DREW: Listen, I’ve been meaning to ask you about Ally’s mental health. I’ve been thinking maybe she should talk to someone about her obvious anger issues. Don’t they do free counseling in Health Services?

“Yeah,” Jasmine says. “So I think I’m going to have the strawberry shortcake. Or maybe the huge peanut butter cup.”

I look at her.

“He asked me how you were,” she says, sliding the dessert menu back into the holder.

“Did you tell him I broke up with Corey?”

“No. I didn’t think it was my place to tell him,” Jasmine says. I nod. Not that it matters. I mean, why would Drew care if I broke up with Corey? All my Drew issues were totally self-inflicted. It wasn’t like he was hitting on me all the time, or even showing the slightest interest. I’ve only seen Drew a few times since our big blow-up fight, due mostly to the fact that I’ve been a hermit for the past two weeks, hardly venturing out of my room. When I’ve seen him briefly in passing on campus or on my way to class, we ignore each other. Although one time I think he may have nodded at me, although I totally could have been imagining it.

The waiter comes back to take our dessert order, staring at Jasmine’s breasts the whole time. She gets off on the attention, and asks him if she can have extra whipped cream on her strawberry shortcake. I order the giant peanut butter cup, figuring the extra calories won’t make me fat since I have days of eating to make up for.

“So have you talked to him?” Simone asks me once our desserts come. The giant peanut butter cup turns out to be the size of Frank’s neck and comes with an equal amount of ice cream and hot fudge. This makes me sublimely happy.

“Who?” I ask, spooning up some ice cream.

“Corey.”

“No,” I say. “I haven’t talked to him since he left. I’m sure I will, at some point.”

“Well, don’t call him, whatever you do,” Jasmine instructs. “You need time by yourself. And I don’t mean time to lie around in your own filth, stinking up our bedroom.”

“I wasn’t that bad,” I say.

“Yes, you were,” Jasmine says. She looks to Simone, who nods.

“Whatever.”

“So what about Drew?” Jasmine watches me carefully as she takes a bite of cheesecake.

“What about him?” I ask, feeling my stomach shift again. I take another bite of the warm peanut butter and chocolate in an effort to shut it up.

“Are you going to talk to him?”