“You like her so much it’s disgusting to watch, and this was the final piece of evidence. Case closed, Evelyn wants to get laid by Noelle. Boom.”

“Seth!” I quickly looked around to make sure no one had heard him. Luckily, the gym was almost deserted by now and the people cleaning up didn’t seem to be listening. “It’s not like that. I just think she’s really pretty and very smart and I like having her around, that’s all.”

“Eve, you do realize that just sounded like a declaration of love, right? You’re head over heels and we both know it.”

I gave a noncommittal shrug, tugging at the hem of my jumper. “It’s not like it’d change anything. She has a boyfriend.

Plus, she still doesn’t like me very much, I think.”

“How oblivious can someone be?” Seth groaned, gripping both my shoulders, shaking me with every word he said. “She broke up with her boyfriend a few days after the party, it was all over The Chitter Chatter. Since then she’s been hanging out with you all the time. She even asked for self-defense lessons. Do you even know what that means?”

“She wants to learn how to fight?”

“No,” he groaned, looking about five seconds away from slapping me. “More time with you? Lots of physical contact? The chance at hot locker room make-out sessions?”

“I don’t think that’s—”

“Oh my God, Evelyn, get your head on straight,” he said. “Or in this case, get it on gay. Use your damn gaydar, dumbass.”

“What are you doing?” Jasper’s voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He stood right behind Seth, hands in his pockets and an amused glint in his eyes.

“Founding a cult,” Seth immediately said and went to stand next to me, facing Jasper. “Sacrifice one ear and you’re in.”

Shaking his head, Jasper shifted his attention to me. “What was all of that about? Why do you need to use your gaydar?”

The familiar weight pressed down on my chest again. I was about to lie, make an excuse and hope he bought it, but then I thought back to dinner yesterday, to Noelle and Jasper and Seth talking about their sexualities, how easy it had been for them. I had felt frozen then, my tongue paralyzed with fear, and later that night I had regretted not saying anything.

This, I figured, was the universe’s way of giving me a second chance, a little nudge in the direction I knew deep down I wanted to go.

Still, the words felt like they were sticking to the back of my throat and I had to painstakingly pry them off one by one. “Well, um . . . I’m kind of . . . I like girls.”

I had braced for almost every possible reaction, but a laugh wasn’t one of them. “’Course you do,” Jasper chuckled. “I’ve known since you arrived here.”

“What? How?”

Jasper shrugged. “You never even tried to hook up with me.

In fact, you aren’t even remotely interested in me. Do you know how rare that is?”