Turned out my last thought had proven correct: Stephanie kept our little dalliance a secret from everyone, even her BFF, Elizabeth. Was it shame? Or was she just concerned about upsetting the apple cart? In any case, much as I wanted us to, Steph and I didn't have the lust-filled reunion I had hoped for after I got out of the hospital. It drove me nuts.

We had been so completely comfortable with each other for so long, it was a shock to see the anxiety on Stephanie's face when I returned to school. The other girls even noticed something was up with her, but she just made something up about being nervous for an upcoming test. The whole situation was starting to freak me out.