Page 71 of Falling Like Snow

“What? No. I’m fine.”

Mom lets out a deep breath. “Then why would you do that to me?”

“It’s a boy emergency,” I clarify.

“What!” Ellis squeals. “You and Asher finally—”

“No! Do not finish that sentence!” I screech.

Ellis’s brow furrows. “But weren’t you just with him?”

“I was… until Micah showed up,” I say.

“Oooh, the cute hockey player who was here the other day,” Mom says.

“Micah was here?” Ellis asks.

“I have no idea what’s going on,” Aunt Annie mutters.

“Can we not stand here freezing while we discuss this so-called emergency?” Mom asks.

The four of us pile onto the couch under mounds of blankets, and I explain how Micah asked me to go to the Show in the Snow on Friday.

“But it wasn’t meant to be a date, right?” I ask. “Like even before he said Asher could come with us?”

The three of them glance at each other.

“Um, I’d venture to guess it was…,” Aunt Annie says.

“Sounds like once he thought you were going to turn him down, he tried to make it seem more casual,” Ellis adds.

Mom grimaces. “But now you have a date… with Asher there as a third wheel.”

“No. It won’t be like that,” I tell her. “I’m friends with Micah, and I’m friends with Asher. We can easily be three friends just hanging out.”

They all stare at me with blank expressions.

“What?” I say.

“You need to tell Asher to bring someone,” Mom says. “Otherwise it’s going to be super uncomfortable for him.”

“She’s right,” Ellis says. “Even if you and Micah aren’t together, Asher’s going to feel like he shouldn’t be there.”

“Ugh… Fine, yeah, I’ll see if Preeti will tag along or something.”

“You aren’t going to let Asher invite who he wants on this double date?” Mom asks.

“It’s not a double date! It’s friends hanging out.”

“Sloane, honey…” Aunt Annie pats my leg. “No.”

I groan. “Never mind. Let’s just put on the movie.”

Mom and Ellis look at each other like What are we going to do with her?

I snatch the remote from Ellis’s lap. “You all suck.”

Mom and Aunt Annie gasp, pretending to be offended, and Ellis snorts as I press play on You’ve Got Mail.