There’s a drumming sound in my ears and I’m pretty sure it’s my pulse. “Mia, I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“It’s just I knew you had all these things going on with what happened to your sister, and Owen—”

“Mia, come on,” I say, throwing my head back.

“No, you come on. I know you, Cora. I’m not completely clueless.”

At that, I cross my arms. Now I’m folded up like a pretzel. “I never said you were.”

“I don’t know, but to me, it felt like you were talking to Quinn about all these things and I just wanted you to know you could talk to me. That’s all.”

I hang my head and stare at my crossed legs. It makes me think of preschool and how our teacher would say, “Sit crisscross, applesauce.” Which for some reason made Quinn laugh, which would make me laugh because back then I always laughed when she laughed.

I blow out a breath. “Mia, you’re my really good friend. And Quinn is, too. But to be honest, I haven’t been talking to anyone about those things. Especially not Owen.”

“By the way, Owen was really sorry he couldn’t come today. He had to babysit Erika,” Mia says.

I try to hide my smile, but it comes anyway. “Yeah, he texted me.”

“And?” Mia prompts.

“He texted me some funny animal videos to watch if I got bored.”

“And?”

I wrinkle my nose. “The one with the flying squirrels was hilarious. Want me to send it to you?”

Mia laughs. “I’m not talking about videos.”

I throw my hands around in the air helplessly. “You know.”

“I think I do, but I want to confirm my theory.”

“Your theory?”

“You know what I mean,” Mia says. “How you feel about Owen.”

I squirm, crossing and uncrossing my ankles. “I just don’t know.”

“But you think he’s cute, right?”

I cover my hands with my face. “Yeah. I think so. I guess.”

Mia laughs a little, and I fall back onto my pillow and shield my face. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Yeah, well, I’m about to tell you something embarrassing, too.”

“What?”

“I think Peter Tolbin is cute.”

“What?” I scrunch up my face. “Peter Tolbin? But he wears so much of that body spray that smells like leather.”

“I know, right?” Mia says, laughing nervously. “But seriously, hey, don’t judge me. I mean, I think it smells kind of good.”

I hold up my hands. “I’m not, I’m not, I’m not.”

She flops down on the bed next to me. “It’s totally weird, right? The feeling?”

“The weirdest.”

“What do you think we should do about it?”

I stare at the ceiling and wonder about Mabel for the two hundredth time in the past hour. You would know what to do, I think.

“I don’t know,” I say quietly.

“Me either,” Mia says.

“But you know what? I’m trying to get better at not knowing. Like for now, I’m happy just being friends with Owen.”