Riley drew some water into the eyedropper, then carefully let it flow onto the unknown substance in the small dish. It immediately began to bubble furiously.

“Aha! It’s reacting to water. That means ... um, let’s see.” She consulted the list of possible elements provided by the teacher. “Must be lithium, right?”

There was no response from her lab partner.

“Mike?” Glancing to her left, Riley found her best friend staring into space. Or more accurately, staring at the girl a couple tables over. Rolling her eyes, she elbowed him hard.

“Huh? What?”

“Sabrina Taylor? In your dreams, man.”

“What? No, I wasn’t...” He trailed off when he realized that Riley wouldn’t buy his fake excuses. “Okay, but it’s just, I think she was looking at me.”

“Uh-huh. The Ice Queen was looking at you.”

“Aw, c’mon. Don’t call her that.”

“Well, what? It’s true. She hasn’t given the time of day to any guy since she moved here. I heard last week she blew off a senior on the basketball team who was asking her out. And you think she’s into little old you? Sorry to break it to you, but I don’t think she knows you exist.”

Mike gave her a dirty look. “I know what I saw. You’re just trying to bring me down ‘cause you’re jealous that she has guys after her.”

Riley sputtered for a moment as she tried and failed to think of a clever comeback. “I’m not jealous,” was all she could find to say, and even to her ears, it sounded weak. Okay, maybe she was a little jealous. It would be nice to have a boy show some interest in her once in a while. One in particular, though that wasn’t going to happen...

Her gaze drifted back to Sabrina. She could see why the girl had all the boys at her feet. Lustrous blonde hair falling down her back, the flawless face of a model, not an ounce of fat on her, yet not too skinny, with curves in all the right places. That last point particularly stung. At 15, Riley still looked like a kid with barely any boobs to speak of, while Sabrina had these big, perky tits that made her look like something out of a men’s magazine. The girl was pretty much perfect from head to toe, and it annoyed Riley to no end. Life really was unfair.

It was at that moment that Sabrina turned around to gaze in their direction, then quickly looked away again—possibly because she saw two weirdos staring at her.

“See? She looked at me again!”

“Huh. Well, she did look this way...” Riley admitted. Could Sabrina really have a thing for Mike? Surely not. A girl who could have any boy she wanted wouldn’t settle for him. “More like a glance, really. I don’t think it means anything.”

“No way. You’ll see. I’m gonna ask her out.”

Riley snorted. “Your funeral.”

Mike had the nerve to wave dismissively at her, the poor overconfident boy. “This jealousy is really unbecoming, you know. Just because you’re not a goddess like Sabrina, you don’t have to rain on my parade,” he said, smirking.

“Pfff. Hey man, you do what you want. I’m just trying to save you from having your puny mortal hopes and dreams crushed by your goddess over there.”

“Carver, Simmons ... since you’re sitting here gossiping, I assume you’ve already identified your element?” Mr. Bailey cut in, sneaking up behind them.

Mike started. “Uh ... iron?” he blurted out like an idiot.

“What? No!” Riley gave him a slap on the arm. “That’s, like, the first thing we ruled out. It’s lithium, isn’t it?”

The science teacher nodded. “Correct. You’ve got a good head for this, Simmons. You should stop dragging this dead weight along with you,” he said, inclining his head towards Mike.

“Hey, come on now!” Mike protested.

Mr. Bailey spread out his hands. “Prove me wrong,” he said before walking away.

Riley almost doubled over laughing. “Oh, damn, teacher burn!”

“Hmph. Asshole,” Mike mumbled—not loudly enough to be heard, of course.

Riley shrugged. “I like him.”

“Of course you do. You actually understand what he’s talking about, for some reason.”

“Hey, stop staring at Sabrina Taylor and pay attention, and maybe you would, too.”

Mike made a face at her, but it looked like he didn’t have a retort.

Soon enough, the bell rang, and everyone rushed out of the class for lunch break.

Spotting Sabrina ahead of them, Mike said, “Well, this is it. Wish me luck.”

Riley shrugged. “Good luck. I guess.” She leaned against a wall, arms crossed, and watched him catch up to the girl of his dreams—of every boy’s dreams, it seemed. She was rooting for him, even though she didn’t think he had a shot. They’d been friends since ... pretty much the day they were born, their moms having been best friends. It felt like they were more siblings than friends at times. So, though she wouldn’t admit it to Mike, she had her fingers crossed for him as he struck up a conversation with Sabrina.

Predictably though, after only a few seconds of talking, he came shuffling back, looking defeated.

“I don’t want to say ‘I told you so’ but—”

“Liar.”

“Well, okay, maybe a little. I’m sorry, though, for real.”

“She didn’t even let me finish what I was saying. Just raised her hand to stop me and said, like, ‘Sorry, no.’ And she kinda cringed, like the thought of going out with me was painful or something. Ouch. Then she just walked away.”

