She nods with authority. “I speak Parent fluently.”

Millie

Twenty-Three

Amanda’s house is chaos, but it always is. Walking anywhere outside of her room requires dodging her brothers as they wrestle each other across the house like two little tumbleweeds skittering back and forth. Which is why the six of us have locked ourselves into Amanda’s room with two boxes of pizza and a chair wedged under the doorknob for extra security.

Three weeks ago, when Callie joined us for the first time, things were a little rough around the edges. Tonight Willowdean gave me a long look and a sigh when she saw her walk in behind me, but it’s getting better slowly. She can’t hate Callie forever. (Though if anyone can hold a grudge forever, my bet is on her.)

We each take a slice of pepperoni pizza, and Hannah goes for the box of half cheese, half mushroom. “I’m trying out the whole vegetarian thing,” she says glumly. “Courtney made me watch this awful documentary about how we slaughter animals.”

“No thank you,” says Ellen. “I’m happy to live in willful ignorance with my bacon and barbecue.”

“I’ve never taken you as one to bend your will out of guilt,” says Willowdean.

Hannah shrugs. “Well, the whole no-meat thing is kinda pissing off my mom, which is sorta hilarious.” She takes a huge bite of pizza, and with her mouth full, she adds, “We’ll see how long it lasts. Plus Courtney says kissing a meat eater presents her with a moral dilemma.”

“The only dilemma I have is between pepperoni or sausage,” says Amanda.

“So are you and Courtney a thing?” I ask. “Like, officially.”

Hannah keeps on eating her pizza, but she can’t hide the blush in her cheeks.

I squeal and so does Ellen.

Hannah rolls her eyes. “Well, I wouldn’t give up meat for just anybody. And what about you?” she asks, turning the tables.

I clear my throat. “Well, Malik and I are getting together to work on a project tomorrow.”

Everyone lets out an oooooooooo, and I couldn’t stop the smile on my face even if I wanted to.

“Well,” I say, pointing to Callie, “this one was asked out just yesterday.”

Callie, who is still nibbling on her first piece of pizza, sets her slice down on a paper plate. “It was totally not a big deal.”

Everyone’s quiet for a moment, and the whole thing just feels awkward. I need someone to break this silence, and for some reason I know it can’t be me.

“Whatever,” says Ellen. “Don’t play it cool. Spill.”

I grin gratefully in Ellen’s direction.

Callie shakes her head, biting down on her lip nervously. “Just that guy Mitch from the football team.”

Ellen side-eyes Willowdean, who brushes the crumbs from her pizza on her jeans and says, “He’s a really nice guy. Like, way nicer than you even know.” She looks directly at Callie. “Don’t toy around with him, okay?”

Callie groans. “I already told him no.”

“What?” asks Willowdean. “Why?”

Callie looks up to the ceiling like the answer might somehow be written there. “I’m basically grounded forever.” She crosses her arms. “And I’m coming off a really bad breakup.”

“By the way,” says Amanda, “I saw that whole thing play out in the hallway, and you’re a badass.”

“Yeah,” says Hannah. “I heard you destroyed him. Pretty impressive.”

I nudge Callie with my elbow, and she glances at me with a shy smile. “They like you,” I nearly whisper.

Willowdean leans into the circle a little more. “And, um, I saw your run-in with Patrick Thomas the other day.” She nods. “That was pretty cool of you.”

“What run-in with Patrick Thomas?” I ask. All I can think of is when I confronted Patrick last week and she didn’t do a thing.

“Nothing,” Callie and Willowdean answer in unison.

I roll my eyes. “Y’all know that I know he oinks at me, right? Is that what you’re hiding? Just because I don’t usually acknowledge him doesn’t mean I don’t know.”

Callie turns to me. “Well, just because you don’t acknowledge him doesn’t mean I can’t.”

I open my mouth to politely explain why that’s not actually helpful, but Willowdean interjects. “Oh, y’all, trust me when I say that if you want anyone talking back to Patrick Thomas on your behalf, it’s this girl. She takes no prisoners.” Willowdean reaches across the circle to give Callie a high five.

Amanda gives me a knowing look. The two of us have spent the last few years ignoring all the looks and jokes from our peers. It’s not like we don’t hear it, but there came a time when we had to make the decision to pretend we didn’t hear it, or just let ourselves drown in it.

Callie turns to me. “He just said something stupid to me between classes, and I set him straight.”

I wait for a moment to see if she’ll elaborate, but she doesn’t. And truthfully, I know people like him will always exist. I don’t need the details. They don’t change anything for me. But still, a little bit of warmth tingles in my chest at the thought of Callie standing up for me.

That night, Amanda and Hannah sleep head to toe in Amanda’s twin bed while Ellen and Willowdean share an air mattress and Callie and I take sleeping bags on the floor next to the empty pizza boxes.

I can’t sleep, because it just always takes me forever to fall asleep when I’m not in my own bed, so I’m awake to see Willowdean and Ellen sit up in bed and do their best job of tiptoeing around as they gather their shoes and cell phones while still wearing their pajamas.

“Where are you bitches going?” Callie whispers next to me, scaring me a little, because I didn’t even know she was still awake.

Willowdean holds her finger to her lips, telling us to be quiet. “Our boyfriends are outside,” she says, so quietly it barely counts as a whisper. “We were just gonna sneak out for a little bit.”

I sit up. I don’t want them to go, but I’m also jealous, because what if Malik were here doing the same, and what if he was my official boyfriend? But I don’t want them to miss out either. “I’ll help you guys,” I tell them. “I know this house better than y’all.”

Willowdean looks to Ellen, who nods her approval.

“Well, I’m coming with you,” says Callie.

“I’ll be right back,” I tell her.

“We’ve been cooped up in this room all night hiding from Amanda’s brothers. I’ve forgotten what the outside world even looks like.”

“Fine,” I say. “Be quiet. Amanda’s dad is a light sleeper.”

The three of them follow me downstairs and through the kitchen to the back door, which lets out a long creak as I open it to the milky nighttime sky. I hold the door while they all shuffle through, then let it close softly behind us.

Willowdean and Ellen head to the gate on the side of the house, circling around the pool.

“Y’all, don’t stay out too long,” I say.

Willowdean smacks Ellen’s butt as they shuffle through the gate.

“Oh my God!” says Callie.

“Shhh!” I try to quiet her.

“Amanda didn’t say she had a pool!”

I smile. “It’s not even warm enough out yet.”

She sighs. “I know, but . . .” She sighs again. “A private pool all to yourself in the summer.”

“Well, she does have to share it with her brothers.”

“Can we just put our feet in?” Callie asks. “It’s pretty warm tonight.”

I glance behind us to make sure there are no lights on in the house. “Sure.”

We sit side by side with our feet dangling in the deep end. Amanda’s house is pretty old and so is the pool, but it’s the reason why her dad bought the house. The tiles lining the pool are clearly older than both Amanda and I, but her dad treats this pool like a fourth child.

“Didn’t your, um, ex-boyfriend have a pool?”

Her eyes light up briefly before her whole expression droops. “Yeah, but his dad was weird about having people over.” She holds her hand to her chest. “I was allowed over, but if we wanted to hang with friends, we had to go to the community pool.”