“Progress, how?”

“Sex.”

Bryce says, “I’d tap that. She’s hot.”

“Yeah, she is. We’ll see. It better progress pretty fucking quickly is all I’m saying. There’s plenty of doable girls here.”

“And now that everyone knows you’re, like, practically the next King, lots of girls want to be doable.”

“I can’t believe she told everyone that. It’s kinda embarrassing.”

“Dude, if it gets you laid, who cares?” Bryce asks.

I punch Jake’s arm gently. “I would have done this earlier, had I known.”

I stand in front of him and do a little curtsey.

Bryce comes over by me and kneels. He’s cracking up the entire time.

“Shut up. It’s stupid really. I’m like one hundred and thirtieth in line or something. A whole lot of people would have to die for that to ever happen.”

Bryce says, “Just think, England gets nuked, and you’d have to go back and rule the devastation.”

Yeah,” I giggle, “and you could take Whitney to be your queen. How cool would that be?”

Jake laughs. “You know how she always brags about how her ancestors came over on the bloody Mayflower?”

“No,” I say, and Bryce goes, “Yeah, all the time.” We look at each other and laugh.

Jake looks at me. “You know the kind of people that came over on the Mayflower, right?”

“Uh, explorers?”

“No, hoodlums, criminals, people that couldn’t make it in England. England was glad to be rid of them. No way they’d want her back. Someday, I’m gonna tell her that. But not until after I get some.”

“That’d make Dawson laugh his ass off,” I tell him.

Bryce says, “Speaking of Dawson, what’s up with you two?”

“I don’t know. We’re hanging out, having fun. It’s new. Chill. I like him.”

“Are you worried they’ll get back together and dump us?” Jake asks.

“Well, we aren’t going out. He says he doesn’t like her anymore, and I think he had a lot of rebound girls this summer, but does that mean he’s ready for a relationship with me or anyone else? I really don’t know.”

Bryce smirks at me. “It looks like your relationship is doing just fine.”

“Stop insinuating shit. I hate when people do that. If you wanna know something or say something, just say it.”

“You seem pretty tight, like, having-sex tight.”

Jake shakes his head and frowns. “Wait. So, I’m going out with Whitney, can’t hang with other girls, getting zero, and you aren’t going out with Dawes, he can do what he wants, and he’s getting it? Dude, that’s jacked up.”

“I never said he’s getting it, but, yeah, pretty much. He asked me if we should be going out, but I said no. I mean, I don’t wanna rush things. I want to be sure he’s over her, and even though he says he is, I’m still not sure. Plus, I’m still kind of getting over someone myself.”

“Heard what your ex did to you. That was pretty low,” Jake says sweetly.

“Oh my gosh! How do you hear this stuff?”

“Football practice. We stand in line a lot. We talk.”

“Dawson told me,” Bryce says.

Jake studies me closely. “Riley told me. Does he have a crush on you? Because someone said something about you and he came unglued.”

“What happened?”

“Well, someone made a remark about you and Dawson and it, um, well, it was sorta derogatory toward you. Riley slammed him up against the locker and told him to shut the fuck up.”

“What?! When was this?”

“Yesterday after practice.”

“Why didn’t he tell me?”

“I don’t know.”

“Wait. Who said something about me and Dawson?”

“Uh.”

“Tell me!”

“Um, it might have been Peyton’s bro.”

“Aiden?!”

“Yeah.”

“What did he say?!”

“That Dawson was just using you. Well, actually, he used a different word than using. Sorry.”

“I told Dawson last week that his reputation sucked. It needed a makeover. Does my image need a makeover? Do you guys think I’m slutty? Do people think that?”

Bryce says, “Well, I don’t. I think you’re fun. You have kissed three guys already, but you just kissed them, right? That’s what I’ve heard.”

“Yeah, except for Dawson. We did more than kiss this weekend. And I haven’t kissed anyone since.”

“Three whole days, huh?”

“Shut up.”

“You’re cute and you’re cool. Guys like hanging out with girls that aren’t all high maintenance. Like, at the cave, you just relax. You don’t sit there talking the whole time about how we could get in trouble, about your hair, about whatever it is that most girls babble on about. And this weekend, I heard you got up in the morning, rolled out of bed, and surfed. No hour of getting ready, no insecurities about how you look in a bikini, no complaining that it’s too hot or too cold, or that the guys were hitting on girls.”

“No way I’d complain about that! That was one of the most entertaining parts of the weekend. Watching Tyrese in action. He’s got that smooth, Baby you sexy, thing. Then Riley. He just throws it out there. You’re hot. Let’s hook up. Dallas is like the boy you think is all sweet and innocent and adorable and, boom, next thing you know he’s kissing you. And Ace. He just lets his body do the talking. Walks around all buff and girls are like, Hey. And then when he can’t talk to them about something intellectual, he dismisses them as boring.

“Wow, you pegged them all. That’s funny. How am I?”

“Bryce, I really haven’t seen you in action. And Jake, you seem like a chameleon. You’re whatever you think the girl wants.”

“Oh, dude. That is you. You change with every girl you date.”

“Is that good or bad?” Jake asks.

“I’d rather get to know the real you because I think you’re kinda naughty and have a devious little mind. You size people up quick, figure out what they want, and fulfill their needs in order to get what you want from them. You’re the used car salesman of dating.”

“Dude, that is so you,” Bryce bursts out laughing. The teacher yells at him, so we go back to staring at our clay.

Jake whispers, “Tomorrow’s topic of discussion is how long a girl will make you wait and why? Do some research on that, Monroe.”

You’re my hero.

