“Okay, and then he spent the night?”
I scratch my head, walking over to the couch. “I mean, yeah. ‘Cause it was raining like you wouldn’t believe, and—I mean, I couldn’t just let him go out in the pouring—”
“Why are you being all weird?” she asks.
“I’m not being weird. You’re being weird. It’s not like he hasn’t ever spent the night here before. What’s the deal? What’s with the twenty questions?”
“Methinks thou dost protest too much.”
“I’m not. I told you he—”
“Then why are you going off like you’re on the stand, like it’s notnota big deal he spent the night?”
“Because you sound like my mom, it’s a trauma response.”
She chuckles “Okay, so why did you kiss him then?”
I scoff. And huff. And scoff again. “I didn’tkisshim. I—” I scratch my ear. “It was a joke. I kissed him as a joke, to see what—”
“Put on FaceTime.”
“What? No. Why?”
“Put. On. FaceTime. Right now, Seth!”
I make a frustrated face before I switch to FaceTime. Lou appears on the screen, wearing a frown.
“Heey,” I drawl. “Did you get highlights?”
“Girl,” she says, shooting me a raised eyebrow. “Don’t change the subject. But yes,” she says, putting a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Looks amazing!”
“Thanks! What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, pulling the neck of my sweater up over my chin to cover my neck.
“You’re a terrible liar. How did you ever get away with anything when we were kids?”
“I’m not lying?”
“You’re literally covering your mouth. That’s like How Liars Lie 101.”
“I’m cold,” I state.
She just raises a perfect eyebrow at me, sucking her cheeks in, and that look always gets me, so I drop the sweater, raking a hand through my hair and down my face.
“What’s that? On your neck.” She leans forward, closer to the phone.
I sigh. “Hickeys.”
“From?”
“Someone,” I shake my head. “Just someone.”
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t remember. I don’t think he even gave it to me—”
