Bee came around the corner, arms full of bags, her eyes widening when she saw Ryan crouched on the ground and me standing right behind him, worrying my thumbnail with my teeth. As soon as I realized what I was doing, I made a disgusted sound and dropped my hand, wiping it on my skirt. I must’ve picked that up from David; he was always doing stuff like that.

Raising her eyebrows at me, Bee jerked her head toward Ryan.

“Mary Beth” was all I said, and she nodded.

As if his new ex-girlfriend’s name was some sort of magic word, Ryan stood up abruptly, dropping the necklace into his pocket. “Well, that’s effing great,” he said, scrubbing his hands over his face.

Of course, he didn’t actually say “effing,” but it didn’t bother me.

Tentatively, I laid a hand on his shoulder. “At least you don’t have to worry about lying to her anymore?” I offered. We were still standing in the cramped little hallway, my hip almost right against a water fountain, and beyond us, people were still milling through the food court. Of all the places to go through a breakup, it was definitely low on glamour.

Lifting his head, Ryan looked at me. I’d known him almost my whole life. He was the first boy I’d ever kissed. The first boy I’d done... other stuff with, too. But in that moment, his handsome face drawn tight, he could’ve been a stranger.

“Whatever,” he said, the word flat and heavy all at once.

I winced like he’d slapped me. Okay, maybe I hadn’t been all that sympathetic to his issues with Mary Beth, but honestly, how did he think it was going to turn out? David and I were all tangled up with him, and there was no getting out of that. I was sorry he was hurt, but if he hadn’t gotten involved with her in the first place, then none of this would have happened.

I think I might have actually said some of that, and probably ruined any chances I had of Ryan and me ever being friends again, but luckily, Bee stepped forward. Putting the shopping bags down, she laid her hand on Ryan’s arm.

“Hey,” she said, her voice warm and sweet. “Would you mind giving me a ride home? Harper drove us here, and she has to run back up to the school.”

I didn’t, and for a second, I frowned at her, confused. And then she gave me a little nod.

“Sure,” Ryan said, his voice still blank, and as he turned to go, Bee looked over her shoulder at me, mouthing, “I’ll talk to him.”

That was good. Bee and Ryan had always gotten along, and if anyone could bring him back around to Team Harper, it was Bee.