“I got hate mail from Brynn,” I admitted, my less-than-cheerful attitude dropping to an even lower notch.

Claire leaned on the next locker and sighed sympathetically. “Not again?”

“Yep. At least I keep someone up late at night.”

“It’s for the good of mankind.”

“S’cuse moi?”

“At least she doesn’t pick on me!” Claire smiled as she flicked my arm with her finger. She stared me up and down for a few seconds then said in a serious voice, “You need a boyfriend.”

I stuck out my jaw and sighed. Like that was going to happen anytime soon.

“You know, someone to save you from the evil witch who walks these halls.” Claire’s gaze drifted out into the traffic of students.

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, the familiar pit-pat of leather flats came to an abrupt stop behind us.

“Get my message?” Brynn clucked her tongue against her front teeth. Her arms were folded against her crisp white shirt that was neatly tucked into her tartan skirt.

Her deep-brown eyes gazed at us maliciously.

“We go to public school, you know,” my forever smart-lipped friend quipped. “Perhaps you got lost and forgot to go to Saint Andrew’s across town.”

Brynn, ever so politely, gave us the finger, then spun on her heels and marched away.

“What?” Claire shoved a stick of gum into her mouth, then threw the wrapper into my locker without a care.

“You know you were thinking it. She dresses like she goes to some sort of prep school and we’re the dregs.

Just ignore her, Teagan.”

I heard Claire’s voice; in fact, I completely agreed with what she was saying, but I couldn’t stop staring after Brynn. I couldn’t stop looking at that end of the hallway, where kids were wrestling with their backpacks, where others were opening and closing lockers…laughing, gossiping, talking. It wasn’t humanly possible for me to tear my eyes away because at that precise moment the hallway was a dark, suffocating tunnel where I stood at one end and he stood at the other.