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When they left, Jorge was following too close behind him. Hollis whirled around.

“What?!”

Jorge shrugged. “I don’t know. I wanted to say something.”

Hollis rubbed his hands over his face.

“Why are you doing this to me, man? I have literally never done anything to you; I don’t even know you.”

“I didn’t do this; Clementine did. They brought me in as a witness or whatever.” Jorge frowned. “Did you mean what you said in there, or were you just trying to get out of shit?”

Hollis turned around and started walking away.

“Hey, wait,” Jorge said. “Wait, it was Annie—”

“I know this was about Annie,” Hollis called over his shoulder. “Just leave me alone.”

“I—I didn’t understand why she was so happy with you and not with me,” Jorge yelled after him. Bold in the empty hallway.

Hollis stopped.

“Well, you could have started by not being mean to her,” he said.

“It’s more than that, man.” Jorge caught up with him. “She seems... With you she’s just way more happy. I just. What have you got that I don’t got, you know? You always seemed so... I didn’t know why she liked you. Why she canceled on me to see you all the time. When you showed up with her at Rose Town, I just couldn’t take it.”

“I’m not dating Annie, I already told you that. We’re just friends.”

“But you liked her. I’m not stupid, Hollis. You’re so fucking frustrating sometimes. I don’t understand you.”

“I used to, yeah, but she isn’t interested in me, dumbass. How do you even know it was me she’s trying to see all the time? It could just as easily have been Yulia. We go everywhere together.”

Jorge’s face went slack so quickly it would have been funny if Hollis hadn’t also been experiencing a similar revelation.

“Oh,” Jorge said.

Oh my God. The pond. That’s what she was trying to say at the pond.

What? What pond? How are you surprised? You were the one who said that. Plus the way they’re all over each other is very obvious.

What do you mean why am I surprised?! I would bet every single cent in my bank account that Annie herself might be surprised that anyone noticed.

Are you about to tell her?

No! I have enough journeys of comphet to handle dealing with you.

Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean?

Just let me handle this so we can leave.

“Look, Jorge,” Hollis said, impatient. “Whatever’s going on with Annie, I really can’t help you there, but I can tell you two things: one, I’ve known Annie since we were nine and if there had been an opportunity there for me to succeed where you failed, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, because you never would have had the opportunity to date her at all.

“And two: girls don’t like feeling like they’re in a cage. The more you push them and give them orders and try to trap them, the more they’ll focus on getting away from you. You can’t force anyone to like you, they have to be begging for it.”

Jorge’s face soured. “Gross.”

“Whatever. Just don’t talk to me again.”