"Shut up," I choke, catching myself, hair falling in my face.
Ruby laughs so hard she tips sideways. "I'm getting a free show."
Candace grins, looking more like a twenty-something and less like a trauma survivor for the first time all night. "Right foot blue."
Twister devolves quickly into something that would scandalize every PTA in Illinois. I end up practically underneath Ruby. Frankie's bent backward at ninety degrees beside us, somehow perfectly balanced.
"Left hand yellow," Candace calls, eyes gleaming. "Ruby, if you put your hand anywhere near Frankie's boobs, it's a penalty."
Ruby groans. "Wow. Targeted attack on my artistic freedom."
Frankie deadpans, "It's literally cheating."
"I call it creative expression."
Two spins later my thigh starts to burn. "Okay," I gasp. "Time-out. I do twelve-hour shifts, not CrossFit."
"You lost," Frankie says serenely, untangling herself with scary grace. "Get off my mat."
Ruby flops onto her back, spread-eagle, panting dramatically. "Bury me with my glitter. Tell Kyle I died honorably."
Frankie arches a brow. "You mean tell him you died being dramatic."
Candace snickers. "You have been glued to him lately."
Ruby waves a hand. "He's adorable. And useful. Like a golden retriever who can lift heavy things."
I crawl off the mat, breathless. "Pretty sure half the guys downstairs think you're danger incarnate."
Ruby grins wickedly. "Good. If they're confused, I'm doing my job."
Frankie mutters, "Some of them are… confused."
Ruby beams like she's won a humanitarian award. "Good. My work here is done." She tosses a handful of popcorn in the air and catches none of it.
We collapse back into the nest. Someone presses a cold soda into my hand. The movie changes to something without clowns. Ruby talks over both the music and dialogue.
"Okay," she announces. "New game. Highs and lows. One good thing from this week, one crap thing."
Frankie makes a face. "That sounds like group therapy."
"It's girls' night," Ruby counters. "Same thing, but with more carbs."
Candace hesitates, shoulders hunching.
Ruby clocks it and points at herself. "I'll go first." She thinks for two seconds. "High: Sloane turning Trent into Princess Tinkles. Iconic. Legendary. The stuff of feminist myth." She sweeps her arm wide, nearly knocking over Candace's drink."Low: Nash refusing to admit he almost smiled at me when I stole his fries."
"That's your low?" I ask, amused.
"Look, bitch, I am thriving. Next."
Frankie sips her drink, considering. "High: Rider not bleeding out on my floor last month. Low: discovering Ruby sings Taylor Swift into her tattoo gun when she thinks no one's listening."
Ruby gasps. "You swore you'd keep that between us."
"I did not. I said, 'Do that again and I will tell everyone.'"
Candace snickers. "High: Ruby's dad thinking she's at a 'networking event' right now instead of desecrating Twister with us."
