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“What, honey?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
“Look, Han, this sucks big fat sweaty balls,” Marci says.
“There’s an image.”
“But you have plenty of time to revamp and rework your plan, right? It might be slow progress, but maybe you can approach the town council for help? You’ve got a great cause.”
I don’t have time. But I couldn’t say it out loud yet. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be gone for, and as much as I adored Marci, she would want to fly back from Rome if I told her I was leaving. And that I couldn’t allow. My bestie had been waiting an eternity for the right man, though she hadn’t realized that, and I wasn’t going to ruin that for her.
“Han?”
“I’m here,” I say. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
“How you’re totally right. I’m not going to give up on this. I’ll find a way to make it work, even if I have to approach the principal of the middle school myself.” I’ll have to be quick, though, if I want to do it before I leave. The last time we had a reading at the library, it was pretty successful.
“That’s the spirit!”
“Anyway, I’m being super selfish,” I say. “My gosh, you and my brother are in Italy. What’s that like? Tell me everything!”
“It’s all pasta, parmigiano reggiano, and sex. So much?—”
“Oooooh-kay. Let’s not with that last part. He’s my brother.”
“Right, right. But we saw the Colosseum.”
“What was that like?” I ask.
“We had sex in it.”
“Please.”
“I’m kidding!”
Marci tells me about their sightseeing while I listen and move through my apartment. I enter my bathroom and grimace at my reflection in the mirror over my sink. There she is. The pepper-spewer. The epic choker.
I grab cute silver rosebud earrings from the sink and put them in my ears while I listen. “That sounds amazing, Marce.”
“It is amazing. But we miss Mr. Skitters like crazy. We’ve been face-timing with him every night.”
“Aww. I bet June’s taking great care of him.”
“She is,” Marci says. “I’m half-convinced Skits is falling in love with her.”
“I heard that!” Jesse’s voice is a muffled shout in the background.
“Jesse’s too jealous for his own good,” Marci says, and then she lets out a shriek. “Jesse, what are you?—?”
“Han?” Jesse’s voice replaces Marci’s.
“Hey, bro.”
“Enjoy the potluck tonight,” he says. “Be careful.”
“Jesse, I’m a grown woman.”
