Wlw Movie Quotes

I fell in love with you the day that I met you, and then I fell in love with the person you remembered you are. I got to fall in love with you twice. That’s— that’s magic. You’re the first thing I’ve believed in since— since I don’t even remember, okay, you’re— you’re movies and destiny and every stupid, impossible thing, and it’s not because of the fucking train, it’s because of you. It’s because you fight and you care and you’re always kind but never easy, and you won’t let anything take that away from you. You’re my hero, Jane. I don’t care if you think you’re not one. You are.

You are not good for me, Astrid. I saw you and my heart did its thing. I found myself becoming obsessive, thinking about you constantly, about what was good for you and excuses to talk to you. And I was like, I've seen this movie before, so many times, and I know how it ends.

Okay, cool.' Kerry turns to Taylor. 'Would you like to do the honors, or shall I?' 'I think you have this handled,' Taylor says, as she chews on another sour straw. 'Please proceed.' Kerry nods and then refocuses her attention on me. Smiling, she grabs the nearest pillow and bops me on the head before I even have a chance to dodge it. 'Ow!' I say, glaring at her..

I even tell them about the maybe-almost kiss, which gets a certified gasp out of Kerry. By the time I’m done, they both look shook, and Kerry has slid off the couch, squeezing in between Taylor and me on the floor. 'Let me see if I have this right,' Kerry says, pressing her hands together like she’s in prayer. 'You and Amira agree to be friends, things are going well, so well you think there’s a possibility she may even kiss you? Then she asks why you hate her, and your response is that you simply didn’t think it was beneficial to keep her around. Do I have that right?' 'That’s not exactly what I said,' I grumble. 'Tomatoes, to-mah-toes,' she says. 'That’s the general gist, then?' I sigh. 'Yes.

And here I thought you just hated her because she was annoying,' Taylor says into my hair. 'She is,' I say, but it comes out a laugh. 'Very annoying. And frustrating. She’s not supposed to be taking up so much of my brain space. This is what I mean!' There’s a beat of silence, and I can practically feel Kerry and Taylor have a silent conversation over my head. 'What?' I say, looking between them. 'Just say it.' 'Now, I don’t have too much experience in the crushes department,' Kerry begins, hesitantly. 'But you definitely sound like you have a crush on Amira,' Taylor finishes.

I . . . what . . . no,' I stammer. 'No. We’re just friends. I like her as a friend now. That’s all.' 'Right, except that we’re friends,' Taylor says. 'And you have no problem juggling being friends with us and everything else you do. Sure, we became friends a long time ago and circumstances were different, but you were so undone by Amira, you made her enemy number one.' 'And, for all your concerns about her distracting you from your goals, you’ve still ended up spending the majority of these last three years with that girl living in your mind rent-free,' Kerry adds. 'Plus, you know what they say. There’s a thin line between hate and love.' Taylor nods in agreement. Meanwhile, I feel like my head is going to explode. It’s one thing when the possibility crosses my mind, as a total hypothetical, of course, but it’s another thing entirely to hear it from my two best friends. 'Oh my God.' I bring my hands up, covering my face. 'Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.' 'Yeah, girl,' Kerry says, patting my back gently. 'You’re in trouble now.

Amira turns away from me to open the door. 'We have a lot of work to do today, so you don't want to start off in bad shape. Glory's already inside.' Ah, the real reason for the question. Glad to know Amira isn't going soft-she simply wants to make sure I'm still useful. Honestly, I kind of respect it.

Anyway, what were you two talking about?' Brigit asks, focusing her attention back on me and Amira. 'Nothing.' I say, as Amira interrupts me. 'Rochelle hasn’t seen any of the movies playing,' she says. Jennie and Brigit both gasp as if I’ve committed a crime. Seriously, the theatrics of these people. 'Rochelle, you know we can see movies here for free, right?' Jennie asks. Her face is filled with such genuine concern, I have the absurd need to assure her I am well aware of this one perk from our job.

Amira says, grinning at me in a way that makes it impossible for me to look away.

Perfect,' Amira says, clicking off the camera. 'See, easy peasy.' 'Yeah, sure, easy to say when you’re the one behind the camera.' 'Excuse you, I already filmed one of me too. I just haven’t posted it yet.' 'Sure, likely story.' 'Wow, you are about to feel so dumb right now.' She closes the short distance between us, standing beside me so her shoulder is slightly pressed against mine. 'Here,' she says, thrusting her phone practically under my nose.

Amira must think the same, because she pulls away from me to clap three times right by Jennie’s ear. Jennie says a string of words in Korean that I don’t have to understand to know are swears.

I snort, but Amira throws me a glare that has me quickly fixing my face. “We’ll be right back, but if things get busy again call me,” Amira says. “Cell reception is spotty in the basement, but it usually at least goes through enough for me to see someone called.

