"God, it's so hot," Quinn complains once we step out of Finn's on Sunday after finishing our shift.
"Really? I think it's a little chilly, I was gonna get a sweater," I reply, rolling my eyes at her and fanning my face with my hand.
"I don't need your sass, Marshall," she says, and we both laugh as we start walking down the block.
"What should we do?" I ask, adjusting the straps on my black drawstring bag.
"Anything that takes place inside an air-conditioned facility," Quinn replies.
"Ooh, let's check out Claire's," I say, pointing to the small boutique across the street. "I want new earrings." Quinn nods, and we quickly cross the street and walk into the store, exhaling when the cool air hits us.
I'm flipping through the packs of cheap earring sets on a table, when Quinn walks over and nudges me. "Wanna get our ears pierced?" she asks.
I grin. "Yeah, good idea!" I exclaim. "I've been wanting to get my cartilage done."
We ask one of the salespeople where we can get them done, and she directs us to a room in the back. Quinn sits on the chair first, telling the woman that she wants two diamond studs; one as the third piercing on her right ear and the other as the second on her left. I take a video and put it on my Snap story, laughing at Quinn's cringe when the woman pierces her ears.
"How does it look?" Quinn asks, turning her head from side to side so I can see both ears. I give her a thumbs-up as I sit on the chair and tell the lady I also want a diamond stud on my cartilage.
I feel butterflies in my stomach as the woman preps my ear with an alcohol swab, and I grab Quinn's hand.
"What? Cartilage piercings hurt a lot," I say at her teasing look, and the woman smiles as she gets the ear-piercing gun.
"Just relax," she says, positioning it on my cartilage. "3,2,1..."
I inhale sharply at the harsh pinch in my ear, and then feel myself relax. "Alright, that wasn't terrible," I say, getting used to the sting.
We thank the woman after she tells us about the after-care for our piercings, and pay at the cashier at the front of the store.
Then we're back out in the humid air. "I really like the way the cartilage looks," Quinn says, looking at my ear.
I take out my camera and examine it. "Yeah, me too," I say, smiling. "This is exciting." We take a quick selfie with our new earrings, and continue walking down the block. We browse in a few other shops; I buy a tight black crop top from Brandy Melville, and Quinn gets a sparkly bikini top before we stop at a diner for lunch.
"Alright, tell me about Milo," Quinn says once we've ordered. "Any updates?"
"Other than the fact that I really like him?" I reply, resting my face in my palm. "Not really."
Quinn's face breaks into a smile. "Aww, you really really like him now?"
I nod. "Yes, it's bad," I say, playing with the wrapper from my straw.
"Why is it bad?"
"Because, I don't want to like anyone," I answer. "It's stressful. And I hate wondering if he feels the same way. And, even if he does, we're leaving in like, under a month, and he lives in Boston, so there's not even a point," I finish, saying all that in one breath.
Quinn is quiet for a second. "Ok, first of all, I don't really doubt that he doesn't not like you back."
"Um, too many double negatives," I say, frowning.
She laughs. "I mean, I think he likes you too," she says. "And I'm not just saying that 'cause you're my best friend. He really seems like it."
I take a sip of my water, feeling excitement rising within me. "Well, I hope so," I say. "But since we kissed nothing close to that has happened."
"Well, that's 'cause there hasn't exactly been a chance," Quinn counters. "But there's still a lot of time. Which brings me to your other point... I don't think you shouldn't go into something just because you know it will end eventually."
I twirl a piece of hair around my finger, staying silent as I listen to her.
"Like, you still have around a month, and you can just have fun until you both have to leave," she says. "And who knows where it could go?"
I nod. "I guess you're right."
"Damn right I am," she says, wiggling her eyebrows, and I smile. "Have you guys been texting at all?" I nod again. "So that's good. Also, what about Sawyer?"
I scrunch up my nose. "I mean, I don't really have a crush on him anymore," I reply. "Like, that moment's kind of passed. But I don't know." I drop my face in my palm again. "If Milo weren't so hot this would be easier."
"Aww, little Em has fallen in love again!" Quinn says, grinning at me.
"What about you?" I say, raising my eyebrows. She frowns, confused. "Noah was being adorably awkward when we were hanging out at Audrey's house."
Quinn rolls her eyes, and it's her turn to look frustrated. "I don't get him."
"I think he wants to hook up with you again," I say. "I think he might have a little crush of his own. You should've seen his face when you were avoiding him."
She shrugs. "I don't know what he wants me to do," she says. "It was a one-time thing."
"That's not what he thinks," I say. "It was like he was seeing you in a whole different way the other day."
"I mean, I'm not saying nothing's changed, I just don't see what he thinks is going to happen," Quinn says, and takes a long sip of water, looking pensive.
"This is why we should never talk to boys and just get a bunch of dogs when we're older," I say. "Boys are too complicated."
Quinn laughs. "Tell me about it," she says. "And they say girls are hard to read."
Our food comes a few minutes later, and I dig into my chocolate chip pancakes after drenching them in syrup.
"You should ask Milo to dinner," Quinn says around a mouthful of Eggs Benedict. "Like, tomorrow night."
I think for a minute, chewing a bite of pancakes, then nod, taking out my phone and texting him quickly before I can change my mind. "Sent," I say, grinning at Quinn.
She laughs. "Chocolate chip teeth alert."
I lick my teeth, then bare my teeth at her. "Better?" Quinn nods. My phone buzzes after a few seconds. "Milo said yes to dinner tomorrow night," I say.
"Woah, I'm shocked," Quinn replies, and I roll my eyes, and Milo and I plan to meet at a Mexican place at 8 tomorrow night.
A little while later we're done with our food, and once we've paid we leave the diner and start to walk back home, when we hear our names called. We turn around and see Annabel standing on the corner, waving at us.
We walk over to her and hug her. "Hey, what's up?" I ask. "You look good." She's wearing a short pink dress and sandals, and her makeup is done perfectly, making me feel frumpy in comparison, with my plain shorts, shirt from work, and minimal makeup.
"Thanks," she says, doing a little twirl. "I'm going to meet this really hot kid named Michael."
We grin. "Ooh, sounds fun," Quinn says, wiggling her eyebrows. "Is he in your grade?"
"Yeah, and he's really smart, too. He's going to Dartmouth," Annabel replies. "We hooked up last year, and he just asked me to get food then go to his house, so..."
"Nice," I say. "So I guess that means you're over Milo?"
"Yeah, duh," she answers. "I mean, I didn't actually like him, I was just kind of into him 'cause we hooked up twice. But I don't care anymore."
We stand chatting at the corner for a few more minutes, before Annabel has to go to meet Michael.
"It feels like so long ago that Milo hooked up with her," Quinn says as we continue the walk towards home, carrying all our bags.
"Yeah, that's true," I reply, remembering how dejected I felt when she told me she was going to hook up with him at Alex's party.
"Remember when he turned her down at your house?" Quinn says, nudging me. "That's more proof that he likes you. That was when things were starting to heat up even more with you two, so he just shut it down with Annabel."
"Yeah, I guess," I reply, smiling.
We get to our block and pass by the Ferris's house, seeing Milo and Adam both sitting on a chair by the pool. Milo looks up when he sees us walking up the driveway to our house, and waves at us. I smile back at him as I wave, feeling butterflies in my stomach at the sight of him sitting there with that smile on his lips and the sun beating down on his toned chest.
"See you tomorrow night!" he calls across the short hedge that divides our houses, and Quinn pinches my leg.
I grin, giving him another wave before we walk into the house, and I feel myself exhale, knowing that I won't stop thinking about him until then.