I chuckled, folding my arms over my chest as I reached her. “Where do you think you’re going?”

She blinked up at me, baffled. “Colt’s.”

I shook my head. “You didn’t forget, did you?”

Where is her head at lately?

“What?” She furrowed her brow, a flash of panic in her eyes.

My shoulders dropped.

“You want to have another heart-to-heart brownie session?” she asked, a slight teasing in her tone.

“Ha, ha.” I remembered the brownie session from months ago—time was flying by, most of it consumed by TOC prep, website maintenance, and Amber. The brownies had been my attempt to reconnect with my baby sister. Tessa and I had talked that day, sure, but I could tell she was hiding something—she’d been more distracted and absent than me lately. But, when she’d claimed it was nothing—just girl stuff—I had backed off, hoping the gesture was enough for her to know I would always have her back. “It’s Mom and Dad’s anniversary,” I said, and her jaw dropped.

“No, that’s on Friday.” She tilted her head.

I rubbed my palms over my face. “Tessa, it is Friday.”

Did she skip class today? How else would she forget it’s the beginning of the weekend?

“Oh,” she said, her eyes spacing for a minute before she came back around. “Oh!” A bright smile lit up her face for the first time in weeks, and I breathed a sigh.

“There she is,” I said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“Did they already leave?” she asked, not bothering to look at me while she typed out a fast text.

“Yup,” I said, leading her into the entertainment room. “An hour ago. Mom texted to say they’d checked in safe and sound. Also ordered us not to stay up all night or burn down the house.”

Tessa chuckled and bounced on her toes when she spotted the coffee table in front of our couch. I’d loaded it with all the goods—two thin-crust pepperoni pizzas, three bowls of popcorn, and enough candy and soda to last us all night.

“Yes!” She clapped and then pointed at me. “I’ve got to get back in my PJs,” she said, determined. “Colt knows I’m staying in tonight! Is Sean coming?”

“Already here, sister!” Sean called from the kitchen.

“What?” She disappeared in a blink, no doubt tackle-hugging him.

Relief swirled through my blood—she’d been ghosting us both, but clearly our annual tradition meant more to her than whatever was going on. Maybe I was making a bigger deal about it than it was. Maybe it really was just girl stuff. Stuff I’d never understand.

Amber might.