Lust

everything,” she ordered eagerly.

“It’s Kane,” Miranda told her, avoiding Harper’s eyes and instead looking over her shoulder into the distance; she could just barely make out a few small figures scurrying back and forth through the glass corridor that joined the classroom building with the cafeteria and gym. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to continue, trying to convince herself that Harper would understand. “I kind of, I mean, I think I…”

Trying to get the words out made her realize how stupid the thought was. What would he ever want with her? But if you can’t tell your best friend your most embarrassing secrets, who can you tell… right?

“Well, do you think he might ever want to go out some time?” Miranda finally spit out, all in one breath. “I mean, with me?” she clarified quietly.

Harper sat straight up and peered down at Miranda incredulously.

“That’s your big secret?You have a crush on Kane? Duh.” She flopped back down again. “I thought you had something interesting to tell me.”

“You knew?” Miranda froze, a cavernous hole opening in the pit of her stomach, her heart beating wildly in her ears.

Harper rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Rand, I’m your best friend,” she pointed out. “Plus, and more importantly, I’m not blind. Of course I knew. I’ve just been waiting for you to break the news.” She laughed. “Big secret. Right.”

Miranda had to remind herself to breathe. If Harper had figured it out-if it was so obvious…

“Uh… do you think that-does everyone know?” she asked in a small voice.

Meaning, of course, does he know?

“No, no, I’m sure they don’t,” Harper instantly assured her, realizing she’d sent her friend into total crisis mode. “But what’s the big deal, anyway? He’s got to know eventually. I mean, are you picturing ramming your tongue down his throat and then taking a time-out to say, ‘But don’t get me wrong, Kane, I just like you as a friend’?”

“Harper!” A bright red blush spread across Miranda’s face-and, judging from the warm tingling she felt from the top of her head to her fingertips and toes-it didn’t stop there.

“What?” Harper grinned and stuck her tongue out at Miranda. “You know you want to.”

Miranda said nothing, just closed her eyes and began massaging her temples as Harper dissolved into laughter. This could go on all afternoon.

“Okay, okay,” Harper choked out through her giggles. “I’ll stop, I promise. But seriously, maybe you should just go for it. Tell him.”

“Like you’ve told Adam?” That was sure to shut her up in a hurry.

“Point taken.” But Harper was stymied only for a moment. “Okay, Plan B. We-by which I mean I, in my capacity as best friend and master planner-figure out a way to get the two of you together.”

“You really think he’d go for me?” Miranda asked dubiously.

“He’d be crazy not to.”

“Um, great, but you’re my best friend-you have to say that,” Miranda pointed out. “Now let’s talk real-world possibilities.”

“Real world, serious answer, I think it could happen,” Harper assured her, without a hint of humor. “And I’m going to make it happen. Someone’s love life should work out this year, and since mine may be screwed beyond repair, looks like it’s your lucky day.”

“Can you imagine? Me and Kane.” Miranda sighed. She could-and often did-imagine it pretty well.

“Personally, it’s not clear to me what you see in the guy,” Harper replied. “I mean, I love him and all, but he’s kind of an asshole.”

“But-”

Harper held up a hand to stop her. “Hey, if it’s what you want, it’s what I want. I swear to do whatever I can to make him your asshole.”

“You swear?”

Harper gazed at her solemnly for a moment, then placed her right hand over her heart and held her left hand up in midair, as if swearing in as a courtroom witness.

“Cross my heart and hope to die, may all my hair fall out if I lie,” she said in a loud and deep voice, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing.

Miranda giggled at the sound of the oath they’d repeated to each other so frequently as kids, when a bad hair day had seemed like the worst punishment the world could dish out.

“Hair swear?” she asked Harper with mock solemnity, extending her right pinkie finger. “Are you sure?”

“Hair swear,” Harper repeated, linking her pinkie with Miranda. “You and Kane-it’s a done deal.”

And they shook on it.

It had become a routine. Every Wednesday, Adam would meet Beth after her English class and they would sneak off to have lunch together, a private picnic in a secluded dusty knoll just off the main quad. They’d discovered it the year before-full of overgrown weeds and bordered by a rusted wire fence on one side and a concrete slab on the other, it wasn’t the most romantic spot in the world. But what it lacked in ambience, it more than made up for in convenience and privacy. Some weeks, their Wednesday picnic was really the only time Adam got to see Beth, got her full attention. Other days she might have lunch in the yearbook office, or he would have lunch with the guys on the swim, basketball, or lacrosse team (depending on the season). Then she would have to babysit after school, he would have practice, she had dinner with the folks, he had pizza on the leather recliner while watching Elimidate-sometimes it seemed their busy schedules were conspiring to break them up, but Wednesdays? Those were sacred. Untouchable.

They would sprawl atop an old picnic blanket and lay out a spread blessedly devoid of cafeteria food: bread, cheese, fresh fruit. Beth was too nervous to bring any wine or beer onto school grounds, despite the fact that as far as they knew, their private hideaway had never been discovered-but to keep him from whining about the lack of illicit substances, she usually showed up with a Tupperware container filled with homemade brownies or freshly baked banana bread. It was a fine compromise. They would eat, they would talk, they would kiss-and then the bell would ring and they would go back to their crowded and busy lives.

As soon as he arrived outside the classroom, Adam caught sight of Beth amidst the wave of students pouring out. He raised his hand to wave hello, then quickly lowered it again, taking a moment just to watch from a distance as she chatted with her friends, tossing her head back and laughing, her blond hair swinging, her arms whirling through the air as she made some passionate point. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe she was all his.

Soon her friends had taken off down the hallway, and Beth stood alone in front of the door, digging through her bag for something and waiting for her boyfriend to show up. As quietly as he could, Adam crept up behind her and gently laid his hands on her waist, whirling her around and into his arms before she’d even realized he was there.

“Hi,” she whispered, giving him a soft kiss. “I’ve been waiting to do that all day.”

“I know what you mean,” he agreed, and kissed her again, then pulled her into a warm embrace. He breathed in deeply, burying his face in her hair.

It always smelled so good-like lilacs, she’d told him once, but that didn’t mean much to him. All he knew was that it smelled sweet and pure-and that it brushed against his face like a fresh summer breeze.

Not that you’d ever catch him saying any of that corny shit out loud, of course.

“You look great today, you know that?” he said instead, stepping back a foot so he could take a good, long look.

Adam had long ago learned that greeting a girl with a kiss and a compliment was a sure ticket for success (you didn’t get to be homecoming king by being oblivious). But Beth made it easy. She was a beautiful girl, and today- unusual for her-she was wearing a light coating of makeup that made her lashes look luxurious and her lips shimmery and moist. And the light blue miniskirt-the incredibly short light blue miniskirt- perfectly matched her sparkling eyes. It showed off a few other high-quality attributes, as well.

“Really good,” Adam repeated, kissing her again.

“Thanks,” she said, pleased. She twirled around, modeling the look.

“What’s the special occasion?” he asked. “Did your meeting get cancelled? Is our date back on?”

Beth quickly looked away.