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Hey Tenley, it’s Loren Reed. I got your number from Ethan. I was hoping we could get together. :)

I stare down at the message, surprised and even flattered that Loren is reaching out to me. The thing is, after everything we’ve been through, I have no idea how to respond.

Loren and I had been close when we were younger, but it was mostly my fault when we grew apart. I’d purposefully distanced myself once my home life got complicated, thinking I was saving her from worrying about me while she was already dealing with enough problems of her own. And even though I’d apologized for the way I’d acted toward her once my family’s issues became public knowledge, our relationship had never been the same.

Eventually, I made new friends in college and then through work, but I always kept myself guarded. I never allowed anyone in, not the way I had with Loren.

But it feels like she’s offering an olive branch by initiating a conversation after all this time. The least I could do is return the courtesy and play nice.

Even though I’m still wary of her involvement with the JD situation, I ultimately decide that a casual visit probably wouldn’t hurt, especially since she’s one of Ethan’s teachers. After all, building a good rapport within the community could help me at work and with Ethan’s custody arrangement.

I might also be feeling slightly remorseful about some of the unkind thoughts I had when I saw her hands on JD’s arms the other day.

I settle for responding with a polite, “glad to hear from you,” and we make plans to meet up for coffee. Then we continue texting back and forth between my patients and her classes for the next couple of hours, and after a while, I’m genuinely excited about rekindling our friendship.

Talking to her like this feels…nice.

Loren

So, this might be a bit presumptuous of me, but I think you should know JD and I are just friends.

I scrunch up my nose as I stare down at her last message, unsure of what to say again. Even though I don’t know for certain that JD and Loren were only pretending to be more than friends in front of me, it seems obvious after everything Ethan disclosed earlier. So I figure my best move is to play dumb, at least for now.

Tenley

Oh, well…that’s too bad. I thought you guys made a cute couple.

Loren

He’s the best, really—but not my type.

Tenley

I guess I don’t know him all that well, but he and Ethan are close. He seems nice.

Loren

He totally is. And he speaks very highly of you.

I blink down at the screen. Has JD really been talking about me to his friends? And does that mean Loren might be reporting everything I say back to him?

I guess it’s a good thing I’ve been treading lightly, otherwise I might have accidentally fessed up to something embarrassing, like admitting that I Google JD and stare at pictures of him in a football uniform while I’m ovulating.

Not that I actually do that…anymore.

Tenley

Yeah, JD’s been nothing but kind to my family so far.

Loren

Sounds like typical JD. I’d say he’s just being himself, since he’s considerate and helpful toward all his friends, except I noticed he couldn’t keep his eyes off you at the pep rally the other day. *smirking face emoji*

Have I really been that oblivious of JD’s interest in me?

My face heats up unexpectedly as I run through some of our interactions over the past few weeks. And the longer I think about it, the more I suspect there’s more to Ethan’s claims and that this is indeed another setup.

Wait, isn’t JD supposed to be mad at me? Why’s he sending Loren in for more recon if he doesn’t even want to talk to me right now?

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