Page 9 of Come Break My Heart Again

“Don’t forget the straw,” Juliet teases as I return to her side, pulling one out of the back pocket of her jean shorts and handing it to me.

I flick some water drops toward her bare arm. My mom’s other fear of coffee, aside from the potential caffeine addiction,is that it stains teeth. Reluctantly, I peel the paper sleeve off the straw and stick it in the opening.Sorry, turtles.

“I forget, did you get Gibbons for History?”

“No. I have Anderson.”

Juliet sighs. “Ugh. Like having it last period wasn’t bad enough.”

“I’d trade last period for taking regular over AP.” If there’s an advanced section of a class, I’m taking it this semester.

“Oh, you poor smarty-pants.”

I roll my eyes before taking a long pull of coffee. I work hard for good grades. They’ve never fallen into my lap the way everyone assumes.

“Thanks for the coffee.”

“What are best friends for if not smuggling illicit substances? I got one for Keira, too, if she ever shows?—”

Loud music announces the arrival of my other closest friend. The decibel rivals Archer’s rap, but it’s a song I actually like.

Keira parks her Jeep four spots down, then practically skips over to us. “Happy senior year!”

“Gah!” Juliet says in response to Keira’s loud exclamation. “Some of us still have our hearing.”

Keira snorts, then focuses on me. A wide smile spreads across her face as she stares at what I’m wearing. “Yes! You’re wearing the dress. Did Archer love it?”

“Sort of.” If commenting on the color counts. Not exactly a compliment.

Keira nods. “Typical.”

“I got you a coffee,” Juliet tells Keira. “Not that you need it.”

Keira beams, then bounces over to the door to grab her coffee. “Whatever did Mrs. Clarke say?”

“She wasn’t a fan of the dress either,” Juliet says.

“Told you that you should’ve gotten it in two colors,” Keira comments.

“Maybe next time,” I reply.

The car door slams shut, and then Keira reappears with her coffee in hand. “Guess what. Nicole and Alec broke up.”

“She wasn’t at Perry’s last night, so I wondered,” I respond.

“And you didn’t text me?” Juliet exclaims. “Elle!”

I swallow more coffee, savoring the cold caffeine. “Alec? Seriously?”

“You’re the one datingArcher Hathaway.”

“Yeah. And you know why.”

Keira scoffs. “When are you going to stop letting your mom run your life?”

“You’ve met her. When I’m fifty.”

Juliet laughs.

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