Page 52 of Text Me, Never

Rishi: “God, you’re ancient.”

Nolan: “I’m thirty-four, not ninety-four.”

Round Two begins: “Which member of 98 Degrees is related to a former boy band rival’s wife?”

Jeremy aggressively taps the buzzer and yells, “Nick Lachey, married to Jessica Simpson, sister to Ashlee Simpson who dated Ryan Cabrera who looked like a poodle in distress.”

“You need help.” I laugh.

Jeremy celebrates. “I want fanfare, I want confetti, and I want someone licking salt off someone else’s collarbone. Let’s make memories, people.”

More questions fly: “Which boy band member famously left his group to start a solo career in 2005?”

Jeremy: “Zayn Malik?”

Maya: “2005, not 2015.”

Me: “It was Robbie Williams. From Take That.”

Jeremy: “Nerd.”

Rishi: “This is educational trauma.”

“In what city did The Backstreet Boys officially form?”

Nolan: “Orlando.”

I squint at him. “You answered that suspiciously fast. Did you study?”

He shrugs. “I came prepared to battle. I won the last time we came here and played, so I have a rep to uphold.”

“What was the topic? Hogwarts for smug bastards?”

Nolan chuckles under his breath. “Keep talking, Adams. That second-place energy is loud.”

That voice could belong in my future regrets folder.

Next: “Which boy band appeared in a 2001 episode of ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch?’”

Jeremy and I high-five. “NSYNC.Duh.”

Rishi groans. “Rigged. It’s alwaysNSYNC.”

By the final round, we’re neck-and-neck. The screen flashes. The final question lights up: “Name the members of O-Town.”

Jeremy clutches his chest. “My moment has come.”

He slams his hand down on the buzzer and rattles off: “Ashley Parker Angel, Erik-Michael Estrada, Dan Miller, Trevor Penick, and Jacob Underwood.”

Nolan grumbles, “We’re doomed.”

The quizmaster shouts: “And tonight’s winners, by one aggressively niche fact… CTRL+ALT+DEFEAT!”

Jeremy shrieks like he’s just been knighted. I toss Nolan a slow, smug smile.

“Let’s review,” I say, sauntering over to him. “I’ve outwitted you at the rooftop, outscored you at trivia. What’s next? Arm wrestling? Strip poker?”

Nolan steps closer, eyes glittering. “Definitely strip poker.”