I stifle a laugh at how worked up she’s gotten. “Thanks, Ken.”
She huffs out another frustrated breath. “You’re welcome, and I’m sorry, again. I know you love your parents, but that’s not an excuse to put up with them.”
I can tell she’s talking from experience so I just nod, squeezing her hand.
I think back to what Evan said about doing it on my own. How I could use the opportunity in Boston to speak to small andbigger companies about a possible collaboration. But the idea is still so fresh.
I’ve never thought about branching out on my own. Working for Voss has always been the priority. The goal. And now that it seems like I’m never going to get the position that I want, I need to start considering other options. It would be a lot of work, and I would probably end up betraying my family in the process, but it’s a possibility. One I’m not too sure I want to be thinking about just yet.
I blow a raspberry, wanting to shake all those weird feelings away. “Anyway. What’s been going on with you two? What are your two updates?”
Since a timetabling mishap in freshman year, the girls and I created our own way to fill each other in after we spend a lot of time apart. When asked to give our two updates, we each have to pick two of the most important things that have happened to us in the time we weren’t together. It keeps everyone in the loop with our separate college experiences and it’s always the best part of my week.
“I’ll go first,” Wren says, and I turn to her. “I got areallygood grade in my last creative writing assignment and the skating season isfinallyover. Well, for me at least.”
Ken and I clap as per tradition before I drop my head to Wren’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you skate much this year.”
“Don’t worry about it. I think it’s good you guys don’t come as often,” she says.
“Are you sure?” Kennedy asks.
“Yeah, it’s less pressure,” Wren says, and I lean up off her to look her in the eyes. “I love it when you guys are screaming at me in the crowd, but you honestly make me a little nervous.”
My eyes widen. “Wemakeyounervous?”
“I am capable of being nervous, you know. It’s, like, my default setting,” Wren laughs and I just frown. “I think I just want to impress everyone. Even you two.Especiallyyou two. You know what my best looks like and I don’t want to be anything less than that for you.”
I squeeze her hand. “We’ve literally seen you both fall on your ass and do some of the best skating in the same night. You always impress us.”
“I guess,” Wren mumbles. “I think I’m getting better at letting go of that, though. I just want to skate for fun and let it continue to make me feel the way it does. I’m excited for this new era and focusing on my writing more.”
I beam at that. Wren has been writing a romantasy series for the last two years that she only lets me and Kennedy read. We have our own secret book club meetings every now and then where Wren reads a few chapters to us aloud. She’s an incredible writer, and I can’t wait for the day she publishes some of her work.
“I love this for you, Wrenny,” Kennedy says and Wren frowns at the nickname.
“What about you, Ken?” I ask, and she scrunches her nose up.
“Nothing has really happened. I’ve just been stressed with finals, but now that they’re over I guess I have more time to work on my art.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “You don’t sound too thrilled about that.”
She shrugs.
“What about your New Year’s resolutions? You didn’t put them on the cake,” Wren says, referring to the cake they made for New Year’s with their resolutions written on a piece of paper stuck to a toothpick. I wish I could’ve been there for the new tradition, but I was too busy getting railed by Evan Branson.
Kennedy shivers. “I don’t feel like I’m ready to make any goals this year. I don’t know what I want or what I want to achieve. I just . . . I want to see where it goes.”
I can tell there’s something else that’s bugging her, but I know trying to pry it out of her won’t get her to open up, so I keep quiet. Kennedy has always been a little closed off from us. Mostly because we met her as a teenager, and we didn’t grow up together like Wren and I did. She knows we’re always going to have her back when she eventually finds the words, and that’s all that matters.
“Spontaneity is your thing. You’re good at going with the flow,” Wren says.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Kennedy says, perking up a little. She gives us both a mischievous grin. “Speaking of . . . Can we go to karaoke tonight?”
“Tonight? It’s already tonight,” I groan. I’m not sure when I turned into such a homebody, but the idea of going out is not nearly as appealing as it used to be. I love staying in with my girls. I love gossiping and watching movies and laughing at stupid videos together. But I also know that if Idon’tgo out, I’m going to have the worst FOMO ever.
“Soooo let’s go right now,” Kennedy says, jumping up from her seat and Wren does the same. They both stand in front of me, each of them holding a hand out for me to take.
I sigh. “Ahh, fuck it. Why not?”
