Stella’s eyes practically sparkled at the invitation. Two steps in Jewel’s direction later, she turned and said, “Nicole, I promise that I’ll be thinking of you the entire time we’re apart. I will literally count the minutes until we’re reunited.”

“You’re lucky I like you,” Nicole said, taking a chance.

“Don’t I know it. And you’re welcome.”

God, Stella was insufferably perfect and precisely Nicole’s type. Harlow groaned loudly farther down the hall as Stella ran to catch up.

“Um, well,” Luna began, “we’re gonna go … um. Do stuff. Bye.”

Alex at least waved at Nicole as they set off in the opposite direction.

And just like that, she was alone. Unsurprising. Being routinely isolated or excluded had been a fact of her life for years. Sometimes, when quiet got the best of her, she wondered how it was possible to have a follower count in the actual millions but only two close friends in real life. Charlie would’ve thought this whole thing was wild—she hoped he was okay working double shifts. She wished she could’ve brought him with her, like Luna was able to bring Alex. He deserved a vacation too.

“So. Hey.”

Oh lord, she’d forgotten about Francis. That fast.

He stood in front of her now, seemingly unbothered that he had to look up to meet her eyes. Her height bothered guys. A lot. If her massive online following didn’t scare them off, her height did. She had a theory that they stopped being interested the second they realized they’d never be able to tower over her, never be able to use their size to intimidate her.

“Hi,” she said.

“I’m Francis. I know you heard me say it in there, but I wanted to introduce myself.”

She smiled a little. “Nicole.”

“Were you going anywhere?” He smiled back. Nothing about it looked effortless. “Or did you plan to just stay here until that Stella girl came back?”

“That crossed my mind,” she joked. “It’s not like I have anything else to do. The game already started, but I didn’t get anything. Stella got a necklace. I think Alex and Luna must have gotten something too since they ran off to go do ‘stuff.’”

“Do you want to sit down, then? There’s some couches in there.” He pointed to a closed door at the end of the hall, nestled under the staircase.

“What room is it?” she asked, walking toward it. “Sofaland?”

“Maybe,” he said, a half step behind her.