Lunch

I grab my tray and go sit with Riley and Dallas. They’re already sitting at their usual table.

“Riley!”

“What-ee?”

“You shoved Aiden up against the locker yesterday?”

Riley gets kinda shy-looking. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You want to put a nail in my and Aiden’s love coffin, him saying shit about me would do it.”

He rolls his eyes. “I just . . . it’s not a big deal. I just kinda reacted.”

I look him in the eyes. “Riley, it’s a big deal to me. You stood up for me. It’s so sweet.”

“See, I knew you’d go the whole all It’s so sweet. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“That and he didn’t wanna hurt your feelings,” Dallas tells me.

I give him my aw-that’s-so-sweet eyes. Like, the eyes you use when you see a newborn, or a floppy-eared puppy, or the boy who just slammed a god into a locker for you. You feel a little love.

“You’re my hero.”

“I told you. I feel this strange need to protect you. And for some reason, I think you’re going to need a lot of protecting.” He rolls his eyes at me.

“Speaking of protecting. I was on this weird kid’s website last night. I was reading that sometimes people don’t know they are a god until they meet their—shit, what was that word? Satyr? Is that even a word? Anyway the S guy is like a god guide. He helps keep you safe until you learn to use your powers properly. Only you are like a satyr in reverse. You’re protecting me from a god.

“You’re a freak,” Riley says. “And you’re taking this whole God of all Hotties thing way too far.”

“Did I tell you I figured out his mother must have been the goddess, Aphrodite? And I need to take Greek Mythology because that woman was interesting. She’s the goddess of love, but she, like, tricked this dude into thinking she was just a pretty maiden, and he knew she was way too hot for that, but she seduced him and got herself pregnant, then was a total bitch to him. She is also a slut. And she got out of god jail by promising some other god her body.”

Parker chimes in. “I wanna take that class too. Damn.”

But then, for some reason, they start talking about a certain male body part. I try really hard to be cool and unembarrassed. But after hearing them go on and on, I’m pretty sure each one of these boys thinks his own penis is a demigod.

As we’re throwing away what’s left of lunch, Riley says, “If you like my brother, why are you looking up god stuff on the internet?”

“He’s using his powers against me. I was looking for ways to ward him off. Like garlic to scare off a vampire, that kind of thing.”

“You’re so weird.”

Dawson walks up and slaps Riley on the back. Then he turns to me and says, “Keatie.” And gives me his sexy, you-can’t-resist-me eyes. Plus the way he says Keatie. It’s so cute.

“How was your lunch?”

“Sucked without you. What were you talking about over here?”

“Did you know your brother slammed Aiden up against a locker yesterday for talking shit about us?”

“Everyone knows that.”

“I didn’t.”

“I was going to tell you. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. Or make you regret it.”

“People suspect. They don’t know. Speaking of that. Do you want to again? I mean, I thought that would be, like, all you’d want.”

He kisses my nose. “I don't want us to be about just sex. I like you.”

“I like you too.”

“But trust me, I want to. I’m just trying to be good.

“Good, cuz I do too. Like soon.”

No response.

French

Dawson walks me to French and kisses me until the bell rings. I’m in a good mood until I walk in and see Aiden’s stupid face and remember what he said about me.

I turn around and say, “Heard about practice yesterday. Good to know you think so highly of me. Obviously, tutoring you is out of the question.”

He doesn’t respond.

A fake ass-kicking.

5:40pm

I call Mom.

I know she probably won’t answer, but I call anyway. At least she’ll see my missed call. I’m surprised when Tommy answers her phone.

“How’s life, baby?”

“It’s okay. How come you're not filming right now?”

He clears his throat. “Well, your mom is. She’s kissing our co-star as we speak. I can’t watch. Good news is, later in the movie, I get to kick his ass.”

“Yeah, but it’s a fake ass-kicking.”

“Well, you know, sometimes you forget a step in a choreographed fight scene, and sometimes the punches actually connect. It’s really unfortunate, but it happens.”

“You’re bad.”

He laughs.

“Hey, off the wall question, but why is your hair always long?”

“Hiding my horns, probably.” He laughs a full-on belly laugh.

“So you are a satyr.”

“Hell, no. I played Zeus. I was a god. So, what’s going on with the god and Gorgeous?”

“They’re not going anywhere with the god. He told the guys that Gorgeous is just using me. I hate him, and I will not be tutoring him. Gorgeous kinda asked me to go out with him. I told him it was too soon. That we shouldn’t have to label our relationship. Wonder where I heard that from? Speaking of that, are you and Mom ever going to get married?”

“Are you sure you didn’t say no to a relationship because you are in love with the god?”

“I can’t love a jerk, so clearly I cannot be in love with him.”

“And to answer your question, yes. I do want to marry your mother. Hopefully sometime in the next year.”

“Really? That’s so exciting. Okay, so I have to go.”

“Break a leg, baby.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Good luck with your boy issues.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

Oh, shit. My bad.

7:30pm

Dawson is lying on top of me kissing me. One of the perks of being a senior is having your own room. Still don’t get your own bathroom though. His room and Jake’s connect through a shared one. Dawson has his door locked, but just about the time he has my red Cougar polo pulled up and his hand up my skirt, Jake walks in through the bathroom door, saying, “Hey Dawes.” Then, “Oh, shit. My bad.”

And it sorta breaks the mood.

Well, my mood. Dawson is still in full horndog mode.

He’s kissing my neck. Running his hands up my sides.

Finally I say, “Um, Dawes?”

And he’s like, “What, Keatie?”

“Can we just talk for a minute. Start over maybe? Sorry, that kinda embarrassed me.”