Amira turns her attention back to me. “Let’s go.” The command of it all should make me bristle, but I think it’s maybe . . . hot? I don’t know. It makes me feel things, and I purposely hurry after her so Jennie doesn’t see whatever I’m feeling written all over my face.

Amira’s lips twitch and she shakes her head like she doesn’t know what to do with me. 'Apology accepted,' she says. 'Though I maybe also owe you an apology.' This surprises me, and it must show on my face. Amira adds, 'Don’t look so shocked. I just mean it’s possible you’re not the only one to blame for us not getting along all these years. You pushed me away, and I pushed back by trying to beat you in any class we were in together. Which, honestly, has been really exhausting. You’re very smart. Most of the time anyway. Though your emotional intelligence could use some work.' That shocks a laugh out of me, and Amira grins. 'So, does this mean we’re good now?' I ask. This almost feels too easy. Too good to be true. 'That depends, are we actually friends now?' There’s a small voice inside of me that wants me to ask for more than that, but I’m not willing to open that can of worms yet. I hold out my hand. 'Friends,' I say.

Are you going to kill me?” I ask her. “This looks like the kind of place where someone gets whacked.” She smirks. “If I wanted to kill you, I would have a much better plan than this.” “Can you believe that’s not at all comforting?

This leads to the basement?” I ask. “No, it goes to Narnia, but we like to call it the basement,” Amira says, grinning. I reach out to flick her, but she grabs my hand, pulling me close until we’re practically nose to nose. “Hi,” she says. “Hi,” I say back. I’m smiling now too. She brings her lips down to mine, and everything else around us fades away as she kisses me. I was worried that maybe the other day was a fluke. That we were just so caught up in the moment, and that’s why it felt so amazing. But I’m happy to discover I was totally wrong. This kiss is just as wonderful as the last, and my stomach feels like it’s doing backflips.

When we pull apart, we’re both breathing hard. “Going forward let’s not wait so long to do that again,” Amira says. “I can skip a dance class or two.” I shake my head. “Nope, nope. Kisses only come when we do the work we’re supposed to.” Amira pouts. “But that’s no fun.” “Where is the bossy girl from five minutes ago?” I ask, laughing. “She melted away with your kisses,” Amira says, before pressing her lips back against mine again. Despite what I just said, when she pulls away a moment later, it feels much too soon. “Okay, back to work mode,” she says. She steps away from me, as if distance will make this thing between us feel less all-consuming than it is. “I may need your help pulling this open,” Amira adds, moving to the door. “It can be tricky.” “Sure, okay.” I hover behind her as she inserts the key and gives it a turn while pulling on the metal handle.

Amira makes room for me, and I come up around her and also grip the handle, my hands resting above hers on the bar. “One, two, three . . . !” she says, and we pull hard. The door jerks back and Amira falls into me, but I instinctively grab her waist, steadying her. “Nice catch,” she says, patting my hand that has somehow come to rest on her stomach. I quickly pull it away, before I do something stupid like hold her there against me, her back to my front. “No problem,” I choke out.

I think the virgin always lives, so you should be safe,” Amira quips. “Ha ha,” I say, though now my head is swimming with questions. Does that mean she’s not a virgin? She’s hooked up with someone? Who? When? How? But I voice none of these questions.

That shocks a laugh out of me, and Amira grins. 'So, does this mean we’re good now?' I ask. This almost feels too easy. Too good to be true. 'That depends, are we actually friends now?' There’s a small voice inside of me that wants me to ask for more than that, but I’m not willing to open that can of worms yet. I hold out my hand. 'Friends,' I say. Amira rolls her eyes but takes my hand, giving it a quick up-and-down pump before letting me go. As soon as her hand falls away, I miss the feel of her skin against mine. 'All right, well, now that that’s settled, shall we get to work?' Amira says. 'Oh, right, I kind of forgot about that part for a second.' Amira gasps so dramatically, Kerry would be proud. 'Rochelle Marie Coleman forgot about work? Am I dreaming?' I gently push her as we make for the door. 'Ha ha, whatever. And why do you know my middle name? Let me guess, my mom told you.' 'Nope,' Amira says, turning so she’s walking out the door backward, looking at me with a playful grin. 'You told me once. Your middle name is Marie and mine is María. You see, Rochelle, I haven’t forgotten a single thing about you.' She then has the audacity to wink at me and walk away.

Amira waits a second, as if she's waiting for me to say more, but any words I attempt to form feel caught in my throat. She's lifting the flip-up section on the counter when I finally get the courage. ‘I'm sorry about what I said during training,’ I say. Amira stops and turns to look at me. When the silence stretches on, she raises one of her perfectly manicured brows. ‘Is that all?’ Of course, she's not going to make this easy for me. A bubble of irritation threatens to pop inside me, but I push it down. ‘I'm sorry that I said that I didn't think this job would be too hard-‘ ‘I think what you said was it wouldn't be 'too difficult to manage.' God, she's so annoying. ‘Right, and I can see now that it is not a simple job and so I'm sorry. And I don't want to fight with you anymore. At least not at work.’ I jut out my hand then, waiting for her to shake it, but Amira just looks down at it and then back at me. ‘You're supposed to shake it.’ ‘Yeah, no, I got that. I'm just thinking.’ ‘About what?’ ‘If I want to shake it.’ I swallow a groan of frustration and instead plaster the best smile I can to my face.

