Things changed when I started working at the bodega the summer after freshman year, which meant that I wasn’t free after school anymore. Kimmie and I usually come over only once every few weeks now, but this apartment still feels familiar, almost like my second home. Being here usually gives me a warm, cozy feeling, but today, all I can think about is the way my own apartment has stopped feeling like home.

“That’s new,” Kimmie says as soon as we walk into Adam’s bedroom, pointing at a Hamilton poster. His room is like mine on steroids—there’s so much Broadway memorabilia that you can’t even see the color of the walls.

Adam smiles at her. “I ordered it online the day after we went to see it.”

Kimmie lies down on the bed, and I turn nervously toward Adam. The sooner we’re done rehearsing, the sooner I’ll get to be with my sister. “You said the producers sent you a scene to practice for the audition, right?”

“Yeah,” he says. “I printed it out.”

He hands me the pages, and I look down at them. Adam has highlighted all the parts I’m reading. Only a couple of weeks ago, I was practicing for the same part as he was. Now I’m taking on a small supporting role. Trying not to think about it too much, I clear my throat and start reading, but even though I recite the words, my mind is elsewhere.

Whenever I look up from the pages, I see a spark in Adam’s eyes. He’s a natural—I’ve always known it. He also printed out the pages for himself, but he barely even looks at them. He’s got them memorized already, and everything about him—from the way he delivers the dialogue to the subtle way he uses his hands, is unbelievable to watch. I would usually be amazed at his talent, try to learn something from him, but now I find myself feeling a little bitter, because he’s so much better than me, and he always will be.

I choose to focus on Kimmie instead. She’s still curled up on Adam’s bed, with her phone right in front of her nose. At first, I assume she’s writing a song. She keeps tapping her knee with her index finger, which tells me she’s counting beats, but then she starts letting out small smiles every now and then.

“Who are you texting, anyway?” Adam asks after we’ve finished running through the whole scene for the fourth time.

Kimmie turns to look at us, her fingers frozen over her phone. “Darryl,” she says, and then her fingers start moving quickly again as she finishes writing her text.