“Hi?” I scoffed at the choice of words, one brow lifting.

‘Hi’ was for friends you saw every day and talked with. Hi was for someone you have actually established a relationship with, and it was going well.

Not for mates you pretended didn’t exist.

I tucked my arms together, trying to control the wave of anger that was fast building up inside me.

“What do you want?” My tone came out harsher than I intended, so much so that my companions whipped their heads to look at me, but they soon turned back to the TV and tried to pretend like they weren’t listening.

If it were before, I...