Page 20 of Pieces

Hudson

I’m leaving this chat.

Miles

No, you’re not. You live for this.

Chapter ten

Daphne

“So,how’syourvagina?”Liv asks, her face taking up all my phone screen during our video call.

“Totally fine, thanks for asking,” I reply, rolling my eyes but unable to keep the smirk off my face. I still feel a little giddy about the other night with Hudson. After all the Liv pep talks in the past telling me it’ll hurt, I had no idea it would also feel that good. The biggest question I have now is if it was a him thing, or a general sex thing.

“I mean, since you had a massive dick for the first time,” she continues without missing a beat. “Which, by the way, props to you, because my first time was—”

“Lenny Little Dick in high school,” I interrupt, holding up my hand to cut her off. “And yeah, that hurt enough. I know, babe.”

Liv and I have been friends since we were toddlers—her mom and mine bonded over some mom-and-me yoga class we obviously have no memory of. Now, Liv’s all the way at Washington State, while I’m here at Cedar Lakes, but somehow, our video calls still feel like we’re in the same room. And we make monthly trips to see each other; last week it was the concert in Spokane. Next month, I’ll go to WSU for a weekend, and we’ll alternate.

Liv throws her head back in a full-body laugh, the kind that makes her curls bounce. “Exactly! I guess all that self-care over the years really prepped you, huh? Technically, your cherry had already been popped by a silicone dildo.”

“God, your filter is completely off today,” I groan, trying not to laugh along with her. “Put it back on, please. And can we stop talking about sex now?”

Mostly because it just reminds me that I wish I’d left my number for Hudson. But I also didn’t want to assume he wanted that, because I wasn’t about to be that girl. Desperation looks good on no one.

“My filter is off always, and my favorite topic is sex.” She grins at me like it’s a badge of honor. “Jeez, do you know me at all?”

And just like that, I’m laughing too, because yeah, I do.

Liv smirks at me through the screen, adjusting the blanket draped over her shoulders. “So, was it worth the hype?”

With a groan, I rest my head against the back of my chair. “I already told you everything.”

She rolls her eyes. “Fine, when’s round two? Orwho’sround two?”

I laugh despite myself. “I don’t know, Liv. It’s not like I scheduled it in my planner.”

“Maybe you should,” she quips. “I swear you’re the only person who lives on a college campus but acts like a hermit.”

“I’m not a hermit!” I protest.

In fact, my schedule is so packed, there’s barely room to breathe. Between Women’s Studies, Media Communications, and my electives in Digital Media Strategies that have me creating TikTok content one minute and dissecting analytics the next, I don’t have time to be a hermit. Add in my General Ed requirement for Psychology and I’m basically running a full-time job disguised as a freshman schedule.

But that’s how I like it. My planner is a masterpiece of color-coded chaos, every moment accounted for. Some people meditate; I find inner peace by highlighting deadlines and scheduling study sessions down to the minute.

“I just don’t go out every night like you.”

Liv gasps and clutches her chest. “How presumptuous? I’ll have you know, I went two whole nights last week without partying. Two.”

“Wow,” I deadpan. “You’re such a hero.”

She flips me off with a laugh, and I shake my head, grinning. This is how it’s always been with us; Liv pushing boundaries, me reining her in, both of us meeting somewhere in the middle. Usually with me getting into trouble because of her, but I wouldn’t change it.

“Shut up, or I won’t give you your birthday gift when I see you next month. You have scheduled in fun for that, right?”

I poke my tongue out with a scowl. “You’re uninvited.”

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