"Dude, I can't believe I missed that shit," Max laughs, almost rolling off her bed. How is she not hungover? How am I not hungover? Do you even get a hangover from weed? Is that a thing? "Next time you do edibles, you're not leaving my side. Imma have my phone recording the whole time. I could've posted that shit on TikTok, Ken! We could've gone viral!"

"I don't want to go viral, Maxine!" I huff, swinging my legs over her king-sized bed and strutting towards the vanity table. It's almost noon and I haven't even brushed my hair. Unacceptable. "I'm glad that Oliver was the only person who saw me in such an embarrassing state."

I was kind of hoping I'd wake up this morning with no recollection of last night but nope, I remember it all, every humiliating detail. I really hope no one but Oliver saw me bobbing for damn popcorn. I don't even like popcorn! Why was I so determined? Nothing makes sense. I hate weed. I hate it!

"Speaking of Ollie," Max sings. "Felicity texted me this morning saying that she saw you guys getting all cozy by the pool. What happened there, Kenny? I thought this was all for show?"

"We weren't getting cozy, we were just- you know, talking." I roll my eyes, straining my hand to pull the brush through all the knots in my hair that have formed overnight. "No big deal or anything."

Did I have a moderately good time hanging out with Oliver? Yes. Is he kind of funny and sort of cute? Yeah. But I was high, I can't trust such impaired judgment.

I could've hung out with a pineapple all night and had a good time for all I know.

"You need to learn how to lie better, Ken," Max scoffs, grabbing another slice of pizza out of the box on her bed and popping it into her mouth. "Just admit it, you have the hots for the new kid."

My mouth hangs open at her absurd and woefully incorrect observation. "I do not have the hots for Oliver, Maxine." How do I explain this in a way she'd understand? "He and I, we're like business partners, we need to maintain friendly relations in order to reach a mutual goal. That's all."

Max blinks. "And your goal is...?"

"Uh-" I bite my lip, inwardly wincing. Everything's gotten so muddled in the last few days. "Well, there's two goals really. The first is to get Hilton Hears to retract their last blast about me and the second goal is to, you know, get Sawyer back?"

Max nods slowly, not buying a word I'm saying. "Okay, that's nice and all, Ken, but why do you want to get back together with Sawyer so bad? He sucks. He dumped you and then hooked up with Corn like three weeks later. Do you seriously want to date a guy like that? Don't you think you deserve better?"

I like to think of myself as a fairly rational person but my feelings for Sawyer? Not rational. In an ideal world, I'd be able to let him go. Move on. Admit defeat. But I feel like our story's not over yet, that there are unread chapters, possible spin-offs, the potential for a happily ever after.

He must feel it too; otherwise, why would he text me? Why would he go out of this way to check up on me, especially knowing how Corrine feels about us interacting. It's like neither of us is ready to cut the cord. Sure, dating someone else usually signifies that a person's moved on, but in Sawyer's case, I don't buy it.

"Kenny?" Max asks. "Are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, I am, Max. I-I don't know," I murmur with a labored sigh. Do I deserve better? Sawyer was perfect. We never fought. Barely bickered. He was sweet. Attentive. But he hurt me. A lot. "I guess I do but-" My shoulder slump as an overwhelming sense of gloom washes over me. "He was my first love, I loved him, Max and now, I just- I don't know."

Max hops off her bed and joins me on the bench in front of the mirror, a sympathetic smile on her face. "Maybe you don't want him back," she muses, her gaze flickering to the collage of polaroids taped above the vanity. "Maybe you just don't want him dating Corrine."

I skim the dozens of photos that we've taken over the years, some of them nearly a decade old, my eyes landing on a picture of me, Max, and Corrine. We're fourteen years old, laying on our tummies in a grassy field, our chins resting on our palms. We're wearing daisy crowns, our smiles genuine, happy, blissfully unaware of how drastically things will change in the following months.

"Why do you still have that?" I ask. "You should take it down. We're not friends anymore, she made sure of that."

"Because it's history, Ken, and you can't erase history." Max shrugs. "Plus, it's a cute photo."

"It was the last one we took together," I mutter, memories of that day flashing through my mind. "It was before you and I left for Italy, remember?"

Max scowls at me. "Yes, I remember, Ken, just 'cause I smoke weed doesn't mean I don't remember shit. That summer was dope. Best middle school grad present ever."

"Yeah," I sigh, shaking my head, a slight frown on my face as my eyes narrow in on Corrine's innocent expression. "I still don't get it, Max. What happened? We used to be so tight and then...nothing."

"Fuck if I know," Max says, grabbing a tube of chapstick and applying a generous amount to her lips. "She grew boobs and became a bitch?"

On the first day of freshman year, I was so stoked to finally see Corrine, we were apart for two months, and with the time difference, the three of us barely talked. But apparently that summer, she made new friends, Larisa and Maya.

