As if by mutual agreement, Cassie and Kevin kept things on the light side after that first time in his bed. That was great, as far as Cassie was concerned.

Fantastic.

Exactly how she wanted things.

With Kevin, she never felt tied down or smothered. She never felt ignored, the way she used to feel with her brothers, as if she had to be twice as funny, twice as lively to be noticed. She also never, ever felt disappointed. Especially in bed. But really everywhere and anywhere.

Sex with Kevin was pure magic. Slow when it needed to be, hard when it counted. Being with him was like floating down a river on a whitewater raft, mostly smooth and relaxing, with an occasional patch of wild excitement.

She’d always loved river rafting.

But this was better.

They just had so much fun together. Luckily, Holly had an active social life these days. Friday nights, she often had sleepovers at a friend’s house. Cassie and Kevin would grab a beer at Barstow’s, spend some time joking around, sometimes with her brothers, the Jupiter Point Hotshots, or other regulars like the local fire-and-rescue types. They’d leave separately, just to keep gossip to a minimum.

Then they’d meet at either her place or his, and screw their brains out.

Bless her mother for staying at the Reinhards’ guesthouse and leaving Hunter and Starly’s hillside vacation palace to Cassie. She and Kevin could enjoy it to their hearts’ content. It was too big for one person anyway. What was she supposed to do with four bedrooms, two living rooms, a screening room and a Jacuzzi?

Well, she knew exactly what to do with the Jacuzzi. She and Kevin spent one unforgettable evening learning all about the jets and their various settings.

When Holly went to a weekend camp for debate club training, they barely came out of the house at all. It was a rare rainy weekend in Jupiter Point. They started with a game of Monopoly, which they kept pushing aside for trips to bed. Then they phased into “strip Monopoly,” but they weren’t wearing enough clothes to make that last long. So they segued into “sexual favor Monopoly,” which meant that interesting things happened related to that hotel Kevin put on Park Place.

Finally, by offering a blow job in place of rent for Park Place, she got to put her mouth around him. Somehow all the teasing and negotiation leading up to that made it even hotter. With Kevin, everything was fun, even things she didn’t usually think of as “fun.”

Like cooking chili.

Who knew that hanging out in the kitchen arguing about whether chili was better with or without bell peppers would be the best possible way to spend a Saturday night? And who would have guessed that Kevin would be the one advocating for green vegetables?

“You’re such a dad,” she teased him. “Don’t you want a break from all that healthy stuff?”

“Hmm, good point. There’s always my world-famous hot fudge sundae. I only make it for special occasions.”

“Like what?”

“Like when there’s a naked woman I want to lick it off.” He grinned lasciviously as she made an “ew” face. “Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

“You know I’ll try anything with you. But I’m not a big fan of sticky.”

“Good thing their shower is twice the size of mine and has five times the showerheads.”

“Maybe we should skip the hot fudge and go straight to the shower?” Cassie said hopefully. The first time they’d showered together, he’d turned her to face the wall, then soaped her up and down and everywhere in between, until she’d come against his slippery hand, her breasts pressed against the cold tile.

“I never say no to that shower. Race you there?”

So much for chili.

They resumed the making of dinner once they were showered—again—and satisfied—again.

When they were both working in the Knight and Day hangar at the same time, it was nearly impossible to hide their connection. The only saving grace was that they both wore baggy coveralls and often worked under or behind large vehicles. When other people came into the hangar, they were careful to act as if they were on strictly professional terms. She didn’t want to give her brothers reason to tease her, and he didn’t want word getting back to Holly before she was ready.

Keeping their relationship hidden from Holly grew more and more difficult. Cassie hated deception, especially when it came to kids. As the only girl in her family, she’d always felt out of the loop, as if her brothers had secret passwords they never shared with her. She’d sworn never to do that to a child.

So hiding from Holly didn’t sit right. But she had to respect Kevin’s approach, especially since she completely understood his reasons. He didn’t want to break his promise to Holly. And as long as they both understood that this wasn’t serious and Holly came first—he wasn’t. She knew what she’d signed up for. She’d gone into this with her eyes wide open. She got it.

Mostly.

