“Too bad the boys are coming back tomorrow,” Claire says, putting on the Scream recording. I’m surprised that she does that, because Bennett’s always the one to put it on, and Claire’s always the one to complain about it. “It’s been so quiet and un-gross without them. Right?”

“I guess.” Un-gross is a funny way to describe it. I grab a mushroom slice from the box. “Maybe it’s been too quiet?”

“Well, it’s just you and me tonight. I texted Micayla to come, but she asked if you were coming, and when I said yes, she said she was busy.” Claire narrows her eyes at me. “What’s that all about?”

I take my slice and a glass of lemonade to the green Adirondack chair and hope I can find a way to change the topic.

“Come on, what’s going on with you guys?” Claire asks, sitting in the blue Adirondack chair next to me. “I thought you guys didn’t fight all the time. I thought you were different from Phoebe, Jenna, and me.”

“I thought so too.”

“So?” she asks.

“So, I don’t know.” It comes out more harshly than I’d meant it to.

“Okay. Sheesh.”

I sit farther back in my chair and we eat our pizza quietly. Even though Claire has grown on me, I wish these weekly pizza dates hadn’t become a tradition. Mr. Brookfield thinks I’m some kind of crazy person now, and Claire thinks I’m a mean friend.

I keep counting the minutes until Bennett gets back, but even when he does, it’s not like I can expect him to make everything better all on his own.

“Do you think Micayla has a crush on my brother?” Claire asks, totally out of the blue. Maybe she was tired of the silence. Or maybe she really has been wondering.

“What?” I ask, not able to hide my shock. “Um, no.”

“Hey! Don’t say it like that.”

“Say it like what?” I turn to look at her and notice she has some pizza sauce in the corner of her mouth. “You said yourself he’s gross.”

“I’m allowed to say it.” She glares at me. “He’s my brother. You’re not allowed to say it.”

“Okay.” I’m confused but don’t want to admit it. “I’m sorry.”

Claire gets up to grab another slice. When she comes back, she asks, “So does she?”

“Honestly, I don’t think so. She likes Mason Redmond.” I sip my lemonade and debate saying anything more about how he invited me to Sundae Best and how Micayla thought I was interested in him. Maybe I shouldn’t have even told Claire about the whole Micayla and Mason thing. Is this another thing she’ll be mad at me for?

“Oh, Mason—the kid who helps at Dog Beach?” she asks.

I nod. “Yeah, I don’t really get what she sees in him. He’s kind of nerdy.”

Claire cracks up. “Hello? Remy? You started a day camp for dogs. That’s a little bit nerdy too.”

I should probably shrug off her comment, but it stings. It seemed like Claire and I were finally becoming friends, and now she’s making fun of me.

“Aw, don’t go cry about it.” She nudges me with her shoulder. “You want brownies? I made some earlier.”

We go inside and have brownies, but I keep thinking about what she said. And I wonder about Micayla. Maybe she really does like Calvin but hasn’t told me. She’s kept other secrets. I want to know why Claire asked, but I feel too uncomfortable.

“You didn’t need to say my business idea was nerdy.” I finally get the courage to say it when we’re up in Claire’s room and she’s going through her jean collection for the millionth time.

“I was kidding, Remy.” She throws a T-shirt at me. It still has the tags on, and it cost more than fifty dollars. “I still think you’re cool, even with your nerdy business. Don’t be so sensitive.”

Claire thinks I’m cool. Really? I mean, I know she wouldn’t say it unless she meant it. That’s the thing about Claire. She says what she thinks—whether it’s appropriate or not, whether it’s nice or not. It’s kind of helpful to have a friend like that.

A little while later, Claire and Mr. Brookfield offer to walk me home, but I tell them that I’m fine on my own.

The truth is, I just want some time to clear my head.

I thought I was feeling so much better after the talk with Mr. Brookfield and after that dinner with Claire and her mom, but I’m just as confused as ever. The dog-sitting business is going well, but Micayla and I are in our first real fight, and I have all these feelings about Bennett that I don’t know what to do with.

It’s like a mosquito bite that just keeps itching and itching. The more I scratch it, the worse it gets.