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She had never thought of herself and Scout as a "couple." Although she was aware that other people might. She had kissed him. And she'd liked it. Scout happened to be a great kisser. But they had never discussed seeing only each other. She wasn't interested in seeing only Scout. She didn't know who else she did want to see. No one in particular. She just didn't want to become Scout's property, which now seemed to be very much what he had in mind.
    He had never acted like this before. Why was it suddenly so important to him to wrap and tag her as his?
    "Don't tell me what to do, Scout," she said quietly but firmly. "You're not my keeper. And if that's a problem for you, then maybe we shouldn't spend so much time together."
    Scout's deep blue eyes narrowed. "It's because of him, isn't it?" He flicked a hand over one shoulder, toward the gym. "Well, don't worry about that guy, because if I know Lane, and I do, she's already staked her claim. So you can forget it, Maggie. Three's a crowd, right? Three has always been a crowd."
    Maggie didn't answer him. She knew he wasn't talking about Lane and Whit and Maggie creating a triangle. He was talking about Whit and Maggie and himself. Warning her away from Whit. Scout was warning her? What was wrong with him?
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    "Lane already has a boyfriend," Maggie said angrily.
    Seeing the look in her eyes, Scout's face eased, and he forced a smile. "Hey, I'm sorry. Look, it's just. . . well, you know . . . we're starting a whole new year of school and we've got SATs ahead of us and now we've got this crazy business of emptying out the old courthouse. That's going to take time away from football practice and Coach is going to be ticked and my mom's really going off the deep end. I've been under a lot of stress lately."
    Maggie hated that expression. "Under a lot of stress." People used it all the time, to excuse rotten behavior and bad manners. Who wasn't under stress? Life was stressful, period. Since when was that a good excuse for acting like a jerk? When she was feeling stressed-out, she ate chocolate doughnuts. The only damage that caused was to her waistline. It didn't hurt anybody else.
    Still, Scout had had a hard time since his parents' divorce. "Are we clear about who's in charge of my life?" she asked, not ready to forgive Scout's heavy-handedness.
    "I guess." He didn't sound convinced, but Maggie could see that he wasn't willing to argue.
    He looked so downcast, she took pity on him and reached out to take his hand. She was about to say something cheerful like, "Relax, Scout, I'm not the love of your life," when the new boy, along with Helen, Lane, and Alex, emerged from the gym. They were all talking animatedly, but Whit did look up as they entered the hall, and his dark eyes foU
    cused on Maggie's hand in Scout's. He nodded, as if to say, That's what I thought, and then quickly turned his attention back to Lane.
    As the trio approached Maggie and Scout, she heard Whit say, "So, if we're going to be moving stuff from the old courthouse to the new one next week, maybe we could go scope out the place this afternoon. I need to see what we're up against."
    "What a great idea!" Lane responded quickly. "American history fascinates me. Personally, I think that eyesore should be torn down. But since it hasn't been, exploring it might be fun."
    Maggie almost laughed aloud. The only American's history Lane Bridgewater was interested in was Thomas Whittier's. Hadn't her boyfriend ever told her three was a crowd? Apparently not.
    "Good, we can all go," Maggie heard herself saying. "I have to take some renovation plans over there for my mother." She pulled the sheaf of papers from her backpack, waving them in the air.
    "Count me in," Scout enjoined. He hadn't let go of Maggie's hand. "I still want it torn down, but if it's not gonna be, it'll be fun to see what it looks like before Maggie's mom and friends work their magic on it, turning it into a tourist attraction."
    Maggie was surprised when