Whether Winona was put off by the punch, or she knew it was related to me and felt weird about it, or whether she went home early for an entirely different reason, who could say. Mind you … should she feel weird about it? Was it weird for him to defend my honor like that? Should I be wondering what it meant that he had?

No, I decided, a little deflated at the realization. Brougham had said he was in a good place, so whatever had gone down obviously worked out for the best. If there’d been anything more to it, there’s no way he’d be so calm and certain about things with Winona.

So, I was happy for him, and his newfound ability to navigate relationship weirdness.

Mostly.

Mom, Ainsley, and I sat in the living room, Mom and Ainsley on the sofa, me curled in an armchair, all three of us staring at my phone.

“I can’t do it with you guys looking at me,” I said.

Mom and Ainsley glanced at each other.

“I’ve got a design I can do, I guess,” Ainsley said reluctantly, getting to her feet.

Mom took her laptop from its place on the coffee table. “I’m not even here. Just reading some assignments.”

“But you’re very obviously here, is all.”

“You said I don’t have time for you, now you’re trying to send me away. Which is it?”

Huh. I was surprised to hear her bring this up. We’d had a tentative truce since she returned from her school trip, and neither of us had mentioned our blowup in the car last week.

“I want to help,” Mom pressed.

Okay. Fine. “I’m scared to call.”

“She’s been your best friend for how many years now, Darc? She won’t bite you.”

“Yeah, but she might say she doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“She won’t.”

“She might.”

“Okay, I’m gonna play devil’s advocate with you. Let’s say she does. Then what?”

I mean, really. What the hell kind of question was that? “Then I’ll have lost the best friend I ever had. Do you not see how that could be devastating?”

“Sure, but she’s not your only friend. The important thing is that you respect her enough to give her a proper apology. Whether or not she forgives you is less important. All I’m saying is,” she added hastily as I opened my mouth to protest, “let’s say she isn’t ready quite yet. That’s okay. This apology isn’t about you. And if you do lose her, which I don’t think you will, you’ll survive this. It’s not like you’re relying on this girl for a lung transplant or anything, right?”

She’d had me right up until the end, then she’d lost me. “Way to minimize my pain here, Mom!”