This isn’t the sort of party where people take photos of where everything goes to put it back in place before the parents get home. Evie’s parents are aware of their daughter’s thriving social life and support it fully, down to her dad’s alcohol cabinets—literal cabinets, kept unlocked and replenished every time they’re emptied. I think their parenting style amounts to “better under our nine-million-dollar roof than outside of it.”

“We have a Haltiwanger!” Evie shouts, jumping out of nowhere and kissing me hello on the cheek. She smells like really nice perfume and her brown hair has been meticulously made messy for the night.

“I promised I’d show!” I laugh, feeling Corinne and Ming watching us.

“Please,” Evie says with a smirk. “You said you’d try to come. No one has ever actually gotten a promise of attendance from Henri Haltiwanger.”

“Hi.” I Smile. This one says, “I’m totally confident in your multimillion-dollar palace in the sky.”

“Hi,” she answers, still hanging on my shoulder.

“They have great sexual chemistry,” I hear Corinne comment to Ming in a whisper that carries. If that didn’t catch Evie’s attention, Ming’s laugh certainly does.

“Oh! Corinne. Oh, my God, hi!” she says, blinking away the confusion as soon as it begins to set in.

“Henri invited me,” Corinne says, sounding uncertain for the first time. “Is that, um, okay?”

“Of course, sweetie! I’m so glad you’re here!” Evie smiles, moving on to effortlessly kiss Ming and Corinne on both cheeks. Four kisses in the blink of an eye.

It’s amazing sometimes to watch Evie operate. I’m decent with people when I need to be, but Evie is a genuine people person. If you ask her, she’ll give you the party line that she’s “a mess,” but everything she does looks like she’s not even trying. She’s just naturally likable and flirty and fun. It’s easy for kids who are less popular, or less rich, to dislike the rich white girl from afar, but up close, it’s clear that anyone who actively dislikes Evie probably also hates birthday cake and underwear fresh out of the dryer.

“Find me later, okay?” Evie says as she is waving to someone across the crowded space. And with that, she disappears into a trio of shrieking girls with beers in hand.

I turn back to Corinne after making sure Evie is out of hearing range.

“Okay, quick note, right off the bat,” I say. “Can you not comment on my sexual chemistry with people? That’d be downright nifty.”

“Well, it was borderline inappropriate,” she instead comments, causing Ming to laugh again.

“What happened to you not having time to date?” Corinne follows up, and really, who is this feral person the gods have cursed me with?

“They don’t date,” Ming chimes in, because suddenly he and Corinne are best friends.