Page 47 of Fall Hard

I reluctantly put them back on as my eyes began to ache. “Shut up.”

She mimed zipping her lips shut and I bit my lip against the smile that tried to break free at her dorkiness. “So what do you think’s going on with Kat?” she asked as I took another big gulp of my banana and strawberry smoothie.

“She’s definitely being weird, right,” I agreed. “Have you seen her with Max at all?”

“Max? No. Why?”

“They turned up to your party at the same time the other week and he had lipstick on his collar that looked like it matched Kat’s lips.”

“You’re like a regularSherlock Holmes.” Jamie grabbed the pillow next to her and clutched it to her chest as she half-watched PLL. “Why would she hide that they were seeing each other though?”

I shrugged. “Who knows what goes on in Kat’s brain.”

“True.” She crunched casually on one of the carrot sticks I’d left out and grimaced. “Where are the real snacks?”

“We’re all out.”

“Ugh, you and Bryn have decimated my stash.”

Of course, that made me think about Jamie’s other kind of stash in her car, which made me think about the lake, which made me think about the kiss, which made me think about Bryn, which—

I sighed heavily. “What am I supposed to do about Bryn?”

“Well, for one thing you can ask her to bring some snacks home on her way back from dinner with her mom.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not quite what I meant.”

Jamie smiled. “I know, babe. You guys will work it out, just take it slow. Let what happens, happen.”

“You give the worst advice.”

She threw a carrot covered in hummus at me and I dove to catch it in my mouth, crunching happily while she watched in amazement.

“Do your parents know that Bryn’s also gay?” I blinked at her, confused as to the segue and she shrugged. “I was just thinking about this dinner, you guys are staying there for the night, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And what will the sleeping arrangements be?”

“What are you, my mother? Are you going to ask Bryn her intentions towards me next?” I rolled my eyes but my brain was already running down the possible scenarios. “Why did you give me something else to stress about?”

“Sorry.” And to be fair, she did look apologetic.

A key rattled in the door and I quickly packed my glasses away before Bryn could come into the room. Jamie shook her head at me and I pointed at her threateningly as I turned my scowl into a smile when Bryn walked in.

“What’re we watching?” she asked as she sank down onto the cushion between Jamie and me and then grabbed a carrot stick.

“Pretty Little Liars,” Jamie said when I remained silent. “Have you seen it?”

“Are you kidding me? I’m trash for Shay Mitchell.”

They instantly started a game offuck, marry, killand when Bryn caught my eye and offered me a soft smile, I knew that Jamie was right and I was in trouble.

* * *

“Thanks again for this,” I said quietly as Kit sketched idly next to me as I attempted to recreate what he’d shown me so far on a piece of practice paper. Obviously I wasn’t going to be able to draw anything nearly as good as the photo had likely originally looked, but I could do an approximation with Kit’s help—I didn’t even know what the photo was supposed to look like. In the end, Kit had drawn the photo as best as he could from memory and now I was working on copying it before I tried experimenting with the paints.

“Of course, it’s a nice thought.”

---