"Katie?" I said. "Are you okay?"

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "Oh, God, I'm so embarrassed."

I sat down next to her. "What's wrong?"

She blew her red nose into a tissue and shook her head. The girl might be gorgeous under normal circumstances, but she was an ugly crier. I didn't care.

She pulled out a fresh tissue and wiped her nose. "You know Brad, right?"

"Of course," I said in a tone that indicated Brad and I went way back.

"He's a real jackass."

On the outside, I managed to craft a concerned look instead of smiling or laughing maniacally. On the inside I danced a jig. "What did the jerk do?"

"I've seen Rebecca talking to him a lot. He always tells me they're just friends."

I nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Not a good sign." Rebecca was one of the perpetual beauty pageant girls in the school. Pretty hot, I had to admit, but nobody topped Katie, not in my book. And what in the world was so special about Brad "I have a motorcycle" Nichols that made the girls want to talk to him? He didn't play sports, he wasn't muscular, and he seemed dumb as a brick. It had to be the motorcycle. That in and of itself probably added plus ten charisma to his character.

Riding the school bus put me somewhere in negative territory on that count.

"Jenny told me she saw Brad riding through Midtown on his motorcycle with Rebecca." Another sob shook her.

Anger crept up my chest in a wave of heat. How could guys like Brad get away with garbage like this? He had the most perfect girl in the universe crying over him while guys like me could only dream of even kissing a girl like Katie.

My brain abruptly decided now was the time to attack its bony prison again. Katie's face blurred and an incredible musky aroma tickled my nose. Steaming sensuality lingered at the edge of my senses, teasing me, beckoning me to take it and make it mine. A part of me reached for it. But a searing flash of agony ripped me back to reality. I winced and gritted my teeth but Katie didn't seem to notice.

"…I thought it was something really special. He told me he loved me. I just don't understand, Justin. I really need a guy's perspective on this. What do you think I should do?"

The headache vanished, leaving me in a slightly euphoric state as endorphins flooded my system. The blurry shape in my view sharpened into Katie's face. She was looking at me, probably waiting for a response to Brad's outrageous behavior.

"Probably dump him," I managed to croak.

"Why can't I find a nice guy?"

I'm right here! I wanted to scream. Outwardly, I plastered a concerned look on my face. "I've heard some bad things about Rebecca. I wouldn't doubt it if they slept together." Katie sobbed even harder. It made me feel a lot better.

"I can't believe he would do this," she said between gasps.

I couldn't believe she was taking this so hard. Hadn't they just started dating? Was she really that head-over-heels in love with the guy? And then it hit me. And my mouth spit out what my brain was thinking without me meaning or wanting to say it aloud. "You slept with him."

Her eyes widened. Her face blanched. "Is it that obvious?" She blew noisily into a tissue. "Please, you can't tell anyone."

I couldn't believe she hadn't just denied it. "I won't."

A single tear trickled down her wet cheek. "I can't believe I let him be my first. We had so much fun together. And now I feel horrible." Sobs wracked her body.

I put an arm around her shoulders. At some point I might have fantasized about this moment, about squeezing Katie's hot body to mine, but the magic turned to ashes, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth and an ache in my heart. So much for true love. So much for riding off into the sunset. Katie had wrecked her virginity against the uncaring shores of Brad Nichols.

I wanted to kill him.

When she finally calmed down—which took a while—she hugged me back. "I feel so bad for unloading all of this on you, Justin. You're such a great guy. I wish there were more like you out there."

"You want more overweight nerds in the world?"

She laughed. "See, nothing bothers you. I know we've known each other a long time but I guess we've never gotten to know each other."

A dull throb pulsed in my forehead. Great. All I needed was another headache. Katie's face blended into an indistinct blur as the pain increased. This cranial assault wasn't as sudden as the others. It crept from my forehead to the back of my brain and slithered down my spine, all ice, fire, and needles. I sensed that strange presence again. It was Katie, but at the same time it wasn't Katie. It ached to be free. It begged me to grab it by the hair and drag it into the closest cave.

Katie gasped. Our lips met. She pressed herself to me willingly and all thoughts of the world faded into bliss.

And then a bomb went off in my skull.

I wrenched away from her and the ghostly presence slipped from my grasp. The pain flashed away as quickly as it had come. I stared at Katie. She stared at me. I didn't know what to say about the last few seconds. We'd kissed, right? It hadn't been a dream? Maybe these migraines were making me hallucinate. I didn't know what to think anymore.

