She started bouncing in place. Her hands clapped together with each bounce.

I nodded with my eyes wide. “I am very happy for you.”

“Yay!” She pretended to do a cheer, but as she lifted her leg in the air, she kicked someone in the head.

“Ouch! Watch out!” they growled before they shoved through the crowd.

“Oh!” Her hand flew to her mouth. She edged close to me. “You think I hurt him?”

I shrugged. I didn’t care. “Do you know where Adam is?”

“Oh yeah!” The cheerleader bounce was back in her step. She wiggled her hips and pointed towards the senior hallway. “He was talking to Rebecca Lindstrom.”

“Thanks.”

“Wait.” She danced in front of me and stopped me. “Why are you going to see Adam?” Her dancing stopped.

“Because he has a job.”

“I have a job.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, well—no.”

I started to edge around her again. “I need money. Adam has a job. I was hoping to talk to him about it.” I tilted my head to the side as I studied her. She was biting her lip and she twisted her hands together in front of her. “Is that okay with you?”

Her shoulders dropped an inch. “Yeah. I’ll talk to you later?”

I nodded. “You bet.” I patted her shoulder as I hurried away. When I got to the senior hallway, Adam and a tall black-haired girl were pressed together in front of his locker. His head was bent towards hers and she was looking up. If I couldn’t have heard their voices, I would’ve assumed they were kissing. As I drew closer, I cleared my throat and waited.

Adam glanced up and went back down. Then his head jerked up again and surprised flared in his eyes. “Samantha! Hey.”

She turned around with a snooty pout on her lips. Her shirt was tied tight around her chest and lifted up to show her midriff. As she let out an annoyed breath, her hands smoothed out her skirt. It was inched down as a result. “Hi, Samantha.”

“Rebecca.” I tried for a blank look. “How are you?” I remembered that she was friends with Jessica, had been since first grade. They grew up next door to each other.

“Good.”

“Hey.” Adam stepped out from his locker and to the side. Rebecca frowned at their distance. “What’s going on?”

“You have a job, right?”

“Right.” His eyes shifted back and forth. “So?”

“And you have hockey starting up? That has to take time away from your job. Are you still working there?”

“Oh.” His shoulders sagged forward. “Uh, yeah. I mean, no. I can still keep most of my hours. Practice doesn’t take that long and we have fewer games than the football season. I have more time than I did before.” He frowned. “Why? Do you need a job?”

“I thought you were rich.” Rebecca sneered up and down at me. She gave me the once-over. “Why do you need a job?”

I fought the urge to snarl and forced a polite smile. “I am not rich. My future stepfather is rich.”

“So are his sons. Doesn’t Mason pay you?”

My eyes went frosty.

Adam glared at her. “Rebecca!”

“What?” She shrugged as she looked bored. “That’s what I heard.”

“Not all of us earn money on our backs.” I tsked at her. “You should know better. I’m not nearly as experienced as you.”

“Did you just call me a hooker?”

It was my turn to shrug and look bored. “I believe that’s what you called me.”

Adam was fighting back a smile, but he shook his head now. “Leave, Rebecca.”

“Are we still on for our date?”

“No.”

Her seductive smile dropped. A hard look came over her next. “What?”

“I lost interest when you insulted my friend.”

“She insulted me too.”

His shoulders lifted, and he moved forward. As he looked down his nose at her, I recognized it was a gesture from Peter, who had the prestigious snob effect down to perfection. Adam’s was a close second, and Rebecca shifted back. Her eyes cast to the ground and her hand dropped where it had been poised on her hip. He gave her a cold smile. “She’s my friend. You’re not.”

Her fight was gone, but she asked, “What was I?”

“What do you think?” Then he pivoted and grabbed my arm. He led us away and murmured under his breath, “So you need a job, huh?”

“Yeah. Are there any openings at the country club?”

When we turned a corner, the hallway was crowded, but one person looked up. They shuffled to the side and the rest followed. Adam and I walked past them like we were strolling through the park. He shrugged. “I can ask my boss. I know they have openings for servers. You wouldn’t want to be one of those?”

I shuddered. “And be nice to rich stuck-up people?”

He chuckled. “You’re a part of that demographic now.”

“No, I’m not. I’m not rich.”

“You are by association.” He glanced at from the corner of his eye and held my gaze.

I readied myself. “What are you asking?”

“Nothing, just wondering if Mason knows about this new job venture?” He stopped me with a light touch to my arm. “And if he knew you were going to approach me about it?”