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"Oh, shoot," Natty said, pausing when Simon and I were already on the porch "I left the backpack"

We definitely couldn’t leave the backpack behind It had our fake IDs, soht need if our vehicle was discovered and we had to ht back," Natty said as she disappeared back into the library

Outside, it was still daylight, but according to my new pink atch, ere down to our last thirty-six eable

Nervous to be alone with Siain, especially after what had just happened back there, I cleared my throat, then crossed and uncrossedto bury the hatchet once and for all "I’uess we’ll have to work on that teainst one of the tall pillars of the porch, and watching , that I’d have to find some other ways to tap into this weird ability ofall wound up all the tiot the chance because that’s when I spied the patrol car Not that it was hard to see, coht down the street the way it was

I had no way of knowing if they were looking for us because of the incident at the bowling alley, or if the librarian actually had heard the coiant coincidence, and these guys were on their way to so it da ducks We had no place to go, and whoever was in that car would easily spot us

So, I did the only thing I could coasped as I launched myself at Siainst hi that he kiss ht protest,since he hadn’t seen the cop car the way I had But he didn’t He was either snize I had a plan, or he was coard the fact that I’d just assaulted him with a book, and he let me kiss him

But I was the one as really taken by surprise

Simon’s lips were a h I told ht of them at all And there was this briefwhich I swear I felt his breath catch in the back of his throat, right before his entire body relaxed and one of his ared ue brushed ether--to hell with saving our asses!

Simon totally should’ve known better Everyone knew the first rule of fake kissing: no tongue

But my instincts for self-preservation kicked in, and I knew there was no backing out now Not without knowing for sure if ere still being watched or not The only chance we stood of pulling this off was to fully-totally-absolutely commit

We had to become one of those couples I’d always rolled my eyes at in the school hallways--the ones ent at it so unabashedly, they made you wish you could stab your ownmy hand fro the line of his jahich was slightly, but not totally, stubbled I ran the pad oflike leather and cigarette s alley and the onion-y taste of his breath

Sie ofat all to do with the way his fingers feathered along razed ainst mine, and I swore I heard him let out a low, breathy chuckle Part of headed, but I was too busy trying to play the hero, so instead I kept up the performance of two teens who couldn’t keep their hands off each other

I pressedthe hard lines and leanin my stomach was surely a bad reaction to the fried foods I’d choked down at the bowling alley, and definitely not at all to Simon

"Ehem!" Natty shouted, a sound that was so obviously not her clearing her throat that I probably would’ve laughed if I wasn’t already dying of eht the two of us kissing "You two need so at her, I knew shewhere I was still draped all over Siainst Simon’s teeth, while Simon kept his arm secured around my waist

Natty sounded uncertain when she answered, "Are who gone? I have no idea who you’re talking about"

"The cops" But from Natty’s bewildered tone I already had my answer, and I shoved away from Sily, my head just a tad--a tad!--fuzzy, after such close contact It would be weird if I didn’t feel that way

"Cops?" Natty asked, and I got the feeling this was her version of the third degree "Is that what this was all about?" She waved at us, like she aving at so and unnatural Like now she was the one who needed so pointy and sharp to poke out her mind’s eye