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  Kyle motioned to the dance floor. “Shall we dance first?” he asked.

  Alayne shook her head. “I’m starved. Marysa wouldn’t let me eat lunch, so I need some food.”

  Kyle laughed, and they circled the tables, looking for their names. They finally found them at a table close to the river’s edge. The lights sparkled off the water and lit the orchid centerpieces on each table. Alayne bit her lip. Marysa and Jayme’s name tags were placed next to them. She sighed. Whoever had planned the seating arrangements obviously wasn’t aware of the awkward situation they were setting up.

  Kyle pulled out Alayne’s chair and then seated himself. Marysa and Jayme had threaded their way through the tables, quickly approaching. One glance at Jayme’s face was all Alayne needed to realize a scene was about to happen. If he hates me, why doesn’t he just let it go? The scowl on his face increased the closer they came.

  Alayne grabbed Kyle’s hand. “Let’s go dance.” Their food hadn’t arrived, and Kyle looked surprised, but he rose willingly.

  Leading her onto the dance floor, he pulled her close. Alayne’s face heated. She didn’t know how to dance. Kyle seemed to have a better grasp of it, and he led her smoothly enough that she soon forgot about her feet. His arm tightened around her waist as he touched his jawline to the side of her head.

  “Sure you want to be just friends now?” he murmured in her ear.

  Alayne didn’t answer. She watched Jayme out of the corner of her eye. His arms were folded tightly across his chest as he slouched in the chair next to Marysa. He glared across the dance floor at them. Alayne’s spark of annoyance blossomed into flame. Why was he neglecting Marysa? Her friend sat in icy splendor in her seat, gorgeous and lonely, while Jayme ignored her like a jerk.

  The music finished, and Kyle slid his hand down her arm and linked his fingers with hers. “Walk with me.” He led her through the tables toward the river, beyond the lights that surrounded the party. The farther they walked, the colder it grew. Alayne had no wrap, so Kyle took off his coat and drew it carefully across her bare shoulders.

  They reached the dock and stood silently, watching the moonlight reflect off the water.

  Kyle faced Alayne and grasped her other hand. He held them gently in his own, studying her face in the moonlight. He seemed to be working up courage to speak.

  Tension spiraled in Alayne’s stomach. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but Kyle spoke first. “Layne, I know we broke up a while ago, but—I’ve hated it ever since, not being with you. It’s—it doesn’t feel right.” His thumbs gently stroked her hands. He stared at them, searching for words. “Sometimes, especially lately, I’ve wondered if maybe—you’ve changed your mind, even a little bit. I wish I could know ... If I asked you ...” He stopped, his eyes searching hers. He seemed afraid to go on.

  It was Alayne’s turn to say something, but she couldn’t make the words come out. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say.

  Kyle’s gaze moved to her mouth, and he tugged her closer, sliding his arms around her back. He lowered his head, his mouth touched hers, his warm lips moved over her own.

  Alayne’s thoughts flew in confusing circles. She couldn’t explain even to herself all the things she felt about Kyle. Admittedly, his lips felt good. She could acknowledge to herself that she actually liked this. She liked it a lot. But ... would this moment ruin their friendship? And what about Jayme? In spite of the fact that Jayme was acting like a complete moron, she couldn’t let Kyle continue. Her heart wasn’t in the right place for it.

  She placed her hands on the crisp whiteness of his shirt and pushed gently.

  Kyle immediately broke the kiss. His hands came up to gently cradle her cheeks. “What’s the matter?”

  His eyes, so close to her own, overflowed with questions. His thumbs stroked her skin.

  Alayne searched for words. She tightened the fingers of her right hand into a fist, gently bumping him on the chest as she struggled to speak. “Kyle, I—”

  “Well, isn’t this just grand?” Jayme’s voice whipped her out of Kyle’s arms with a start. Alayne whirled around with a gasp. Jayme and Marysa stood on the end of the dock, Marysa poised to return to the dance. Her hand clung tightly to Jayme’s arm, as if she held him back.

  “Let’s just go, Jayme,” she whispered.

  “No, no, I want to see this,” Jayme said recklessly. “Go on, don’t let us interrupt this little show.”

