“Alice, please," I began. "I don't want to Lose you."

“It's okay, Matty." My friend since fourth grade gave me a sad look. I wasn't even tempted to ogle her as she shrugged into her bra and started pulling on her shirt.

“I'LL always be grateful you were the one guy who could Let me be me. Thank you for that."

“Then stay and let me let you be you. NOBODY in the BTC is going to stop you from being you. You're my buddy, and you're their friend. Yes, some of them have started having sex with me, and it looks like they intend to continue. But that's between me and them. It doesn't have to change your relationship with any of us.”

“Everything already HAS changed. Sex changes everything, don't you get it? Half an hour ago, Neevie asked everyone if they wanted to go skinny-dipping. Everyone ELSE eagerly said yes, and nobody paid any attention to me frowning and shaking my head no. Did I want to strip down naked and go out to the hot tub? No, I didn't, but I felt like I had to go along. Right before that, everyone ELSE eagerly agreed that sex was now on the menu! And nobody paid any attention to me still being angry at Sam for betraying the BTC in the first place! I'm already the odd girl out, so I'm simply removing myself from the equation."

By now, Alice was fully dressed, and right as she said the word

“removing” she started walking towards the front door. Naimh and I both followed after, still clad in nothing but our towels.

Naimh suddenly changed tactics, barking angrily, “Don't you DARE walk out on us, Alice! Come on! I thought we were friends!"

Alice stopped for a moment and turned around to face us. "We were. You two were my BEST friends, but maybe we're not meant to be anymore.

Romantic couples break up and go their separate ways when they realize they're not compatible anymore, and friends stay together because of common interests. For us, Matty, it was video games, comics, CCGs, and talking Sci-Fi. Neevie, it was art and comics and just finding a great girlfriend since the others were already paired off. And even though you and I were always at opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to sex stuff, I never once doubted that you cared about how this shit would affect me."

“I did. I do," Naimh said emphatically.

Alice shook her head. "But now you're fucking him, and I'm not. We're not compatible, and our interests aren't in common anymore. Goodbye,

Neevie. Goodbye, Matty."

“Alice--" we both called at the same time.

But Alice didn‘t turn around. She opened the door, walked away, and didn't come back.

Fit In --

Alice wasn't waiting for me with a fist bump at the parking Lot Monday morning. I still had Belle with me, of course, and she stayed with me right up until we had to split up to go to our separate first periods.

Once I got to class, Sam took one look at me, got up, and walked around to give me a hug. I wondered just how bad I looked for her to feel the need to do that.

Alice didn't join us during the recess between second and third periods, either. I knew I shouldn't have expected her to, but some part of me still hoped she had merely been late to school and therefore missed seeing me in the parking lot. I‘d hoped everything was just a simple misunderstanding that would blow over and she'd rejoin the club like nothing had happened.

Zofi and I shared our third period, and the lissome brunette held my hand (as usual) as we walked to class. Fifty feet from the classroom door, we suddenly came to a dead stop as Alice crossed our paths. Alice stopped as well and gave us a weird look that somehow made Zofi drop my hand as if it had spontaneously caught on fire.

Alice didn't join us for Lunch, either. That's when I gave up hope and started to get really depressed.

Sam and Mari came over to Belle's place Monday afternoon to study and do homework, per usual. For the first time in a long time, we didn't have a single “study break". I mean, we took breaks from studying, but there were no makeout sessions or blowjobs or anything like that. Sam kept eyeing me with a sad look on her face, Like some maternal instinct had kicked in and she wanted to take care of me, but I wasn't in the mood and radiated "leave me alone" messages that kept her and the others at bay. Not even Belle could get through to me.

Tuesday was more of the same. I finished my lunch early and went wandering around the school, trying to figure out where Alice was spending her time nowadays. In hindsight, I should've asked the girls if they knew first, because the girls always knew everything. When I returned and finally asked Naimh, she immediately replied, "She's hanging out with Lucia and Seo-yeon."

Tuesday afternoons used to be Neevie and Alice days, but when I asked

Naimh if she was still coming over, she sighed, shook her head, and asked if it would be alright for her to skip it. She just wasn't in the mood. I didn*t go over to Belle's place to join her and Mari, either, electing to go home alone and wallow in my own misery. I wasted about an hour just staring at the wall, thinking about all the fun things I'd done with Alice since grade school, before I finally opened my books and got my work done. Belle didn't seem happy about it when she found out I'd spent the afternoon alone. She'd thought Naimh would've still come over, and figured we might even find solace in each other's arms.