I get home late to find that I have three missed calls from Becca. In my defense, Drew and I were really busy all day. After breakfast, he dragged me on a—mercifully short—hike, then to the movies, then we spent two hours making out in the back of another movie. And I told him a few times that I should probably go, but he seemed to miss me so much while I was gone, I didn’t want to just up and leave when he clearly wanted me to stick around. I do feel bad about missing Becca’s calls, but I’m also annoyed that she called me three times, like I’m always just supposed to be waiting for her to reach out even if she barely has time for me anymore.

I call her back and it goes to voicemail, which really ticks me off, which means I go to bed angry and wake up even angrier.

Devin brings me the usual coffee, but it doesn’t really do anything to boost my mood. I actually feel kind of bad because e seems pretty happy, and I know I’m just a storm cloud hovering over em.

“Something wrong?”

I shrug. “Isn’t there always?”

Devin smiles and bumps my shoulder with eirs. “Something I can talk you through or distract you from?”

I smile back. “Distractions are good.”

“Then have I got a treat for you.”

Devin checks around once to make sure no one’s watching us, which is ridiculous since we’re sitting in the rehearsal hall, alone. Then e pulls out eir phone and opens up a cutesy little graphic with blue bubble letters and a smiling, blushing Earth.

“Do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and savior, Mother Nature?”

I roll my eyes. “You’re not a hippie, are you?”

E laughs. “No, I just care about the world we live in. I’m having a recycling party this weekend if you want to come.”

“A recycling party?” I ask.

E nods. “Yeah, it’s when a bunch of people get together, and we all recycle our junk, and then we make stuff out of the shit we’re throwing away. It’s all very economical.”

“Right,” I say, because I don’t get invited to many parties, but I’ve definitely never been invited to one like that before. “I’ll consider it.”

Devin smiles. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but I’d really like it if you did. I’ve spent the last few weeks looking up craft projects.”

I think about the little doodle e did during our first week, and I can’t help but imagine those craft ideas are probably pretty impressive. Really, I’m shitty at anything art related, but it doesn’t sound like the worst event ever. I’ve always wanted to get into crafts.