“I wouldn’t leave her alone, but Donovan planned this like a month and a half ago,” Kaysh said. “I need you to stay with her this weekend.”
“She doesn’t even like me that much lately,” Cassie said.
“Well, she likes herself even less right now. You’ll make her feel better. Even if she doesn’t think that’s what you’re doing.”
Cassie didn’t believe that. But she couldn’t say no to her best friend.
“Okay.”
“Promise me,” Acacia said.
“I promise.”
* * *
She wasn’t alone with Parker for half an hour before Parker was yelling at her to leave.
“Get out, Cassie! I don’t want you here!”
Cassie considered it for half a second, but no. “I don’t care if you want me here or not, princess,” she said. “I told Acacia I’d be here and I’m going to fucking be here. All weekend.”
“I don’t give a fuck what you told Acacia—”
“Well, you should,” Cassie said. “Because she’s my best friend. And you’re my best friend. And I’m not leaving you alone while you’re sad.”
Parker actually looked shocked, and it broke Cassie’s heart. She seemed surprised that Cassie hadn’t just given up on their friendship. Cassie kind of wanted to punch her, kind of wanted to hug her.
“I love you, you idiot,” Cassie said. “I’m staying here. We can talk or watch Disney movies or get drunk or snuggle or anything you want, but I’m staying here.”
Parker swallowed. Cassie refused to break eye contact.
“I have homework to do,” Parker said, like that was as close to accepting Cassie’s attempt at comfort as she could get.
“Great,” Cassie said. “I brought my books.”
They worked in silence for a good hour, Parker at her desk and Cassie sprawled across Acacia’s bed. Eventually Parker flipped her book closed and looked over at Cassie. Her face was wary even as she extended the olive branch.
“I’m on season two of Scandal, if you want to watch with me?”
“Yeah,” Cassie said immediately. “Yeah definitely.”
They were two episodes in when Parker talked in the time between one episode ending and the next beginning.
“I’m sorry I said that thing about you not knowing how to be vulnerable.”
“What?”
“That night.” Parker’s voice was quiet. “I’m sorry I said you didn’t know how to be in a relationship.”
Cassie was glad they were both focused on Parker’s computer, no eye contact necessary.
“You weren’t necessarily wrong,” she said. “I’m sort of an idiot when it comes to that kind of stuff. Sure had no idea about Seth, right?”
“That wasn’t your fault,” Parker said.
“It wasn’t yours, either.”
They fell silent. Cassie thought the moment was over, but then:
“Why didn’t you sleep with Gwen?”
“What?”
The next episode was starting, but Parker kept talking. “I saw her hitting on you. I know you think she’s hot.”
Cassie forced herself not to shift uncomfortably. She kept her eyes glued on the screen.
“I don’t automatically sleep with someone just because I think they’re hot,” Cassie said. It felt too heavy, too much like how this whole thing got started, and so she added, “I mean, I haven’t slept with you, have I?”
It made Parker chuckle and push her shoulder into Cassie’s, which made Cassie a little braver. She talked over Fitz, who was saying something dumb on the computer.
“I didn’t want to sleep with Gwen because I didn’t want to mess things up with you,” she admitted.
Parker burrowed a little farther under the blankets. Finally, after a long silence, she looped her arm through Cassie’s, and Cassie breathed.
“Fitz is really stupid,” Parker said.
“Yeah. This show would be infinitely better if it were just Mellie and Olivia being awesome together.”
“For sure.”
* * *
They fell into friendship again easier than Cassie expected. After so long with minimal contact, they were back to seeing each other every day: breakfast in the caf, waiting for each other after classes, studying together in the library. It was great, even if it hurt Cassie to realize Parker had never really been “too busy.” But she’d rather enjoy what she had now than pout about what happened in the past. They never mentioned it, except once, when Cassie was making Parker crack up with an impression of Professor Crane.
Parker clutched her stomach and said, “You’re an asshole, but I missed you.”
Acacia grinned. Cassie really didn’t care what happened before; she was just glad to have her best friends back.
* * *
Parker and Cassie were supposed to be studying on the couch in Cassie’s apartment, but Cassie was on craigslist and she could see Parker was on Facebook, so she didn’t feel bad interrupting.
“How much do you know about neighborhoods in Boston?”
Parker shrugged. “A bit.”
“Look at this apartment I found.”
Parker leaned into Cassie’s side as Cassie clicked through the pictures.
“Do you know if this is a good neighborhood?”
Parker leaned away, back to her own computer. “I really don’t know,” she said. “You should ask my mom. She knows Boston better than I do.”
Cassie looked sharply at Parker, who wasn’t paying her any attention. “I should ask your mom?”
“Yeah,” Parker said. “She’s in the city all the time for patient stuff. Just text her.”
Cassie swallowed. Wished Acacia were there. “Just text your mom out of the blue about Boston neighborhoods?”
Parker shrugged. “You have her number, right? Just text her or call her. She likes you enough she’d probably even go take a look at the apartment to make sure the photos aren’t bullshit or whatever.”
“Right.” Cassie picked at her fingernails. “That’d be pretty sweet, actually.”
It seemed crazy that Erin might go look at apartments for her. Crazier still that Parker had suggested it. Cassie brought it up on the phone with Erin a few days later anyway.
“So, uh, Parker told me to ask you about Boston neighborhoods.”
Erin hmmed. “Did she?”
“Yeah.” Cassie cleared her throat. “Said you liked me enough to go look at apartments for me?”
“I don’t know if I like you that much.”
Cassie tried to backtrack. “Right, of course, I mean, that’s a lot and—”
Erin laughed. “Cassie. Of course I like you enough to look at apartments for you. I don’t want you living in squalor.”
Cassie’s pulse tried to get back to normal. “Right,” she said again. Erin was just kidding. They were friends. It still seemed like a lot though. “I have it narrowed down to a couple. Just like—if you could, check them out, maybe?”
Erin’s voice was soft. “I’d love to, babe.”
* * *
Acacia walked into her dorm without knocking one Thursday afternoon, announcing, “I’m bored and hungry and if I have to eat another meal at the caf, I’m gonna die. Let’s go to Sonic tonight.”
With the nearest Sonic almost forty minutes away, going there was always an adventure, one Cassie would normally be all for.
“I can’t tonight,” she said. “Erin and I are making dinner together.”
She didn’t think she’d said anything unusual, but Acacia was staring at her.