It took less than ten minutes for Rikki's happy glow to wear off and for nausea to set in. What had she just done? Why had she done it? And, most importantly, what was she supposed to do now?

Zane.

The name crashed into her head like a semi truck. Rikki remembered all too well the sick feeling she'd had to live with when she'd caught Zane kissing Sophie behind her back. Now, not only had she done the same thing, but she'd enjoyed it.

Rikki felt as if she might throw up if she kept thinking. There was only one thing she knew for sure, she wasn't going to hide this from Zane, she couldn't. Guilt consumed her, and she knew that she had to be honest with her boyfriend. It wasn't fair to Zane for her to keep him in the dark, that would make her feel worse. Almost against her will, she kept thinking about the way it had felt to Kiss Hadley. "Cut it out, Rikki." She scolded herself.

Rikki pulled into the school parking lot and turned off the car. With shaking hands she pulled her phone from her bag and dialed Zane's number. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she listened to it ring through to voicemail.

"Hey Zane." She spoke, trying to keep her voice even. "Listen, um, give me a call when you get this. I need to talk to you." Rikki took a deep breath. "And it's important."

She flipped the phone shut, leaning back in her seat and rubbing her temples with her fingers. The first school bell of the day rang in the distance, snapping out of her thoughts. Hastily, Rikki grabbed her book bag and sprinted towards the building.

Zane didn't return her call until two hours later. Rikki's phone lit up brightly from where she had it positioned on her desk. Immediately, her arm shot up into the air.

"May I be excused to the restroom please?" She asked a tad too loudly.

"Hey." Rikki spoke quietly into the phone a moment later, once she was safely in the hall.

"Hey." Zane answered.

Rikki immediately lost her nerve. Zane already sounded guarded, suspicious, as if he already knew this wasn't going to be a good conversation. A hot pang of guilt shot through her as she tried to stay calm.

"Thanks for calling me back." Rikki felt a lump rising in her throat as she gathered her courage. "There's something I have to talk to you about."

"And I already know what it is." Zane sighed, cutting her off. "I was wondering when she'd tell you. But honestly, Rikki, you can't listen to Cleo. She's just trying to make me look bad."

"No, Zane, that's not what I was calling... I can't listen to Cleo about what?" Rikki asked in spite of herself.

"What Cleo saw." Zane continued, sounding strained. "It wasn't a big deal, she's just blowing it way out of proportion."

"Then maybe you should just explain it to me." Rikki heard her voice tighten. She knew she had no right to be questioning him, she should just tell hm what she'd called to tell him and deal with it from there. Curiosity got the better of her, however.

"At the party a couple days ago, when Cleo saw me... with that girl." Zane said slowly.

"Doing what exactly, with what girl?" Rikki began to realize what he was getting at.

"Aw, c'mon Rikki, are you really going to make me say it? Isn't this what you called about?" Zane's tone became slightly tight.

Rikki didn't answer, she was too lost in her own thoughts.

Zane let out a long exhale. "Cleo saw me kissing her." He sounded miserable as he spoke. "But listen, Rikki, it wasn't because I wanted to, I was dared to do it. There was a whole group of us goofing off, playing truth or dare, and Nate thought it would be funny. It didn't mean anything. I love you."

Rikki stared blankly at the wall in front of her, trying to process the emotions racing through her body. She felt an intense mixture of anger and betrayal, topped off with an overwhelming feeling of guilt so strong it was almost painful.

"Zane, stop." She said quietly, swallowing hard. "I'm... I'm not angry with you."

"You're not?" Zane said in disbelief.

"Someone kissed me." Rikki spoke quickly, before she could change her mind. "That's what I called to tell you."

Several seconds of silence passed before either of them spoke.

"Someone kissed you?" Zane managed to speak first. "Who?"

Rikki's head began to pound as she opened her mouth to talk. "Someone kissed me, Zane. And I kind of kissed him back." A wave of relief flowed through her as the words left her lips. At least now he knew the truth.

"You what?" This time the anger was clear in Zane's voice.

"From what it sounds like, neither of us have been faithful." Rikki shot back at him. "Would you have even told me about that party if Cleo hadn't seen you?"

"But it didn't mean anything!" Zane fumed. "It was a game, I got dared to do it. It lasted two seconds!"

