"Hey." Amber says as she sits next to me during lunch.

"Hey." I say in a raspy tone.

"Are you okay?" She takes into account the light, but dark circles under my eyes. I don't wear makeup so they're pretty prominent.

"Yeah, just didn't sleep well last night."

"Why not?"

I shrug, not wanting to tell her about Brendon.

"Still waiting for that new Palaye Royale music video?"

I scoff. "It's coming."

"When?"

"Soon."

"Right, you just need to fuel your obsession."

"I don't have an obsession."

"Uhhh... I'm sorry do you not have 3 posters of them in your bedroom?"

"So, I have band posters. Everyone has band posters."

"You're right. What about your lock screen?"

"It's just Remington Leith."

"Exactly, your boy crush."

I blush. "He's not my boy crush."

"Not to mention your actual background is Palaye Royale."

"Whatever. I thought I was gay." I say sarcastically.

"Anyway, how's your neighbor doing?"

Dammit. "He's alright."

"Alright? What's that mean?"

"Whatever alright is to you."

"So he's not bothered by that girl?"

"No, he didn't know her."

"How do you know?"

"He told me."

Amber's eyes widen. "You spoke to him?"

"He left his phone at my house and I returned it. He invited me inside for tea and we talked about it."

"Holy shit. Anything else?"

My mind flashbacks to the pendant, finding it in his drawer. "No." I say quickly.

"Okay. How're the new hearing aids working out?"

"These are the best I've ever owned. I can hear the normal range and beyond." I look at some boys at a far table having a conversation. "See those guys?"

"Yeah, what about them?"

"Watch this." I flip the switch into the fourth position, then keep my focus on what they're saying. "Okay, the one in the blue is talking about some girl he likes, and the other is giving him advice."

"What're they saying, specifically?"

I close my eyes, listening and repeating. "I really like her, but I don't know how to ask her out. She's smart and funny, and I'm... me."

I open them back up to meet Amber's face of impression. "That's amazing!"

I switch back to the second position. "Guess I'm like a cyborg now."

"It's cool to be friends with a cyborg."

I laugh.