Cecelia felt like she was walking on air since she'd gone to the mall with Xerxes. The way he'd smiled when they were in the garden was as much a gift to him as it was for her. She wished she'd captured his smile.

Just thinking about it made her smile silly.

"Earth to Cece!" Ruben called, waving a hand in front of her face. "I need to get home sometime today, you know."

Cecelia realized that they were still in the school parking lot, and her key wasn't even in the ignition for the car. "Right, right. Sorry." She started the car, turning the key slowly as she looked back at the road.

"You've been different lately," Ruben stated as the car started. A statement, but also an accusation.

Cecelia stopped the car suddenly, turning to look at Ruben. "What do you mean, different?"

"You blew off our plans." Ruben crossed his arms. "At the mall, we were supposed to watch that Jennifer Lawrence movie."

Cecelia bit her lip. She'd been at the mall, but she hadn't been with Ruben. Instead, she had been with Xerxes, trying to find a present for his birthday. Suddenly, the memory of the fountain didn't feel as warm.

"I'm sorry." Cecelia apologized awkwardly. "I... I had some homework. Forgot to cancel."

"You forgot to cancel your plans with a particular Persian boy too, I suppose?" He shot back quickly. Cecelia now realized that he'd been thinking about this for a while- he'd sat on the knowledge for long enough that he'd become more than just disappointed.

"Ruben..." Cecelia pursed her lips, trying to think of a way to de-escalate the situation. "It wasn't like that."

"What was it like, then? You ditched me, didn't bother to tell me, and then lie about it?" His voice was even in a way that raised Cecelia's frustration. He was speaking to her in the way he would to a child.

"I'm sorry, are you jealous?" She asked, arms folded in a mirror image of Ruben's stance. "Because you seem kind of jealous."

"You know what, Cecelia? I'm done. I'm your best friend. We've been best friends for years. And then some guy comes along- a guy I help set you up with, and all of a sudden you act as if I'm a leaf on your shoulder."

Cecelia felt like she was watching a trainwreck in motion.

"And then you ask me if I'm jealous." Ruben turned, opening the car door. "I am jealous, Cecelia. Jealous that you gave him what we had, and jealous that ever since you met him, you've put him over me."

"That's not true!" Cecelia protested, but her stomach twisted the more that she thought about what he said. When was the last time they'd hung out? Just the two of them, and talking about something other than Xerxes?

"Isn't it, though?" Ruben's voice had grown softer as if frustration had given way to a sort of sad Vander-Waals type of acceptance. "It's always 'Let's go to Smell The Roses' and not 'Let's talk and spend time together.' It's become 'Did you see Xerxes's new jacket?' and not 'Hey, nice haircut, Ruben.' Did you even notice I got my hair cut?"

Cecelia blinked. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't noticed. "I'm sorry, Ruben. I didn't reali-"

He spun on his heels, walking away. Watching him leave made Cecelia feel worse. She considered going after him- chasing forgiveness, but she'd already asked for it. Or at least, she'd tried.

She wondered if he would come back and ask for a ride or brave the long walk home by himself. Knowing Ruben, it was probably the latter.

She sighed, conscious weighing in, overruling her pride. "C'mon, Ruben!"

"Go ask Flower Pot if he needs a ride. I'm walking!" He shouted, not looking back.

Despite everything, Ruben referring to Xerxes as Flower Pot almost made her want to laugh.

Instead, she sat in the car, staring blankly ahead for half an hour, until her phone began to ring. It was her mom.

"Where are you?" She asked.

"On my way..." Cecelia replied. "Just had some things I needed to sort out."

"Do you and Ruben want something to eat when you get home?"

Cecelia bit her lip. "No, Ruben isn't coming with me today. I'm not hungry."

"Oh. Okay, but if you ever want to talk about anything, sweetie..." Her mother began.

Cecelia smiled a little bit. It was strange how mothers always seemed to be able to tell when something was off.

She drove home, music playing loudly from the car radio. It didn't help fill the silence, though. Ruben's angry departure had left her feeling like she was sitting next to a hornet's nest; her mind wouldn't fixate on anything else. For a moment, she considered going to Xerxes to talk to him about it. Then, she realized that would only make things worse, and prove Ruben even more right than before.

When she arrived home, her mom was waiting for her. She loved that about her mom- how she knew what she needed. "Ruben and I fought." She explained before her mom pulled her into a hug. Cecelia hugged her back, pushing her face into her shoulder.

"What about, sweetie?"

Cecelia swallowed. Her tongue felt heavy. "Xerxes." She answered slowly. "He was upset because I was spending so much time with him."

Her mom stepped back from the hug, watching Cecelia carefully. "Are you sure that's why Ruben is upset? That you spend time with other people? Or that you're not spending time with him?"

Cecelia bit her lip. She was right. Her mom was almost always right, even when they didn't have all the information.

"What should I do?" She asked, blinking quickly to hold back her tears.

"I think you need to apologize to him. But give him time to cool down." She advised.

Cecelia nodded.

"But you should make sure he understands that you mean it, CeCe."

She nodded again, tears starting to well up the more she thought about it.

"I just don't want to lose him."

"I know, sweetie." She smiled sadly, pulling Cecelia into another hug, and it no longer felt like the world was crashing down on her.