When Sarah arrived at school Monday morning, Bent was already in the parking lot. He stood with his back against a yellow sports car. His milk chocolate hair blew lightly in the wind before settling delicately back across his forehead. A carefree grin was spread across his face.Sarah wondered why he appeared in such a good mood after their argument. While she had wished that he would kiss her on her birthday — she still wasn’t sure why she’d made that wish but so be it — she hadn’t expected to feel so upset about it. But she knew it was because of Kurl. The guy was gorgeous and he treated her well. She still wasn’t sure why he was so nice to her. It seemed as if someone had flipped a switch from Kurl being a dirt bag, to Kurl suddenly being mushy and sensitive. However, the boy with the beautiful name had treated her the best. There was no denying it. But deep down, Sarah realized she didn’t want to wind up like Elly. Hopeful for a future that wasn’t quite real. Bent liked her, she knew that for certain. But would he always like her? That was the real reason she pushed him away. She didn’t think she’d be able to keep him. Bent was really grinning now. Actually, he was laughing his head off. What was THAT about? Sarah wondered. She shut the door to her Jeep and tried not to make it obvious she was purposely walking at a diagonal to avoid him. As she reached the middle of the parking lot, she realized, with a nauseating punch to the stomach, that Bent was not alone. A group of senior girls with short skirts and frilly blouses stood beside him. The senior girls were usually the only ones aside from Elly and Trish who seemed capable of handling someone as sophisticated and intimidating as Bent Prince. After all, when a guy like that shows up out of nowhere in a small town, to every single girl around him, he becomes a legend. One of the girls with dark olive skin and emerald green eyes, reached up and messed up his hair. The girls immediately burst out laughing as Bent’s hair stood on end like soft spikes on his head. It was actually quite hilarious. Bent never looked out of place. His hair was always perfectly tousled. His expensive clothes were always fresh and crisp. Sarah felt herself bristle though she tried as hard as she could to squash the angry feelings back down. She was almost to the edge of the parking lot, right where the sidewalk led up to the front of the school, when Bent’s beautiful sparkling chocolate eyes suddenly flashed in her direction. For some reason, she held his gaze. She assumed he would look away or sneer at her. But he held her stare. Challenging her with his intoxicating charm. Sarah gasped and forced herself to turn her head. As she hurried across the sidewalk, she could hear Bent’s loud laughter echoing behind her. Seconds later, as if on a recorded backtrack, the girls giggled uproariously with him.Think about Kurl. Think about Kurl! Sarah thought. She pulled the blue diamond necklace out of her sweater and rubbed it between her fingers. She immediately felt better.