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She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I kinda have a thing for Niko.”

“Oh.” I raised my eyebrows in surprise but nodded. “He’s definitely cute. And a phoenix, right?”

“Yep,” Ashlyn said, dabbing gloss onto her lips. “But even when I light a wall behind him on fire, I can’t get him to look my way.”

I came up behind her and hung my arm around her shoulder. “Guys just suck.”

She sighed and nodded. “Yeah, they do. Honestly, I wish Iwasinto girls. Wouldn’t life be so much easier if we could just date each other?”

I pursed my lips against a smile. “It sure would. Who knows, maybe if we both strike out, we could give it a good go.”

We laughed again, and her lip gloss applicator slipped to wipe a streak up her cheek.

“Oh shit,” she giggled and did her best to wipe it off. “Okay, I think we’re as presentable as we’re gonna get. Where are you supposed to meet him?”

“The subway entrance,” I said, throwing my small purse over my shoulder and heading for the door.

When we got to the subway entrance, Tobias was already waiting there.

So were Niko and Brett.

Okay, so not a date. Embarrassment and disappointment tied my insides into a knot, but I sauntered over like I had all the confidence in the world. Thank fuck I invited Ashlyn. Otherwise, this would’ve been even more awkward.

“Hey,” Tobias said, his eyes repeatedly flickering to Ashlyn. “You brought a friend.”

“Yep,” I said, awkwardly flapping my arms at my sides like a penguin. “So did you.”

Ashlyn waved timidly at all of them, her eyes fixed on Niko.

“Shotgun!” Brett called, hopping onto the train before everyone else.

Tobias rolled his eyes as we followed after him. “There’s no front seat on a train. You can’t call shotgun.”

“Sure I can,” Brett said with a hand swipe through his surfer-boy blond hair. “I want the best seat.”

Tobias’s scowl deepened. “They’re all the same.”

“Nah, this one has the most cushion,” he said, flopping onto what was apparently the most comfortable seat on the train.

I stifled a giggle at their bickering. Brett was certainly a character, and it tickled me how much he got under Tobias’s skin.

Tobias took his own seat, apparently deciding not to argue the ridiculous point any further, and tapped the seat next to him for me, leaving Ashlyn to apprehensively sit by Niko.

The guys spent the ten minute ride talking about the marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Sharp, letting us weigh in here and there. I had no idea that Mrs. Sharp was human. Brought into the shifter world because she married one. That gave me a whole new respect for her, and it gave me hope that Shea would one day be welcome.

Just before we got off the train, Shea texted me that she was going to meet us there, and a fresh wave of relief washed over me. Now I’d have two confidants to bolster my self-esteem.

Thankfully, the were’s house was close by and we could walk to it. I knew we were getting close when the houses began to grow in size.

When we came up to the lakefront mansion, I could hear the music blaring from the street. The large all-white pillars were crowded with students I wasn’t so thrilled to see, but I walkedup the driveway like I gave no shits. I caught sight of those curvy hips approaching and my heart soared at Shea’s arrival.

Immediately, I ran up to her and we embraced each other with the tightest of hugs. The guys stood a foot away in their own conversation.

When Shea pulled away, she looked me up and down. “Dang, girl. You must be a phoenix, because you’re on fire!”

I laughed. “Actually, my new friend Ashlynisa phoenix. Ashlyn, this is my friend, Shea.”

Ashlyn extended her hand, but Shea pulled her in for her own hug. Ashlyn’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the unexpected physical contact, but she warmed up to welcome the embrace.