Kimmie and I hold our breath as we watch. This is always the moment when the bartender either nods once and starts pouring the drinks, or narrows his eyes and asks to see an ID. For a moment, the guy who’s working at the bar seems undecided. He looks from Adam to Darryl for a second, but then he reaches for a glass.

“They did it,” I whisper to Kimmie. And sure enough, a minute later Adam and Darryl turn toward us, each holding two beers.

“Cheers,” Kimmie says once they’ve reached our corner of the bar.

Our glasses make a loud sound as we clink them against one another, and then we each take our first sips.

“So,” Kimmie says, her upper lip covered in foam from the beer.

“So?”

“What are you guys doing Labor Day weekend?”

Darryl bites his lip, and I know right away that something’s going on.

“I’m not sure,” Adam answers slowly. “Why?”

“The girls and I are playing again,” Kimmie says, and our corner of the bar gets loud all of a sudden as Adam and I ask her when, and how, and at what time.

While she answers our questions, I see it so clearly—I need to stay. I need to be at Kimmie’s next show. I need to be here to watch Darryl’s band take off. I need to be at the opening night of whatever play Adam is cast in next and have him by my side as I figure out my future.

“I can’t believe summer’s almost over,” Adam says, putting an arm around my shoulder.

Kimmie nods once. “Senior year, baby.”

“Gonna be the best one,” I say.

Darryl cringes a little. “Uh, maybe try not to get your hopes up too high.”

We all burst out laughing, and as I stare into my friends’ eyes, the glow from the night of Adam’s debut comes back, shining even brighter than before.

“Are you sure about this?”

“I am.” The answer comes easily, even though deep down, I feel as though someone is clenching my heart in their first, squeezing it hard.

I’m sitting at the kitchen table in Jorge’s apartment with Pa on the line. He’s about to buy Sophie’s plane ticket to Mexico.

“If you change your mind, we can still buy you a ticket later on.”

“I know,” I say, swallowing hard. “But I don’t think I’ll change my mind.”

Earlier today, Jorge and Amy drove Sophie and me to New Jersey to see their new house. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when we got there, it seemed to me like something straight out of a movie—the front lawn, the big kitchen, the backyard. It may be small by suburban standards, but having lived in Manhattan my whole life, it seemed to me like more space than anyone could ever need.