I brace myself for a gross line to follow, but he’s just looking at me with friendly interest, as if we are normal people having a normal conversation. How novel. “I do. That part is definitely mostly a perk.”

“Mostly?”

“I was kind of looking forward to sharing,” I admit, watching his throat as he takes a swallow of his soda. “Making an instant friend. I don’t know anyone here. I just transferred.”

“Ah.” Lucas’s lips curve into the most charming of smiles. “Well, I will very happily be your friend, if you’re looking.”

The way he says “friend” feels a little … loaded, but maybe I’m imagining things, maybe even hearing what I want to hear, if only a little bit. He is very cute, and being very friendly, and singling me out in a packed room.

I am never the one singled out in a packed room.

“That sounds nice,” I say, and I let it sound a little loaded, too, because flirting is fun and I am extremely single. “And what is it friends do around here?”

As soon as it comes out of my mouth, I realize it sounds a whole lot flirtier than I was going for, but Lucas doesn’t seem to mind. “There are so many options,” he says, putting his cup down. “Especially with a girl who’s got her own room.”

Oh. Well. He’s just moving right past flirting and into … I don’t know what, but it’s got my heart beating double time in my chest, and my nerves tingling with something that could be nervousness or excitement or possibly even some horny combination of the two.

Craig and I didn’t fool around a whole lot. We’d make out, sometimes he’d touch my boobs, but mostly the effect was of a puppy pawing at me for a treat. Honestly, I thought maybe he just wasn’t that interested in sex stuff.

Until I caught him with my sister and realized that what he wasn’t interested in was me.

So now, having someone look at me the way Lucas is looking at me, gaze flicking between my chest and my mouth, lip caught between his teeth in a way that makes me wonder if he even knows he’s doing it … yeah, I’m feeling pretty good. Turns out it’s kinda nice to have someone confirm you’re not a troll when that’s exactly how your ex left you feeling.

I think about earlier, at Rumson, how channeling Sierra and her attitude was the thing that finally made people listen to me.

And I think about how Sierra would already be halfway back to her room with Lucas in tow.

And I think about how Sierra has always, always come out on top, no matter how terrible her choices seem to be.