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Tara leaned over to whisper in ht want to switch to SDA mode,” she advised “Brooke probably won’t kill you for the PDA, but Chloe ht”

I didn’t have to ask what PDA was, but I tried to sort out the other acronym

The barest hint of a grin flicked across Tara’s face at my puzzlement “Stealth Displays of Affection”

Based on the looks the twins—our resident flirting experts—were giving me, I could only conclude that as soon as rapped up with Operation Cheer Scouts, there ht be an SDA tutorial in my future

Not nearly soon enough, the topic of conversation changed to a teen slasherout the next weekend, and I felt a piece of paper being shoved unceremoniously into my lap under the table In an attempt to prove that I could be stealthy, I unwrapped it and read without anyone else at the table noticing

I need to talk to you

For a note froh-tech No codes No invisible ink But then again, the e wasn’t exactly the stuff that national security was made of Girls across the country probably passed notes like this every day I scanned the table, trying to figure out who’d sent it to roaned internally

She was staring straight atelse She held ot to pick up the banner paint, and ere going toto go see if Mr J will let us sneak out to pick some up You want to come with, Toby?”

I really didn’t, but since Chloe had never voluntarily spent ti that whatever she wanted to talk to

“Sure!” I tried to match her peppy tone “I’ve alanted to pick out banner paint”

I could see Brooke repressing an eye roll at my response, and even I had to admit that it wasn’t exactly one hundred percent believable, but if any of the guys at the table thought it was strange, they didn’t comment on it Even Jack just looked at me, a half smile on his face, like he knew that banner paint was seriously up there on the list of things I couldn’t have cared less about, but wasn’t going to blowto care about things that didn’t matter himself

As Chloe and I walked away from the table, part of ory, or if I was the only thing in Jack’s charmed life that didn’t

“Arrrrr,pirates”

Dear God, I thought in silent prayer, when I turn around, please don’t let that be Noah

“Arrr!” a dozen more voices chorused

I turned around, and there was Noah, along with Chuck and the slew of fresh All of them were dressed up like pirates, and three of the on a table in the middle of the cafeteria Noah brandished a makeshift sword

“Who you be voting for, mateys?” he asked his pirate followers