I’m about to head back into the café, feeling like I’ve been punched in the gut, when I hear Lizzie say, “Don’t worry. We have a plan.”

As she starts to describe this “plan,” she lowers her voice, so I can’t hear her anymore. I lean farther around the corner, trying to catch what she’s saying, but at that exact moment, Mina glances up and we make eye contact. Shit.

Mina nudges Lizzie to stop talking. I swallow hard. No point hiding now. I hastily wipe the tears away and step out from behind the corner.

“Hey, Rachel,” Mina says, quirking an eyebrow, “the managers are going to be here in ten minutes to pick us up. Think you can manage to be on time for that?”

I stare at her for a beat, willing her to back off. But she just stares back at me.

Finally, I break eye contact and head for the door. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

I may have blinked first, but that doesn’t mean I have to let them see me cry.

TWENTY-TWO

Hey, it’s me. Guess we’ve been playing a little phone tag lately. Let’s see, updates: Looks like we’re finally going to contract on the Shearson deal, so I might be able to have something resembling a life again. Um… Halmoni loved the cat sweater you picked out. Unfortunately, Elvis may have to lose a few pounds to fit into it, but don’t worry, she’s got him on some diet kibble, so… Anyway, I guess the only other thing to report is how much I miss you. Call me back when you can.

I replay Alex’s message again while I wait for Leah to meet me in the DB lobby. Even through a voicemail his voice brings me a sense of calm—which I’m desperately seeking these days. Luckily, yesterday’s disastrous café visit was the last thing on my schedule for this week, so I’ll have some time to calm down before I have to see the girls again. I still can’t get over the whiplash of what happened—one second I’m feeling like a jerk for missing Youngeun’s special cookie moment; the next, I’m feeling like I’ve been stabbed in the back with a chef’s knife.

For so long, I was worried about my fashion line not being successful enough—Mina’s constant reminders ringing in my ears: When one of us looks bad, we all look bad. But I never expected that the girls would think my brand was too successful. I think back to what Yujin said at our coffee date—that eventually, even the closest groups can be torn apart by internal competition. Is that what’s happening to us?