  “Go away, moron,” Kyle growled.

  “Moron?” Jayme yanked his arm out of Marysa’s grip. He moved forward. “Look in the mirror when you say that. You’re the one putting moves on Al.”

  “Because she wants to, moron. You had months after we broke up to make your play for her. And did you? No, you decided to be her best bud. Worked out real well for you, didn’t it? Since you didn’t step up to the plate, I did.”

  “I didn’t ‘step up to the plate’ as you put it, because she was still figuring out her feelings regarding you and me. I didn’t pressure her into anything, like you keep trying to do. I wanted to give her time.”

  “Well, you gave her time. Probably too much time, so now I’ve got her.”

  Alayne had heard enough. “Nobody’s got me,” she yelled. “Not you, Kyle, even though you seem so sure you know what I’m thinking, and not you either, Jayme. You pout for two months, ignore my very existence, throw our friendship, which I considered to be very special, down the drain, and now you have the gall to come over here and tear into Kyle for kissing me? How dare you!” She smacked him across the cheek, hard. Her hand flew to her own mouth, horror washing through her. A sob burst from her throat, and she ran from the dock, ignoring Kyle’s insistent voice calling her back.

  Marysa found her, hours later, in the gymnasium. Alayne had sunk to the floor between the bleachers on one of the basketball courts and buried her face in her hands. She’d cried and cried, wishing she had never met either guy, cursing life for being so complicated. When her tears dried up, she felt dead inside.

  Marysa sat on the bleacher next to Alayne’s head and said nothing.

  Alayne finally swallowed her tears and took the tissue Marysa offered. “You deserted your date.” She blew her nose with unladylike force and crumpled the tissue in her hand.

  Marysa snorted. “He wasn’t much of one anyway.”

  “You guys could have found another dock and started your own kissing exhibition,” Alayne said, bitterly.

  “In all honesty, Layne, I’ve dreamed of it. But I could never get past the fact that his eyes were always trained on you.”

  Alayne slowly raised her head, staring in astonishment at Marysa. “You—like Jayme? Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

  “Because it seemed pretty obvious to me that my best friend liked him, too.” She smiled wryly down at Alayne and rolled her eyes. “Don’t look at me like that, Layne. I’m not bitter. Jayme’s a sweet guy and a good friend, and I’m happy. If I ever need a guy, I’m pretty sure some of the nerds in our History of Elementals class will take me on.”

  “The ones with the thick glasses that sit on the front row?” Alayne gave her nose one last swipe.

  “The very ones.”

  Alayne pushed herself onto the bench next to Marysa and laid her head on her friend’s sequined shoulder. She sighed deeply. “You’re beautiful, Mary.”

  “As are you.” Marysa patted her arm. “Now, go make your peace with Jayme, or you won’t sleep tonight. He’s being miserable in the kitchen and driving the cleanup crew crazy begging for food.”

  Alayne rose and squeezed her friend’s shoulder. “Thanks, Marysa.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m going to bed.”

  * * *

  In the commissary, Alayne spied the open door to the kitchen. The light at one end was on, though the rest of the kitchen was dark. She peered around the corner. Jayme sat on a counter in his shirtsleeves, his jacket tossed over a chair back. His bow tie hung untied from his collar. He nibbled on a humongous Fren
ch roll.

  “Still hungry?”

  Jayme jumped. He watched Alayne warily as she came near.

  “Marysa said you were bugging the cleanup crew.”

  “They all went to bed.” Jayme put his roll down on the counter and stared at his hands. “Al, I owe you a huge apology. Kyle was right; I’ve been a jerk to you for so long, I’ve almost forgotten how to be your friend again. I—when you slapped me tonight, I completely deserved it, and I wanted to say ... I’m sorry. I should never have treated you like that.”

  Alayne touched the cheek where she had hit him. She could still see the faint outline of a hand imprint. “That was terrible; I should never have done that.”

  “No, I completely deserved it. It knocked the sense back into me.” He risked a glance up at her. “I guess I’m hoping that you’ll give me another chance, Al, at being your friend.”

