"So," Minho plops down on my bed. Finn has just put his stuff in my room for the next two days we'll be spending here and is currently showering, so I guess Minho took his chance to annoy me once again. "How's this crush with Thomas going?"

"Shut up. I told you not to talk about it."

He holds his hands beside his head in defense. "I'm just saying. Maybe I can help."

"And do what? The only idea you probably have is ruining his relationship with Teresa. I don't want that to happen. I don't even think I want anything with Thomas."

"But you like him," he states. "How can you not want him?"

"Because if something happens, not only our relationship will be ruined, but also our friendship of eighteen years. He's happy with Teresa and I'm happy for them. That's it."

"So you're going to keep distancing yourself?"

"It worked until y'all honked at me and forced me in that car, where he suddenly started offering to buy me a new phone," I reply. "Which is crazy."

"Yes, indeed, but why would you refuse the offer? That's crazy."

I sigh out loud. "Because he has a girlfriend, Minho. How would you feel if your girlfriend buys her boy best friend a new phone out of nowhere?"

"Uhm." He is thoughtful for a second, rubbing his chin. "I'd be jealous, maybe? I wouldn't like him. He made my girlfriend buy him something while it isn't even his birthday, and it's expensive as hell."

"Yes, okay, but you're Teresa in this situation. You're too nice to dislike your boyfriend's best friend for that."

"Three seconds ago, you said I had to imagine having a girlfriend, and now I am the girlfriend?" He scoffs. "Well, I don't know. Since she's so nice, why would she be pissed?"

"Offended," I correct. "Or a tiny bit jealous, wondering why he's not buying her the phone."

"Well, because hers isn't broken," he replies simply. "And he's convinced it's his fault the best friend's phone broke." A pause. "Just let him do his thing, Vi! Whatever. It's his responsibility to make sure he keeps a line between best friend and girlfriend, and if he gets problems with Teresa because of it, it's not your fault as long as you act the same as always."

"But I can't act the same. Don't you think I should just keep some distance?"

"No. Will only make people more suspicious and won't really improve your friendship with Thomas. In fact, you just said you don't want to ruin your friendship. Don't start ignoring him!"

I throw my head back, frustrated. "Not like, ignoring him. I meant just keeping some distance. Not being the first one to text him. Make this stupid crush fade away."

Minho is thoughtful for a good minute. He runs a hand through his hair for at least three times before he speaks, "I have an idea."

"Oh, no."

"It's a good idea!" He urges. "Just go to parties and grow relationships with others. Or just make out with people you don't know. Anything to get your... romantic interests somewhere else."

Disgusted, I pull a face at him.

"What? It's not that bad! Go make out a bit. Get a new crush, maybe. Force yourself to hang out with other boys."

"Boys scare me."

He leans back triumphantly. "Okay, go for a boy you already know and are not scared of, then."

"Who? Newt is gay. Gally is..." I pause for a moment, frowning. "I don't know."

"Ew, no. Please don't become his girlfriend," he says. "I don't like him."

"I do."

"But can that become more than just in a friendly way?"

"Possibly," I say. It nearly sounds like a question, that's how unsure I am.

"Who else do you know? I think I should also like your boyfriend."

"Why, so you can steal him?"

"No, so I can embarrass you in front of him. Or rather, with him. So, who else exists?"

"Aris," I groan at the thought, "but that's definitely not going to be it. I like him, but just... no."

He palms his face, groaning as well. "Gally can not be the only option."

"No one is an option because I'm not going to use someone to get over a silly little crush," I tell him sternly.

"But like, if you spend a lot of time with someone, you might eventually fall in love. Then it's not fake. Wow, problems solved." Minho looks up, something he does when he thinks, just like rubbing his chin. "Hm, you like Jeff, don't you? Alby? They're not such dicks as my old friends."

"I barely know them and I don't want the awkward introduction part."

"Wasn't your introduction with Gally also like, super awkward?"

"You say like way too much. But, yes, it was."

"What do you think about Frypan? Winston? Ben? Clint? Zart? Jack—"

"Enough." I hit him on his arm, as hard as I'm capable of. "This is not a good solution."

"Yes, it is!" He defends. His hands form a beg sign. "At least try going to a party and distract yourself with other people."

"You're weird. Finn must be strongly against this. If he finds out you suggested this, he won't only kill those boys, but also you, and then me, for listening."

"Translation, I'm better than Finn. I'm giving good advice! And if one of them is annoying, one of those boys, I'll also kill them. But that's not the point. Point is that I'm helping you."

Yes, he is, but I genuinely don't know if this is the greatest solution out of all. It clearly is one of the only ones.

Distancing myself, distracting myself, what's next? It displeases me.

If I distance myself, it will disappoint Thomas. If I distract myself in the way Minho recommends, I will be disloyal to those boys.

I disagree.

This displeases me.

These ideas are disliked by me.

Okay, enough with the dis's.

