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“Don’t sweat it. I’m just surprised you’re not hung up on me reading your stuff.”

If I’m seriously considering putting one of my stories out there for complete strangers to read, then letting my best friend read them shouldn’t feel nearly as terrifying.

I’m this close to telling them about the contest when I find the notebook I’ve been looking for.

“Got it!” I say cheerfully.

“And what exactly do you have there?” Misty reaches out to snatch the notebook out of my hands, but I quickly pull it behind my back.

“What? You’ll let Sienna read your stuff but not me?” She perches her hands on her hips.

“It’s not that. It’s just that I have this English assignment I need to hand in this week, and I still need to work on it if I want to get a good grade.”

“Oh, please. Mr. Collins loves your ass. I bet if you handed him a grocery list, he’d give you an A,” Sienna teases, making my cheeks flame red.

“That’s the new English teacher, right?” Misty asks, still eyeing my notebooks. “I didn’t get him this year. I’m stuck with Mrs. Baskin. Ladies, you lucked out. The woman is so boring. I basically fall asleep whenever she talks.”

“Oh, man, that sucks. I can’t complain. I really like Mr. Collins. He actually makes the class interesting,” I say, already slipping the notebook into my bag.

Hopefully Mr. Collins can give me some feedback on my hitchhiker story before I try to spruce it up.

“Well, at least Mrs. Baskin hasn’t given us any assignments yet like your Mr. Collins. I mean, it’s only our second week of school. Tyrant.” Misty laughs.

My knee-jerk reaction is to defend him, but I keep my mouth shut. The last thing I need is Misty getting jealous of my English teacher.

“Oh! I just had a great idea!” Misty claps in excitement.

“This should be good,” Sienna mutters behind me before sprawling across my bed.

“Why don’t we have a sleepover tonight? You know, like old times?”

“On a school night?” I counter. “I don’t know, Misty.”

“Oh, come on. When are we going to get another chance in the foreseeable future? It’ll be fun. I promise we won’t even stay up that late. What do you say?”

“I can ask my next-door neighbor, Mrs. Carver, to look in on Grams and Pops tonight. So I’m game if you are,” Sienna says with a shrug.

“It does sound like fun,” I admit. “But what about cheerleading practice? Don’t you have to go?”

“So I’ll skip one day. It’s not the end of the world.” Misty waves it off. “Besides, I think I owe you guys. I’ve been such a crappy friend lately that spending some quality time together is exactly what I need to make up for it. What do you say?”

I look at Misty and then at Sienna before nodding.

“Yay!” Misty squeals, jumping up and down. “Tonight is going to be great. We’ll order pizza. Watch trash TV. The works.”

“What does she mean by trash TV, Max? She’s not actually suggesting we watch reality shows, is she?” Sienna asks, looking genuinely horrified.

“Oh, shh. You’ll love it!” Misty grins from ear to ear. “I’m so glad to be back with my real friends. You guys have no idea how exhausting it is trying to keep up with the Reds. It’s been hell.”

Sienna throws me a look that screams bullshit, but I ignore it.

Maybe I am being naive. Maybe she has every reason to be suspicious.

But for the first time in a long time, it feels like I have my best friend back.

And right now, that’s enough.

Chapter 19