Page 119 of Clinically Awkward

“Everything is about me,” Fitz said. “It’s just a fact of life.”

I dropped my head into my hands. “We’re doomed.”

“We’re not doomed,” Vivian said, squeezing my hand. “You’re all catastrophizing. Julien is a reasonable person⁠—”

The door opened, and we all froze.

For one heart-stopping moment, I was absolutely certain Julien had returned early from his vacation, discovered everything, and was about to end my life in front of witnesses.

But it wasn’t Julien.

It was Winnie.

And she was holding a newspaper.

“Good morning, doctors,” she said brightly. “I thought you might want to see this.”

She walked over to the table and set the newspaper down in front of me.

I looked down and my soul actually left my body.

NEW HAVEN JOURNAL

FRONT PAGE

HEADLINE: “BRAWL AT THE RUSTY NAIL: LOCAL DOCTORS ARRESTED IN BAR FIGHT”

And there—right there, in full color, taking up half the front page—was a photograph.

Of us.

All five of us.

Mid-brawl.

“Oh my God,” Gabriel breathed.

“Oh my God,” Nathan echoed.

Hayden made a sound like a dying animal.

Fitz leaned forward, squinting at the photo. Then his face split into the biggest grin I had ever seen. “They got my good side!” he exclaimed, pointing at the image. “Look at that! Perfectly lit. Excellent angle. I look fantastic.”

“Are you kidding me right now?” Nathan exploded, jabbing his finger at the photo. “Your good side? QUINTON’S BIG FAT HEAD IS BLOCKING ME ENTIRELY.”

I looked at the photo.

He wasn’t wrong. I was front and center, mid-punch, my face contorted in what could only be described as “rage-fueled determination.” And directly behind me, completely obscured except for one arm and part of a shoulder, was Nathan.

“My head is not that big,” I said weakly.

“YOUR HEAD IS ENORMOUS,” Nathan shouted. “I’M COMPLETELY INVISIBLE. I could be anyone. I could be a coat rack.”

“To be fair,” Fitz said, still grinning, “you do have the posture of a coat rack.”

“FITZ, I SWEAR TO GOD!”

“Gentlemen,” Gabriel said, his voice strained. “Can we focus on the bigger problem? We’re on the front page of the newspaper.”