Everything Lottie told me about Rhonda comes back in a sharp stealth whisper in my brain, a song I can’t get out of my head. Everything is changing. Will Rhonda still be the same? I feel guilty right away for thinking that. Of course. Of course not. Both. I miss Rhonda already. Pete. I wrap my mind around the name. It’s so important that I am there for Lottie, I know that, but she doesn’t even seem to want me to be or care if I’m affected. Why hasn’t Rhonda said anything to me about this? Does she know that Lottie told me?

And then there’s this: Rhonda, now Pete, with his new (real) identity, will be changing schools next year. Something sinks inside me, and I put my hand on my stomach as if I can feel it dropping into my guts. I feel like I’m on a fast-moving ice floe and my life is reducing to a speck in the distance. High school already feels weird; home is following suit. What will I do if one of the only adults I can actually count on leaves? I take a deep breath, trying not to listen to the happy sounds of togetherness coming from Mom and Reg in the kitchen as they tidy up. I look around my room at all my stuff: my movies, my TV and VCR for the old flicks. Characters from all the classics stare out at me from posters plastered all over the walls and ceiling. They give me comfort, keep me company, promise never to change. Molly Ringwald sneers, Winona Ryder as Veronica in Heathers looks cool and apathetic. You’re not alone, Stevie, they say. We got you. I login to my channel and read some comments from my few loyal subscribers. It’s a nice boost. They are with me, these strangers who love the same things I do. YES! one says. I LOOOOOVE HEATHERS! There are people out there, somewhere, for me. A small consolation.

I press my lips together and nod as the doorbell rings and the next part of the night begins. It’s game time.

*   *   *

The pregame party at Aidan’s house is already well under way by the time Paige, Lottie, and I get there. His parents are obviously not home, and he greets us at the door like a game show host, arms wide out, sloppy grin, music loud behind him like a gust of wind. I notice that he and Paige seem slightly more formal than usual—a kind of awkward kiss that Aidan covers up by loudly ushering us in. Something is different between them. I’m out of the loop on the constantly shifting social ground. I catch Lottie’s eye with a questioning look, but she gives nothing away, smiles, and leads the way into the house like she’s been there a million times.