“Well, anyway. I’m totally fine. She is smart and funny, but . . . I dunno. It was exciting to meet someone who I maybe could go out with. But, like . . .” She stirs her tea, poking at the boba pearls at the bottom of her cup. She’s stalling.

“What?”

“I’m actually kind of relieved that she wasn’t ready yet.”

“Come on, Em.”

“No, for real. I just.” One last pause. “So like, no offense to your matchmaking skills or whatever, but I didn’t feel that spark, you know?”

“But you were so excited about her before.”

“I know. I didn’t keep feeling excited, though.”

I sigh. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, Ceej. I promise.”

She does seem fine. She’s not one to hide her feelings, anyway. Em pulls out her phone and scrolls through her Instagram, liking, liking, liking. Suddenly, she stops. “Hey,” she says, staring at her screen. “You didn’t tell me Brynn was there last night.”

“Yeah, she was. She was the whole reason I left early. Didn’t I tell you that? Wait, don’t tell me you’re following her.”

“She follows me,” says Em, a bit defensively.

“Em.”

“She sent me a request, Ceej. She’s my lab partner. It would have been weird not to follow her back.”

“Whatever. Anyway, you should have seen her face when I told her you were out with Fiona.”

“What—why would you tell her that?”

“She asked where you were.”

And then I realize that I should have kept my mouth shut, because Em’s eyes brighten. “She did?” She must hear the energy in her own voice, because she clears her throat and tones it the hell down. “I mean. Hm. That’s weird.”

“Uh-huh.” I let that sit there, and Em likes about five more photos on her feed before she can’t stand it any longer and says with studied nonchalance, “So, uh. What did her face look like when you told her where I was?”

“She was surprised, I guess. She said good for you.”

“Good for me?”

“Yup.”

“What do you think that means?”

“I think that means she’s happy for you, Em.” I have to work to keep the snark out of my voice. What was I thinking, bringing this up? I should have known she’d grab it and run with it.

“But like, did she say it like, Yay, good for her! like she was genuinely happy for me? Or was it more like—”

“Em. Listen to yourself. You need to chill, okay? That girl is nothing but trouble.”

Emily sighs and shakes her tea. “Maybe.” She takes a big sip, chews, and swallows. “But like, listen to yourself. When’s the last time you talked to her?”

“Um, last night?”

“That doesn’t count. Like really talked to her, I mean.”

“I don’t have to talk to her. I know what she did, and that’s enough.”