Katie's huge green eyes focused on me. "Justin, that was…unexpected."

So we had kissed. "All part of my master plan for world domination." Where in the world did that come from?

She smiled. "I can't figure you out. You're brave—I mean just look what you did to Nathan. And now you've made me feel so much better tonight."

"Probably my Axe body spray," I said.

A giggle burst from her lips. "You're funny too." She looked at me for a moment and I could see the uncertainty looming in her eyes. "Justin, I really like you. But I don't know—"

"Hey, it's fine," I said, standing up and brushing leaves off my cargo pants. "Look, I have a Kings and Castles tournament this Saturday. You want to come?"

"Is it like that restaurant with the jousting knights in it?"

"Um, not exactly. It's mostly a bunch of nerds clubbing each other with foam weapons."

"Ooh, that sounds fun to watch."

"Cool. I'll text you the details." I waved goodbye and made for the car before she could overanalyze what just happened. I felt heady. Unstoppable. I kissed Katie Johnson. Holy crap, I had really done it. I hooted with laughter and smacked the steering wheel. I tried to forget the dark stains on this otherwise flawless victory. Brad Nichols had taken her virginity. And he might not like me stealing his girlfriend.

Chapter 4

Mark and Harry couldn't believe what I'd done when I told them in the gymnasium the next morning. Jenny and Annie sat in their usual spot but Katie wasn't there.

"You are fearless," Mark said with awe in his voice.

"Balls of steel," Harry said, slapping me on the back. "And she's coming to the tournament, too? You are the man."

I felt like the man. Kind of, anyway. I also felt a bit apprehensive about Brad Nichols finding out. The bell rang and I headed for homeroom, walking down the barren cinder-block hallways of the school.

A commotion echoed from around the corner ahead. A few wads of notebook paper sailed into the hallway behind the hurrying form of one of the Goth guys I'd seen hanging with that creepy Goth girl. Nathan and his gang rounded the corner, hurling insults and paper at the guy. I felt bad, but not bad enough that it was worth getting whacked.

One of Nathan's linebacker friends said something to the others then jogged after the Goth. He had something in his hand and I knew that whatever it was wouldn't be good for his prey.

Don't do it! Noooo! The rational part of my mind screamed at me.

I couldn't stand by and do nothing. So I tripped and fell right in front of the very large guy chasing down the Goth. The air exploded from my lungs as his weight thudded on my back.

The football player cursed at me while the others laughed.

"Holy crap, Case, you clumsy idiot," Nathan said as he roared with laughter.

The football player I'd tripped pushed himself up. "I guess you get the present then," he said and lowered a clear plastic baggie toward my face with something inside that looked and smelled suspiciously like a turd.

"Ahem," said an authoritarian voice.

We looked to see Mr. Turpin, my former boxer-turned-English teacher staring at us, his muscular arms bulging threateningly.

"Stay on task, Steve," he said in a gentle voice and held out his hand.

Apparently Steve was the name of the buffoon who had almost smeared poo on my face.

"Aw, we're just playing around," Steve said.

Mr. Turpin stared at the baggie and then at his proffered hand.

Steve pshawed and handed it over. "Whatever." He shoved past me. "Guess we'll get something fresh for you later, Case." He and the others laughed as they went down the hall.

A strong hand gripped me by the bicep and helped me up. I turned, expecting to see Mr. Turpin's large hands on my arm and yelped as I came face to face with Goth Girl and all the metallic horrors piercing her face. She drew in a deep breath through her nose. I could swear the girl was sniffing me. I pulled away from her, slightly so as not to be too rude.

"Thanks," I said.

She smiled, showing me neat rows of white teeth. The rest of her face was a mess of dark eyeliner, white powder, and piercings all over the place. I tried not to shudder or imagine what other places on her body might be pierced.

"Never give up," she said in a low voice and walked away without looking back.

"Kids these days," Mr. Turpin said, shaking his head. "They never stay on task."

I had a feeling Mr. Turpin had been hit in the head a lot during his boxing days. He was a nice, soft-spoken guy, but he repeated, "Stay on task" like it was holy mantra even if it didn't fit the occasion. Then again, who was I to talk?

On the way home from school, Katie texted me, asking if I could study tonight. I told her I would after dinner.