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friend of mine.”
    Inwardly, I gouged my eyes out.
    “So what are you two doing back here?” Vee asked us.
    “Dante just picked out a new car,” I said, stepping aside to give her an unobstructed view of the Porsche. “He couldn’t resist showing it off. Don’t look too
closely, though. I think the VIN number is missing. Poor Dante had to resort to theft, since he used up all his money getting his chest waxed, and boy, does it gleam.”
    “Funny,” Dante said. I thought maybe he’d self-consciously fasten at least one more shirt button, but he didn’t.
    “If I had a car like that, I’d show it off too,” Vee said.
    Dante said, “I tried talking Nora into a ride, but she keeps blowing me off.”
    “That’s because she has a hard-A boyfriend. He must have been homeschooled, because he missed all those valuable lessons we learned in kindergarten, like sharing. He finds out you
took Nora for a ride, he’ll wrap this shiny new Porsche around the nearest tree.”
    “Gee,” I said, “look at the time. Don’t you have somewhere to be, Dante?”
    “Turns out my night’s open.” He smiled, slow and easy, and I knew he was relishing every moment of intruding on my private life. I’d made it clear right off the bat this
morning that any contact between us had to be done in private, and he was showing me what he thought of my “rules.” In a lame attempt at evening the score, I glared my meanest, coldest
look at him.
    “You’re in luck,” Vee said. “We know just the thing to fill up your night. You’re gonna hang with two of the coolest girls in all of Coldwater, Mr. Dante
Matterazzi.”
    “Dante doesn’t dance,” I quickly interjected.
    “I’ll make an exception, just this once,” he answered, opening the door for us.
    Vee clapped her hands, jumping up and down. “I just
knew
this night was gonna rock!” she squealed, ducking under Dante’s arm.
    “After you,” Dante said, placing his palm on the small of my back and guiding me inside. I batted his hand away, but to my aggravation, he leaned close and murmured, “Glad we
had this little chat.”
    We haven’t resolved anything,
I spoke to his mind.
This whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing? Nothing is settled. Just a little something to bear in mind. And for the record, my
best friend isn’t supposed to know you exist.
    Your best friend thinks I should give your boyfriend a run for his money,
he said, sounding amused.
    She thinks anything with a beating heart should replace Patch. They have unresolved issues.
    Sounds promising.
    He followed me down the short hall leading to the dance floor, and I felt his haughty, goading smile the whole way.
    The loud monotone beat of the music drove into my skull like a hammer. I pinched the bridge of my nose, cringing against a swelling headache. I had one elbow perched on the
bar, and I used my free hand to press a glass of ice water against my forehead.
    “Tired already?” Dante asked, leaving Vee on the dance floor to slide onto a bar stool beside me.
    “Any idea how much longer she’s going to last?” I asked wearily.
    “Looks to me like she’s caught her second wind.”
    “Next time I’m in the market for a best friend, remind me to shy away from the Energizer Bunny. She keeps going and going. . . .”
    “You look like you could use a ride home.”
    I shook my head. “I drove, but I can’t leave Vee here. Seriously, how much longer can she possibly last?” Of course, I’d been asking myself the same question for the past
hour.
    “Tell you what. Go home. I’ll stay with Vee. When she finally drops, I’ll give her a ride.”
    “I thought you weren’t supposed to get mixed up in my personal life.” I tried to sound surly, but I was exhausted, and the conviction just wasn’t there.
    “Your rule, not mine.”
    I chewed my lip. “Maybe just this once. After all, Vee likes you. And you actually have the stamina to keep dancing with her. I mean, this is a good thing, right?”
    He