There, most tables were occupied already, but Evelyn and I managed to find one near the entrance. Jasper and Noelle joined us a moment later. The new seating arrangement was a product of the changed dynamic within our group. Two weeks ago, the idea of the four of us sitting at one table had been unimaginable, but now I only briefly looked up when Noelle sat down on the opposite side. Jasper sank onto the bench next to me. Not that it made a difference.

“Bonsoir,” Jasper said. “I just saw the blog update. Welcome to the top five, Evelyn!”

Evelyn smiled sheepishly. “Thanks.”

“You know, with every update of that ranking I become more convinced that The Watcher might be queer,” Jasper mused.

“The boy to girl ratio is almost equal now.”

I sat up a little straighter at that. “That’s an interesting thought.

It would for sure limit the number of suspects.”

“How so?” Noelle snorted. “I’m queer. So is Jasper. So is Sammy and the majority of the drama club. So are a bunch of people from the cheerleading squad and the basketball team.

Besides, anyone could be gay, but still in the closet.”

I was less disappointed by that revelation than I was excited.

Evelyn had also perked up, her fork frozen halfway to her mouth. “You’re queer?” I asked.

Noelle shrugged. “I’m bi.”

“Hey, me too!”

To my surprise, Noelle leaned over the table to high-five me with a grin. “Nice.”

“I’m pansexual, in case anyone cares,” Jasper chimed in.

“Which means that he wants to fu—”

Jasper’s hand shot forward and clamped over Noelle’s mouth at lightning speed. Eyes narrowed, he grumbled, “I swear, if you make one more joke about me being attracted to cookware I will kill you.”

Muffled laughter and an amused twinkle in her eyes told me that that was exactly what she had been about to say.

After a second, Jasper pulled his hand back abruptly and wiped it on his pants with an expression of utter disgust. “Did you just fucking lick my ha—of course you did.”

“That’s to be expected,” Noelle said. “Did you not learn anything in elementary school?”

While Jasper was busy glaring at her, I lightly nudged Evelyn’s foot under the table. This was her chance to come out if she wanted to. I could see her gulping, eyes darting back and forth between Jasper and Noelle, her fingers tightening around her fork. Finally, she gave a small shake of her head.

I shot her a smile that I hoped was comforting and pulled my foot back.

“Hey, do you have any plans this weekend?” Noelle asked, apparently done with her and Jasper’s staring contest.

Evelyn shook her head.

“Well, I have a basketball game tomorrow night. You should come. If you want, I mean.”

Unlike her inner struggle a few seconds ago, her response to Noelle’s question was immediate. “I’ll be there.”

The corners of Noelle’s mouth ticked upward ever so slightly.

Looking down at her plate again, she said, “Cool.”