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“We didn’t think that through,” he acknowledged. “It was impulsive.”

“Which isn’t like you two. You guys are a lot of things, but messy and impulsive isn’t normal for you.”

Theo shrugged one shoulder. He didn’t have a good explanation for that either.

Grace frowned. “What is it?”

“You sit down here and tell me I’m a piece of shit and now you want to know what’s wrong?” Theo said with a dry chuckle. Grace had never been great at tact, but this was a lot, even for her.

“No, I just feel like there’s more going on here than you’re admitting.”

“Like what?”

Grace cocked her head, her black hair glinting almost blue in the fluorescent lights. “I don’t know, but there’s something.”

“That’s very specific and helpful, thank you.”

“Fuck off,” she said with a tiny grin. “I just meant I can tell that it’s not just Izzy, you know?”

He did know, but he couldn’t tell her she was right without fucking up a lot of things. “Can’t help you then,” he said and shrugged again.

“You can always talk to me,” she said gently. “I know Tommy can be a lot, and you’ve always seen me and Harper as more of Avery’s friends than yours, but I love you too, you know. If you want to talk, you know where I am.”

“Thanks,” he said, and he meant it. He cared about Grace too, and knew she was being genuine. It wasn’t her fault that he couldn’t tell her the truth.

Grace patted his head as she skated away, and Theo decided it was time for him and Avery to talk—really talk. He might not be able to tell her how long he’d had feelings for her without risking a total implosion of their relationship and friendship, but he could admit that she wasn’t alone in her feelings. It was something, at least.

He caught her eye and met her over near the lockers where people stored their shoes. There was something odd and closed off about her expression, but he couldn’t put his finger on what was wrong. She had been fine when he left to talk to Izzy, had encouraged him to, even. But now she was avoiding eye contact with him.

Avery was apparently done skating, as she immediately began unlacing her skates. “Going somewhere?”

“Heading out, yeah.”

“Is . . . everything okay?”

“Sure.” She stuffed the laces back into her skates with terrifying force.

“Are you sure? Because it doesn’t seem like it.”

“It doesn’t?” Avery smiled sweetly, and that was somehow scarier than the thing she’d just done with her laces.

“What’s wrong, Aves? Come on.”

“You tell me.”

Theo felt like he was about to run out of rope. First Izzy, then Grace, and now Avery. It was like each of them wanted to take a swing at him, and even worse, he couldn’t blame them. Although, to be fair, he wasn’t quite sure why Avery wanted to fight him now.

“Can you just tell me? Whatever I did, I’m sorry.”

“Look, if you want to be with her, you didn’t have to do all this.”

“Be with who? Izzy?”

Avery glared at him.

“You told me to go talk to her.”

“I did, yeah. And then you looked fucking heartbroken when she left, so I put two and two together. I’m pretty goddamn smart, you know.”