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We're in my bedroom after school. Arianna is sprawled out on my bed and Amanda is braiding her hair. Andrea is sitting cross-legged on the floor, painting her fingernails, and I'm lounging in my desk chair. We're listening to music on my iPod and chilling out, but my mind is preoccupied. I can't stop thinking about Olivia. I have to wonder about her – and then I have to worry. She's a walking bruise. Who could ever do that to a child? Because much as we like to think we're little adults, that's all we really are – children.

"What's up with you, Lex?" asks Andrea, startling me out of my thoughts. She puts the cap on her dark red nail polish and blows on her fingernails, then looks up expectantly.

"Nothing," I tell her. "I'm just tired."

"Hey, Lex, tell them about gym class," says Arianna. Amanda finishes braiding her hair and secures the plait with a hair elastic. She rolls onto her stomach. "Your bed is so comfy."

The second part of her statement barely registers. "What about it?"

"About how you don't know how to play volleyball. About how you gave that weird girl a bloody nose."

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm an incompetent fool when it comes to sports. So sue me."

Arianna rolls her eyes, then turns over so her back is to me and she's facing Amanda and Andrea. "So Alex and I have gym first thing and we were getting changed and there's this really weird girl and she didn't want to change in front of anyone and Alex ended up having to be partners with her. Yeah, our gym teacher kind of hates us. Major jealousy issues."

"Imagine that," I comment dryly. A lot of teachers dislike the queen bees of the school.

Arianna shoots me a look, then continues, "So we were throwing around volleyballs and Alex, of course, doesn't know how to bump a ball. She shoots it right at that girl and it hits her in the nose. And her nose is bleeding all over the floor and Ms. Blaine tells Alex to take her to the nurse. And this girl keeps saying she's fine but finally she goes with Alex and then she just leaves. Isn't that weird?"

"Yeah," agrees Amanda half-heartedly, seeming disinterested.

"What do you think her deal is?" asks Andrea.

I bite my lip. I don't want to tell them what I saw. It just seems like something I should keep to myself.

After the twins' mother arrives to pick them up, Arianna and I are alone in my room. She's staying for a sleepover tonight. Arianna loves staying at my house; even though her parents have money, they don't live in the lap of luxury like I do. They would rather save their money then spend it like my parents, and Arianna is just as much of a princess as I am. She loves coming over to go swimming in the pool, to lounge in the hot tub, to watch movies on the flat-screen TV in my bedroom.

"What's up with you, Lex?" she asks me.

I shrug, wondering what to tell her, wondering whether or not I should tell her the truth. Deciding against it, I change the subject. "Did you bring your swimsuit?"

She gives me a funny look. "Of course."

"Then let's go swimming."

She follows me down to the basement and lounges in the shallow end of the pool while I swim ten, twenty, then thirty laps. Finally, I go to sit on the steps of the pool, slightly out of breath.

Arianna shakes her head at me in awe. "How do you do that?"

I shrug. Even though I'm awful when it comes to sports, I'm very good at running and swimming. I've found that they help me relieve tension and right now, I'm stressed but I don't know why. Movement, whether it's in a car or on the swings at a playground or running or swimming, helps me to think.

"Do you think it would be dangerous to smoke a cigarette in the pool?" she asks conversationally.

"Um, yeah. And you're not bringing one of those vile things anywhere near my pool."

Arianna laughs. "So possessive."

"They're vile things."

"Yeah, and they're dirty."

I roll my eyes. "Shut up."

We look up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Great. It's my older brother, Josh. He's sixteen and he's in this "phase" where he's too cool to be seen hanging out with his little sister. As Amanda put it once, "He's jealous. You outshine him." Which might be right, but we've been close since we were children.

"Hey, Josh," says Arianna with a coy smile, tossing her head.

"Hey," he says back, only politely interested.

I give Arianna a light punch on the shoulder. "That's my brother you're flirting with!"

"I get it. Look, but don't touch," she says with a grin.

I roll my eyes and do a back flip in the water, just to annoy her because she doesn't know how to do water gymnastics, much as I've tried to teach her. When I come up for air, I smirk at the expression on her face. "You're incorrigible."

I hear a splash coming from the other direction and my head snaps around. Josh has dived into the water and is doing a series of somersaults, seeing how many consecutive ones he can perform. When he finishes, Arianna raises an eyebrow at him and calls, "Are you trying out for the Olympics?"

He laughs. "Maybe someday."

Arianna snickers, then turns to me. "Your brother's hot."

"I know," I tell her. "Now you get your eyes off him if you value your teeth."

"Jealous?"

"Why would I be? But you're here for me, not for him."

"Who says?"

I laugh. "Get out."

She laughs with me. "Okay, okay. Can you teach me how to do a back flip?"

"Nope."

"Aw, why?"

I grin. Revenge is sweet. "Punishment."

Arianna pouts, then calls across the pool, "Hey, Josh, will you teach me how to somersault in the water?"

"Nope," he calls back. "Ask Alex."

She scowls. "Everyone's ganging up on me today."

This isn't fun anymore. Climbing out of the pool, I beckon for Arianna to follow me. With one last pout, she does. I grab a towel for myself and toss one to her and we dry off before returning to my bedroom.

"That was fun," comments Arianna.

"Yeah, well."

"Does it piss you off when I do that?" she asks with a devilish grin.

"Am I that obvious?" I ask dryly.

She laughs. "So let's see. I ask you a question and you dodge that question by asking me an unrelated question."

"It's perfectly related," I tell her. "It's called sarcasm. Ever heard of it?"

"After ten years of hanging with you? Of course I have."

We both laugh. I flop down on my bed and prop myself up on one elbow, leaving Arianna sitting cross-legged at the head, leaning against the headboard.

"So," she says, abruptly changing the subject. "What is it with that girl – what's her name, Olivia?"

"What makes you think I know?"

She shrugs. "There's just something – off about her."

"Yeah, well," I say again, shifting uncomfortably. Arianna is my best friend, but secret-keeping is not one of her stronger points. She's the biggest gossip I know, and I don't know Olivia's story, so I don't want her problems – which I'm sure are much bigger than those of your average teenager – to be broadcast all over the school. She would never forgive me.

But then, why do I care? I have no obligations to her. I don't know this girl. But I want to. And I want to – need to – do the right thing here.

Arianna peers more closely at me. "Lex, are you okay?"

"Yeah." I hesitate, then repeat, "Yeah."

She shrugs. "Okay. Got any good movies?"

"Sure." I get up and start to rummage through my video cabinet. "Um, we've got The Devil Wears Prada or The Princess Diaries."

She makes a face. "We've already seen those ten billion times! What else?"

I push a couple DVDs to the side. "Get Smart."

"Bo-oring."

"Mean Girls."

"Fine. I never get tired of that one anyway."

With a satisfied smile, I pop the disc into my television and flop down beside Arianna on the bed.

"Press main menu," she orders.

I throw the remote at her. "Do it yourself."

She pouts, then does so.

We relax with the movie, but I can't keep my mind of the mysterious girl, Olivia. I wonder what she's doing right now.

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