontations—hated them, in fact—but that didn’t mean I couldn’t defend myself when the occasion arose

“Sure thing, Sugar,” I replied in the same simpering tone she’d given Dustin. “Lead the way.”

Ignoring the grunt from Megan and the look from Dustin, I allowed Libby to lead the way to the closest restroom and let the door swing shut behind me, not so much as flinching as Libby pushed the stall doors open while she checked for an audience. Once satisfied, she spun around, her hands on her hips, and her eyes narrowed at me.

“Stay away from Dustin, little girl.”

“Stay away from him?” I asked sweetly, heading to the sinks and leaning against the closest one, my hands gripping the lip of the porcelain as I leaned back. “What makes you think I’ve been near him?”

“Don’t play coy with me. You think I don’t know that you’re encouraging the way he looks at you. You are a nobody, and yet here you are in a low cut shirt so he’ll look at you. You’re body flirting with him,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and pushing her breasts up.

“I’m what?” I snorted in derision. I was honestly perplexed. I’d thought she’d figured out that Dustin and I were together and she was attacking me for something completely different. She was more of an idiot than I’d given her credit for.

“Body. Flirting.” Pushing her hair over her shoulder with a flick of her head, she raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at me. “You’re flirting with him by the way you carry yourself and the looks you give him. I see those smiles you aim his way, you little slut. I invented those smiles. You do the same with Troy, too.”

“You’re insane.” I was trying my best not to laugh out in surprise and add fuel to the fire.

“No. I’m possessive of what’s mine, and Dustin is mine. I don’t know who you think you are, kid, but this is your first and last warning to stay away from my boyfriend. If I see you so much as looking at him again, I will make your life miserable. So miserable you’ll wish you were never born.”

In possibly the worst move I could have made, I broke my self-control and started laughing in her face. The only way she could make my life miserable now was to take Dustin and Megan away from me, and that wasn’t ever going to happen through her invention. My life had been a mess since I’d lost my mom, and I had learned I could survive anything if I put my mind to it. Her threat was an empty one.

“Well, good luck with that,” I said, too sweetly for the sentiment to be sincere. “Dustin is his own person with his own mind. Your mistake has always been that you’ve taken him for granted. You’ve always assumed he would be there waiting for you, worshipping the ground you walk on. He’s definitely too smart for that, and you constantly underestimate him. He and I are friends, but you’re even too insecure for that, aren’t you?”

I headed toward the door, my hand closing around the cool metal handle as my anger simmered. I hated denying my relationship with him, but she was pushing my buttons, and I was in danger of giving her too much. People like Libby always won. They were backed by the totem pole of popularity, all of those under her, lifting her and standing at her back when she needed the boost. I believed with all of my heart that she’d never had someone respond to her the way I just had. She’d always been given her way, and she would suffer for that oversight eventually.

“You can’t force someone to love you, Libby, and you can’t buy love, either. This is Dustin’s life you’re playing with. Pull your head out of your ass for just a second and look around. You’re not as hot a commodity as you think you are.”

I pulled open the door and gazed over my shoulder at her contorted face. She looked angrier than I felt, which only made my wrath hurtle into a place that was too dangerous for me to stay. Before I could turn around, she sneered, her lip curling.

“Funny for you to say that when you’re a nobody,” she spat, crossing her arms tightly under her chest. “Stay away from Dustin. He’s my boyfriend, and he doesn’t like you stalking him.”

“It’s better than blackmailing him,” I shot back and turned, freezing when I saw half the school on the other of the open door. Dustin, Troy, and Megan were standing closest to me. Dustin’s expression was unreadable, Troy looked like he was about to laugh, and Megan… she reached forward and grabbed my hand, knowing the warning signs she saw in my eyes. Without further thought, she towed me away, the crowd of students parting around us as she went.

I let her take the lead as the horror rushed through me. I’d inadvertently revealed that Libby was blackmailing Dustin, and in front of the entire school, too. Without even trying, Libby had followed through with her threat, and she’d made me condemn myself. She had played her part beautifully. I didn’t care that the school would undoubtedly think I was stalking Dustin in some misguided crush. Those rumors would eventually pass like they always did. I was more concerned with the look in Dustin’s eyes when I’d turned around.

Megan pulled me out of the school and then pushed me into the passenger seat of her car carefully, closing the door and leaving me to stare dumbfounded out of the windshield as she headed to the driver’s side. As she climbed in, her lips puckered and cheeks ballooned as she exhaled all the air in her lungs out.

“Wow. That was intense,” she said, turning her engine over.

Ignoring the commentary, I turned my head and leaned my cheek against the material of the headrest. “Where are we going?”

“For a Blizzard. Then I’m taking you to the old tracks so you can scream out your frustrations.”

Giving her a ghost of a smile, I rolled my head back, so I was staring ahead at the other cars in the lot. The acrid smell of the cars first blast of heat stung my nose as my mind caught up with what happened. I really hoped I hadn’t damaged what Dustin was being forced to do, and I truly hoped he would forgive me for what I’d said. Before I even tried to apologize, though, I had to get my head on straight and put my thoughts back in order. My scathing temper had been one of the few things I’d inherited from my father and, like him, I needed time to cool down before I faced the problem and attempted to right the wrong.