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She poured herself coffee as I added, “Especially with Nutella,” our eyes met as we shared a secret smile. We adored Nutella.

“What are you wearing?” I asked Sienna, smothering my barely toasted bread with Nutella.

“I have the most beautiful dress. Wait till you see it!” Sienna grinned excitedly.

Twenty minutes later, we were in the mall, trying to find me a dress.

“What about this? My God Gretch, it’s stunning.”

I turned to see the dress Sienna was holding up. It was strapless, a deep shade of emerald green.

“Wow, I do like that!”

Decision made.

I didn’t care what I wore, I just neededsomething.

I paid, and we made our way back to Sienna’s car.

“What would you have done if I hadn’t mentioned the dance this morning? Hmm? Where would you be without me?” she grinned as I stuck my tongue out at her.

“I forgot about it. It’s just not that exciting, is it?”

Sienna turned to gape at me.

“Are you forreal? The annual dance is ‘not that exciting’? Come on, what has happened to you? Sorry, what would you class as exciting, my lady?”

“Oh, I dunno, Brad Pitt in Fight Club?” I offered as her eyes misted over.

“Hell yeah, in that red jacket? Gotta love a bad boy, hey Gretch?”

I chose not to acknowledge that, and instead asked who Rosie was going with to the dance to change the subject.

“She mentioned something about a guy from her history class,” Sienna frowned as she drove.

I nodded wordlessly, as I replayed my conversation with Cal last night.

“Si, do you think you and Ethan will be together forever?”

She parked at school and turned to look at me with an exasperated expression on her face. “You’re acting strange Gretch, what’s going on? Are you and Luke okay?”

She peered at me with concern yet again, my eyes filling with unexpected tears.

“I don’t know, Si. I just don’t know how I feel about him anymore.”

Admitting it to Sienna felt so different to admitting it to Cal last night. Sienna hugged me tightly, her sweet perfume wrapping around me as she did.

“Babes, this is okay; it will be okay Maybe you’re just going through a rocky patch. Luke is amazing, and he issointo you. I would love to be with Ethan for the rest of my life, I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.”

I dried my eyes, forcing a smile as I turned to her. “I know, hormones, hey?”

We got out of her car and walked up to the school, both stopping when I heard my name being called.

“Gretchen, wait.”

It was Krystal.

She tottered over to me in her high heels and I tried not to groan out loud. All I could see was her removing the cigarette from Cal’s lips before she kissed him, and it twisted my stomach with agony and jealousy.