I do not look back. I’ve heard too many stories to want to stick around to see if someone uses a broken bottle or something worse.

Despite the pandemonium of what might be Palo Alto’s first bar fight, we’re able to make it out the front door. I breathe in the fresh air of the quiet street and let out a long exhale.

“That was wild,” I say.

When Sara doesn’t reply, I turn to make sure she’s okay. She doesn’t look injured, but her face is chalk white. “What the hell have we done?”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Sara

“Dude, it started a legit fight.” I set down a tray on one of the long industrial tables.

Yaz sets hers across from me and slides into her seat.

“That’s bonkers,” she says.

I nod and take a bite of my tacos. Not bad for dining hall food. I finish chewing and dab my face with a paper napkin. “I’m seriously starting to be embarrassed that people know I made it,” I say.

“About that...” Yaz moves her fork around her salad. “I’ve been meaning to tell you. I deleted the app from my phone.”

My chest tightens. “For real?”

Yaz was one of the biggest fans of Perfect10 I know.

“Yeah.” She nods. “It is messing with my psyche too much. I know I’m awesome, and I don’t need random dudes to weigh in about whether or not that’s true.”

“Fair enough.” I sip my lemonade, the processed soda-like kind they stock the dining hall with. The sugar coats my teeth immediately.

“I felt bad about it,” she says. “Since I wanted to support you, but if you’re questioning it too...”

“Don’t feel bad for quitting that dumb thing,” I say. “Trust me, I’ve been wishing I could quit making it.”

I pick at my food. “This isn’t what I thought I’d be doing at all,” I say. “It was our last resort idea to not fail the project, and then everyone was so excited about it. I’d never experienced something like that. So many people looking to me, telling me to do something. But it was like all of a sudden I was running full force on a treadmill I don’t remember getting on.

“I didn’t question it enough.” I sigh. “Robbie did. But I didn’t listen. People were just so hyped about it. And it felt like my chance, you know? This idea that everyone loved. And I couldn’t be sure that if I made something else, I’d stand half the chance.”