“We made arroz caldo, a Filipino dish. It was amazing and gone in five minutes.”

“What did y’all do for the other ten hours?”

“Um, just some research for my DJ spot.”

Chicho looked doubtful at this, then her expression cleared. “Liza, if you lie to me, I will never forgive you. Did you fuck Joseph Park? How did you ditch Dorsey?” Chicho leaned in, positively begging to be scandalized. “I know your face. You look peaceful AF right now. That happens when you’re listening to the Lemonade album, and when you get a piece.”

“Chicho . . .” Liza begged.

“You got a piece! Joseph was paying a ton of attention to you tonight,” Chicho accused.

“Let’s stop talking about this and focus on your podcast. I’m gonna get a few hours of sleep, then we can plan.”

Chicho threw her hands up. “You smell like expensive cologne, you’re not wearing a bra, you’re in a man’s shirt, and your panties are crammed in your back pocket, but we’ll stop talking about this,” Chicho said. Her voice had a sharp bite to it.

Liza padded off to her room. She didn’t know where to put her emotions. Liza wanted to stay in that car and sit on Dorsey’s hard-on until it went away; she wanted to punish herself for how much she wanted that man; she wanted to get back to right with Chicho. This was a moment she knew she wouldn’t get back with her friend. But there was just too much to explain.

A few hours later, Liza awoke to a phone call from Janae. She picked up on the first ring.

“Janae—”

“Oh my God, Liza, I am having a terrible time,” Janae said, cutting Liza off.

“Well, I’m having the opposite time, girl—” Liza pushed on. Janae would flip when she heard what Liza had let Dorsey do.

“You were right, by the way,” Janae said.

“About what?” Liza asked. Liza was a sucker for that phrase, and Janae knew it.

“About Jennifer not liking me.”

“Not exactly happy about that,” Liza said.

“I’m in New York, right? Settling in.”

“Right.” Liza was proud of her. Her sister had taken the first step to living a new life.

“And Jennifer knows I’m in New York. She didn’t text me once. Then I called her and told her I was in the city, and right after that she tagged me in her Instagram with her and Dorsey’s little sister.” Liza went into Instagram and found Jennifer’s post. Liza read the hashtags: #Friendsarethefamilyyouchoose #sisnlaw #birdsofafeather.

“That bitch,” Liza said. That is how you treat someone you like. You introduce them to your family; they are involved in your life. Jennifer had made it to the “front page” of Dorsey’s life.

“She sent me a DM.”

“Send it to me!”

Liza waited for the screenshot.