Of course not! I'm stressed because the popcorn machine just lost it, and I didn't know how to fix it! And I should know how to fix it.’ I step back, surprised. I don't think I've ever heard Amira yell before. Sure, we've argued and had our spats over the years, but she's never really had an outburst like this. At least, not in front of me. ‘Sorry.’ Amira's voice is low. She hangs her head, and I know she's feeling embarrassed. ‘That was a lot.’ I shrug. ‘I've had my fair share of meltdowns before. It's nothing I can't handle.’ Amira snorts at that. ‘Oh, I know about your meltdowns. Remember when you got a ninety-nine on that art project, and Ms. Bloom said it was because there was 'no such thing as perfection' when it came to art.’ ‘Which was ridiculous,’ I say. ‘I stayed up for hours working on that stupid papier-mâché mask, and Taylor painted it for me, so I know it was, in fact, perfection.’ ‘Wow, I can't believe you confessed to cheating.’ Amira clutches a hand to her chest dramatically, and I roll my eyes. ‘I did not cheat; I outsourced the final step of my project to someone who actually has skills. And I helped her with the English essay that week. It was an even exchange.’ ‘Sure, sure, whatever you say, cheater.

I exchange a look with Amira. Since when do we call Brigit, Bridge? Amira rolls her eyes. Since always, you just don’t pay attention. Oh, cool, I guess we can speak with our eyes now.

-looking between Amira and me suspiciously. 'What?' I finally say. 'Oh, nothing.' Except she’s smiling, and I know without a doubt I’ve somehow been caught.

Amira is off today, but this time I know it’s because she has a dentist appointment. She’s actually going to be by later so we can watch the new Marvel movie together. Thanks to the help of our coworkers and her reframing of this assignment as homework, I’ve agreed to finally experience Horizon from the customer’s point of view. Also, the fact that this seems like a date may have swayed my decision as well. I’m so busy thinking about seeing Amira tonight, it takes me a second to realize Lisa is asking me something. 'So, how’s Amira?' Lisa singsongs into my ear.

Seriously, I have the most vision and drive, thank you very much.

I’m not sure what my plan was, but I pull up short and raise my hand and give an awkward wave. 'Hey.' 'Hi,' Amira says, though it comes out sounding a little like a question. She has a bemused look on her face that I cannot look at for too long or my stomach will never stop flipping around.

Amira exchanges a “What the fuck?” look with me before saying yes. (Again, speaking with their eyes aww)

Amira’s eyeing me and I keep chewing slowly, trying to figure out what I think. “It’s not bad,” I say once I swallow. “Not great, but not bad.” “I’ll take it,” Amira says. “Now, hush, the movie is starting.” “You’re the one who—” “Shh,” she says, holding a finger to her lips. I grab some more popcorn and throw it at her, most of it landing in her lap or on the floor. “You’re cleaning that up, you know,” she says, though I can hear the hint of a laugh in her voice. I shrug. “Worth it.” Jamal, Zakiya N.. If We Were a Movie (p. 193). (Function). Kindle Edition.

Amira’s eyeing me, and I keep chewing slowly, trying to figure out what I think. 'It’s not bad,' I say once I swallow. 'Not great, but not bad.' 'I’ll take it,' Amira says. 'Now, hush, the movie is starting.' 'You’re the one who—' 'Shh,' she says, holding a finger to her lips. I grab some more popcorn and throw it at her, most of it landing in her lap or on the floor. 'You’re cleaning that up, you know,' she says, though I can hear the hint of a laugh in her voice. I shrug. 'Worth it.

So, I’m guessing this will be your Staff Pick,' Amira asks as we walk out of the theater. She did actually make me clean up the popcorn, but I would’ve done it anyway. I’ve swept these floors before; I’m not going to make more work for someone else. I nod. 'Yes, but not just because it’s the only one I’ve seen. It was really good.' 'Think you could talk about it right now?' she asks. We wave at our friends on our way out. Brigit has now swapped out for Shawn, and she does a double take when she sees us. She doesn’t have a chance to say anything, since the place is way more packed now than it was earlier. 'Is this just a question, or are you saying I’m actually going to have to talk about it now?' I ask once we’re outside. 'I would never make you do anything you wouldn’t want to do, Rochelle,' Amira says.

She even bats her eyelashes for good measure. I roll my eyes but do a poor job of keeping the smile creeping up my face at bay. 'Fine, where do you want me?' I hear the innuendo as soon as I say it, and my face warms. But if Amira thinks anything of it, she doesn’t show it. Instead, she takes my hand, leading me away from the doors and in front of the brick wall. 'Right here,' she says. She lets go of my hand as soon as I’m situated, and I miss the soft touch of her skin against mine. I lace my hands together in front of me, as if that’ll help.

