“You got held up?” My eyes narrow at her.
“Mmmhmm.” She shoves a fry into her mouth. “I needed to talk with my teacher after class, but everyone else wanted to talk to her too, and—”
“Is that a hickey?” Maia’s eyes widen as she notices what I already have.
“What?” Ember gasps, grazing a finger over her neck. “Oh, no, I burnt myself with my curling iron.”
Brinley grabs Ember’s face, gently turning her head to the side so she can see the mark we’re talking about.
“I’ve gotten enough hickeys in my life to know that is definitely one.” Brinley grins. “Are you hooking up with someone?”
“No,” Ember groans. “Jeez, guys, I’ve spent my whole life covering up a large mark I don’t want anyone to see. Do you think if I actually got a hickey, I would just leave it uncovered for you guys to see?”
“She’s got a point,” Maia replies. “She learned how to cover up her scar at quite a young age—”
“Thanks, Mom.” Ember rolls her eyes.
“There’s no way she wouldn’t cover up a hickey. She hates attention.”
“Maybe she just got it.” Brinley shrugs. “That’s a real—”
Ember pulls out a small makeup bag.
“I’m always prepared.” Ember sets the bag down on the table. “If I cared, I would’ve covered it up. Now, back to what you guys were discussing when I showed up.”
“Right, Fletcher!” Brinley jumps in her seat, and I cover my face with my hands.
“Brin. We don’t need to be screaming his name in public.”
“It’s not like Fletcher’s some guy you’re harboring a secret crush on; he’s Fletch,” Brinley argues.
“Exactly, he’s Fletch.”
“Okay, can I just ask you one more question, and then I’ll let it go completely?” Maia turns toward me.
“You can ask it; I’m not saying I’ll answer it.”
“If Fletcher wanted to be with you, would you?”
It seems like a silly question. It’s all I thought about in high school. God, I thought about it in middle school. I’ve thought about it since the day we met.
“I don’t know.” It’s not a complete lie. Deep down, there’s so much that runs through my head when I think about heading down that road. “If you had asked me back in high school, I would’ve said yes in an instant. So much has changed since then, though. We’vegotten older, and I guess I’ve realized how much is truly at stake if we go there and—”
“It didn’t work out?” Ember fidgets with the zipper on her makeup bag.
“Exactly. I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk. I think that’s why I’ve moved on from that. I told myself after Ryan—”
“Wait, who’s Ryan?” Maia’s eyebrows pop up.
“She met him during freshman orientation, same major, complete dipshit,” Brinley responds. “That’s all you need to know.”
“Anyway, I told myself after Ryan that there was only one thing to focus on during my time at college, and that was myself.”
“Here, here!” Ember raises her milkshake.
“You’re literally making sex eyes at my brother, so you’re not a part of that.” Brinley pushes Ember’s arm down.
“And you’re dating someone,” Ember twists toward Brinley, “so you are also not included in Tate’sfocus on yourselfagenda.”