  Alayne held his gaze, searching deep. She traced her fingertips down his cheek to his jawline. “No.”

  “What?” His eyebrows lifted in surprise and hurt.

  “I don’t want to go back to being just a friend and wondering if we’ll ever take the next step, Jay. I want ... you.”

  His jubilant expression cut off any further words. His cheeks flushed beneath the permanent tan, and he pushed himself off the counter.

  “Are you sure, Alayne?”

  Alayne gazed into the chocolate depths of his eyes and nodded. She heard herself start to babble. “I was so confused, Jay, ‘cause I thought you hated me, and I wondered if you had put me behind you forever, or if I had imagined that you even had feelings for me in the first place. It might have all been in my head, so—”

  Jayme’s finger pressed against her lips, halting the flow of words. “Hated you?” The disbelief in his voice rolled across the space between them. A moment later, he lowered his head, and his mouth covered hers, and it was sweet and good, even a little awkward. Alayne didn’t care. It was just the way she had always hoped it would be.

  When they finally pulled apart, Jayme rested his forehead on Alayne’s, closing his eyes. Neither said anything for a long while. Then Jayme finally spoke, “Remember when I wouldn’t kiss you in the gymnasium after that hockey game?”

  “Duh.”

  “If that ever happens again, remind me that I’m incurably stupid.”

  “You were doing the right thing,” Alayne reminded him. “I was sort of dating Kyle at the time, though I was still about to shoot you, because I wanted to kiss you so badly.”

  They both laughed guiltily at the memory.

  “Yeah, what was up with that ‘sort of dating’ thing?” Jayme asked.

  “It was all a little confusing.”

  Jayme brushed his fingers across her bare shoulder, “Are you confused now?”

  Alayne shook her head.

  “Good.” Jayme tugged the spike out of Alayne’s hair and tossed it on the counter. It skidded down the smooth wood and landed with a clatter on the floor. He dug his fingers into the thickness of her hair and loosened it until it fell around her shoulders to her waist. “Much better.” He leaned close and kissed her again.

  Alayne had just built their castle in the clouds and bought a few puppies and horses to furnish it when Jayme’s hands tenderly cupped the sides of her face. He pulled back slowly. “Good night, Al.”

  “’Night.” She turned reluctantly for the door. Just as she reached it, she glanced back at Jayme, who beamed at her from the counter with his wide, lopsided grin. It was infectious. She grinned back and slipped out the door. She bounded up all eighteen flights of stairs without pausing even once.

  Chapter 14

  “You look cheerful,” Marysa teased Alayne the next morning. “I take it you got everything worked out with Jayme?”

  Alayne grinned as she finished twisting her hair into her normal braid. “It was a good, good end to the evening.” She winked in the mirror at Marysa.

  Marysa squealed and hugged herself and then threw her arms around Alayne. “It’s about time. It was bound to happen sooner or later, once Jayme got over his grump, and you figured out your own mind.” She sobered. “How did Kyle take it?”

  Alayne dropped her eyes to her hands. “I don’t know yet. I haven’t seen him since I ran away from everyone on the dock.”

  Marysa’s lips twisted ruefully. “He’s on the same hall as Jayme, and if Jayme looks anything like you do this morning, Kyle’s gonna know before too long.”

  “I know.”

  “You need to go talk to him,” Marysa ordered. “You did just kiss him last night; he deserves an explanation.”

  Shards of guilt pierced Alayne’s heart. She dreaded hurting Kyle, and she knew the news would not be pain-free, no matter how she put it. She stood and headed for the door. “You coming?”

  Marysa nodded. “I’m starved. And I heard the kitchen was serving coffeecake this morning, so we need to hurry; there’s going to be a line.”

  In spite of Marysa’s prediction, when they stepped out of the chute at the commissary, there wasn’t much of a line. The tables looked sparse. “Maybe everyone’s still catching up from last night,” Alayne suggested.

  “Probably.”

  Jayme sat hunched over a steaming mug of coffee, both hands curled around its ceramic warmth. He raised sleep-fogged eyes to meet Alayne’s. A grin lit his face. “G’morning.”

