young Salma Hayek, with full lips and an even fuller chest. The other girl, with her pale
coloring, hazel eyes, and short black hair, looked kind of like Luce.
"Wait, so you're really Lucinda Price?" the pale girl asked. She had very small
white teeth and was using them to hold a couple of sequin-tipped bobby pins while she
twisted a few dark tendrils into little knots. "As in Luce-and-Daniel? As in the girl who
just came from that awful school in Alabama--"
"Georgia." Luce sort of nodded.
"Same thing. Ohmigod, what was Cam like? I saw him once at this death metal
concert ... of course, I was too nervous to introduce myself. Not that you'd be interested
in Cam, because obviously-- Daniel! " She trilled a laugh. "I'm Dawn, b-t-dubs. This is
Jasmine."
"Hi," Luce said slowly. This was new. "Um ..."
"Don't mind her, she just drank, like, eleven coffees." Jasmine spoke about three
times more slowly than Dawn did. "What she means is we're excited to meet you. We
always say how you and Daniel are, like, the greatest love story. Ever."
"Seriously?" Luce cracked her knuckles.
"Are you kidding?" Dawn asked, though Luce kept expecting them to be the ones
working up to some kind of joke. "All that dying again and again? Okay, does it make
you want him even more? I bet it does! And ohhh, when that fire that burns you up"--she
closed her eyes, put a hand over her stomach, then brushed it up her body, clasping a fist
over her heart. "My mom used to tell me the story when I was a little girl."
Luce was shocked. She glanced around the busy terrace, wondering whether
anyone could overhear them. Speaking of burning up, her cheeks must be beet red right
now.
An iron bell rang from the roof of the mess hall to signal the end of breakfast, and
Luce was glad to see that everyone else had other things to focus on. Like getting to
class.
"Your mom used to tell you what story?" Luce asked slowly. "About me and
Daniel?"
"Just some of the highlights," Dawn said, opening her eyes. "Does it feel like a
hot flash? Like a menopause kind of thing, not that you would know--"
Jasmine smacked Dawn on the arm. "Did you just compare Luce's unbridled
passion to a hot flash?"
"Sorry." Dawn giggled. "I'm just fascinated. It sounds so totally romantic and
awesome. I'm envious--in a good way!"
"Envious that I die every time I try to get with the guy of my dreams?" Luce
hunched up her shoulders. "It's actually kind of a buzz kill."
"Tell that to the girl whose only kiss to date was with Ira Frank of the Irritable
Bowel Syndrome." Jasmine gestured teasingly at Dawn.
31
When Luce didn't laugh, Dawn and Jasmine filled in with a placating giggle, as if
they thought she was just being modest. Luce had never been on the receiving end of one
of those giggles before.
"What exactly did your mom say?" Luce asked.
"Oh, just the usual stuff: The war broke out, shit hit the fan, and when they drew a
line in the clouds, Daniel was all 'Nothing can tear us apart,' and that pissed everyone off.
'Course it's my favorite part of the story. So now your love has to suffer this eternal
punishment where you still desperately want each other but you can't, like, you know--"
"But in some lives they can." Jasmine corrected Dawn, then winked impishly at
Luce, who almost couldn't move from the shock of hearing all of this.
"No way!" Dawn flung out a hand dismissively. "The whole point is that she
bursts into flames when she--" Seeing Luce's horrified expression, Dawn winced. " Sorry.
Not what you want to hear."
Jasmine cleared her throat and leaned in. "My older sister was telling me this one
story from your past that I swear would--"
"Oooh!" Dawn linked her arm through Luce's, as if this knowledge--knowledge
that Luce had no access to--made her a more desirable friend. This was maddening. Luce
was fiercely embarrassed. And, okay, a little excited. And absolutely unsure whether any
of it was true. One thing was sure: Luce was suddenly kind of ... famous. But it felt
strange. Like she was one of those unnamed bimbos next to the It-boy movie star in a
paparazzi photo.
"You guys!" Jasmine was pointing exaggeratedly down at the clock on her phone.
"We're so super-late! We've got to book it to class."
Luce grimaced, quickly grabbing her backpack. She had no idea what class she
had first, or where to find it, or how to take Jasmine and Dawn's enthusiasm. She hadn't
seen such extended, eager smiles since--well, maybe ever.
"Do either of you know how I figure out where my first class is? I don't think I