Just as I think Paul is going to hit Jason hard, Greg steps between them. “Hey, Paul, what’s up?”

Paul looks at Greg. “What are you doing here, man?”

Carter yanks Jason away. Unfortunately, I’ve raised my head to watch what’s going on, and they see me.

“What are you looking at?” Jason asks.

I think of some things I could say, but not with Mom sitting beside me. “Not much,” I tell him. It’s amazing how fast I’ve lost all sympathy for him.

Jason spits in the dirt, and he and Carter ride away on their bikes. It’s getting dark, but do they have lights? Of course not.

“Do you know that boy?” Mom asks me.

“He goes to my school. Skylar and I hate him.”

Before she can ask any more questions, Greg sits down with us. “Paul’s got a nasty temper. He’d have punched that kid out.”

Mom stares at Greg. “How do you know a guy like him?”

“I used to hire him as a backup if one of the guys on my crew was out sick or something. But he has issues. Drugs and stuff. I can’t count on him to show up for work.”

We finish our food and get into the truck. I look out the window. It’s almost dark now, and the first star shines brightly. Venus, the goddess of love. Mr. Boyce told us about her during a lesson on Greek mythology, but in Greece she’s called Aphrodite. He said the Romans stole all the Greek gods and gave them new Latin names but didn’t change their psychopathic personalities. No matter what you call her, he said, Venus caused trouble in Greece and Italy and anywhere else she went.

Mr. Boyce said that love is a game to Venus. She entertains herself by making people fall in love with each other, and then she makes one of them stop loving the other one, and the trouble begins.

Venus has already messed up my imaginary romance with Rob. I don’t want her to ruin anything else. Not because I believe in an ancient goddess often seen without her arms, but because love really does go bad sometimes.

6

Skylar and I go to the pool three days in a row without seeing Mr. Boyce. Skylar says it’s because his wife doesn’t want us hanging around him. She’s probably right, but I don’t understand why Mrs. Boyce feels that way about us. He’s our favorite teacher. You’d think she’d be glad her husband is so popular with his students.

On Monday it rains again, and we spend the day reading.

I finish Never Let Me Go, but it’s not the sort of book that leaves you feeling happy. I didn’t see the big surprise coming. It was definitely not something you’d tell someone who hasn’t read the book.