Who knew Siri could be adorable? She had headphones in the entire train ride here, listening to the most hardcore emo stuff I’ve ever heard. She let me pop in a bud, and I tapped out after a minute.

“What do you think?” she asked hopefully.

I nodded. “Intense. Not for me, but I love that you love it.”

“I know it’s hard to hear the lyrics and feel the music at first,” she explained. “It’s kind of like learning a new dialect—the more you listen to it, the more you hear. I love that it’s kind of like poetry; there’s a lot of layers to analyze.”

“Dang, watch out, ballet, I think Siri’s found something else she’s passionate about. Angst Lord mode activated.”

Siri rolled her eyes and popped her second earbud back in, smiling.

She’s smiling so much more since she got back from California. Is that because of something Dawn helped her through?

Dawn sent me a happy birthday text last night: Happy birthday, Jame. I miss you. <3 Excited to celebrate after we work through all the shit we’re tangled up in. I don’t know if you’ve talked to Siri about things, but I don’t want to come between you two. Siri stuff … that wasn’t to hurt you. Nothing was done to hurt you. I hope we can talk-talk soon. These last 2 weeks have felt like an eternity without you in them to latch onto in all my free moments.

It would have been in character for a selfish asshole like me to think Dawn put the moves on my sister to hurt me, but that thought didn’t ever cross my mind because Dawn is the best person in the universe and I know she would never do that.

How could Siri resist the charms of the best, most caring person in the universe? And Siri cares so much about things. In ways that, I guess, I don’t. I don’t know. Siri’s nice. Dawn could use someone like that in her life.

I don’t know who to be upset with when it comes to my best friend kissing my sister. Is it anyone’s fault? Is it my fault? Is it a fault? I just know that I’m upset … It probably has nothing to do with them. It’s my own issue. And I’m not ready to talk it through with Siri yet. I’ll get upset, and I don’t want to be upset right now. I want to be on the same team. I want to try things her way.

I rub my hands together and smile at Donya. “So, what are we in for today, Don?”

“We wanted to have a team chat about talking to your mom and dad.”