All right, so we probably only have like ten or fifteen minutes of this perfect twilight hue we’ve got going on right now,' Amira says, phone already out and pointed at me. 'So, let’s see if we can do this in one take.” “So, I just say what movie I like?' 'First, introduce yourself, then say why you think everyone should watch the movie,' she says. 'Have you not watched any of the videos I’ve posted?' She sounds almost incredulous, but when she looks up from her phone, it’s disappointment in her face. 'No,' I say quickly. 'I mean no, I haven’t not watched your videos. I mean . . .' I pause, take a deep breath, and try again. 'Of course, I’ve watched the videos. All of them. And I liked them too.

Amira's brows rise. ‘Good call? Are you sure you're all right? That almost sounded like a compliment.’ ‘Not a compliment,’ I say, pushing the words out on a sigh. ‘Just stating the facts. I can acknowledge when you're right.’ Amira has focused her attention back on the register, but I can still see the corner of her mouth curve up in a tiny smile. Clearly, she loves praise as much as I do.

Why are you standing in the middle of the parking lot?’ I look up to find Amira staring at me. She’s already removed her Horizon shirt, revealing a black spaghetti-strapped shirt underneath that hugs her curves. So, maybe I find her attractive. That’s fine. I can accept that Amira is nice to look at. That doesn’t have to mean anything! Still, I make sure to focus my attention on her face as I walk over.

You just said no one’s maintaining it,' I say as calmly as I can.

Even though Ma was mad, it was totally worth it. 'Sometimes I forget how far back we go,' Amira says. 'I think I literally forgot,' I say, and Amira laughs. The sound tickles in my ear, and I realize how close we’re sitting. If I turn slightly, my knees will knock into hers.

I sigh and lightly pound my fist on my forehead. Literally, what is going on with me today? I cross the hallway into my bedroom, so I’m not just standing outside the bathroom door like some kind of creep. I fall into my bed, resting my hands across my stomach, taking in my glow-in-the-dark stars as I replay all the events of the day, from the almost kiss that probably wasn’t almost anything to me inviting Amira into my home. This tentative friendship should’ve never left Horizon’s walls, and now I’m in too deep.

It was before Amira moved, so we couldn’t have been more than five. We were tiny, but Amira was still taller than I was even back then, so we stacked up my pillows for her to stand on, and I held on to her ankles as she placed the stars all over. We stayed up half the night just looking at them glow.

Do you think if I hadn’t moved, you wouldn’t have ended up hating me?' Amira asks, catching me off guard. 'I don’t hate you,' I say automatically. 'Maybe not anymore,' Amira says. 'But you made it perfectly clear you wanted nothing to do with me the moment we started at North, and I never understood why.' 'I told you why,' I say, defensive. 'It wasn’t personal. I just didn’t think being friends with you would be conducive to me reaching my goals.' Amira shakes her head and pushes to standing. 'Rochelle, how could I not take that personally?' 'I—' 'Just forget it,' Amira says, waving a hand. 'I don’t know why I even brought it up. I should go.' “Amira . . .' I falter, unsure what I want to say, but Amira doesn’t wait for me to figure it out. 'I’ll see you at work,' she says, and then she’s gone.

Once we finish eating, Amira volunteers to help me with the dishes, which of course makes her even more special in Ma’s eyes. If I didn’t hate washing dishes, I would’ve told her I could do it myself, just so Ma could remember that I’m her real daughter and the one she loves. But washing dishes is my least favorite chore, and Amira and I get through them in half the time, with her helping me dry. Plus, it’s kind of nice. We get into a steady rhythm of me passing her each clean dish, and she quickly figures out where everything goes after she dries.

Amira snorts at this, and I feel a small twinge of pride.

Do you need any help?’ Amira has appeared in the doorway, and I shake my head. ‘No, it's just pizza, but thanks. Do you want something to drink?’ It feels weird having her here in my house. I can't even really remember the last time she was here, if ever. The few times we've had to hang out, it's been at her house. Luisa has popped by here once or twice, but Amira is never with her. Now, seeing her stand in my little kitchen, I can't help but wonder what she's thinking. ‘What do you have?’ Amira asks.

By the time we’re done, Amira needs to head home. 'I do need to pee before I go,' Amira says. At some point, Ma disappeared into her room, so it’s just us. 'Oh, sure, let me show you.' I take her down the short hallway and flick the light on for her. 'Here ya go.' I hold out my hands like an usher directing her to her seat, and suddenly feel so awkward I could die. 'Thanks,' Amira says, laughter lacing her voice, and she steps past me into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

So, how's it been working at Horizon?' Amira and I look at each other, both of us still chewing, as we attempt to determine who's going to answer this question. I swallow first, so I answer. ‘It's good.’ ‘Yeah,’ Amira agrees. ‘Rochelle just came up with the great idea of me running the Horizor Instagram, so that's going to be fun.’ ‘Oh, did she, now?’ Ma raises her brows at me, somehow looking both happily surprised and proud. ‘She's the one who's going to have to do the extra work,’ I say with a shrug. ‘It was no big deal.’ ‘Still, I wouldn't have asked Glory about it if Rochelle hadn't pushed me,’ Amira says. ‘Yes, well, you're welcome, I guess.’ My face feels warm as I focus my attention back on my pizza.

