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Honda Civic her brother was driving.
    She opened the front passenger door, smiled at her brother and stepped aside. I must have looked completely shocked because she actually rolled her eyes at me.
    "Come on! We're going to freeze!" She made a motion with her hand for me to go inside. I couldn't believe she was forcing me to sit right next to her brother. Not to mention I was already embarrassing myself by hesitating. Ugh, she was going to pay me later for this. I got into the car, and she closed the door, trapping me inside with her gorgeous brother.
    "Hi, Ariel," he said, a lovely smile stretching his lips. "Heard you passed out. Nice way to avoid class."
    "I wasn't really avoiding class," I said, blushing like an idiot. Luckily, I could blame the cold air for the redness in my cheeks. Italia slid into the back, placing our things on the seat next to her. In all the excitement about seeing her brother, I'd totally forgotten she had both of our backpacks.
    "Sure you weren't." The tone of Amadeo's voice was telling me he didn't believe me. Oh, well, it would have been so much better if I had been faking it.
    "You know where Ariel lives, right?" Italia pushed her head between the seats as I fumbled with my seatbelt.
    "Sure, sis," Amadeo said, bringing the engine to life. "Now would you mind putting your seatbelt on?"
    "Yeah, whatever." She settled back into her seat. "So, you can get me home first because I need to do something, and then you can take Ariel."
    "No prob." He steered the car out of the school's parking lot. I glanced back at Italia, trying hard to calm my jumping heart. How could she do this to me? There was no way I was going to stay alone in the car with Amadeo. Just no.
    "Isn't my house in the wrong direction?" I said. "I mean, you'll have to drive back and all?"
    "It's fine. I have to do something out of the town, so your house is just on my way," Amadeo said, his warm brown eyes melting away all the coldness I was feeling. Why did he have to be so beautiful? His skin looked tanned even in the middle of winter, his cheekbones high and his lips so kissable. But what I liked even more than his full lips, thick dark eyelashes and brown eyes, was his soft wavy dark brown hair, which always looked like he had just washed it. He was born to do a shampoo commercial. I bit my lip, wondering what it would be like to run my fingers through his hair and pull him in for a kiss.
    When Amadeo gave me a curious look, a playful smile curving his lips, I realized I was staring. I looked away, focusing on the scenery outside. Oh my, this was going to be a long ride.

    Italia jumped out of the car, grabbing her backpack and saying goodbye to us. She winked at me before she disappeared behind the front door of their huge white house. The car suddenly seemed too small for Amadeo and me.
    "Time to get you home," he said, getting the car back on the road. I kept my mouth shut, unsure what to say. Luckily, the radio was on and the music didn't leave space for any awkward silences.
    "Are you feeling all right?" Amadeo glanced at me, concern glowing in his eyes.
    "Umm, yeah," I said. "I'm fine. It's just something that happened at school and..."
    "What happened?"
    "Nothing special," I lied. Why did I always have to blurt out something stupid?
    "It is something," he said, his face serious. "You don't look like a fainting type."
    "Is that a compliment?" I smiled, trying to change the subject. I wasn't going to admit to this hot guy that I was becoming a lunatic.
    "Yeah. But I still want to know what happened."
    Ah, great. I was sure that if I opened my mouth, I'd say something that wouldn't even make sense; a lie that would only bury me deeper into the ground.
    "I was worrying too much. It's just... my classmate," I said, playing absently with the lock of my hair. Couldn't this damn car go a little bit faster?
    "Love trouble?" He chuckled.
    "No!" I was glad that the seatbelt held me in place, or I might have jumped. "Nothing like that. I