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"What the hell was that?" she asks, unbuttoning her black plaid coat

I shrug, counting the nu at theback to my bad habits I’m stressed out and I need relief Just a minute or two and then I’ll stop "I have no idea what happened Onewas okay with hi me down onto his lap"

She tosses her coat onto her bed, frowning "I knew this was going to happen"

I stop pacing and look at her "How?"

"Because I can see it in his eyes every ti her boot as she sits down on her bed "He likes you And I ue with her, but only because I don’t want to accept the truth "I know… he had a thing for otten over it," she says, kicking off her boot "But the question is: do you think of him that way?"

I immediately shake my head "No, Tristan’s just a friend"

"Are you sure?" There’s accusation in her tone "Because you don’t really crush on guys and I’ to wonder if s for soh and sit down on the bed beside her "I’ve had theles her foot out of her other boot "With Landon And…?" She waits for h she knows

"You know it’s Quinton," I say, pulling the elastic out of h it

"Hoould I when you never say it?"

She’s right Way too right I never say much aloud unless it’s to my camera

"It’s hard to say it so it with an elastic "When I don’t kno he feels or if I’ll ever see hith black dress off a hanger "I’m sure you will"

I shake e "I’m not so sure Every tiht be too hard to seeone day down the road but I don’t know…" I rest back ona tight sheer black dress with sparkling heels "You could always just ask him" She reaches for the silver jewelry box on her vanity

"I don’t want to push hiets unco him"

"You don’t need to be pushy when you ask" She takes out a black dia and clips it on her ear "Just ives you" She puts the other earring in and then does a little tith her hands out to her sides "How do I look?"

"Super fancy" I stand up "Where are you going?"

"Out" She winks at me as she collects her purse

I hurry and cut her off as she strides toward the door "No way" I span h with the secrecy Fess up"

She rolls her eyes atout with some friends" She drapes the coat over her arm "Jesus, Nova You need to chill out" She pushes past me, but halts before the door "Look, I’m your best friend so I can say this Do yourself a favor and let Tristan knohere you stand, wherever that rabs the doorknob and pulls the door open "And let Quinton knohere you stand It’ll be good for you, I think"

I want to be angry with her for telling s I don’t want to, but I can’t "Thank you, Lea," I say, following her out the door "But I still think you’re lying to ht"

"Think what you want" She grins in response "Totally off the subject, but can I borrow your car, in just a bit, for a couple of hours?"

I think about telling her no unless she’ll fess up to where she’s really going, but I’ a bitch "Sure, but you’ll have to drop me off at practice and then pickme to practice She actually probably would have been in er "Fine, but I’ood to ain, it’s totally okay for you to come in and say hi In fact, I know Jaxon would love it"

"Nova, I love you to death, but you need to get over the idea of Jaxon and ain"

"I aet back together I wouldn’t ether Ever," she says, frustrated "Seriously, Nova You need to let go of the past… this is why I don’t tell you stuff" Then she hurries down the hallway and leavesin led with for quite a while I have a hard tih, but she pretty much just threw in o out and tell Tristan there will be noin the hallway for a et ready for band practice, even though it’s not for a few hours, because I’ chicken who’s not ready for confrontation at the ives , I feel good And the a I’ out on candy as I’, but one where we get to open for Peaceful Injustice, one of my favorite indie rock bands of all time, next weekend on New Year’s eve Jaxon announces this to us in the garage of his house, the place where we practice because we’re all broke students and can’t afford to rent a studio space