Who was JD hanging out with on a Saturday night? The laugh sounded again, vaguely familiar. It wasn’t JD’s mom, and it wasn’t Melissa, his little sister—but it was definitely a laugh that Em recognized. Guiltily, feeling a little like a criminal, she snuck around the side of the house to the window that looked into JD’s TV room.
Through the frosted pane she saw JD sitting on the couch.
And Drea Feiffer practically sitting on top of him.
It took a moment for Em to register what she was seeing. Drea and JD, gabbing it up like best friends—like more than friends. They were bent over something on the coffee table, thighs touching, fingers practically interlaced. What she would have given to switch places with Drea right then. Seeing JD like that only fed Em’s appetite—and her anger. She turned on her heel, ran back to JD’s door, and blasted through it.
She wasn’t thinking anymore. She was just moving, charging ahead, blind and furious. Through the entryway, through the foyer, ignoring a confused hello from Melissa, and into the den.
It wasn’t until that moment that she realized, with sudden clarity, that she had no plausible reason to be there. Drea and JD looked up at her, both clearly startled by her sudden appearance.
“Um . . . hi?” JD finally said.
Drea just looked at her. Mute. And . . . guilty? Was that guilt Em saw in Drea’s eyes? The moment was beyond awkward, and Em didn’t know what to say. Thank god the Dr Pepper and the DVD were in the tote bag, where JD and Drea couldn’t see them. She shifted on her feet, furious, confused, and unable to think straight. She and JD had barely spoken in weeks, and now she’d shown up like a madwoman, without being invited, and interrupted . . . something. Something between JD, her oldest friend and greatest love, and Drea—the only person she trusted with the biggest problem in her life. At least, she’d thought she trusted her.
“I—uh, I came over to borrow some coffee.” The lame excuse flew out of her mouth before she could think of a better one.
JD raised his eyebrows. “Coffee? Now?”
“I have a lot of studying to do,” she said sharply.
“Okay.” JD shrugged. “Right this way.” JD looked skeptical as he dragged himself off the couch and headed into the kitchen. Em didn’t make eye contact with Drea as she followed him out.
She walked behind him down the hall, her heart breaking as she wondered how many times she and JD had hung out just like JD and Drea were doing. Probably hundreds. And she’d always taken it for granted.
“You want it, like, in a plastic baggie?” JD still looked confused as he pulled a tin of coffee out of the cupboard.
This was unbearable. She pointed to a small bag still on the shelf. “I’ll take that one,” she said. She had to get out of there as quickly as possible. Grabbing the coffee—which was the last thing she needed—she rushed out of the kitchen and toward the front door, calling over her shoulder, “Thank your mom for me. I’ll pay her back.”
She burst into the cold night, fighting back tears, and was at the bottom of JD’s stoop when Drea appeared in the doorway, wearing socks and JD’s flannel over her jeans. Em recognized the yellow lumberjack plaid. It made her want to scream; a cloud of black bitterness seemed to well up from her stomach, through her ribs, and into her mouth.
“Wait, Em!” The light from inside JD’s house lit Drea from behind, making her look like a cutout silhouette. “What’s up?”
Em exploded. “How could you?” She felt like she had no control over her words; they came flying out, surging on a tide of confusion and hurt. “What are you doing? You’re into JD now? That’s odd, since you’ve never expressed interest in him before.” She felt like she was on a conveyer belt, being pulled farther and farther away from Drea and JD. She was sliding backward, unable to gain traction. “Or were you just keeping that a secret from me? Were you using me to get to him? It must have ruined your plans that we don’t talk anymore, me and JD. Or did that make it easier for you to move in?”
As Em spoke, Drea stepped outside and closed JD’s front door firmly behind her. Now she stood there, eyes flashing, looking blindsided—and furious.
“Apparently, you don’t keep very good tabs on JD—or his friends,” she practically growled. “We have American history together this semester, and we’ve been hanging out. Doing our homework.” Drea crossed her arms and glared at Emily. “I was going to text you and see if I could come over after, but I figured it was Saturday night, so you’d probably be out with Gabby and your real friends.”
Em flinched. Even though she knew that Drea had a point, she still felt like her anger was justified.
“JD was just about to drive me home. Is that okay with you, Em?” Drea’s voice turned both defiant and syrupy sweet. “Do you need to approve of my friendships now? You flake out on me and then expect me to be there whenever you need me, and now you show up random places and completely flip your shit. What the hell is going on with you? What is this really about?”