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I guess I could have expected this. It was definitely J-Pop she was blaring from her phone, the case decked out in glittery pastels and anime character stickers. That wasn’t Emberlynn’s usual music taste. But I put my hands on my hips, scowling. “Who do you think you are, just barging into someone’s house without asking?”
She scratched her head. “Emberlynn saw me waiting at your door and said I could just go in…”
“This is literally worse than murder.”
“Don’t you do this to everyone basically all the time?”
“Yes.But that’s different. I’m Paisley. You’re not. Ugh.” I paused. “Are you making me food?”
She perked up. “Strawberries and cream! I thought it could be nice. I brought some tea Gwen said I could share with you. She said the Emperor’s Clouds green tea would be a perfect match.”
“I guess I can forgive you, if you brought food.”
She laughed. “Wait until we’ve sat down to talk about what we said yesterday, before you decide whether you’ve forgiven me.”
Oh, god. I’d forgotten. I pursed my lips. “Right…”
She gave me an awkward laugh. “You forgot.”
“No!”
“Yes?”
“Yes.” I slumped. “Ugh. Fine. I’ll put the water on for the tea.”
“Oh—heat it to one-sixty-two, okay?”
“You think I have a kettle that precise? It’s only because of Emberlynn that I don’t just put a glass of water in the oven and call it a day.”
But still, the food was delicious, at least. I was pouting and grouchy the whole time I ate it, but it was delicious, and the tea worked nicely with it, even if I swear it just tasted like tea and there was nothing that special about it. I only got halfway through the food, though, before Kay gave me an awkward look over the pile of stuff on my table, and she said, “So… what’s eating you?”
“I wish something would eat me. A giant snapping turtle made of lightning that descends from the heavens to snap me up in its jaws and fly into the sun.”
“Well, barring that happening, do you want to tell me what’s on your mind? You look like you’re going through it.”
I slumped over the table. “Nah. It’s because of something that someone’s keeping a secret, and I don’t spill secrets.”
“Aren’t you the biggest gossip in town…?”
“There’sgossipand then there’ssecrets.And it’s important to know where the line is. I share gossip. I do not share secrets. God, though, do I ever share gossip.”
She settled back in the chair, cupping her tea in both hands. “Is it something to do with Harper?”
“No! It’s nothing to do with her. Oh my god, stop bringing her up. I swear, it’s nothing to do with her.”
She sipped slowly at her tea, one long sip with her eyes fixed on me before she set it down. “Um… that was the only time I asked.”
I looked away sharply. “Well, then you’ve been wrong one hundred percent of the time. You’d better not do it again, or it’ll be two hundred percent.”
“That is not how percentages work. So…” She leaned forwards, folding her arms on the table. “Did something happen to her? Is she okay?”
“Ugh. No. She’s fine. Unfortunately.”
“Hmm.” She chewed her lip. “A crush? Are you into her?”
I hunched into myself, shoving my hands into my pockets, looking at my tea. “Oh my god. It’s not that.”
“You aren’t looking directly at me, though.”