And that was that. Friends off.

"Yeah, but she didn't get bitchy until Sophomore year," I muse out loud. "At least we had one year of peace."

"Well, I guess a bitch ain't born overnight," Max laughs at her own joke. "Apparently, there's a three hundred and sixty-five day incubation period."

I snort, stifling a laugh, my mood starting to lighten. "Maybe she was like abducted by aliens or something that summer and they performed all these weird experiments on her and-"

"Oh my God! Yes!" Max interjects with a boisterous laugh. "But the experiments went awry and she got too powerful and too bitchy so the aliens were like 'fuck this, we don't want her!' and returned her back to earth."

"Or maybe she's like the fourth Powerpuff Girl!" I chuckle, my eyes starting to tear up. "There's Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, and Bitch!"

"Holy shit!" Max laughs, grabbing her stomach. "We should ask my mom to pitch a reboot to the Cartoon Network, we'd make some serious bank."

"She'd do it too! It's like her favorite kid's show," I chortle, remembering all the times Alice would cuddle us in bed and we'd watch old cartoons together. "She'd love it!"

Max's bedroom door aggressively swings open, her mom busting through, a goofy grin on her face. "What would I love?" Alice asks, cocking her head to the side. "Tell me! I need to know! Don't leave me out, girls!"

Max and I exchange a knowing look. Oh boy. How much did she hear? "You spying on us again, mother?" Maxine asks, crossing her arms, her tone playful, light. "I thought we talked about boundaries."

Alice rolls her eyes, perching on the edge of Max's bed and stealing a slice of pizza. "As the queen of this beautiful kingdom-" she gracefully gestures around the room. "Boundaries do not apply to me."

"Uh-huh...what do you want, mama?" Max asks, letting out a sigh. "We're busy, can't you tell?"

"Nothing in particular," Alice sings, pursing her lips. "I just wanted to chat. How was Lemar's party? Anything scandalous happen?"

"Kenny did edibles," Max states, batting her eyelashes in my direction. "And then she fell into the pool." She pauses, suppressing a laugh. "Fully clothed."

"Max!" I whine, swatting her arm. "Don't tell people!"

"Oh God-" Alice covers her mouth with her hand, humor bouncing in her eyes. "That's- that's hilarious, Ken. Honestly, I'm proud of you. You're officially a teenager."

"Right?!" Max exclaims. "Only took her four years."

I shake my head in disbelief. "You know, Alice, most parents would scold their children for doing drugs not praise them."

Alice waves me off. "It's just weed, honey, not a big deal. We've all done it." She whips her head towards her daughter. "Some more than others."

"Hey, it's not my fault you're a hippy," Max retorts. This family is something else. "This is on you."

Alice clicks her tongue. "Am I a bad mother? Should I ground you or something? Take away your phone?"

"Or..." Max coos. "You can drive us to the mall? And give me some money? I want to buy the new Animal Crossing, it looks dope."

Maybe I should buy a leather jacket. I did kind of like how it looked on me.

"Max! What happened to the money we gave you last week?" Alice asks, her tone more motherly. Oof. Big yikes. "How did you spend it all? On what?"

Max bites her lip. "Food?"

And that's my cue to leave. "I'll be in the kitchen," I say sweetly. "Good luck, Max."

"Deserter!" She calls out after me as I scurry away, pulling up Safari on my phone to Google cool leather jackets.

***

"Knock, knock," I say, peeking my head through Oliver's dorm room door that's slightly ajar. Finally. He's hard to track down. "Can I come in?" Oliver slams his laptop shut, whipping his head towards me, his eyes widened as if I caught him in the act. With Clifford right there?! "Watching porn?"

His expression softens, just a tad, but enough for me to take a step inside. "No, just school work," he mutters, his gaze fluttering over to Cliff who's in his own little world, bopping along to whatever is playing on his iPod. "Why are you here, Kennedy? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," I say, passing him a shopping bag, my eyes darting to his closed computer. He's skittish about homework? So weird. "I just wanted to return your jacket."

"Oh," he hums as I cautiously make my way further into the room and hand off the bag. "Cool. Thanks."

"Yeah," I whisper, licking my lips, taking in his unbuttoned uniform, his sleeves rolled up to three quarters, exposing his veiny muscular forearms. I clear my throat. Don't stare. "So uh- how was the rest of your weekend?"

"It was fine," Oliver says, eyeing me warily but not telling me to leave. "Scoped out some records at the store Cliff works at, bought a few. Nothing too exciting."

"What did you buy?" I ask, hesitantly lowering myself on the edge of his bed, my body tense, nervous.

Oliver spins in his computer chair, hiking his ankle over his thigh. "An Oasis vinyl," he replies, his eyes gleaming with uncertainty. Maybe I should leave. "They're an English rock band from the '90s."

