David frowned and drew his knees up to his chest, circling them with his arms. “The news isn’t always cheerful, Pres.”

“I get that, but...” I looked around at the three of them, all regarding me seriously. “This is a tiny school paper read by a few hundred kids. If that. Gotta be honest, when y’all hand those things out, most of them end up in the trash can. Or the recycling bin,” I hastily added when Chie’s shoulders went up. “But my point is, maybe more people would read The Grove News if it were, like, cheerier. Funnier. When the SGA was doing a newsletter—”

“Maybe we should print it on pink paper,” Chie muttered under her breath, and David sat up straighter.

“Hey,” he said as he pushed his glasses up with one finger. “Harper is a member of our staff now, and she might have a point.”

Michael nodded but Chie rolled her eyes and stood up. “David, please. She’s on the staff because, for some reason none of us understand, she’s your girlfriend. So sorry if I don’t exactly feel like taking advice from her.” Leaning down, she scooped up her bag and jerked her head at Michael. “Let’s go, Mike,” she said. “We can let our fearless leader and his first lady debate the principles of journalism without us.”

Michael’s blue eyes darted back and forth between me and David still sitting on the ground and Chie looming over him. Eventually, he gave a mumbled “Sorry,” and the two of them walked back toward the building.

David and I watched them go.

“I’m sorry,” I said at last, picking an imaginary piece of lint off my skirt. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I mean, she’s right. I’m only on the paper to be closer to you.”

But David shook his head, his gaze still on his friends. “No, you have every right to an opinion. They shouldn’t have been jerks.”

Over at their table, Mary Beth and Ryan were laughing. As we watched, she rested her head on his shoulder and he slung an arm around her neck, pulling her in to kiss the top of her head.

“Get a room!” I heard Amanda cry as she tossed a napkin at them.

“It’s not like my friends would be that much nicer to you,” I reminded David.

The wind was blowing softly through the leaves over our head, and I remembered earlier this morning, thinking what a pretty day this was. It was still gorgeous, but I had to admit, my mood was not nearly as sunny.

Then the toe of David’s ugly shoe nudged my thigh. I glanced up and David leaned closer. “Our forbidden passion has transgressed social boundaries, and now we pay the price,” he intoned with a somber nod, and I giggled, batting his foot away.

“Shut up.”