Sarah pointed her pencil at the letter D. “It’s the function of f(x) = ln(x).” She dared not look at him again. Bent leaned towards her. “That’s right.” Sarah pushed her hair behind her shoulder. She could see his shoe was almost touching her converse sneakers. “Do you want to try one of the problems on the board now?” he asked. Sarah took a deep breath. “Sure.” For the next few minutes, she scribbled out the formulas. When she was finished, she handed him her paper.She watched him from the corner of her eye. The sun had found the curls around his forehead. It gave him a soft, warm glow. “Nice work,” he said. He handed the paper back. Sarah fidgeted. She felt the question bubble up inside her. She tried to hold it back.”Can we forget about Saturday night?” Sarah suddenly blurted out. Bent’s face went rigid. “What do you mean?” he asked. What do I mean? What do you THINK I mean? Sarah wanted to scream. She almost started to laugh again. “I mean,” Sarah said. “We should pretend Saturday never happened. I’m going out with Kurl now.” Okay. That was a low blow. Bent didn’t seem fazed at all. “Why should I care?” he asked with a sneer. “Um…” Sarah said. Why was he so hard to read? “I guess. Well. Because Elly is planning something for the four of us.” Bent raised an eyebrow. “So?” Before she could answer, a look of horror crossed his face. He seemed to understand. “Hold up. Is she expecting a double date?” Sarah bit her lip, nodding. Bent’s eyes studied hers. His expression relaxed into a lopsided grin. “Could be fun? How are you at pole dancing? I like a good show –” Sarah gasped and swatted him. “Don’t forget Kurl is going to be there!” Bent wrinkled his nose. “We can lock him in a closet.” Sarah giggled. “Anyway. You’ve got it all wrong. No way am I like that!” Bent narrowed his eyes. “Did you mention that to Kurl?” His words sounded like a threat. Sarah twirled her pencil around in her hand. “I’m pretty sure Kurl understands,” she said simply. Bent cocked his head to the side. “Well, your little escapade in Kurl’s Porsche indicates otherwise.” His eyes were fierce now. Sarah held his gaze. “Maybe people shouldn’t be spying,” she said. “Well maybe you need better taste in guys!” he snarled. Sarah dropped her pencil on her desk. “So who do you have in mind?” she asked, smiling. Bent shrugged his massive shoulders. She could see a hint of a grin on his lips. “No one in particular. But…if you want to repeat Saturday night, remind me to bring my duct tape. Could be way nastier.”He was making fun of her now. She scowled and hit him with her textbook. “Mr. Prince! Miss Smith! What is going on over there?” Dr. Frost asked angrily. Sarah cringed and spun to face the teacher. “Uh, Bent had a bug on his shoulder. It’s gone now,” she said. She hid her smile behind her hand. Dr. Frost didn’t seem to believe her. “Bent. Are you all right?” she asked. As if I could HURT him! Sarah thought.Bent grinned at Dr. Frost. “I’m fine. Sarah’s done with the assignment.” Dr. Frost held out her hand. Bent snatched Sarah’s paper and carried it over to the teacher. Dr. Frost skimmed it and frowned. “She did this herself, right?” Bent’s grin widened. “She sure did.” The bell rang. Class was over. Sarah collected her things and stood up. “Thanks for helping me. By the way,” she said as Bent grabbed his notepad off the desk. “I’m supposed to tell you I’m going on the trip next weekend to Miami.” Bent paused. “I know. I already took care of everything.” He stared at her a bit longer than he should have. “Bent!” Elly called. He gave Sarah a brief nod, and walked away.