You know,' Amira says. She’s standing next to me, monitoring me as I handle the register. 'We could watch a movie together,' Amira continues. 'That way you won’t have to lie for your Staff Pick video.' I turn to her. 'You were going to make me lie for the video? I thought I simply wasn’t going to do it.' 'Everyone has to make a video, Rochelle,' Amira says, like it’s obvious. 'It’s mandatory.' 'Legally, I don’t think you can force me to participate.' 'What are you gonna do?' She steps closer, hands on her hips as she towers over me. 'Sue me?' I swallow. 'Well, my mom is a lawyer after all.' 'Your mom loves me; she would never agree to represent you in a case against me.' Unfortunately, even in this hypothetical scenario, I know this is true.

Right . . .' Amira says, and I can’t tell if she doesn’t believe me or simply thinks I’m losing it. 'Okay, well, then do like everyone else and you’ll be fine. Ready?' I shake out my limbs a bit and then nod.

I can see a video of her talking about how much she loves the Marvel movie we were supposed to see tonight. 'Wait, if you’ve already seen it, why did you suggest we see it tonight?' I ask. Amira shrugs. 'It seemed like something you’d like. Plus, it’s three hours.' I attempt to understand her logic. 'And a three-hour movie is a good thing?' 'Yeah.' Her voice is completely calm and measured. 'If it means spending three hours alone in a theater with you.' (The way I melted omg)

This is the eloquent response I give Amira. If I’m not mistaken, she’s just told me she wanted to spend three hours alone with me in a dark room. Sorry, dark theater. Same difference though, right? Amira chuckles as if this is a ha-ha kind of moment, when in reality it feels like the Earth has shifted on its axis. “I said a three-hour movie is a good thing if it means spending three hours with you.” “Ah, yes, that’s what I thought, just needed to confirm.” “Any further questions?” “Just one,” I say, turning so I’m fully facing her. “Did you mean it?” Amira seems taken aback by my question, but I have to know. Because if this is a joke, if she’s just teasing me again, or this is some long con to mess with my head so she can dominate in our classes this fall, I don’t think I can take it. She must see it on my face, because her voice softens as she takes my face in her hands. “Yes, Rochelle,” she says, leaning so close I can almost taste the mix of sugar and salt on her lips. “Of course, I meant it.” Then, as if to prove it, she presses forward and kisses me.

Then, as if to prove it, she presses forward and kisses me. And oh wow, I can feel them now. The sparks. When we pull apart, Amira doesn’t go far. She laces her fingers through mine, and without a word she leads me to her car, where she kisses me again. And then again when we reach my street. She parks a few houses down in case Ma is home. This kiss is slower and lasts longer, and it makes me feel like my insides have turned to liquid. I don’t even know if I’m doing this right, and it takes me a second too long to remember to close my eyes, but Amira doesn’t seem to care, and quite frankly neither do I. When we’re finally forced to come up for air, Amira giggles, and she’s still so close I can feel the vibration of it on my lips. That makes me laugh too, and then we’re both laughing—it’s stupid, because nothing about this is funny. Except maybe the fact that it took us so long to get here. Or that I ever thought being around Amira would push me off course. Being with her feels like I’ve landed exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Still, if it weren’t for the fact that we text every day, I might begin to think the kissing was a very vivid fever dream. Our texts are mostly stupid stuff—she’ll send me pictures of a weird snail she saw on the street or an endless number of TikToks, and I send her long paragraphs about some of the movies she’s demanded I watch. So far, my favorites have been Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, which she claims she knew I’d love. She also says this makes me a Barry Jenkins stan now, as if that could ever be a bad thing. We’re finally reunited when we’re put on the schedule together again exactly four days after The Kiss™, but things are so busy that I don’t really get a second to talk to her.

Amira shoots me a look of amusement.

Rochelle and I will go,” Amira says, and I blink at her. “We will?” She gives me a pointed look that clearly says, “Yes, shut up.” “I mean, sure, yeah, we will,

We’ll find them,” Amira says, with a confidence I do not share.

Come on. Vámanos,” Amira says, looping her arm through mine.

There’s no way she could know me and Amira are . . . whatever we are.

