“I mean, like, hang out by ourselves.”

“Aren’t we doing that right now?”

“Yeah—I mean, uh—,” I stammer, then notice the wicked smile on Six’s face. “Are you messing with me?”

“A little,” she says, crossing her arms. “So you’re asking me on a date? Is that it?”

“Yeah, and I’m doing an amazing job at it.”

“You’re not doing so bad,” she says gently, moving a little closer to me. “But we’re fighting a war here, Sam. There’s not a ton of time for hanging out. You know that.”

“Um, John and Sarah went to the zoo today.”

“But I don’t want to have a John-and-Sarah thing with you,” Six says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh.” I shrink back, feeling gut punched. “I just thought—when you went to Spain, John told me how you felt about me, and back in Arkansas the way we hugged—uh, crap, I’m an idiot. I should’ve known you wouldn’t be interested in someone like me.”

“Whoa, there,” Six says, grabbing my hand before I can make a break for the door. “I’m sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean it like that. I do like you.”

“You just don’t like me that way,” I say, filling in the rest of the classic line.

“I didn’t say that. I do. Well, I might.” Six throws her hands up. “I don’t know! Look, it’s just, John and Sarah, they think it makes things easier for them, but it doesn’t. It just causes trouble.”

“They seem happy to me,” I reply.

“Sure, right now,” Six says. “But what about when something happens? You know, John’s a good leader and all, but he’s not a realist. Do you think we’re going to fight an entire army of Mogadorians without some casualties?”

“Jeez, that’s dark.”

“It’s the truth. Everything’s gonna go to shit eventually, Sam.” She reaches out and plucks a loose thread off the front of my sweater. “I wish you’d stay away from us. Go somewhere safe. When it’s over, maybe things could be different . . .”

I let loose with an incredulous laugh. “Ugh, seriously? That’s, like, the kind of crap that Spider-Man tells Mary Jane when he’s trying to break it off with her. Do you know how embarrassing it is to be talked to like I’m some superhero’s girlfriend?”

Six laughs too, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just realizing what a hypocrite I’m being. This is exactly the opposite of the advice I gave to John about Sarah.”