Typically, I spend a few hours at Elodie’s house after school, since it’s the last house my mom cleans for the day. Then I catch a ride home with her. Today is no exception, except that Gaige decides to tag along with us, too. He normally doesn’t come over. Well, unless he’s really bored. So I’m guessing he’s suffering from good, old boredom.

“Your room has some serious rotten banana stench going on,” Gaige notes as we enter Elodie’s room that’s probably bigger than the entire two-bedroom apartment my mom and I have lived in for the past five years

“Why are you here again?” Elodie asks as she shucks off her leather jacket.

“Because I’m hiding out.” Gaige takes no offense to Elodie’s snarkiness, something a lot of people can’t handle. “And it’s officially the start of summer, so where else would I be?”

“Who are you hiding from this time?” Elodie bends over to pick up a banana peel off the floor, the source of the rotten banana stench.

“Just people I don’t like,” Gaige says, which more than likely means his dad.

When we became friends with Gaige at the end of our sophomore year, after he dove through the back window of Elodie’s car to escape a, as he put it, “Girl who wants my nuts a little too much,” we quickly caught on that he didn’t get along with his dad very well. He rarely talks about him, though, unless he’s drunk or stoned.

“Still doesn’t explain why you’re here with us.” Elodie crooks her brow at him.

Gaige flops down on her bed. “Aw, El, if you want me to admit I like you, you can always just say so.”

Elodie rolls her eyes. “Aw, Gaige, if you want me to kick you in the nuts, you can always just say so.”

Gaige chuckles, but his hands do drift toward his manly goodies.

I eyeball the two of them, wondering when they’re going to hook up. Because they will. I can sense it in the way they eye-fuck each other every time they’re in the same room together. And don’t even get me started on the sexual banter that goes on when they get trashed.

I keep that little assessment to myself, knowing Elodie will freak the hell out.

“So, are you going to tell us your brilliant plan?” I ask, interrupting their little argument before it turns into a full-on insult-fest.

“Oh, yes, my plan.” Elodie tears her eyes off Gaige and turns toward me, rubbing her hands together. “Before I tell you, you have to promise to hear me out and at least consider my proposal. No interrupting, and no shooting me down right from the start.”

“That sounds dangerous.” I slip my backpack off and set it on the floor.

“Yes, it does,” Gaige agrees, sticking his hand underneath Elodie’s pillow.

“It’s not that bad,” Elodie insists. “At least, if you really think about the bigger picture and purpose of it all.”

Gaige’s brows knit as he pulls out a red, hardcover notebook from underneath Elodie’s pillow. “What’s this?” He starts to open the book.

Elodie’s eyes widen. She snatches the book out of his hands, and then hugs it to her chest. “What the hell? That’s my diary, dude.”

“Really?” Gaige sits up, looking intrigued. “You don’t seem like a diary sort of girl.”

“It’s from when I was younger.” She stuffs the diary into her nightstand drawer, her cheeks flushed.

Gaige trades a questioning look with me, probably since Elodie rarely gets embarrassed.

I shrug, unsure what the big deal is, either.

“But, anyway.” Elodie slams the nightstand drawer shut. “As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted”—she casts a dirty glance at Gaige—“is that you”—she points at me—“need to promise to hear me out and consider my plan for more than two seconds. Because I’m pretty sure you’ll get onboard if you really consider it.”

“Okay, I will.” That doesn’t mean I’m agreeing to whatever she’s proposing. In fact, with how gleefully crazy she looks right now, I highly doubt she’s about to say anything rational.

“Good.” She claps her hands together. “Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking.” She zealously sits down on the bed, bouncing as her butt hits the mattress. Then, in classic, overdramatic Elodie style, she lets the silence drag out until Gaige loses his damn mind.

“Oh, my God, woman, will you just spit it out?” he gripes dramatically.

She pats his head. “Patience, my friend, patience.”

Gaige looks at me, annoyed. “I don’t know how you’re so sane after being her best friend for so long.”

“I sometimes wonder that, too.”

I duck as Elodie throws a pillow at my face.

“Bitch,” she teases, jutting out her lip. “That really hurt my feelings.”

“Sorry,” I apologize, knowing she’s not really upset.

“It’s fine. Just don’t do it again.” She wags her finger at me with a smile on her face.

I salute her. “Yes, ma’am, sir.”

“Ma’am, sir?” Her brows furrow. “What the hell does that mean?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I just didn’t want to say yes sir because you’re not a sir.”

“Oh, my God, will you please, please, please just tell us your plan already?” Gaige interrupts through a groan.

Elodie throws a discreet grin in my direction.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d guess she was dragging out the anticipation just to torture him.

Oh, wait, I do know better. She’s totally doing it to torture him.

“I guess I can, but only because you practically begged.” She pats his head again, which earns her a glare. Seeming pleased, she turns toward me, crosses her legs, and that infamous, troublemaking grin rises on her face. “My plan is to get Carter to fall in love with Ensley, and then she’ll break his heart.”