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“Binder,” I say. “And just being super careful not to take my shirt off.”

“And your period?” Emerald.

“DivaCup.”

Nods, murmurs of agreement.

“And you’re not like…” Ruby fusses with the ends of her hair, not meeting my eyes. “You know.” She nods in the general direction of the street. Of Neverland.

“You’re not fucking the Lost Boys,” Emerald supplies.

“Em!” Ruby smacks her on the shoulder.

“What? I just wanted to—Tink.” Emerald turns to me, a hand pressed to her heart, eyes wide. “I just mean, I never would have, with any of them, if I had known. Girl to girl, I swear, I never⁠—”

“No, no, no,” I say quickly. “Um, you’re good. That’s not…a thing.”

And it’s not, I think. Even though my face is hot. Even though I’ve kissed one of them and…

…and whatever. It wasn’t anything.

“Wow.” Ruby blinks, dropping her hair. “Not even Pan? Because I would’ve thought⁠—”

“No,” I reaffirm. “Trust me.”

“You’re not missing much,” Pearl mutters, staring at her fingernails.

“For real,” Sapphire chimes in. “You know, I never thought he treated you right, Tink. Even as a guy.”

“Totally,” Ruby agrees. “He was so…bossy.”

More nods of agreement from the others.

“Thanks.” I purse my lips around my tiny cocktail straw. A little spark of something flares in my chest. Vindication, maybe. “Gotta say I agree.”

Emerald widens her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, you know.” I set down my empty. “He’s all offended that I was lying to him.”

“For real?”

I nod. “Basically been giving me the silent treatment. Real mature,” I add.

“God.” Pearl rolls her eyes in a complete circle. “He really does only think about himself.”

I snort. “You think that’s bad? He even…” I hesitate, just a moment.

“What?” Sapphire says. “He even what?”

I swallow. “You know Wendy, the girl we”—again I hesitate—“found?” They nod. “He said he didn’t care if she got kidnapped, because it’d just be doing us all a favor.”

The group gasps. Even Zuzu.

“Ladies, please!” Treasure pushes her hands outward, like she’s banishing them from her personal space. “Don’t you have jobs to do?”

The Mermaids hang their heads.

“Sorry, T,” they chorus, and scamper back to their various stations. Treasure sighs.