“Well, color me impressed.”

“A sea of people in red crowded around it. I looked atMallory’s black hoodie and my gray sweater and realized we’d forgotten to wear the school colors. Oh, well. There was always my hair.”

“MY MOUTH OPENED.Way to go, Clare. Way to impress the mother of a prospective boyfriend. Moms love their boys to date psycho overprotective girls.”

“Well, that narrowed down the list of suspects.To the whole world.”

“Well, I can feel superior for my good deed.” I flashed him a smile. “How’s that for a selfish reason?”

“Clare. Give me a reason to stay.”

“He was never one to care whether a person was popular or not. Exhibit A … me.”