Sometimes a horrid suspicion drifted through her mind that this was a repeat of the Travis Drake fiasco. Travis had kept her a secret too. All he wanted was to get her alone and naked. He hadn’t cared about her. As soon as Deirdre had caught them after shop class and made Cassie a target of more mockery, he’d dumped her like a hot potato.

But this was different. She was different. Hell, even Deirdre was different.

A few weeks after those drinks at the Orbit, she and Deirdre stood in the wood shop at Jupiter Point High, staring at the table saw.

“I guess this is where it all began.” Deirdre put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “If I could reach through time and slap my teenage ass, I would. Damn, I never thought about it, but that must have been uncomfortable down there with Travis.”

Cassie gave her a wry look. “You do know that I didn’t actually give him a blow job, right? To be totally honest, I tried. I thought, just do this, and people will stop talking about me and Travis won’t dump me. But I started laughing before he even got his pants all the way unzipped. It was just so ridiculous, right there surrounded by hammers and saws. It was like a horror movie setup. I just cracked up. He zipped himself so fast, he caught his underwear in the zipper. I was trying to help him get it out when you walked in.”

“Ho-ly shit. I always wondered what really happened. Travis wouldn’t ever say.” Deirdre slung an arm around her shoulder. ““I’m so sorry I was such a crap person to you. Are we cool now? Enough to do this thing? Do I need to apologize a bunch more first?”

“Nope. We’re cool.” Cassie squinted at the spot where she’d first become the school outcast. “I feel like something’s missing. There ought to be a plaque here.”

Deirdre laughed. “I do love your attitude. Okay, you ready?”

They exchanged a high-five, then set off for the classroom where they were giving their first joint presentation. It was jam-packed, girls lined up against the walls, sitting cross-legged on the floor, sharing seats and desks with each other.

“Hi, I’m Cassie Knight. AKA, the Outcast,” Cassie began. A few of the students laughed.

“And I’m Deirdre Sullivan, AKA, the Bitch from Hell.”

That got an even bigger laugh.

“Before we get into talking about working in male-dominated professions, and what we’d like you all to know about cars and circuit breakers and so forth, we want to share some of our story with you. Twelve years ago, the two of us hated each other. Deirdre tormented me, humiliated me, and stole the boy I liked.”

“Who was totally not worth the bad karma, by the way,” Deirdre said.

Cassie grinned. “And yet, I now consider this woman a friend. There’s a reason for that. So, kids, who here has ever had an experience with a bully?”

Most of the students raised their hands.

“Who here has ever gotten an apology from a bully?”

No one raised a hand.

“That’s probably because it takes a lot of maturity to admit you acted like a jerk. And most people who behave like bullies are by definition immature. They can’t face their feelings, so they push all that pain onto other people. Deirdre can say a little more about that.”

Deirdre gave Cassie a nervous glance and fiddled with the notes she’d brought. Cassie offered her an encouraging smile. Finally, she took a deep breath and began.

“For three years I thought I might have a genetic disease. I was scared to death, and I didn’t know how to handle it.”

As she told her story, a hush fell over the room. Cassie scanned the students’ faces, noting fascination, horror, empathy. For sure, they were paying attention. This wasn’t any old presentation they were witnessing. It was more like a confession.

And then her glance snagged on a familiar face. Holly O’Donnell sat on the floor at the back, her knees drawn up, a notebook balanced on them. She was half hidden behind a knot of girls in the back. Her black hair covered half her face as she doodled, only occasionally glancing up at Deirdre.

Something seemed off about her, but it took a moment for Cassie to put her finger on it.

Holly never wore her hair down. Cassie had only ever seen it in a ponytail or twisted into a little knot. Kevin had mentioned that she had kind of a complex about her hair, which she considered too boring to wear loose.

Well, so maybe Holly’s opinions of her hair were shifting. No big deal. Cassie could remember many hair showdowns with her mother, like when Mom wanted to give her bangs.

But was she experimenting with a new style…or hiding behind that long sheet of jet-black locks?

If so, it wouldn’t be so strange. Teenage girls hid behind all kinds of things—piercings, tattoos, wild outfits, Goth makeup, emo makeup. No need to worry just because her hair wasn’t in a ponytail.

