Anjali’s look wasn’t the apologetic look of a friend who somehow got caught lying for her friend; she had a traitorous sheen to her eyes and looked irritated but also somehow vindicated. Her mug should have said, “Serves You Right.”

Eden’s mother got up and dumped tea into the sink—the smell of mint invading the air—then turned and folded her arms. “I got your text that you were with Anjali,” she said. “So you can imagine my surprise when I bumped into her on Steinway. Without you.”

“Why were you on Steinway?” she asked her mother. “I thought you had work drinks?”

“Not the point.”

“And why are you here?” Eden said to Anjali.

Her mom answered. “I asked her to come here so we could talk about your … strange behavior.”

Eden laughed. “What strange behavior?”

“Anjali says you’re suddenly spending time with people at school who maybe are not the right kind of people?”

“You said that?” Eden slid her phone onto the table.

“Well, it’s true!” Anjali said, and Eden could only shake her head. Anjali didn’t know any of them. At all.

“They’re perfectly nice people,” Eden said.

“And the other afternoon,” her mother said, “you were outside talking to that Eli boy and acting secretive. And if you lied tonight about where you were I highly doubt it’s the first time. It’s just the first time you were caught.”

“Where were you?” Anjali asked. “Were you with Marwan?”

“I was with Eli!”

“Why is your hair so messy?” her mom asked. “What have you been doing?”

“We took a ferry ride.”

Her mother threw her hands up wildly. “This gets better by the minute! Who are these people?”

“They’re just … people. Friends.”

“Why all of a sudden?” her mom asked.

“I don’t know!” Eden shrugged. “Why do I have to explain having friends?”

“You know that’s not the issue,” her mother said. “What I want an explanation for is the lies. The deceit.”

“Deceit!” Eden repeated. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

“I’ll be as dramatic as I like!”

Off-screen, the director of their bad movie was about to scream, “Cut!” Then say, “Okay, let’s take it again, but this time dial it back by at least half.”

Her mother’s voice got shaky. “What if something happened to you? What if you’re off somewhere where I have no idea where you are and something happens?”

“Nothing’s going to happen,” Eden said, and that felt wrong because she didn’t believe it, but also because her mother was usually the one telling her that. “And anyway you could track my phone.”

It was a dumb thing to say.

Her mother had started crying, and now Eden was, too.

Anjali stood. “I’m gonna go.”