“Margot, I’m sorry about making you feel like you weren’t worth my time,” I said. “It’s not true. You were my first friend outside of ballet, which was awesome. But also, since ballet was my entire life, it kind of meant I didn’t really know how to function outside of it. I’m learning, though.”

“I know,” Margot said. Then she sighed. “Feeling like I wasn’t worth your time did hurt. And it reminded me of Izzy’s whole thing.” She waved her hand at the picture. “Everything was on her terms, and she’d never come out of her own world to really see or care about what was going on in mine. I know it’s not the same. Like, I know you were dealing with this life-changing thing, and Izzy was dealing with stuff like having to change caterers for her birthday party. Non-life-changing things. But still, it really, really sucked.”

I nodded. “I know that. But I need you to know that even though I didn’t always act like it, I did care. I do care. And oh my God, I can’t believe I said that Izzy was the best you could do. It’s so untrue.” I took a breath. “I want you to know that you’re a huge reason why I survived this year, too. You’re my best friend, too.”

Margot finally smiled for real. She pretended to look me over. “So what you mean is… you’re the best I can do?”

I smiled back. “If anyone better comes along, I’ll dance them to death.” Margot snorted, and I felt the last bit of heaviness I’d been carrying around dissolve. All of a sudden, I wanted to tell her everything.

So I did.

I told her about ballet. Kira. Colleen, and how I hadn’t spoken to her in months, but then I drove her to DC. I told her about what had happened with Jude—how we kissed, and how I told him we shouldn’t be together, and that he agreed.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Margot said, shaking her head. “Who just agrees like that? Who just listens to what someone says and then, like, believes them?”

I shrugged sadly.

“So what are you going to do? Do you still think it won’t work with him?”

I bit my lip and gave one answer to both questions. “I don’t know.”

“Well, let’s figure it out,” Margot said. “Do you want to invite Colleen over? It’d be cool to meet her, and this seems like the kind of thing that should involve as many girls as possible?”

She was right. I really wanted to talk to Colleen. I wanted her to meet Margot. But she had Giselle rehearsal all day. “She’s at rehearsal until six,” I said. “And don’t you have to go to TGI Fridays?”