“That might scare off other suitors,” Emma replies, shutting her computer and strolling into the kitchen to refill her glass with water. “No guy wants to follow Adler Beck.” She takes a sip. “Which makes your question at the gym all the more interesting…”

My plea to not discuss Adler Beck lasted about as long.

“What question at the gym?” Cressida asks.

I close my computer more firmly than I mean to. “I’m going upstairs. I’ve got to get this done tonight.”

Silence descends as I stomp up the stairs.

* * *

The kitchen isn’t empty the way I’d hoped it would be when I return downstairs. It’s after midnight, but I’m packed and I have submitted my essay.

“Well, well, well. Look who decided to emerge from her cave,” Emma quips when I appear in the doorway. She’s sitting at the kitchen counter, and Cressida is rolling balls of cookie dough.

“I had a paper to write,” I reply. “Some of us take school seriously.”

“I can’t believe you managed to say that with a straight face,” Emma responds. “Wasn’t it just a couple days ago you were bragging about your C average? You’re trying to avoid—”

“I don’t want to talk about him anymore, okay?” I growl as I grab a glass and fill it with water and ice.

“You haven’t talked about him at all,” Emma replies.

“It was just a weird… blip, okay? Can you drop it?” I implore as I take a seat on the stool next to her.

“Maybe if you’d gotten me an autograph at CFOC,” Emma grumbles.

Cressida laughs, then bites her bottom lip. “What Emma means is we’re worried about you. You’ve been acting strange ever since you got back from Scholenberg, and even weirder since CFOC. We’re just trying to make sure you’re okay. It’s not healthy to keep stuff bottled up.”

“And if you felt inclined to share some details about…” Emma lets her voice trail off as Cressida shoots her a glare. “I’m just saying! Friends don’t sleep with the guy voted ‘Sexiest Athlete Alive’ three years straight and not share details.”

Anne walks into the kitchen just then, twisting her hair up in a bun. She stumbles to a stop when she sees us all standing around the kitchen island. “Wh—what’s going on?”

“Saylor is finally going to spill about Adler Beck,” Emma replies, resting her chin on her hand and looking at me expectantly. “Specifically, the size of his co—”

“Emma,” Cressida hisses.

“Should I go grab a ruler?” That’s the thing about Anne. Most of the time she’s quiet and shy, but every now and then she’ll shock the rest of us by playing along with our crude humor.

“See? Even Anne wants to know about his dick, and she blushed at my cucumber joke yesterday!”