Chapter 3

My face burned with embarrassment, and beneath the table, my hands curled into fists.

Ryan must have noticed how uncomfortable I was, because he set his glass down with a sharp thud. "There's nothing to read into. The three of us are just friends."

"Oh, just friends," Jack drawled.

Claire hurriedly waved everyone off. "Come on, stop teasing us. My mom said I wasn't allowed to date until college."

Her attempt to explain only made everyone more excited.

"Oh, so the only reason you two never got together was that Claire's mom was strict? Well, high school's over now. This is the perfect time to tell her how you feel!"

"Exactly! You're obviously into each other. Come on, Ryan. Don't chicken out!"

More and more people joined in, but Ryan remained silent.

"Wendy, why do you look so upset about Ryan telling Claire how he feels?"

My mind went blank.

Before I could figure out how to respond, one of Claire's friends spoke up. "Ryan, a real friend wouldn't get upset if you started dating someone else. Right, Wendy?"

They had backed me into a corner.

All I could do was force a smile and nod. "Right. I wouldn't."

The moment the words left my mouth, Ryan's expression darkened. "I'm not the type to confess my feelings in front of a crowd."

Claire was clearly disappointed, but she quickly covered it with a carefree smile. "Exactly. The three of us are just friends. Stop making things weird and let's order."

Since both of them were trying to change the subject, everyone reluctantly dropped it and settled back into their seats.

When the menu reached me, I instinctively reached for it.

Claire snatched it first and gave me a playful wink. "Wendy, you take forever to order. Ryan and I will do it for you. We know what you like anyway."

Before I could object, the two of them had already bent their heads together to decide what to get.

"Cajun crawfish, blackened pork tenderloin, and spicy fish stew." After naming the three dishes, Ryan turned to me. "One favorite for each of us."

Then he passed the menu to the next person.

I looked down at the eczema on my hands and gave a bitter nod.

I did love spicy fish stew. But after the rash broke out, the doctor had told me to stay away from fish and anything spicy.

I had asked Ryan to go to the clinic with me that day.

But because I was one minute late getting downstairs, he left with Claire to play pool instead.

When I asked why he had not waited, he acted as though his reasoning made perfect sense.

"If it were really serious, you wouldn't be taking your sweet time. The fact that you're moving this slowly proves it isn't urgent."

So I checked in and saw the doctor alone.

"Wow, Ryan! You and Claire snagged tickets to Mimi's concert!"

A classmate's excited shout pulled me out of the memory.

I opened Instagram and froze.

Ryan and Claire had posted within minutes of each other, each showing the same pair of concert tickets.

The person who had promised to go to my first concert with me had not even tried to get me a ticket.