The new match on Tinder has me intrigued as I walk into my kitchen to see if I have any more wine left. Glancing into the fridge to find Rosé resting comfortably on the door shelf, I stand up and review the message from Marquise Hamilton, a carpenter out of Rehoboth who got my attention with a flawless smile and bright white teeth. His bio mentioned that outside of work he likes to read fantasy novels, and I’d swiped right on him before I knew any better. There’s just something about a man who likes to read books that gets me every time.

Maybe he has read something that taught him how to shred me into pieces.

The past two months of my life have been pretty uneventful, but that’s not what’s important. I’ve never needed major life events, trips to the Grand Canyon, or stays at Disneyland to enjoy life. All I’ve ever needed is my friends, and they've been with me full force since I permanently ended things with Vance at the Unbound event.

Juliana and I are closer than ever. In fact, her love life is starting to make waves of its own as a new boy has entered her life. Some pilot for the Air Force who has just been stationed at Dover Air Force Base has flown in and swept her off her feet. Now I’m the one who’s jealous of how often she leaves us hanging to spend time with her fly boy. His name’s Austin-something, and he seems nice enough. As long as he treats our Juliana the way she deserves, he doesn’t have to worry about me or Shay approaching him with a box cutter.

What would a box cutter feel like if it were dragged across my skin?

Speaking of Shay, she’s as busy as usual. She spends most days with her husband and kid, but when she does get to hang out with us, she's as awesome as ever. As the only person in our group who’s married, I bet she gets a kick out of seeing the rest of our relationships go through all of their ups and downs. It’s probably the kind of thing that makes you glad you have someone who loves you and is committed for the long haul. In a sense, that’s what we’re all looking for.

As for DeShaun, he’s doing his usual DeShaun thing. He’s still the best dressed of our crew and going through the daily stressful struggles of getting the rest of us to keep up. Most of us do our part to keep his head from exploding, but he still can’t stand the sight of Vance and his inability to pick clothes that match.