Envy

happen, or I’ll make sure of it for you.”

He took a step toward her again.

“Are you threatening me?”

She was almost as surprised as he was.

“I’m just explaining things for you,” she replied. “Stay away from me, or I’m going to the administration.”

“And say what?” he asked, in a low, dangerous voice.

“You know what.”

He came closer, and closer, until he was looming over her, only a few inches away.

“That I came on to you? That I wanted you? That I fell madly in love with you and you rebuffed my nefarious advances?” he hissed, curling his lip in derision. “Is that what you’ll say?”

She stayed silent, lip trembling, back now pressed against the wall, eyes searching for an escape. He was blocking her path to the door.

“Because I’ll tell you what I’ll say,” he continued. “I’ll say it’s a silly schoolgirl crush gone out of control. That I made the mistake of getting close to you, helping you out, not realizing what a sad, pathetic, unstable little girl you really were. Prone to tears and hallucination.” He smiled coolly. “What do you think they’ll say to that? Who would you believe?”

“Stop,” Beth begged, hating the soft, whispery sound of her own voice. “Just stop.”

“Because I think they’ll believe me,” he pressed on. “I think they’ll ask themselves, why would he ever risk everything for someone like her?”

Beth had no response-it was all she could do just to stand there, stare up at him, not lose control and break down. But her control was slipping. He reached a hand toward her, and she skirted away-but there was nowhere to go.

If he touches me, I’ll lose it, she realized. I can’t stop myself.

But she couldn’t stop him, either, and he smiled cruelly and put a hand on her shoulder as she felt her knees buckle and-

“Am I interrupting something in here?”

Mr. Powell jumped back from Beth and spun toward the door. Kane stood in the doorway, one arm slung against the frame, a quizzical expression painted across his face.

“That’s up to Ms. Manning.” Powell turned back to Beth. “Are we done here?”

“We’re done,” she murmured, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

“Okay, then. I’ll be happy to honor your request, Ms. Manning-but I’d advise you to remember what I said here.”

Beth nodded, and Mr. Powell strode out of the room. As soon as he was gone, the last of Beth’s energy disappeared, and she sagged against the wall.

“What was all that about?” Kane asked, hurrying over to her. He put an arm around her and guided her to a chair. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she whispered, as a tear escaped from the corner of her eye and spattered on the table.

“Okay, that’s obviously a lie, but we all know I don’t feel all that strongly about the truth,” he said gently. “So I can deal with that.”

In spite of herself, Beth smiled. “What are you doing here?” she asked, hoping he wouldn’t notice her surreptitiously wiping her nose with the edge of her sleeve. She brushed another tear away.

“Looking for you, actually. Swim practice let out early, so I thought I’d come see if I could bully you into another study session. I know we weren’t due to meet until tomorrow, but…” He grinned and pulled a brown paper bag out of his backpack. “I even brought a bribe.”

She looked inside and gasped in delight.

“For me?”

“Chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milk-that’s right, isn’t it?”

“That’s perfect.”

“Somehow, I think the vending machine cookies will be slightly less satisfying than Auntie Bourquin’s fresh- baked best, but I figured-”

“No, Kane, it’s perfect, really. It’s incredibly sweet of you to remember.”

She breathed in sharply and shook herself, trying to shrug off the dark fog that had come over her. She gave him her best attempt at a smile, and pulled out a notebook, opening it up to a blank page.

“The bribe worked-let’s get to it. How about we start with geometry?”

Another tear spattered onto the page, and Kane put a tentative hand on her shoulder, dropping it quickly as she instinctively jerked away.

“Beth, stop for a second.”

Reluctantly, she looked up from the page, where she’d already started drawing a series of triangles.

“Are you really okay?” he asked gently. “We don’t need to do this now, if you re not up for it. I can go, if you want. Or I can stay, and we can just talk.”

She didn’t say anything, just looked at him, wondering how she’d missed it all these years, the sweet, sensitive look in his eyes, the soft, unquestioning openness. She’d always thought Kane was just-well, to be honest, a heartless bastard who cared only about himself. But this wasn’t the face of someone who didn’t care.

“Or we could just sit here and stare at each other in silence,” Kane finally added. “I’m okay with that, too.” He grinned. “Girls are often struck dumb by my wit and impeccable physique. It’s okay, no need to be embarrassed.”

She burst into laughter, and this time, she was the one to put a hand on his arm.

“It’s okay,” she told him. “We can do some work. I want to.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, covering her hand with his. “Whatever it is, I just want to help.”

Beth sighed, remembering the relief that had swept through her when she’d looked up to see him in the doorway, rescuing her.

“Trust me,” she assured him. “You already have.”

Adam froze in the doorway and just watched. Their heads bent together, his hand on hers, the grateful smile on her face.

He watched-and then he crept out as quietly as he had crept in.

Practice had let out early, and he’d thought Beth could use a pick-me-up. She’d been working so hard lately, and he knew she’d been planning to barricade herself in the newspaper office until nightfall. Poor Beth, he’d thought. My poor, overworked, overstressed girlfriend. Wouldn’t it be nice to surprise her with an unexpected treat. So stupid.

He’d bought some cookies and chocolate milk from the vending machine by the gym-her favorite.

He’d rushed down the hall toward the office, already imagining the smile on her face when she saw him walk through the door, the squeal of delight at the guaranteed sugar rush. He loved to see her happy.

He’d tiptoed to the door of the office, oh-so-gently and oh-so-quietly turned the handle, eased the door open- and there they were. Kane and Beth, bent over their work together-though they obviously weren’t working.

Kane was munching on a cookie, Beth was giggling-they looked comfortable together, like friends. Like more than friends.

Like they didn’t want to be interrupted.

Adam hated himself for the tendrils of jealousy creeping through him and for the fact that he couldn’t drive Kaia’s mocking warnings out of his mind. He had nothing to worry about. He knew that. Knew that he could just say her name, or clear his throat, and they would look up and welcome him to the table, and together, they would eat cookies and slurp chocolate milk and complain about the SATs or their asshole swim coach or whatever. He could and he should, he knew that. And yet-

He didn’t. He stepped backward, silently, away from them, and eased the door shut behind him. He walked a few paces down the hall, then slammed a fist into a locker in frustration. It didn’t help. So he kept going, down the hall, out of the building, back home. Alone.

And inside the newspaper office, Beth looked at Kane, Kane looked at Beth, and, engrossed in the conversation, engrossed in each other, they never noticed a thing.