It looks just as bougie as I remember. Her walls are painted sky blue with swirls of white stenciled in, giving it a sort of whimsical vibe. The white canopy over her bed also helps with that. Her floor is covered with the softest carpet I’ve ever felt in a blue-gray color that goes nicely with the walls. All the furniture in the room is white, and I don’t know how everything still looks this clean and put together. Maybe she cleaned it in preparation for us? Regardless, I’ve always thought this room didn’t feel like Amira. When I think of Amira, I see bright colors and random items from all her various activities that Ma is always telling me she does. Trophies, her dance uniform—things like that. Instead, Amira’s room looks like something spit out from those renovation shows Ma loves to watch on HGTV.

Any other questions?” Amira asks, raising her brows to me. “Nope, just tell my mom I love her if I don’t make it out of this alive,” I say. Amira rolls her eyes and proceeds down the stairs. I reluctantly follow.

A black box,” Amira says. “Oh, good, something easy to find in a dark room.” Amira snorts, and I grin. “Did you just snort?” I turn and she covers her face with a hand. “Rochelle, my eyes,” she says, and I lower my phone. “Sorry.

Immediately, I’m jumping away from whatever it is she’s talking about and standing by her side. I wave my phone around. “What? What is it?” Rather than answer, Amira bursts out laughing, hands on her knees. “I literally hate you,” I say, flipping her off. “You do not,” she says, between fits of laughter. I roll my eyes and walk away from her.

I jump back with a scream. Amira comes running over instantly. “What? What is it?” I put a hand to my chest, feeling the quick rise and fall as I try to remember how to breathe properly.

Oh, it’s Michael Myers,” she says, holding it out as if to show me. “Who?” “Halloween,” Amira says. The “duh” at the end of that sentence is heavily implied. “One of if not the greatest thriller franchises ever.

You really think this basement is full of this stuff?” Amira nods with the quick succession of a bobblehead. “Easy way to find out. Oooh! I can even post about this on our Instagram.” I chew my lip, thinking. It would be a cool promotional tool for the theater. I can already imagine Kerry losing her shit over this pay phone alone. If Amira’s right, and there’s more where this came from, this could be a huge deal. “Okay,” I say, finally pushing myself up. “Let’s open some boxes.” Amira squeals and we get down to business.

Where have y’all been?” Jennie asks. “We got distracted,” Amira says. “Oh?” Jennie wiggles her eyebrows suggestively,

I’m too thrilled by our discovery to even take her little pokes at whatever she thinks she knows about me and Amira seriously.

Amira and I have told no one that we’ve gone from friends to more, but I think I’m ready to, and tonight may be the perfect time. We can tell everyone all in one swoop. All I need to do is run the plan by Amira, but I’m sure she’ll be down with it. Our moms will be annoying about the whole thing, but I think it’ll be better to just have everything out in the open. Still, the nerves about tonight have me second-guessing everything, especially what I’m going to wear. It’s taking me way too long to get dressed and Ma notices.

I rush over, directly back into the spray, and grab her hand, holding her steady as she gets up.

Amira holds on to me for balance and reaches out with her other hand to try to grab the tube while Danny does the same below. I help Amira back down, and we all take stock of the damage.

Although she addresses all of us, her eyes lock with mine, and I can already tell what she’s thinking.

Under the counter, I reach for Amira’s hand and give it a light little squeeze to tell her everything will be okay. Unfortunately, there was no way to know how wrong I was.

She looks to me, her eyes finding mine. “What do you think?” Everyone turns to me and I freeze. I don’t do parties. Amira knows I don’t do parties. So, why on earth is she asking me?

between us. “What’s wrong?” I’m already moving, working to put more hot dogs in buns. “Soda machine is being stupid,” I say. I try to brush it off like it’s a silly thing, but I’m not sure I hide my growing fear that something’s wrong. “What else do you need? For food, I mean.” I can feel her eyes on me as I put one of the hot dogs into a container and pass it to one of the guys.

Amira looks up from the register and glances between us. “What’s wrong?” I’m already moving, working to put more hot dogs in buns. “Soda machine is being stupid,” I say. I try to brush it off like it’s a silly thing, but I’m not sure I hide my growing fear that something’s wrong. “What else do you need? For food, I mean.” I can feel her eyes on me as I put one of the hot dogs into a container and pass it to one of the guys.

Our social traffic has never been this high,” Amira says, her words a bit jumbled since she has a Blow Pop in her mouth. We’re having a sleepover at her house, which feels illicit, except for the fact that Brigit, Jennie, Lisa, Taylor, and Kerry are here too. It still amazes me that Amira’s room is big enough to hold all of us, but she’s laid out an obscene number of pillows and blankets on the floor in front of her bed, and so far we’ve all made ourselves comfortable down here. I’ve been to Amira’s house a number of times over the years thanks to our moms, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had reason to come up to her room.

Amira turns to me, beaming, and I can’t help grinning too.

She’s in Kill Bill,” Lisa says, like it’s obvious. “You’ve seen Kill Bill?” Amira asks. Jennie rolls her eyes. “Ugh, yes, she loves all those fighting kind of movies. It’s our dad’s fault. He’s a Bruce Lee stan. Very into the conspiracy surrounding his death and the death of his son too. One might even say he’s obsessed.

