“She's not ready for a full-blown relationship with you, and she probably won't be until after college like she always planned. Her heart wants you, and her heart will keep driving her to do things, say things, and even make promises her head won't let her keep.

Unfulfilled promises will lead to resentment. And if you ask me, making

Sam ‘Head Girlfriend’ was the worst thing you possibly could've done.”

“What ?"

“Everything in balance, remember? You let her get out of balance, and she's enjoyed being your ‘Favorite’ all this time. You've been feeding her competitive addiction, and she's happy with where things stand right now. But nothing ever stays status quo. If either Belle or Neevie starts to creep ahead of her in the Great Race to be Matty's Favorite, we all know how she might react. She's a smart girl and I've told her this myself, but sometimes..." Zofi took a deep breath before finishing, “Sometimes we can't help but be who we truly are."

I blinked a couple of times and gave her a wan smile.

“I'm asking you to be for her the patient Matty you were for me. To be the patient... accepting... Matty you were for all of us for so many years. Let her set the pace. Let her sort out what she's comfortable with, even if that may ultimately mean the two of you breaking up.”

I arched both eyebrows at that.

"She'll come back to you," Zofi stated with absolute certainty. "When she's ready, she'll come back. But I have to warn you that she may very well decide at some point you're a distraction she can't afford... for a little while, at least."

“And that's where Neevie comes in," Alice chimed in.

“Sam might not be ready to give you the relationship you want, and none of us expect you to wait on the shelf forever, but Neevie's ready right now. She's a hundred percent in love with you. Conor was just a boy, a lifelong friend a teenaged girl ran to for help when she panicked about picking up her entire life and leaving Ireland. YOU are the man she loves, and she's ready for the intimacy you never had in your first relationship.

You are EVERYTHING to her, although to be perfectly honest, I don't see it. I mean... you're alright and all... But lifelong dream hot?

Nahhh..."

I rolled my eyes and Alice chuckled.

“In all seriousness," she continued, “she genuinely feels for you what

I never felt for you. It's not just about sex. What you and I have is just about sex. What SHE feels for you? Neevie's a total romantic at heart. It's all that intertwined roots and Noisy Blushes and that same deep-rooted passion that kindles her temper welling up from the very center of her Sacred Core stuff, you know? I don't quite get it because

I've never felt that way, about you or anyone else. But I see the fire in her eyes when she talks about you, about the way you make her feel.

Yeah, your first relationship burned white hot and then burned out. She forced herself to accept that she wasn't going to Berkeley with you at first and it crushed her soul inside. Finding out she got in off the waitlist was the happiest day of her life. And while the rest of us here have been dreading this day all summer as the end of our grand adventure together, Neevie's been giddily looking forward to it as the start of hers."

Mari popped her eyebrows. "Is she forgetting about Sam and Belle?"

Alice shook her head.

“Neevie's never asked for monogamy. She loves Sam and Belle too. Well... not like Zofi loves Sam, but you know what I mean."

Zofi giggled when Alice elbowed her in the ribs.

“Neevie's the glue that will hold this foursome together," Alice insisted. "When Sam needs to pull away to focus on... whatever Sam wants to focus on... Neevie will be there to pick up the slack. When

Belle needs someone who's not Matty to talk to about Matty because

Mari's not there, Neevie will be there. And if both Sam and Belle crave