I wait while she goes through each one before finally settling on the one I thought looked the most depressing and right up her alley, but she declares she’s going to try them all, just in case. We agree we’ll take turns reading it over the next couple of weeks and discuss it afterward. “What refreshments would a GSA have for book-club discussion?” I ask. “I have to admit, I’m new to this.”

She shrugs. “Rainbow cookies? Tequila? I don’t know. We do not actually have to—”

“Yes, we do. We are going to do this right,” I say firmly. “Now, what’s the soundtrack for this meeting?”

“Janelle Monáe, Chappell Roan, and Billie Eilish,” Sabrina says decisively, moving to put the music on her laptop, and it’s gratifying to see her stoniness about this crack so quickly. Without even bringing snacks! She joins me on the floor and we open up the book, taking turns reading sections of it aloud to each other until the door opens and Sabrina tucks the cover flap into the pages to save our place.

“Hey, Evie.” I immediately tense up at the sound of Heather’s voice, concerned each time I see her that this time she’s found out about me and Lucas, but she sounds as friendly and bouncy as always, and I relax. “What are you guys doing? Something for the talent show?”

“Nope, working on that with Isabel McEvoy. Are you performing?”

“Kayla and I are gonna do a scene from Hamilton.” She slides off her sneakers and hops onto her bed, curling her legs up underneath her butt. “We were just with Lucas and Jesse, performing for each other.”

Lucas? Performing? Ugh. Maybe I don’t want to attend after all. “What are they doing?” I ask casually.

“It’s amazing—they’ve completely and totally memorized stand-up routines. Lucas sounds exactly like John Mulaney when he does his.”

Feels like stretching the word “talent” to its limit, but sure. I listen as Heather goes on about how Lucas and Jesse are so funny, and my heart aches as I think how easily I could bring that crashing down if I say or do the wrong thing. It’d be so much easier if Lucas were completely out of my social circle, but even if I wanted to ditch the Nicest Girl in the World, she’d still be Sabrina’s roommate, and ditching Sabrina is not an option if I want to maintain my sanity in this place.

Still, I think about how much it hurt to find out Salem had kept Jenna a secret, and this is so much worse. If that felt like a betrayal, this is … I don’t know, but something uglier. And if Heather ever does find out, the domino effect of losing all my friends could be fast and furious.