Page 27 of Next Time We'll Fall

“What’s going on? I was just about to jump in the shower. I was just getting my clothes ready.”

“Guess who Juniper just heard from.”

“John?” Sage says.

Rosie rolls her eyes. “Really? You really think she heard from John?”

“I don’t know. Who?”

“Rafe.”

“Oh wow.”

They both look at me with expectant expressions.

“So what?” I say defensively. “He just texted me because he’s going to take us to pick up my car. Remember I left it there last night?”

“You guys didn’t bow-chicka-wow-wow, did you?” Rosie says a in hushed tone. “We won’t judge you if you did, but …”

“Of course not. You know I would never do that with Rafe, and he certainly would never do it with me.”

“Oh, he most certainly would.” Rosie giggles.

Sage nods in agreement. “We saw the way he was looking at you last night, Juniper. He wanted you, and when you got on that stage and started doing your little dance and then walked over to that guy, he looked like he wanted to throw a fit.” Sage laughs.

“I don’t know about that. He was just being protective because he looks at me like a little sister. A little sister he was going to give his shirt to.”

Rosie raises an eyebrow. “You swear nothing happened last night?”

“Nothing happened.” I blush again, and they just look at each other.

“Fine. Maybe a little something happened, but nothing like you think. We didn’t make out. We didn’t have sex. It was just, like, a five-second thing, and I don’t even really know what it meant or if it meant anything. I just know it happened, and now he’s being all goofy on the phone, and he’s teasing me, and it’s irritating. I don’t want him to think he can just say and do whatever he wants, and I’m just going to be like,Ooh, Rafe.”

They start laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“You need a plan, Juniper,” Rosie says in a soft tone.

She looks thoughtfully at Sage, whose eyes are wide and bright.

“I have an idea,” Sage says quickly.

“What’s your idea?” I say quickly. “If your idea has anything to do with me trying to sleep with Rafe, then I’m not going to listen to it.”

“No. You don’t want Rafe, right?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then let’s go to a speed dating event tonight.”

“What?”

That was not something I’d expected her to say. Not because I was surprised that she would want to go speed dating, but what on earth did speed dating have to do with Rafe and how much of a jackass he was being?

“Look, you want to get your mind off of Rafe. You want him to know you’re not interested in him. What better way to do that than going speed dating, meeting a hot guy, and going on a real date with someone else and letting him know,Hey, dude, I don’t want you. I don’t need you. I couldn’t care less about you?”

I stare at her for a couple of seconds and nod slowly.