Amanda let out a laugh that was music to my ears, and I saw all the tension leave her shoulders as she looked at me. Her eyes flicked down to my bare torso for a split second, then back to my eyes.

"Did you and Emily have a fight?" she asked, out of the blue.

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Emily is always smiling, like all the time. It's actually quite infuriating how cheerful that girl is sometimes," Amanda explained. "Ever since you came home, it has been her constant mood. But last night and this morning she has been moping around the house."

"Yeah," I sighed, rubbing...