"I don't know," I end up saying. "Maybe I can hang out a little more with Gally, but only to test it out. If I don't get any... feelings, then I will remain friends with him and we never ever mention this to him."

"Of course not," Minho says. "I still keep my promise. Won't tell anyone."

"Thank you," I say.

"And I never talk to Gally, so..." he adds, chuckling to himself. "Anyway, you want to get a quick round of ice cream? I'm craving it."

I look outside. It's dark and cold, wind forcing leaves against the glass of my window. I can already feel the cool breeze of it against my bare legs. But yeah, ice cream sounds good.

"For the," he makes quotations with his hands, "well called heartbreak," quotations gone.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Ice cream will be the solution."

"Very much agree to that."

Minho and I put our jackets on and step outside. We're going to walk. The ice cream is just below the hill. This will probably be the last week the store is open. Then it gets too cold for ice cream.

Which I don't agree on, but alright.

"Let me know when you decide to go with my amazing plan," Minho says, two minutes into walking. He tucks his hands in the pockets of the leather jacket. Mine is a leather too, but brown and not black, and less... tough-looking, sort of.

"Mhm," I hum. "Don't know if that moment will ever come."

"It will work. Trust me. Just gotta find the right person," he says.

I give him a pointed look. "What if that person stays Thomas?" I whisper-yell.

"Then that sucks— woahh," his word fades into the other one. "Hi, Evie."

A girl I didn't even see stops walking to have a look at Minho. He stopped abruptly the second he saw her. Confused, I watch them glare at each other.

This girl has long blonde hair, nearly to her hips. I can't really see the color of her eyes, not even below the lanterns. She's really pretty, though. Wearing a dress that seems a bit cold, but it's a nice one. Blue. Flowery.

"Hi," she says, tone not as nice as Minho's. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," he says. "What are you—"

"Here? On the street?"

"No, I mean—"

"Wouldn't surprise me," she adds. "Bye."

"Wait!" His yelp sounds a little too desperate. I don't sound like that around Thomas, do I?

She spins around, annoyed. "What?"

"You look cold. Do you want—"

"No."

"You can return it at school tomorrow—"

"No," she repeats. "Leave me alone."

"We're in the same class, so—"

"Yes, I'm aware of that. I just don't really care," she says. For a second, her eyes go to me. She gives a small nod before she turns back to Minho. "Leave me alone. I'll kill you."

Oh, alright. Damn.

"Well, I'm a lot of people's favorite person, so preferably don't do that." He puts his hands on his hips. "Are you—"

"Bye." And now she really walks off, leaving Minho standing, lips parted, not blinking.

"Who was that?"

"A girl from my class."

"Yes, I caught that. But who?"

"Evie."

I squint my eyes at him. "And you like Evie a lot, don't you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he replies. "Can't you see, we clearly hate each other."

"She seems to hate you, yes, but you don't seem to hate her."

"Okay, maybe we've had a few misunderstandings in the past that force us in this position, but she doesn't really hate me."

"Yes, she does. Even I can tell."

Shaking his head, he rips his eyes away from Evie and turns to me. "Thank you. After all the advice I've given to you about your drama, just rub it in."

"But you like her?" I force an excited laugh away. I'm bad at figuring my own love life out, but I've always wanted to help someone else.

"Maybe a little bit," he admits, scratching the back of his head in some sort of shame.

"Why doesn't she like you?"

"As I said, misunderstandings."

"Like what?"

"Ehm, things that will trigger your poor little brain, Vi," he says. "That's why I will spare you from it. And don't ever mention this to anyone. Not Newt, not your friends— especially not Thomas. No one. And also not Finn. Or Mom, or... well, you get the point."

"Yes, yes."

Never thought Minho's capable of having a real crush. Not some one night thingy, just a... what's it? Drama thingy.

"Stop smiling. It's not funny."

I keep smiling. "It's cute. My little brother in love."

"I'm not in love," he spits out. "Just slightly attracted."

"Right." I cover my laugh at these words up with a cough. "So now it's just Finn left. Only one who hasn't got drama."

"No— I mean, yes. Yes." He nods heavily.

My head snaps towards him, eyes wide. "Woah, what?"

"What?"

"Finn likes someone?"

"Nope," he says, voice higher.

"Liar."

Minho makes a little movement. "My mouth is zipped."

"So you promised him not to tell anyone, just like you promised me, and I promised you?"

He makes a sound that doesn't betray anything. More like 'I'm going to keep silent'.

"I'm asking him," I say.

"No! He'll know I—" he pauses. "Ah, shit."

"Unless," I add, "you inform me."

"Itsagirlwhoshowsupathisboxinggamess," he says.

"It's a girl who shows up at his boxing games," I say. "Details?"

"No. Not going to give those."

So first, Minho acts all funny about my crush, while he also has a ridiculous situation, and then Finn thinks he can get away with acting like he isn't paying attention to girls. Wow.

I no longer feel alone. That's good! In some ways.

"I'll smoothly ask him about it without letting him know you spilled," I say.

"You don't do anything smoothly."