We could even position some of it so people could see it from outside too, so it draws them in.” “Oh, I like that idea,” I say. Glory and Amira both look at me, a mix of surprise and disbelief on their faces. I frown. “What? I’ve liked Amira’s ideas before.” “Yes, but it’s always so wonderful to hear,” Amira says, with a deliciously wicked smile that I have the weird urge to kiss. I look away,

I meet Amira’s gaze and grin.

walls are painted sky blue with swirls of white stenciled in, giving it a sort of whimsical vibe. The white canopy over her bed also helps with that. Her floor is covered with the softest carpet I’ve ever felt in a blue-gray color that goes nicely with the walls. All the furniture in the room is white, and I don’t know how everything still looks this clean and put together. Maybe she cleaned it in preparation for us? Regardless, I’ve always thought this room didn’t feel like Amira. When I think of Amira, I see bright colors and random items from all her various activities that Ma is always telling me she does. Trophies, her dance uniform—things like that. Instead, Amira’s room looks like something spit out from those renovation shows Ma loves to watch on HGTV.

I look around to make sure Glory is still off somewhere and Danny and Shawn haven’t arrived yet. Once I’m sure the coast is clear, I place my hands on Amira’s elbows, gently pulling her closer to me. “Can you tell me why you’re nervous they’re coming?” I ask. “You’re not planning to audition for them too, are you?” That thankfully makes her laugh. “No, definitely not.” “Okay, so what’s going on?” I ask. “You don’t get nervous.” Amira finally brings her eyes down to me, a look of disbelief on her face. “You think I don’t get nervous?

Even Jennie, who’s been looking at Kerry with heart eyes for most of the evening, grimaces.

I think Taylor might actually be falling asleep beside me, and I’m almost halfway there myself. This pillow is very comfortable. Just as I’m about to give in to my drowsiness, I feel someone hovering above me. I don’t have to open my eyes to know it’s Amira. “Should I be worried about Kerry trying to ambush the uncles?” I start at the sound of her voice and find her big brown eyes staring down at me. It takes everything in me not to reach up and pull her lips down to mine—a ridiculous impulse since I do not know how to kiss someone when their mouth is upside down. Also, that’s not exactly how I’d like to reveal what’s going on to everyone in this room.

Kerry and Taylor still don’t know that Amira and I are more than friends now. While I could say it’s because we’ve all been so caught up with our own stuff, Kerry doing the musical and Taylor with Shawn, the few moments I’ve had to say something, I couldn’t. For starters, I’m not even sure what I would say. Calling Amira my girlfriend doesn’t seem right, especially since technically I’m not sure we’ve even been on a real date yet. But saying we’re just hooking up doesn’t feel right either.

I would’ve liked to sit next to Amira, but my annoying best friends surrounded me while Amira was out of the room grabbing pizzas. There was no way for me to stealthily move to her side.

Absolutely not. Kerry’s my best friend, and she’s as bubbly as any cheerleader.” Kerry perks up at this. “It’s true! I have no off switch.” “Right,” Taylor says, with a roll of her eyes.

Now I can see Amira again, and she looks just as cute as she did when we first arrived. She’s wearing a matching pink pajama set, the top a short-sleeve button-down with a collar and shorts that stop a few inches above her knees. Her curls are braided back into two perfectly neat cornrows again, this time with pink rubber bands around each end.

my comfiest black T-shirt that has a slight V-neck, so I don’t have a uniboob situation. I am slightly worried about how I’m going to sleep though. I cannot sleep in a bra, but if my bra is gone, my boobs are going to run free, and while I don’t care when that happens around Kerry and Taylor, I don’t want to feel exposed that way in front of everyone here. Especially Amira.

Probably,” I say. “But that can be a Future Amira problem.” She smiles at that, and then as if it’s just the two of us alone in her room, she lowers herself down to my other side so her mouth is right by my ear. “I really want to kiss you right now,” she whispers. I’m pretty sure my whole body shivers, and I pray the other girls are still focused on whatever it is they’re talking about. “Ditto,” I say back. “Want to go to the bathroom?” she asks. “I can meet you there.” I glance at her sideways, unsure if she’s serious. “For real?” Amira nods, the corner of her mouth pulled up in a daring smirk. “Unless you don’t want to,” she says. I think the only thing I want more right now is to get into Wharton, and that’s by a very small margin. “Where’s your bathroom again?” I ask, loud enough for everyone to hear. Amira rolls her eyes, and I don’t know if she thinks my acting is absurd or if she’s leaning into the bit. “Where it always is, silly,” she says. “Make a right and it’s at the end of the hall. You can’t miss it.” “Thanks.” I jump up probably faster than I should, based on the way my stomach reacts. Maybe that third slice of pizza and the two Kit Kat bars were a mistake. Thankfully, I’ve recovered enough by the time I reach the bathroom. When Amira arrives soon after, the only feeling in my stomach is butterflies.