Besides, it was Cassie’s turn to talk now. She drew in a long breath and faced the students. Deirdre sat on the edge of the desk and listened. They hadn’t really rehearsed their presentation, they’d just sketched it out beforehand.

“Obviously, I didn’t know anything about Deirdre’s situation. When she was being a, uh, Bitch from Hell to me, I blamed myself. I felt like a failure. I never told my parents what was going on, I never told my brothers. I was so embarrassed, and I didn’t want to feel weak. I thought I could tough it out and handle it myself.

“The other day, I looked back at my journal entries from that time and I felt so sad for the girl I was back then. I took it all on myself. We don’t want you guys to feel that way. So if any of you ever want to talk to the Outcast of Jupiter Point, I’m going to give you my cell phone number. I’m always happy to talk to you, so don’t be afraid to call. We’ll keep it confidential if you need.”

“And if you want to call the Bitch from Hell, I’m available too,” said Deirdre. “Don’t be scared, those days are definitely behind me,” she added dryly. “But I too know how important it is to talk about the things that are eating at you. You are guaranteed a sympathetic ear from me.”

Cassie linked her arm through Deirdre’s. “How about a group rendition of ‘Kumbaya’?” At the kids’ horrified reaction, she laughed. “Fooled ya.”

She pulled away from Deirdre and sat on the desk, relieved to be past the hard part. Cars were easy compared to rehashing the past. “Okay, now let’s move on to the main topic of today. How many of you have a driver’s license or permit yet? How many of you have seen an engine up close?”

A freckle-faced girl in the front row raised her hand. “Can I ask a question?”

Cassie gestured for her to go ahead.

“If someone posts a photo of you on Instagram that you begged them not to, what’s the best way to handle that?”

Cassie exchanged a glance with Deirdre. “Well, I was hoping we could talk about cars now, and how girls should learn the basics just like boys—“

An African-American girl across the room raised her hand.

“Yes?”

“I helped my brother change out a catalytic converter, it was cool, but you know something? Maybe people shouldn’t start trouble by posing with other people’s exes, Dawn.” She aimed a pointed glance at the first girl.

Dawn’s hand shot up again.

“Is this about cars?” Cassie asked warily.

“Yes. We have an electric car so the engine’s totally different.”

Whew. Maybe they could stay on topic after all. “That’s an interesting point—“

Dawn pivoted to glare across the room. “And just because he upgraded doesn’t give you the right to break my confidence, Vanessa.”

Then again, maybe not.

“Upgraded?” Vanessa jumped to her feet. “Maybe you ought to upgrade your morals, thief.”

“My morals are just fine, unlike that outfit you dragged out of your little sister’s closet.”

The classroom erupted as students and teachers surged to their feet.

Cassie and Deirdre exchanged a panicked look. “Would everyone please calm down and take your seats,” Deirdre called. “We have a lot of information for you today. Don’t y’all want to see how a fuse works?”

No one paid any attention. The two girls were busy hurling accusations about everything from SnapChat filters to the last school council election.

“Who’s the bully-er and who’s the bull-ee in this scenario?” Deirdre whispered.

“I think we’re looking at two perfectly-matched alpha chicks here.”

The girls’ argument switched to a fight over who had supported who for president.

“Now that’s different. We just fought over boys. These girls are next level,” said Deirdre in admiration. “You know, I think our legacy is in good hands.”

“We have a legacy?” Cassie watched the two girls spit fire at each other. “Please tell me that’s not our legacy. What happened to ‘Kumbaya’?”

“Well, I guess it’s a work in progress.”

Cassie giggled. So did Deirdre. Then they both burst out into full-blown laughter. They laughed so hard their stomachs hurt. And of all things, that was what broke through to the students. Slowly but surely, they all turned to see what was going on at the head of the class. Cassie tried to wipe the smile from her face, but in the process, wound up scowling like a demented headmistress, which cracked Deirdre up all over again.

Dawn and Vanessa, now side by side, glared at the two of them. “Didn’t you come here to teach us about cars?” Vanessa demanded.

