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“Favorite character?’ I asked.
“Hmm…either Chandler or Monica. They’re the only ones I could see myself being friends with for real, you know?” She bit down on her lower lip. “You kinda remind me of Chandler.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised. “My impression wasn’t that good.”
“No, I mean it. You’re clever like he is. Sarcastic and smart.”
“Thanks.”
“Ruben said you like anime, too. It’s, like, my favorite thing ever.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised in the best possible way. I hadn’t yet met a girl on campus who liked comics or anime. “Are you in the animation program?”
She shook her head. “No, voice.”
My stomach did the tiniest uncomfortable flip as I remembered Tilly wanted to sing, too. Somewhere, Tilly was studying to be a singer. And I had no idea where that was.
“Really, but you’re so, um…”
“Introverted?”
“I was gonna say shy, but yeah.” I smiled gently. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.” She waved me away. “I’m totally introverted until you get a microphone in front of me. Then all bets are off.”
“Wow. I guess it’s what you’re meant to do, then, huh?”
“I really hope so. I joined this a capella group at the beginning of the semester with some of the girls from choir.”
“Oh, awesome.” I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to push Tilly from my mind. She was like a song that I couldn’t get out of my head, no matter how hard I tried. I could hum another tune, blast hip hop, even suffer through country music, but I always came back to Tilly. She was the song I knew by heart. And the song I couldn’t forget.
But damn it, I’m still going to try.
“So, how does an a capella girl like you get into anime?” I asked, my voice flirty and teasing. I was starting to genuinely like Marissa.
“I don’t know, I just love it. I saw some in Ruben’s room a few months ago, and he let me read through them. Now, I can’t get enough.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. I have crates full of it in my room.”
“Wow, where do you find them all?
“There’s a comic shop in town. It’s a cab ride away, but it has the most incredible stuff. You know, the hard-to-find-stuff.”
“Wow.”
“Maybe you want to go there sometime?” I asked as we crossed the street.
“I’d love that. None of my friends are into it…like at all.”
“I think it’s cool that you are.”
“Yeah?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
Marissa cleared her throat, looking up at the buildings that surrounded us on Green Street. “So, what do you think of Lurie’s? Is it what you expected?”
I couldn’t tell the truth when answering that question because obviously, the brutally honest answer would be to say absolutely not. I expected to be here with Tilly. Even though she wasn’t the only reason I had chosen this school, I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that she’d been part of it.
