“Finn.” “Victor.” “Awkward.” I looked at both their faces but neither seemed to really notice I was there. The second pissing for distance contest began. You were going to ask him!”

“There was no reason not to be blunt. “Are you dating Maddison Lockehart?” “Are you?” “What?” He said it so quickly I didn’t catch it. I had said “no” without thinking, but hadn’t really heard what he had said. He had asked me if I was dating Maddison. That was ridiculous. “I’m serious, Victor.” “So am I. And I see you are talking to me again.” I sensed amusement in his voice but saw no sign. “Victor-” “Are you dating Maddison, Piper?” “No, I’m not.” I replied gritting my teeth. “Neither am I,” he replied.”

“But, what if? Hadn’t we wondered as little girls if we were the only ones with the ability? Were we the only freaks? Were we the abnormal among the normal looking for the abnormal to become the normal? I raced back to my room.”

“He…He’s beautiful.” “I already called dibs,” I informed her and banged my hands twice on the table, demanding she adhere to the dibs rule. She snapped her attention back to me. “No, you didn’t! You never said dibs.” “DIBS!” I practically shouted at her. Her shoulders shrugged in defeat.”

“Maybe he thinks wild translates into easy, Ryder said.Or maybe he likes wild, I responded.Maybe, but I bet he thinks you’re easy.You’re killing my moment, Ryder. OK, be happy he thinks you’re easy.”

“Noah shifted on the bed, and the oddest crunching sound came underneath him. I looked, really looked, at the bed for the first time."What," I asked slowly, as I eyed the animal crackers strewn all over it, "the hell?""You were convinced they were your pets," Noah said, not even trying to suppress his laughter. "You wouldn't let me touch them.”

“Why were you running?” Gordon looked confused. “I wasn’t going to hurt you.”Bite me,” I told him. He was so going to get charged with assault. I might even have to put a restraining order on his sorry ass. “Oh, wait a minute, you already did bite me, didn’t you… you psycho!”He rolled his eyes. “You’re really going to have to get over that if this relationship is going to have half a chance.”