It had been a bit since Fin and I had spent any time together, and I was grateful to spend the night with her. I missed my best friend and wanted to tell her about everything that had happened.

"And then he spilled his food all over himself," I said, smiling. "He's literally the messiest eater I've ever met."

Finlay laughed. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." I laughed too. "I have so much fun with him."

"That's great," Finlay said, smiling at me. But it barely reached her eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked, frowning.

Finlay nodded, her jaw set. "Yeah. I am. Heaven forbid that I'm not."

I sat up. "What's wrong?"

"Dad and Rachel are trying to get me to open up more to them." Finlay's eyes were hard. "They think something's wrong. They are right, of course, but I don't want to tell them anything."

"That's why you wanted to come here, isn't it?" I asked her, glancing at my own small bedroom. "To get away from them."

"Yeah." Finlay shrugged, and I noticed her hands were slightly shaking. "I need to think about some things."

I nodded again. "I could talk to them. Tell them that what they are doing isn't just affecting them."

"No," Finlay said quickly. "Please don't."

"Why? I am so freaking worried about you."

"I know," she said quietly. "I know. I know that my dad wants the best for me. He wants everything for me because he didn't get anything he wanted. But the way he's doing it is awful."

"That's why someone should talk to them about it," I said slowly. "He is obviously hurting you."

"I wish I had the guts to tell him that," Fin said. "But I don't."

"And that's why I should tell him," I said. I added quickly, "Or I could be there when you tell him that."

"Can we switch topics?" Finlay asked, her face dark. "To something like your budding romance with Josh or the mysterious Drew who is pining for your attention."

"About Drew," I said, my hands playing with my hair, "he came into the bakery the other day."

"How'd he know you work there?"

"I have no clue." I shrugged. "Maybe he wanted cookies and didn't know I work here. But him and I got into an argument."

"Already?" Finlay laughed, which was a relief to me. "You are supposed to argue when you're married."

"Who says I like him?" I said, silently praying that Finlay wouldn't notice the slight blush on my neck.

"I think you are saying you like him," Finlay teased.

I shrugged, not meeting her gaze. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"Maybe you just like the attention," Finlay pointed out.

"I'm not that selfish," I said, but I laughed. "Okay, maybe I like the attention. But it's just a little bit. Because there is something about Drew that draws me to him."

"Is the pun intended?"

I smiled. "Sure, Fin. Sure."

"Well, what about Josh? He obviously feels something for you," Finlay said, leaning forward.

"I know. That is awesome," I said quickly. "I've liked him for such a long time and finally talking to him has proved that my crush was for something. He is so much more than I expected."

"And that's good, right?"

"Yeah!" I said. "Yeah. He is awesome."

"I hear a but coming along," Finlay said.

"But . . . I don't know," I said, shrugging. "Honestly. I love spending time with him and -"

"You obviously love spending time with him," Finlay said with a laugh. "It's all you ever do. You left me, Grace!"

I laughed. "I'm sorry! He just needs all the help he can get!"

"I thought you liked smart guys."

I snorted. "Thanks. He is smart. Just not in calc."

"Then he would know you like him," Finlay said. "You make it very obvious."

"I mean, I hope so," I replied. "I did try to flirt with him at Juan In A Million."

"You did?" Finlay said loudly.

"I did." I nodded. "Or at least I think so."

"You think so? You embarrassed yourself, didn't you?"

I burst out laughing. "No! I didn't. He seemed to enjoy it, okay?"

"Did he flirt back?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "He started it."

Finlay grinned. "This is great. I can't wait to start the fan club for you two!"

I rolled my eyes. "No, you won't. If he does feel anything for me, I want to take it slow."

"At least you're letting yourself open up," Finlay said, switching gears slightly. "Maybe it will be good for you."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not the only one with problems," Fin said. "You do, too."

"I have gotten over that," I said, narrowing my eyes.

Finlay hummed a reply.

"Are you still coming over here for winter break?" I asked instead.

"Most likely," Finlay said, ignoring how I switched subjects. "I asked Rachel, and she said it was okay."

I nodded. "We're just gonna chill all of winter break. I need some time to destress from school."

"Me too," Finlay agreed. She patted her stomach and said, "Let's get something to eat. I'm starving!"

I laughed. "Alrighty. Come on."

Finlay exited my room first and I slowed. Glancing at her swaying blonde hair, worry rose up in me. I didn't know why I was worried, but I knew something was wrong with her.

"Grace, are you coming?"

I shook my head. "Yeah. Sorry." She entered the small kitchen that is situated next to our living room, and I hurried after her. "Mom just went to the grocery store recently, so we have your favorite -"

"My favorite chips?" Finlay screeched, attacking our cupboards.

I pressed a hand to my ear and winced. A slight ring was echoing inside there. "Yes, we have your favorite chips."

She grinned happily as she tore the bag open. I was about to warn her to be careful when chips flew everywhere. Her mouth was in a perfect 'O' as the orange chips rained down on us. I was pretty sure my face was screwed up in anger because she immediately grabbed the broom from the small closet near the refrigerator.

"I will clean this up!" she said quickly. "Do not worry!"