“Absolutely.” Cassie finally got control of herself, swiping tears of laughter off her face. “Now where was I? Engines. Who here has ever looked under the hood of a car?”

As she launched into her spiel, she noticed Holly once again, still sitting against the back wall, face hidden behind her hair.

---

After the presentation, Cassie and Deirdre sat on the high school’s wide front steps to recover.

“Well hell,” said Deirdre. “I can’t believe we pulled that off.”

“No one’s ever going to forget that little talk.”

They high-fived each other. As their palms touched, Cassie realized that almost all of her twelve-year-old anger had drained away. But not every bit of it.

“There’s something I still need to say.”

“Don’t hold back now.”

“Travis Drake. I really loved him, you know. It was all just a game to you, but my feelings for him were real.”

Deirdre looked away, fixing her gaze on the pavement where the chalk remnants of someone’s hopscotch still lingered. “So were mine,” she said softly. “It may have been a game at first, but I fell for him hard. He’s the one who got me pregnant. Then dumped me, naturally. That’s what he does.”

“Did he do it by a text, like with me?”

“He sent one of his buddies to offer me money for an abortion. The funny thing was, I couldn’t even be too mad at him. I figured I deserved it since I’d stolen him from you. He’s not a bad person, he’s just…well, maybe he is bad.” She pulled out her wallet and showed Cassie a photo of her as homecoming queen. Cassie barely recognized her old nemesis, her face was so thin and her eyes so haunted.

“Prom happened right after I told him I was pregnant and he freaked out. I had my test planned for the next day, and I was hoping he’d come with me. But he blew it off. The thing about Travis is, he can’t handle anything tougher than a game of beer pong. If you’re looking for someone to screw behind the gym, he’s your guy. If you need someone to hold you when you’re terrified you have a degenerative disease…yeah, not so much.” She blotted her eyes, gesturing at the photo. “Some homecoming queen, right?”

“You were still gorgeous. And a lot better off without Travis. He came into my shop recently and hit on me, if you can believe it. I don’t know what I ever saw in him.”

Deirdre put the photo back and looked at Cassie curiously. “But you have a boyfriend now. The hottie you were with at Barstow’s. The one in the photo I took for the brochure.”

“Oh.” Cassie’s face flamed. “Well, he wasn’t…isn’t…”

“You’re not with him? Because if he’s not taken—”

“No, I mean he is. I am with him. Sort of. But no one knows.”

Deirdre frowned in confusion. “Uh…I know. You told me, the first time I ran into you.”

“Right, but…well, it wasn’t true at that point. I’d actually just met him. I wanted you to think I had a hot boyfriend.” Cassie winced at how pathetic that sounded.

“And now you do.”

“Well, it’s complicated.”

“Yeah, I’ll say.” Deirdre blinked at her. “So when you weren’t seeing him, you wanted me to think you were, and now that you are seeing him, you don’t want anyone to know. Do I have that about right?”

“Exactly.”

Deirdre threw up her hands. “I didn’t know it was a secret. I may have mentioned something, sorry about that. And I thought my love life was a mess.”

“No no, see, that’s the thing. We’re not using the term ‘love life.’ It’s not like that.”

“What’s it like, then?’

Images cascaded through her imagination. Kevin braced over her, holding himself back until she’d climaxed. Kevin jogging up Heart Attack Hill, not holding back, giving her the race she wanted. Kevin in the moonlit ocean, Kevin’s husky voice on the phone. Kevin changing the oil in the Cessna, tossing her a wrench. Catching her eye when something amused him, knowing that she’d feel the same. She thought of the time when a customer had insisted on a male mechanic. Kevin had pretended to step in and made a big show of asking Cassie what to do, every step of the way. She thought of his thoughtfulness the night her mother had checked into the ER. His devotion to being a good father. His incredible unselfishness in bed.

Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Deirdre poked her in the arm. “I’m calling it, girl. I see that expression. I know that look. You might want to rethink your terminology.”

“What?”

“Love life. It totally applies, hon. Sorry to break the news.”

Oh crap.

Deirdre was right. The thing she never thought would happen to her, the thing she’d actively avoided…had gone and happened anyway.

She’d fallen in love with Kevin.