“I always admired you, Leila.”

“Me?” I scrunched my face.

“You are so independent. And confident. I loved hearing all the stories of your life.” She laughed. “I still remember when my mother told me you quit playing tennis. I was on my way to a badminton match, and I remember sitting there thinking you were so brave.”

Brave? That wasn’t exactly the word I remembered being used when I broke the news to my parents. Uncommitted, hasty, and unfocused all popped up, but never brave.

“I wanted to quit badminton for years, but every time I would muster the courage to tell my parents, I would get scared. I always wished I could be more like you.”

Pretty, perfect Meena wanted to be more like me? I couldn’t believe it.

“I’m so happy you’re here, Leila. I always knew we would be friends.”

I gave her a small smile. I wondered if she would feel the same way if she knew of all the unsavory things I had thought about her over the past two decades.

“Haroon is actually a very nice boy. He might not be the boy of my choosing, but I am excited to marry him.” She looked at me with her large brown eyes. “In just a few days, I will be moving out of my father’s house!” Her voice rose with excitement. “I will finally live my own life, not just a life that is pleasing to my parents.”

I nodded, suddenly feeling extremely guilty. I had spent so much time disliking Meena because of how perfect her life seemed, but I understood now that it was her parents’ life, not her own. I thought about my four years away at college; my spring break getaways and spontaneous road trips with my girlfriends. I thought about my job, how I was able to choose a career of my liking even though my parents would have preferred that I finish law school. I thought about how marriage was a choice for me—something I desired, but in no way my only option. I had never considered any of these things to be privileges; I just took them for granted. But I suddenly realized that not everyone was so fortunate to be given these same choices.

“You know, Hollywood is not really that glamorous,” I said, turning toward her.

“What?”

“Hollywood. It’s pretty grimy, in fact. Not at all like what you see in the movies.” Meena gave me a look of surprise. “And even on the rare occasion that you run into a celebrity, it’s not always what you imagine. One time, I was at the Grove, and I saw Mario Lopez doing a live interview—”

“Mario Lopez?”

“You know, A. C. Slater? Saved by the Bell?”

Meena stared at me blankly.

“He’s just this guy who used to be famous in the nineties but is not so relevant anymore. Anyways, he’s known for being this super handsome actor who never ages, but in real life, he was wearing about two tons of makeup on his face, so of course he looked young!”