  Alayne couldn’t stop her own grin. “Hey.” She sank down onto the bench opposite him. “Sleep well?”

  “The best.” Jayme took a sip of coffee and leaned his chin on his palm, seeming content to gaze at her.

  Marysa rolled her eyes. “Okay, guys, I know you’re a couple now, and I’m over the moon about that, but it’s time to give it a rest.” She sat on the bench next to Alayne and swung her feet over. She raised her hand. “I want coffeecake.”

  Her plate soared out through the vent and lowered gently onto the table in front of her.

  “Aren’t you eating?” Alayne asked Jayme.

  “I was waiting for you guys.”

  Movement at the chute snagged Alayne’s attention. She glanced over as Kyle entered the commissary. He immediately caught her eye, his glare spearing her through the chest.

  Alayne’s heart sank. She had hoped to soften the news somehow. He turned and headed for the corner, sitting at a long table by himself.

  Marysa loaded her fork with coffeecake. “I guess he knows.”

  “Yeah.”

  Jayme swallowed the last of his coffee. “We had it out this morning in the showers.”

  “What?” Alayne blinked.

  “He came in and told me to stay away from you, that anyone could see that I was making you miserable. So, I cleared up the misconception and cheerfully told him to take a hike.”

  Alayne sighed heavily. “I wanted to talk to him—try to explain.”

  Jayme shook his head and laid his hand palm-up on the table. Alayne tentatively placed her hand in his. “It wouldn’t work, Al. Both of us feel too strongly about you. If you had chosen him last night instead of me, it would be me over there mad at the world and mostly at you.” He squeezed her fingers.

  Alayne nodded uncertainly. Marysa swallowed another forkful of coffeecake. “So Jayme, anyone you know coming to visit over Christmas?”

  He shook his head. “No, none of my friends could afford to make the trip, and most of them have their own families to spend Christmas with anyway.”

  “Layne, I heard back from my mom.” Marysa bounced on her bench. “Your parents are planning to come with mine, so they’ll be here in two weeks!”

  Alayne grinned and sighed at the same time. “I can’t wait to see my parents again.” Excitement suddenly lit up her mind. “They’ll finally get to meet you, Jay; they’ve had letters from me about you and Marysa all semester. They met Marysa before we left the City Centre, but they’ll be anxious to meet you.” She threaded her fingers through his and squeezed.

  Jayme sobered. “Well,” he hedged, “that actually might
not be possible. You remember I signed up for that field trip to Cliffsides?”

  Alayne remembered, all too well. “But surely you’ll be back in time.”

  Jayme shook his head. “The group leaves this evening, and we’ll be gone for the rest of the break.”

  Dismay shot through Alayne. She had known all this, of course, but had forgotten that Jayme had signed up, and last night had so changed the dynamics of their relationship. It hadn’t mattered before, but now, she felt like a deflated balloon.

  After Marysa had told her about it, she’d found Cliffsides on the school maps in the library and read up on it. It lay about sixty miles to the south. It lived up to its name; an inlet from the ocean on the south side of the Continent crashed against it continuously. During the Great Deluge, whole sections of the land had been washed into the ocean, leaving thousand-foot high cliffs and sheer drop-offs into deep and treacherous canyons.

  Alayne rubbed her finger in circles across the table top, disappointment mushrooming a dark cloud inside of her. You’re an idiot, Worth. It’s only a couple of weeks.

  “Hey, it’s okay, Al. It’s not like it’s forever, or even for very long.”

  “I know.” Alayne pulled her hand back into her lap. “I’m just being stupid. I feel like we’ve been bungling around in the dark for so long, and we finally managed to figure us out last night. I hate that this is interrupting that.”

  “I know.” Jayme traced a finger down her upper arm. “Wanna take a walk?”

  Marysa discreetly left the table, joining a group of girls who chattered together at the next table.

  Alayne nodded, and the two walked hand in hand to the chute. It dropped them to ground level, and they wandered out into the cold winter sunshine.

  Meandering along the river, Jayme was quiet. Suddenly, he slammed his toe into the hard earth. “I was such a jerk. I wish I could undo the last two months, Al.”