"I know Oasis," I say, fiddling with my fingertips as I take in the cameras displayed on his shelves. Lots of vintage models. Interesting. "My mom was a big fan."

"Really?" Oliver asks, cocking his head to the side and crossing his arms. "What's your favorite song? Wonderwall?"

I roll my eyes. "Because you think I'm basic?" I ask, unable to resist a smile.

"Exactly," he smirks, relaxing his shoulders. "Either that or Champagne Supernova. I'd bet money on it."

"Oh, Ollie," I sing. "Start writing that check."

He narrows his eyes at me, his lips twisted up with intrigue. "It's neither of those? Seriously?"

"Mhmm," I hum smugly. "It's not even off Morning Glory."

"You know the album names," he muses, rubbing his chin. "I'm impressed. Alright, let's have it. What's your favorite song then? I'm curious now."

"Acquiesce," I state proudly. My mom's favorite song too.

Because we need each other. We believe in one another. And I know we're going to uncover. What's sleepin' in our soul.

"Wow-" Ollie nods, unexpected approval glowing in his grey eyes. "An underrated gem. I'm surprised you know it."

"I'm full of surprises," I sing in a low hum, catching Cliff stealing glances in our direction, his presence making me slightly anxious. "So, um, are you coming to movie night? In the common room?"

"Will there be popcorn?" Ollie teases. "I know how much you love it."

"Oh God," I groan, closing my eyes. "Please don't remind me. I'm still mortified by my behavior."

"Don't be," he says, running a hand through his hair. "You were just having fun. No harm."

I snort. "Maybe fun for you."

"Yes, well it was quite entertaining," he chuckles, his gaze scanning my face. "Certainly a night I won't forget."

"Oh yeah, good times," I murmur, biting my lip, my cheeks burning up. God, what memory to hold on to. "So, popcorn aside, are you going to come? To movie night? Max has detention so she can't make it but if you-" I pause. "I mean, if you wanted to go, you know, together or something, we could-"

"I can't," Oliver sighs, tossing me an apologetic smile. "I have band practice tonight, it's Wednesday, remember?"

"Oh, right," I wince. Shit, I forgot about that. "How's that going?"

"So far so good. I'm just learning their songs, they have a lot, but I'm picking them up quickly," he replies, scooting his chair closer to me, knocking his knees into mine. I don't move. "Here, I've recorded a few." He pulls up the voice memo app on his phone and presses play on a file titled Catharsis Track 1. "Have a listen."

Melodic rock music blares from the speaker and I find myself nodding along, surprisingly enjoying the gritty texture of the singer's voice, the harsh guitar tones, and the smooth drum beats. Wow, they're not bad.

"What do you play?" I ask, realizing I never asked.

"Drums," he mutters, leaning closer to his phone, his minty breath filling the space between our faces. I hold my breath as the song continues to play. "I fucked up the fill there, shit."

"I couldn't tell," I whisper, flicking my gaze up to his passionate eyes. It must be nice to have a hobby that brings you so much joy.

He grins, his playful gaze darting between my awestruck eyes. "That's 'cause you're not a drummer, love."

"True," I smile, tucking a wayward hair behind my ear. "But for what it's worth, I think you sound great. Really. I'd buy a CD."

"Yeah?" he asks, pressing pause on the song and reclining back into his chair, a pleased expression on his face. "You liked it?"

"Mhmm," I hum, taking a deep breath. "It's different from what I usually listen to but yeah, it's good. Do you have any concerts coming up?"

"Concerts?" Ollie chuckles. What's so funny? "They're called shows, Kennedy. It's rock music, not the symphony. See? You are a little basic."

"Oh, shut up, same thing."

"So much to learn," he sings, shaking his head.

"Yeah? Are you going to teach me?" I ask innocently.

"Oh, I could teach you a lot of things, Kennedy." Ollie licks his lips, eyeing me carefully. "If you're willing."

My eyes widen as my heart races. Oh, crap. No. No. No. "Uh- I think I should go," I stammer, checking the time on my watch. "I have to-" I stand up abruptly. "I have to go do... something."

"So soon?" Oliver smirks, his eyes glowing with a devilish gleam. "Well, enjoy your something."

"I will!" I peep, darting to the door, nearly tripping over the trash can. "Enjoy...band."

"See you in class," he calls out in a taunting tone as I slam his door shut.

I should've just left the jacket outside his door with a note.

Idiot.

__________________

We got a little insight into Kenny's relationship with Corn, any theories?

ALSO, GAH #Kollie over here being kinda cute. Check out the song acquiesce by oasis for some #Kollie vibes.

THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER IN GENERAL? Good? Bad? (Plz say good. I will cry)

Max's mother: