Holly shook her head.

“I know you think heading off to Berkeley with

Sam, Belle, AND Neevie is a dream come true. The three girls who love you the most are going with you, but if you ask me it's a damned powder keg disguised as a happy ending."

I frowned.

“Powder keg?"

Holly gestured at the others. "You're bringing the three most volatile girls in the BTC to school with you while leaving the stable ones behind."

I snorted and started to protest, but my voice left my open mouth as I thought about Holly's words. She had a point. Alice, though, bought me some time when she cracked, "I don't think you qualify as ‘stable’,

Holly."

Holly rolled her eyes and immediately backhanded Alice's upper arm

Meanwhile, the gears were turning in my mind. Belle had obviously turned out to be the emotionally erratic one of the group, and without

Mari's steadying influence, who knew what might happen up in Berkeley?

I liked to believe Sam had a good head on her shoulders, but she was just bipolar enough between her desire to be with me and her desire to avoid me so she could focus on her career goals for me to know that delicate balance could be upset at any moment. And if she tipped, Zofi would have made an ideal choice to help her get in balance once again.

I mean, -I- certainly couldn't do it if I was the source of the problem in the first place.

Naimh, on the other hand, was just flat out in love with me but had already confessed a bit of an inferiority complex when it came to my depth of feelings for her in comparison to those for Sam and Belle.

Plus, she did have that Irish temper. I couldn't say Alice had spent years with her the way the other two pairings had spent, but still I knew Alice would've been an unbiased, stabilizing influence on her.

Hell, Alice would've been an unbiased, stabilizing influence on ME.

Holly continued. "ALL three BFF duos are breaking up tomorrow, all are used to being the alpha in their bestie relationships, they're all in love with you, AND the four of you are gonna have to figure out roommate issues on the fly. So, yeah... powder keg disguised as a happy ending.”

I frowned, not really liking the direction of this conversation.

“Are you trying to make me NOT be happy about going to Berkeley with them?"

“Not at all." Holly shook her head.

“Just wanted to make sure your eyes are open to the situation. We've had a spectacular summer together, and

I don't regret a minute of it. But the three of them are our friends too, we've had this exact same conversation with each of them as well, and we just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into."

I nodded. "I'll take care of them. I promise.”

“Especially Belle," Mari chimed in.

“That girl would commit suicide if she couldn't be with you.”