“Anything new in Wickeston?” she said, after relaying all her weekend shenanigans. “Let me guess, it’s still boring, boring, boring.”

“Pretty much.” I laughed. The cafe was packed that morning, and I was keeping an eye out for an open seat as I waited for my food. “It’s exactly the same. Backstabbing bitches and assholes everywhere. I can’t wait to get out of here.”

Maybe she heard the little hint of a lie in my voice, because she said slyly, “Yeah, can’t come soon enough. Nothing much to look forward to in Wickeston, except…well, you know.”

I sighed. “What do I know, Ash?”

“You know,” she insisted. “Your favorite boy toys are still there, aren’t they?” When I said nothing, she explained, “Manson Reed? Vincent? Their weirdo friends?”

“Oh my God, girl, no.” The denial came instantly, but the moment I’d said it, a pang of regret tightened in my chest. What was I so afraid of? It was Ashley I was talking to. She wouldn’t judge me! Or at least if she did, she wouldn’t make me feel bad about it. But I kept seeing Danielle in my mind’s eye, smiling at me as she said with fake sweetness, “It’s our little secret, babe.”

I didn’t think Ashley would betray me like that. I hated to even think about it.

She clearly wasn’t buying my denial. “Riiight, sure.”

I sipped my coffee, as if the caffeine would somehow help me relax. “What made you think that anyway?”

“First off, because you actually sound really happy. The last time I remember you being so upbeat was after a certain Halloween party a few years ago.” She giggled. “Also, you were so not subtle about how hard you stalked them in college. I swear, every time I looked at your phone, you had one of their socials pulled up. But, okay. I believe you. You definitely haven’t seen them, right?”

“Right,” I said quickly, but her long silence afterward broke me. “Okay, fine, I saw them at a party.”

Her shriek almost burst my eardrums. I had to hold the phone away from my ear, earning some weird looks from the people seated around me as the high-pitched scream emanated from my speakers.

“Oh my God, I knew it, I knew it!” she exclaimed. “You have to tell me everything — Ah. Shit. Never mind. My boss is calling me. Call me later?”

“Sure thing, girl. Love you.”

“Love you, bitch, byyyye.”

My order was up and I still hadn’t found an open seat. I wandered out onto the patio, which was shaded by trees and surrounded by vine-covered trellises. I was scanning the tables when a bright red head of hair caught my eye.

Julia, the woman from Satin Novelties, saw me at the same moment I spotted her.