She makes a face. “I think I might have played that situation all wrong. I told him I wasn’t going to sleep with him, which he was great about, but now he just invites me over to play Tecmo Bowl.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s code for make out.”

“I thought so too.” She leans forward and crosses her legs, then has to pull at the hem of her seafoam-green dress. “The first time he asked, I went over totally expecting him to make a move and he just handed me a controller. He was wearing sweats and hadn’t showered after practice and he ordered pizza.”

I laugh. “And he didn’t try to kiss you or get handsy, anything?”

“Nothing,” Sydney says with disbelief in her tone. “I did kick his ass in Tecmo Bowl though. Hell hath no fury like a girl who shows up to get some action only to be friend-zoned.”

“You said you weren’t going to sleep with him, Syd.”

“I didn’t mean never, just not before I got to know him.”

“And since then, has he tried to hang out again?” Liv asks.

She sighs. “He’s texted a few times to see if I wanted to come over and play video games, but I make up an excuse every time.”

“I’m sorry.”

She tosses her blonde hair over her shoulder and straightens, perusing the room. “It might be time to throw my five-date rule out the window.”

“Five-date rule?” Liv asks.

“How many dates she makes them hold out for sex,” I tell her.

“How many dates did you make Nathan wait?” Sydney asks, putting me in the hot seat.

“None, or well, technically, I guess one. I slept with him the first night I met him.”

I’ve thought about how to break it to my roommates that I lied about Nathan being my boyfriend so many times with no clear path, and this feels like my chance. “We didn’t really meet in the boy’s locker room. He found me hiding out at that athletic mixer and we got to talking and drinking and well, one thing led to another. Our first time was the night he slept over and Bri almost had a coronary that he was in our living room.”

“You two moved quick. See, that’s how it’s supposed to happen.” Sydney breezes right past the lies I told her like they’re inconsequential, and maybe they are. It feels good to tell her the truth, anyway. “I’m definitely getting rid of the five-date rule.”

Liv and Sydney end up wanting to stay out later, but at eleven, I hug them and send Nathan a text that I’m on my way.

Nathan: Left the front door open for you. Come on up, I’m in bed.

I’m grinning as I rush out the front of TKE and nearly collide with a group of guys just walking in.