Page 3 of The Future Play

Grabbing one of the brownies, I take a big bite. Andoh my god. It’s delicious. Possibly the best brownie I’ve ever eaten in my life—and I have high standards.

“This is so good. I’m seriously ready to pay you to let me live here.”

Great job not sounding desperate.

Ugh.

But they all laugh.

“Well, before you get too excited, you should know our story,” the one with the curly hair says.

My eyebrows shoot up, but really, I’m not that worried. The vibe here is low-key and upbeat. So I playfully ask, “Are you, like, murderers or in witness protection or something?”

“Not quite,” Rae says with a sweet smile. “But we are best friends. Well, actually, let’s go back a step. I’m Rae.” She points to the blonde. “That’s Sarah. And that’s Mackie. Mackie and I have been friends since we were four. Sarah is my adoptive sister andmy other half. And we’re sort of a package deal because we come with three boys who live down the hall. We’ve all been best friends since we were kids, and we spend most of our time together. We’rea lotand we know that. We want you to be prepared.”

So far, I’m struggling to see the problem. Brownies, friendly girls, and maybe some cute boys? Sign me up.

“And are these boys hot?”

Again, they all laugh.

“Definitely,” Mackie says, though that surprises me a little—or maybe my gaydar is broken—but I had her pinned as a lesbian. Maybe she’s bi. Maybe I’m crazy. Whatever. Topic at hand.

“And are any of them taken?” I ask, mostly because I never want to make the mistake of playing with someone else’s toys, but also because who knows? Maybe I’ll magically meet my soulmate.

Mackie and Sarah both look at Rae.

“Thanks for that,” she mutters.

“Ooh. I’m sensing drama.”

“It’s not that fun, but yeah.Technically, he’s not taken, but if you want to live with me, I’d recommend you not go after Aaron,” Rae says, and it’s impossible not to notice the flash of pain in her eyes. It makes me want to hug her, but I’m not sure if she’s a hugger, and even if she is, we’ve known each other for less than ten minutes.

“He’s her person. Her best friend. Also her ex,” Mackie says.

“And they’re still madly in love,” Sarah adds.

I nod because Rae seems to want to move on. “Aaron’s off limits. The other two?”

“If you’re in for a one-time hookup, there’s Miles. Tall, swoopy dark hair. Joel is more of a short-term girlfriend kinda guy, but I doubt he’s your type.” I don’t miss the way Sarah’s voice catches on Joel’s name. I definitely won’t be messing around with him, either. “Don’t worry, we’ve got more hot guys where they come from, too. Well, if you don’t mind going back to Ida.”

My eyes fly wide. “You’re from Ida? No way! I’m fromWoods Junction!”

My hometown of Woods Junction, New York is a fairly tiny town not far from the Pennsylvania border. It’s only about twenty minutes away from Ida. Now I’m meeting these girls here, three hours away, in Old Lake Town.

We all look around at each other. “I think it’s fate,” I whisper.

Seriously, doing a fantastic job of not coming off as desperate.

“As long as you don’t mind our brand of crazy and trying to jump into a group of six best friends with a steep learning curve,” Mackie says with a slightly devilish smile.

Okay, maybe I’m not being desperate.

I’m not, I tell myself.

I’m being me. So I continue that trend.

With a soft smile, I say the truth. “I’m outgoing, and I love being around people, but I had a hard time connecting with people in high school and was kind of a loner besides my best friend, Jace. She’s two years older and has a complicated past with my brother, so I don’t get to see her as much as I like. I’ve always wanted a big group of friends. Maybe I can co-opt yours.”

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