“Thank goodness,” she announced in a voice cheerful enough to carry across the entire quad. “The spy life is exhausting.” She fluttered her hands like she’d just dropped invisible binoculars. “But if you need me to look up anyone on the internet, I can definitely do that. My FBI-agent-level stalking skills are unmatched.”
My eyebrows climbed so high they were practically in my hairline. “What?”
“Don’t worry,” she chirped, stopping right in front of me, all smiles and dimples. “We’re harmless. Promise. Just…dedicated. In an admirably nosy way.”
Behind her, Casey groaned, dragging a hand down her face, while Riley mouthed something that looked a lot likeoh my gosh.
Natalie just beamed at me like we were already best friends.
She tilted her head, eyes sparkling like I’d just been adopted into some secret sorority. “Can I call you FiFi? You look like a FiFi.”
I blinked. “Do I…know you?”
I mean, Ididknow them.
I’d watched them from afar every time they’d been near Matty…but obviously we’d never met in real life.
From behind her, Casey pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed like she’d aged ten years in ten seconds. “Don’t mind her,” she said dryly. “I’m Casey.” She gestured vaguely at herself, then nodded toward Riley, who gave a little wave.
“Riley,” Riley added warmly, like she was trying to balance out Casey’s deadpan.
“And Natalie!” Natalie chimed, beaming and practically bouncing on her toes. She jabbed her thumb toward her chest like I’d missed that she was introducing herself.
“You’re…dating Matty’s friends,” I blurted, my voice pitching awkwardly high.
The words tumbled out before I could reel them back, and the second they landed, I wished the ground would just split open and swallow me whole.
I’d said that too fast.
Normal people wouldn’t justknowthat. I could practically feel the panic creeping up my throat as I scrambled to think of something,anything, that would make it sound less like I’d been watching them for months.
I was so screwed.
All three of them exchanged glances.
“Aw, Adler does love us! He talked about us!” Natalie squealed, clapping her hands together before looping her arm through mine.
Relief crashed through me so hard my knees nearly gave out. They thoughthe’d told me about them. Not that I already knew…every name, every face, every photo I’d memorized like it was gospel.
Warm, bubbly, and impossible to resist, Natalie started steering me across the quad before I could even form a protest.
“It’s so nice to meet you!” she said, dragging her words out like they had been centuries in the making. “We’ve been begging him all morning to let us meet you! Any girl who can keep Adler in his room for twenty-four hours and convince him to skip practice…You have powers, woman. But nooo, he’s been all growly and possessive. ‘Stay away from her, don’t scare her off, she’s mine, grumble grumble.’ So we took matters into our own hands.”
My brain short-circuited halfway through that sentence. “I—Wait—What?”
“Growly,” Natalie repeated cheerfully. “You know, all protective and territorial, like some giant caveman. It’s kind of hot, honestly. Verymate-for-lifeenergy. Which, obviously, you’re into.”
I opened my mouth, closed it again, and managed a strangled, “I…”
Casey muttered something under her breath that sounded likeyou’re going to scare her away,while Riley smiled kindly, the same way you would at a skittish animal you don’t want to spook.
Meanwhile, Natalie squeezed my arm tighter, grinning like she’d just declared us blood sisters. “Don’t worry, FiFi. We’re totally normal.”
My mouth opened, but no words came out. Nothing. Just a faint, useless squeak like I’d swallowed a kazoo.
I wasn’t used to this. Girls. Normal—or maybe not-so-normal—girls wanting me around. High school had been a battlefield I’d lost before I even stepped onto it. After everything with Nico, the sideways stares, the whispers in the hall, the rumors that followed me like shadows…well, I hadn’t exactly walked out of there with a thriving girl gang and a collection of friendship bracelets.
Standing here with three beautiful, confident women like them made something deep inside me ache.Yearn, even. I wanted to belong. I wanted them to like me so freaking much.