"Yeah, and I'll bet you needed a whole lot of convincing, right?" Rikki lost her temper.

"About as much as you did!" Zane yelled back.

The two panted in silence, both furious.

"So I guess that's it then." Rikki choked out.

"No, no, stop." Zane said quickly. "Rikki, we both messed up. We'll work through this."

"I don't want to." Rikki said softly.

"What?" Zane's voice was tense over the phone's speaker.

"I need a break, Zane." Rikki felt numb as she spoke. "Don't call me." She clicked her phone closed without waiting for a response.

She knew perfectly well that she had absolutely no right to be angry with Zane, and that fact made her even more upset with herself.

Rikki looked at the now silent phone in her hand, almost unable to believe what had just happened. She'd intended to confess to Zane and then immediately beg his forgiveness. But now... She didn't want that. For the first time in a long time, she realized that what she felt for Zane had cooled. She still missed him, but there was so much about him that she didn't want to be around anymore. The truth was that the kiss between Hadley and her would never have happened if she was still in love with Zane.

The bell rang, bringing her out of her trance. Rikki took a moment to pull herself together, then hurried back towards class to collect her books.

The day passed by unbearably slowly. Rikki didn't even bother pretending to pay attention in her classes. Zane called her three times, but she ignored him each time. There was nothing left to talk about. Eventually it was time to head down the long hall towards Hadley's classroom. Her pulse picked up slightly as she walked into the room. Rikki dropped into her seat, not raising her eyes to look at anyone.

"Good afternoon." Hadley spoke as he walked into the room. His eyes met Rikki's briefly before dropping down to his attendance roster. He took his time rearranging his desk before he looked up at the class. "So." He rubbed his hands together.

Rikki noticed that Hadley was careful to avoid looking her in the eyes as he spoke.

"Today we're making maps." Hadley announced. "I know, I know. When are any of you going to need to make a map? Probably never. But..." He grinned at all of them, though his smile wavered as it flickered over Rikki. "You'll also be learning how to navigate with compasses and longitude/latitude coordinates. And those skills, guys, you just may actually need to use someday. You'll be working in pairs. Let's keep our parents working together, shall we? By the way, how are all of our children holding up?"

There was muffled laughter as a few students held their flour bags up in the air.

"Glad to see at least a few of our children are still thriving." Hadley laughed as he pulled several boxes from his teaching cabinet. "One box per team, please. Each kit includes a digital compass, a longitude/latitude chart, list of street names in our zip code, pencils, mapping paper, everything you need. You are to sketch me a map of this school and the streets within a mile circumference around it. And be detailed!" He added.

As Hadley began demonstrating how to use the equipment, Rikki caught a look back at Nick, who had his usual look of boredom on his face.

"All right teams, get to it!" Hadley gestured to the supply kits on his desk.

As usual, Nick didn't make any effort to get up or help. With a resigned sigh, Rikki walked up to Hadley's desk to get a supply box for the project.

"Rikki, um.." Hadley whispered as she reached him. "Do you think you could stay after class today? I really need to talk to you." His eyes darted nervously around the classroom, making sure no one was watching them. "Please, Rikki."

"Yeah, sure." Rikki muttered uneasily. "No problem." She awkwardly shoved her hands into her pockets, avoiding Hadley's piercing gaze. Nervous, she pushed her way back towards Nick's desk, dropping the supplies loudly onto the wooden surface. She reluctantly took her seat beside him, not bothering to be polite.

"What, are you and the teacher having a disagreement?" Nick muttered under his breath.

Rikki let out a long sigh before she spoke. "There is nothing at all going on between Mr. Cruz and me, Nick. Stop teasing."

"Stop teasing." Nick scoffed. "Maybe you should take your own advice."

Rikki clenched her jaw, telling herself to just ignore his rude remark. "Let's just draw this damn map, ok?" She managed to grumble.

It was like pulling teeth. Sure, Nick did his share of the calculating, but Rikki had to prompt him for every single coordinate. The class period seemed to stretch into forever. It felt like a year later, but eventually the bell rang.

"Alright, gang." Hadley called. "Turn in your completed maps and work kits to my desk, please."

Rikki cast a disappointed eye over their pathetic result. "This is crap. We're going to get a terrible grade."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get an A." Nick murmured.

