“What! N-no, absolutely not,” she exclaims, playing right into his hand like a novice. “We just live in the same building.”

“Where do you live, Haltiwanger?” Marvyn asks.

“Upper West Side. Near Lincoln Center,” I quickly say. “Near” is a word with a lot of breadth. By all accounts, Brooklyn is near. Massachusetts is near too, technically. Corinne looks at me but, thank God, doesn’t add anything.

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” Evie blinks. “Well, Marvyn here is having a pool party Saturday. You two should come. It will be a blast.”

“Shouldn’t I be in charge of the guest list to my own party, E?”

“I don’t see why.” Evie smirks at him, earning her a shoulder bump. Urgh.

“We’ll be there,” Corinne says, nodding furiously. “Sounds super fun.”

Super fun?

They both duck into the classroom while Corinne lingers for an additional moment and leans into me to whisper.

She looks into the classroom where the teacher is and back to me. “What time should we leave? And do I, like, bring my bathing suit or wear it? Or—oh! Is it skinny-dipping—”

“Jesus, Corinne, no.” I shake my head. “And nah, I don’t think this one’s for me.”

“No! You have to come.”

“Why?” I ask, raising a deliberate eyebrow, even though I already suspect I know the answer. Corinne navigating one of these parties is still not an altogether natural image.

“You’re a . . . safe zone from me getting too into my head about these things. I—I want to make a good impression.”

She turns and watches Evie and Marvyn talking. But there’s something about the way she’s staring at Marvyn. It’s almost as if . . .

“Corinne, do you like Marvyn?”

She responds with seven eye blinks, which tells me that I have to remember to play poker against her at some point, and also strangely makes my stomach do a weird flip.

“Ewww.” I make sure to stretch the word as long as it goes.

“What! I find him . . . interesting,” she says, glancing into the classroom nervously.

“I promise you he’s not.”

Something about the entire prospect feels strangely vexing. I could have set her up with a better guy around school had she asked.

“I mean, it’s okay if you want to slum it, but let’s not pretend you’re reaching for the sleaze bucket with Marvyn.”

Corinne rolls her eyes. “Fine. I find him hot as hell. It’s problematic, but I’ve had very vivid dreams of sucking his face. If you come, I’ll help you figure out the whole college thing.”

“The whole college thing?” She makes it sound so easy, like an outfit to be assembled together from a pile of clothes on a bed.

“I promise!” She looks back into the classroom. “Pinkie swear!” And she actually extends a pinkie my way, the strange girl.