Marcie

“Lily,” Theresa says. “Lily Nelson?

My other best friend from high school sounds exactly the same as I remember and nothing like herself. The helium-inspired bubbliness is gone from her voice, but my name rolls off her tongue just like it used to.

On the other side of the cafeteria, the jocks roar with laughter. Theresa rolls her eyes.

“Do they think we’ll forget about them if we look away for too long?” she asks.

I shake my head. “I think it’s like a mating call. Lions roaring in the jungle.”

Ryan laughs. “There are no lions in the jungle, Li—”

I suck in a deep breath and clutch...