"Will you please just stop?" Rikki momentarily lost her cool, raising her voice.

"What, did I touch a nerve?" A sneer spread across Nick's face. "Or is that what you and Mr. Cruz are doing?"

A hot pang of anger shot through Rikki. "You have no idea what you're talking about, you jerk." She whispered, glaring at Nick.

But Nick wasn't looking back at her. Instead, his eyes were focused past Rikki, at a cluster of students making their way up the aisle beside them, practically knocking into Rikki, who paid them no mind. Brad was flirting like crazy with Brailie, who pushed him playfully.

"Brad..." Brailie giggled. "Cut it out." She squealed as Brad pushed her back.

"Oh yeah?" Brad had a mischievous look on his face as he reached into his bag.

Rikki could hear the students giggling beside her, but she didn't have any interest in joining their fun. They seemed totally oblivious of the fact that they were being loud and obnoxious.

"How about some of this?" She heard Brad tease.

Several drops of water splashed onto the floor next to Rikki. She automatically recoiled as Brad slung the open water bottle around again at the girls. Rikki prepared to run, trying to figure a way out without getting in the way.

Suddenly, Nick was no longer seated beside her. In a flash he was standing face to face with Brad. Nick's arm was extended high above his head, and clasped tightly in his fingers was the open bottle of water that he'd just taken right out of Brad's hands. Brad, Braylie and her friends all fell immediately silent. One last solitary drop of water landed on Rikki's desk, just missing her. Her breath caught in her throat at the near miss.

"Get away from me." Nick said angrily. "Go act like preschoolers somewhere else." He dropped back into his chair, glaring at the group of students as they made their way out the door, now completely hushed.

"What just happened?" Rikki's voice was shaken, though she tried not to let it show.

"I hate Brad and his cronies." Nick muttered. "He thinks he's so damn slick." He slammed the bottle of water onto the desk.

"Yeah, well..." Rikki quickly scooted away from the water bottle. "Class is over, I should really be going."

"I'll bet." Nick shot at her as he threw his backpack across his shoulders. He walked out of the classroom without so much as a backwards glance in Rikki's direction.

"Thanks for waiting." Hadley spoke in a business-like tone as he waited for the last student to leave the classroom. As soon as they were alone he reached for Rikki's hand. "About this morning..."

Rikki shook her head. "You don't need to say anything, it's no big deal."

"Yes it is." Hadley appeared hurt at Rikki's words. "At least to me it is." His eyes locked in on Rikki's for several seconds before he shook himself out of it. "It was inappropriate behavior." His professional tone returned. "And I apologise, I only hope you can forgive me."

"Already done." Rikki smiled as relief spread over Hadley's face. "It was just a kiss, Hadley. Please don't stress over it."

"Just a kiss.' Hadley chuckled, gently moving his thumb over Rikki's knuckles. "From your idiot teacher."

"I owe you an apology too." Rikki met his eyes. "Listen, I had no business showing up at your house this morning and blowing up at you. I should have waited til I had calmed down to talk to you, I-"

"Sh.." Hadley gently placed an index finger over Rikki's lips. "Getting to see you first thing in the morning... I can't think of a better way to start my day."

Rikki couldn't help herself, there was something about the way Hadley's eyes made her feel warm all over that practically glued her in place. He blushed, looking away after a moment.

"I was thinking..." Rikki began, speaking slowly in case she changed her mind. "Is it too late to take you up on that swim?"

Hadley's eyes widened. "Really?"

Rikki nodded. "If you still want to go."

"Of course I do." Hadley quickly threw his bag onto his desk and began to pack it. "Now?"

"Now." Rikki felt good about her decision. She trusted Hadley and, in spite of everything, she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. There was just something about him that made her feel safe. Plus, she was dying for a swim.

"Let me just get these kits back on the shelf." Hadley hurried around the room. "We'll be on our way to the college pool in ten minutes."

"Sounds good." Rikki breathed as a smile spread across her face. She stood up to help her friend straighten the room.

Neither of them noticed the shadow waiting just outside the classroom door, listening to every word they said. Nick clenched his jaw, tightening his fists as he took in their conversation. "I knew it." He muttered under his breath as he turned on his heel and stalked out of the school.