“Well, then that’s only because his mom isn’t as cool as I am. Not because he’s not thinking it.”

“His mom is definitely not as cool as you are.” Levi’s mom looks like the kind of wide-hipped and frizzy-haired mother who packs lunches and chaperones field trips. She doesn’t tell stories about the time when she was twenty-two and she almost had sex with Mick Jagger at a club in New York. To be fair, neither does my mother, but that’s because Aunt Candy tells them for her. Apparently, Mick passed out on her halfway through, and my mom had to yell for a security guard to help lift him off. Afterward my mom looked Candy straight in the eye and said, “I can’t get no satisfaction,” and then the two of them laughed so hard they cried.

I don’t want to make assumptions about Levi’s mom, but I’m 99 percent sure she’s never even come close to sleeping with a rock star.

“Next time you speak to Levi, let him know that if he decides to break my little girl’s heart, I will break his legs,” my mom says, and ruffles my hair.

“I’m sure Aunt Candy knows a guy.”

“We don’t need a guy for that. I’d do it myself. Don’t forget, I take kickboxing.”

“You do have serious biceps,” I say, and I glance at my mother.

“I would kill for you and your sister. With my bare hands if I had to.”

“Don’t be creepy,” I say.

“I’m serious. I’d do anything for you, sweet pea.”

“Please don’t, you know, resort to murder, though.”

“You never know,” she says, and flexes her arm muscles.

Shola: OMG

Me: OMG

Shola: OMG OMG OMG

Me: RIGHT? Right. I think I might be in love. Like for real.

Shola: I don’t know. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves

Me: The way he looked at me. I mean I’ve never had anyone look at me like that

Shola: Remember Liam, that senior when we were freshman? He used to look at me like that

Me: I totally forgot about him. Remind me what happened there?

Shola: He went to college, never to be heard from again, and with a girlfriend no less. But hot damn, the way he used to glance at me across the cafeteria. So…yum

Me: Who knew looking could be even sexier than kissing? I mean the kissing was great too, don’t get me wrong. But there’s something about that look, like right before the kiss…

Shola: You are going to be insufferable for a while

Me: YUP

Shola: I’m so happy for you

Me: Thanks

Shola: I bet you are dying to send me a string of ridiculous emojis

Me: YUP

Shola: I’ll make an exception to my no-emoji rule, just this once

Me: You are a true friend