Taking a deep breath worked wonders for my anger. It wasn't rushing through my veins like it usually was, which was a great thing. I didn't want to be mad at her when she was already going through some things.

"Do you need help?" I asked, watching her try to push the rogue chips into the dustpan. However, most of the chips weren't going in the right direction, and the dustpan was being pushed instead of the chips.

"Does it look like it?" she asked, flicking her eyes toward me.

"Yes."

I bent down and held the dustpan steady. An easy smile was slowly filling her face as she gazed down at me. When all the chips were in the dustpan, I stood up slowly and ambled to the trash can.

"I think we should do each other's nails," Finlay said as I turned back to her. She was peering at her fingernails so I took that opportunity to put the broom and dustpan away.

"What do you want to do with your nails?" I asked.

"Painting them," she said with a 'duh' tone. "And we're doing yours, too."

"You know I don't paint my nails."

"Maybe that's why you don't have a boyfriend." I snorted, and she gave me a look. "Maybe that snort is the reason you don't have a boyfriend."

I slapped her shoulder softly. She just threw me a mischievous smile before digging through her purse. "Did you really pack nail polish in there?" I asked, leaning closer to her.

"Yes. I always have it handy."

"Why?"

She winked before saying, "You never know when a hot guy is gonna call."

I snorted again before leading her back to my bedroom. Curling my legs under me, I sat in the corner of my bed, letting her have most of the room. She lined up the polishes she had, and I realized she literally had a wide range of colors. "How in the world do you fit all this in your purse?" I asked incredulously.

"You know this purse is the black hole," she said, gesturing to it with her foot. It was settled on my carpet near my closet door. "It can carry a lot of things."

"I'm surprised you don't have a boyfriend in there."

She pursed her lips in mock anger. "Very funny, Gracie."

"I know, Fish. No one understands how funny I truly am."

She giggles as her eyes scan the colors. "I'm thinking of having gray on my nails," she said, nodding. "What do you want?" She paused, looking me in the eyes. "Wait, don't answer that. I want it to be a surprise."

"Do you want me to put a blindfold on?" I asked sarcastically.

"That would be awesome!" Finlay said brightly. She rummaged around in her purse, and I stared at her.

"You really don't have one in there." I paused as she laughed. "Do you?"

"Yeah."

"You are officially the craziest person I know, Fish. What could you possibly do with a blindfold?" I asked as she pulled it out of her purse.

"My little cousin had a piñata for his birthday last month," she explained. "I was the last one who hit it so I just took the blindfold."

"I'm guessing you're the one who broke it open," I said, laughing.

"I have a lot of anger in this body." She gestured to her chest with a nod. "Plus, it was so fun. Like, you don't even understand."

I laughed. "Are you going to put the blindfold on me or what?"

Her hands wrapped it around my eyes, blocking everything but the light that peeked through at the bottom. I rested my chin on her shoulder as she tied it. Her hair tickled my cheek as she yanked hard.

"Ow!" I said, jumping slightly. "Fin, do you know how strong you are?"

"Why, yes I do. Thank you."

I rubbed my temple as it throbbed slightly. But she pulled my hand down and spread my fingers out. Her hand was warm against mine as she clicked the polishes together. "Do you know what color you're choosing?" I asked.

"Yes." She shoved the bottle in my empty hand and said, "Hold this."

"It's not like I have a choice."

She laughed. I smiled as she started painting my nails. The cool seeped into my fingertips so I tried to peer under the blindfold. She pulled my hands closer to her stomach and said, "I can see that."

"Sorry."

She was silent for a little bit before she suddenly said, "Hey, isn't today Scott's birthday?"

I closed my eyes and pictured my brother. Another year older, yet I still hadn't seen him in seven years. He hadn't contacted me in at least five years. "Yeah," I finally said. "Yeah, it's his birthday."

"How old is he now?"

"Twenty one."

"Wow," she whispered. "I can't believe he's that old."

"Me either," I said, my jaw clenching.

"I know this is hard for you, and we don't -"

"No, Fin," I said, sighing, "it's fine. I'm fine."

She patted my hand and said, "Has your father ever reached out to you?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Only on my birthday, though."

"Did Scott ever talk to you on your birthdays?"

"No."

Finlay grew silent and her presence on my hands disappeared. "Let this first coat dry, okay?"

The silence stretched thin across us, so I said, "What do you want to ask, Fin?"

She let out a small laugh and squeezed my hand. "How did you know? You're blindfolded!"

"I know you," I said quietly. "And I know what you're going to say."

"Have you contacted them yourself?" She added more nail polish to my fingertips.

"Yes," I whispered. "I called Scott every freaking day, but he never answered. After that, I gave up."

She sighed and touched my temples. I leaned against her as she untied the blindfold. Instead of letting go, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I attempted to hug her back, but she yelled, "You're going to ruin your nails!"

I laughed as I buried my head in her shoulder. "Funny," I whispered.

"I am hilarious, thank you very much."

I snickered. "Sorry. You are hilarious."

"Yes, I am," she said with a smile in her voice. "Thank you for acknowledging it."

"You're welcome, O Hilarious One."