“It’s not that. I’m guessing you’re straight.”

I nod.

“And even if you weren’t, it’s not like any girl is a threat.” She shakes her head, laughs some more. “It’s just... Reggie.”

The sounds of his name sets off fireworks in my chest.

“Reggie?”

Her eyebrows shoot up, and she fixes me with a satisfied smirk. “Oh, that face answered any question I was about to ask.”

I reach up to touch my face, and feel a big grin I didn’t even realize was there. My cheeks are warm, and I know they’re turning pink. “Well, that’s not fair,” I say, looking down. “I can’t control my face.”

“Exactly.”

I get the nerve to look at her again. Her lips are pressed together and she’s studying me with one eye closed, like she did earlier. I swear she can see right into my brain when she does that. “So, is there something going on there? Leela thinks so.”

Is there something going on? I’ve learned more about him by reading all of his essays online—how he thinks, what he likes. He responded to my days-long migraine cluster exactly how Iwishpeople would. Acknowledging how much it sucks and offering to help, instead of brushing them off as headaches like everyone except my mom and sister does. He seems so smart, so kind, and just unapologetically himself. And also... he’s just really, really cute.

Then again, we haven’t managed to meet up, and maybe that’s because he actually doesn’t want to?Iwant to, but I’m scared to bring it up again. I don’t want to come on too strong, be too much. I don’t want to scare him away before anything really begins. And I think telling Ryan how much I like him might be the definition of coming on too strong. I have to play this cool.

“We’re friends,” I finally say. “I like him. I like being friends with him. He’s just... not like anyone I’ve ever met. He’s soconfident, you know? But we haven’t had luck in linking up yet.”

Ryan wrinkles her nose, looking confused. But then she seems to come to some sort of decision and nods forcefully. “I’m gonna text him right now and tell him to come over.”

“Don’t do that!” The words fly out of me, and Ryan jumps back.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know... I—” I sputter. “I don’t want him to think...”

“Relax,” she says. And usually I hate when people tell me that, but with her, my body seems to get the message and actually listens. “It can be just a friend thing, really chill. I’ll ask Leela to come too. It won’t be awkward, I promise.”

Of course it’s going to be awkward. I don’t know how itwon’tbe awkward with these three supercool people and then me—just barely starting to feel like I can exist as my actual self in the same universe as them.

But maybe... I can give in to the awkward, how uncomfortable I am. Look what I’ve already gotten out of doing just that today.

“Okay,” I say. “And, uh... can you tell him that it’s April Fool’s Day?”

“Sure,” she says with a laugh, and starts typing intently on her phone.

I wipe my hands and pick up Mabel, plucking the high E string and moving my fingers up the fretboard. It’s slow and stilted but still so much more than I could do even an hour ago. My chest buzzes with the possibilities of what else could change.

Reggie

Yobani dives for it, but I’m faster. My heart sinks when I see it’s not from Delilah, but that sucker starts speeding into hyperspace when I read Ryan’s texts.

I’m at my place with Delilah right now. Pretty sure she’s really feeling you. Get your butt over here! Let’s make this happen!

Also she says to tell you it’s April Fool’s Day... whatever that means

I read it four times to make sure I’m not getting it wrong or mixing the words up, and even then I’m struggling to trust my brain. But then Yobani starts yelling out “Oh!” and Greg starts doing this weirdo dance, and I’m totally sure that the texts say what I think they say.

“She likes me!” I yell out, holding up my arms like I just ran through a finish line. “She really likes me!”

“Not gonna lie. I thought this was a long shot,” Yobani says. “I mean, yeah, there’s always a chance. But I was thinking yourchance was like point zero zero zero zero—”

“Hey,” I say, smacking his shoulder.