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"Evan wasn’t into a ton of stuff you liked and you made him do it anyway So are you still best friends with hilances at his atch

"I don’t have tiive me the CliffNotes version"

"Okay You ready?" he asks I nod "Things change"

"Chris"

He makes an exasperated noise

"He just got back and there happens to be this event in Whitney that I think I’d probably have a better ti Over Evan Satisfied?"

I shakefeels wrong I start snapping ain "But what aboutup on me, aren’t you?"

"Parker--"

"This is your fault," I say "You o to the girls’ washroo and this is it Pace This is so annoying; last week I had the whole school and everyone in it and now things are different and I hate it The door opens, but I pace in spite of it Anyway, it’s Becky, so it doesn’t matter

"Oh," she says when she sees me She walks over to the sink, pencil case in hand because that’s where she keeps her , as she takes out her lipstick and gets to work

"What do you and Chris talk about?"

The lipstick hovers above her lower lip She stares at me in the mirror

"None of your business?"

"Do you talk about, like, the deep stuff? I? Or is it a sex thing and you don’t talk at all?"

She does her lips and caps her lipstick before she even dignifies that with an anshich drives me crazy

"What did you and Chris talk about?" she asks

"Everything," I say quickly "Our conversations were deep and profound"

"Would you quit pacing?"

I can’t stop I want to tell her that, but I don’t

And I wouldn’t stop anyway, now that I know she wants me to

"Do you talk about Evan and stuff?"

"And stuff," she repeats faintly, s a little "And stuff? Yeah, we talk about Evan `and stuff’" "Do you talk aboutwith you, Parker?"

"Is Chris over"Is he?"

"Your naers Both of theain

"Just like that?"

"Just like that"

"I don’t believe you"

I leave the washrooot lad Finally, someone I can predict I enter her office, sit down, and we say nothing and I feel a little better At least there’s still one person in this school who can be counted on

After the first fifteen azine

I blink

I’ain and I’, uy, different froain and Evan’s there, screa Chris away because soain and I’m alone, in front of the drinks table set out on the lawn I’m here because I’ht for the bowl of punch for the designated driver I fill up a cup with shaking hands and drink it, then another

It’s passion fruit or strawberry Hawaiian soood

Then, a voice behind o"

I drop the cup and hs "Good one"

I shuffle over to a soft patch of grass and sit down Someone will probably have to peel

"Chris wantsles, her face in my face, beer on her breath "Come on"

"Where’s Jessie?"

"Sohtly, pulling on ives up and sits beside me "She and Evan are so over, by the way Well done, Parker I should console him"