But I mean in general,” she says. “I’m guessing your mom never mentioned that they put me in special ed when I changed elementary schools?” I shake my head. “No, she definitely did not.” “Yeah, well, it’s true.” She shrugs. “I have the tools and everything I need to succeed now, obviously, but it was like the move from kindergarten to first grade was this huge leap and I couldn’t make the jump. Maybe it was also because we moved and everything was different, but school became really hard for me. They were even thinking of holding me back one year, but my mom pushed back and told them it was their job to help me learn better. And so, they did.” I nod as if I understand, but I don’t. I’ve always been the smartest kid in my class, which has had its advantages and disadvantages, of course, but being at the top of my class has always felt like a given. I still study and work my ass off to succeed, but it’s also second nature to me. I know how to get A’s. I thought Amira was the same way. Out of all the marvelous things Ma has to say about Amira, it’s interesting that this somehow never came up. Then again, maybe that was for the best. I’m not sure I would’ve trusted my past self with that information either. That version of me wasn’t always kind to Amira, I can admit. “Anyway,” Amira says, obviously ready to pivot away from this conversation.

But that’s not your fault,” I say, giving her hands a squeeze.

But that’s not your fault,” I say, giving her hands a squeeze. I pause and quirk an eyebrow. “Unless there’s something you’d like to tell me.

This time she does punch my arm, albeit lightly. “Obviously not,” she says. “But still, it’s weird that everything started as soon as I got promoted. What if Glory made a mistake and promoted the wrong person?” I squeeze her hands again, lacing my fingers through hers and tugging her closer until she finally looks at me again. “Respectfully, if the options were you and the other returnees, I think Glory made the right choice,” I say. “You’re perfect for this.” “That’s not—” Amira cuts herself off. Shutting her eyes, she takes a deep breath, and I wait while she tries to gather her thoughts.

I mean I’m sure you’re constantly worried about the embarrassment you’ll feel when it’s announced that I’m valedictorian,” I say. “But otherwise, no, I didn’t think so.” Amira looks like she maybe wants to flick me or something, but only rolls her eyes. “I get nervous all the time,” she says. She bites her lip for a second, contemplating something before she adds, “And I know you’re joking, but I do get nervous about school, for the record.” I open my mouth, and she puts a hand over it, silencing me. “Not about our rank,” she says, removing her hand from my mouth. “Though blindsiding you and becoming valedictorian does still give me a bit of a thrill when I think about it.” I don’t even dignify that with a response. Amira keeps talking.

This was right before you started—that’s why they were so desperate to hire someone.” Though I knew Glory only hired me out of desperation, hearing that now stings. But I push those feelings aside and focus on what Amira’s telling me. “I don’t think they planned on firing Pete,” she goes on. “I think it kind of just happened,

I don’t need help with anything.” I exchange a look with Amira.

Are you okay?” I ask. Amira’s already made her way to the register, using her key to open it and slipping out the money bag. “Yeah, I’m good, why?” She doesn’t look up at me when she says this, which only makes me more worried. “Well, for starters, you’re not looking at me,” I say. “And I’m pretty sure you just put the twenties where the ones should be.” Amira’s hands pause, and she looks down into the register before releasing a groan and rearranging the bills. She closes the register and turns to me. “Okay, it is possible that I am also a little nervous about Derek and Eric coming,” she says, arms crossed, eyes locked on the ceiling.

Amira still elbows me in the side. “I did tell her,” Amira says. She gives Glory one of her patented teacher’s pet smiles that makes all adults bend to her will.

Amira, just because Pete was supposed to be the assistant manager doesn’t mean you don’t deserve this.” I take her by the shoulders and give her a little shake until she meets my eyes. “You’ve been killing it this summer,” I say. “And if I’m saying that, you know it must be true.

position, all that matters is what you’ve done with it,” I say. “And what you’ve done is revive our social media accounts and make a mostly fascinating history display.” Now she rolls her eyes, but I push on before she can say anything. “My point is, besides Glory, no one knows Horizon or loves it as much as you do,” I say. “And whoever’s been causing havoc, it has nothing to do with you. They’re just an asshole.” Amira’s big eyes go even bigger and she gasps. “Asshole?” she repeats. “Wow.” I nod solemnly. “I know. I like to limit myself to one swear word a week, and I’ve wasted it on someone I don’t even know. Alas, it had to be done.” “Oh my God,” she says, laughing, and then she’s pulling me into a hug. The feel of her pressed against me is a surprise, but I embrace it, hugging her back until she’s ready to let go. “Okay,” she says. Then she says it again as if to really convince herself. “Okay, you’re right.” I grin. “My two favorite words.” Amira smirks and pushes me away, returning to the register. “Go start taking inventory, and text the boys, please?” she says. Boss mode reactivated.