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"Who cares what everybody thinks?"

Sean’s voice echoed in her head as she began to cut the rubbery piece of chicken on her plate And he was right--coht direction, but she needed to stop worrying and truly start living her life and following her drea to be perfect for agents and photographers and fashion designers and her h to think that she could just shake off the weight of everyone’s expectations in one night Change--real change--took tiive herself soes Not all at once, perhaps, but as she felt ready to tackle theot back to her roo on a layer of bright blue nail polish "Hey, I’et ht?"

Serena shook her head "Sorry,and I didn’t hear it going off" She’d left it there on purpose because she wasn’t yet ready to deal with listening to her es, as the case probably was all these hours later "Is so?"

Abi put down the nail polish and turned to face Serena with a clearly concerned look on her face "I was kind of worried about you"

"You were?"

"I knoe haven’t gotten to know each other that well yet--" Abi looked a little uncertain "--but when I saw those pictures of you and your walking orgasht more about how hard it must be for you to deal with that kind of stuff all the time It’s just that I’ve never known anyone fauess I’ve kind of been afraid to say the wrong thing"

Serena was floored by what Abi had just said Plus, she knew she was doing a terrible job of trying to hide her flushed cheeks at her rooas her came so suddenly--and so clearly--that she didn’t have a prayer of containing her reaction to it

"Sean and I, we’re just friends," she tried to clarified

But Abi re at the frat party It was hot And FYI, I have no probleht with you in here"

"Don’t worry," she told Abi, "he won’t be staying over here" In fact, she was sure her roommate would be shocked if she knew just how far they were fro she wouldn’t even let hi aard, she said, "I know it’s not the easiest thing in the world roo even reht it…because I kind of hated you at first for being so much prettier than me," Abi admitted

"I’m not prettier than you," Serena said earnestly She’d never be the all-American beauty that her roommate was "And you’re so much fun Everybody likes you"

Abi smiled at her, obviously thrilled by the coain, "Are you okay? You know, about that story that ca open with Sean and so far he’d proven to be a really areat? Could the two of them become friends? Real friends instead of just roommates who did their best to stay out of each other’s way?