“Or we could just focus on the fact that she’s a Sagittarius with an Aquarius moon and Leo rising, and get her chart done,” said Cleo, who yesterday had very studiously asked me for the exact time and location of my birth.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. “We’re ready for you,” Eliza said with a wave of her hand forward. “Pete will lead the interview, but Jenna, our traffic reporter, is onstage as well. She covers subway delays, so it’s a perfect tie-in.”

I clasped my hands at my chest, turning back to my friends. “What if he thinks I’m a weirdo?” I lowered my voice in hopes that Eliza wouldn’t hear me.

“One, he won’t,” Cleo said, steady and reassuring. “Two, who cares?”

“Three”—Lola tapped her index finger to her chin, squinting in thought—“do you care?”

The swirling sea of nerves in my stomach told me that yes—yes, I did care. I wanted this stranger to like me, to know that there was more to me than the sweaty, snotty mess he met on the subway. But there was no time to have this conversation right now. Instead, I twisted my middle and index fingers into symbols of good luck and gave my friends one last look, stretching my lips wide. “Are my teeth okay?” I asked them.

“Always,” Cleo said, beaming, as if she were trying to transport all the love she felt for me into my body.

“Remember, you’re a fearless, badass bitch,” Lola said confidently.

“Have you met me?” I asked with a chortle, blowing them a kiss as I followed Eliza out the door.

*  *  *

The lights of the NYN studio were blinding, so much so that I almost missed it when the interview started. My stomach was in my knees, which were inexplicably sweating. I kept nervously tucking my hair behind my ear, even though it was firmly held in place with hair spray. In other words, I was a wreck.

“Our guest today has had quite a week,” Pete said with a warm smile. He was perched on a stool next to Jenna, who nodded along, auburn ponytail bouncing. “Becoming a viral internet sensation in an instant must have come as quite a shock. Franny, why don’t you tell us about it in your own words.”

“Okay, well, first, thanks for having me!” I let out a nervous laugh and smiled just a bit too wide for what felt like an eternity.

Calm down, Franny. I took a breath, attempted to relax.

“So yeah!” My voice was landing at a pitch higher than normal, and I cleared my throat before trying again. “I was laid off from my job that morning. Doing interior design.”

I arched my back a little higher, sitting up unnaturally straight. Great. Did I look stiff? Did it look like I was trying too hard?