“Wow, what a bitch. Thinks she’s better than everyone.” Riley glared in the direction where Sabrina had been, but the girl was already gone. “Well, you’re better off without her, man, seriously. She would’ve just treated you like shit.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Mike took a deep breath and sighed, then gave himself a shake, shrugged. “Oh well. Lunch?”

Riley nodded, glad that her friend didn’t seem to take the rejection too hard. “Yeah. Just need to stop by the bathroom, I’ll meet you at the spot.”

They parted ways, and Riley dropped by her locker to dump her books and pick up her lunch bag, then she went into the bathroom close by, picked an empty stall, and relieved herself. As she was about to wash her hands, the door to another stall opened ... and who should come out but her majesty, Sabrina the Ice Queen.

“Oh, Riley.” Sabrina seemed startled to see her standing there, for some reason. “H-hey.”

“Um, hey.” Riley raised an eyebrow. She was a little surprised that Sabrina even knew her name, even though they had some classes in common. They didn’t exactly hang out in the same circles.

They both washed their hands in silence, and as the moment stretched on, Riley felt her irritation grow. Where did this girl get off, acting so superior? She had no right to treat Mike that way. Though Riley herself gave him a lot of crap, that was all in fun because they were friends. He was a good guy, though. Even if Sabrina didn’t want to go out with him, he didn’t deserve to be brushed off as if he was less than nothing by some stuck-up bitch. Riley glared at Sabrina’s reflection in the mirror. And besides, the girl had no business being so damn pretty.

Nodding to herself, Riley was about to give this so-called “goddess” a piece of her mind. “Hey, let me tell you something.”

At the very same moment, though, Sabrina turned to her and said, “Can I talk to you a sec?”

They both froze for an instant, then laughed, Riley’s anger briefly chased away by the silly social awkwardness of it all.

“Um, what is it?” Sabrina said.

“Nah, you go ahead.” Riley figured she should give the girl a chance to speak before yelling at her.

“Um, okay. It’s, well ... um ... Did you know that the theater downtown has special screenings of the Lord of the Rings films this weekend?”

Riley blinked. She’d had no idea what Sabrina might want to talk about, but that wouldn’t have been among her top thousand guesses. It certainly piqued her interest, though. “Wha, really? How did I not know this? I love The Lord of the Rings!”

Sabrina smiled. It was perfect, just like every damn thing about her. “Yeah, I noticed you were reading one of the books the other day.”

“Oh, right, it’s like the fifth time I read ‘em. It’s my favorite series ever.”

“Oh yeah? That’s cool. I like ‘em a lot, too. So ... Right. Anyhow, they’re playing Fellowship on Friday and um...” Sabrina let out a little nervous laugh. “I guess I was wondering if ... um ... maybe you’d wanna come see it with me?”

Riley blinked, again. This conversation was really baffling. Why would Sabrina want to go see the movie with her? They weren’t friends. She couldn’t even recall ever saying a word to the girl, except maybe a “hi” here and there. Was Miss High-and-Mighty afraid of looking like a nerd if she asked someone in the popular crowd?

As Riley pondered the mystery, she noticed some color creeping onto Sabrina’s cheeks. Was the Ice Queen... blushing? What could possibly be so embarrassing that... ?

And then it hit her. “W-wait,” Riley stammered. “Are you ... asking me out?”

“Ah, um, well...” Sabrina pushed her hair behind an ear, laughed shakily again. “I guess I am, yeah.”

“Oh! Wow. I ... um ... that’s ... Wow. I ... did not expect that,” Riley said, probably sounding like an idiot. This was a lot to take in, though.

Sabrina Taylor was a lesbian. That actually explained a lot. But to think that the most popular girl in school, the one that all the boys from freshmen to seniors—and probably many girls, too—wanted to date, was asking her out. Her, Riley the nobody, who no one looked at twice. This sounded so far-fetched, so ludicrous, that Riley wondered for a moment if she was dreaming.

For her part, Sabrina was blushing brighter—and it only made her look cuter, because of course it did. “I just ... I kinda thought that maybe you were looking at me earlier? In class? And ... well, I guess I thought I’d give this a shot.” The girl was looking so anxious and jittery that Riley was beginning to feel bad for her. “Um ... do you ... like, are you even into girls? At all?”

Staring into Sabrina’s mesmerizing blue eyes, Riley was rethinking that very question. “I ... well, I wasn’t a minute ago...”

Sabrina made a face. “That’s not really something that changes over a minute.”

“I dunno, a lot happened in that minute. It’s not every day that the hottest girl in school asks you out.”

Sabrina perked up instantly at that. “You think I’m hot?”

“Oh, well, I meant...” Riley hesitated. Did she think Sabrina was hot? In a way, of course she did, that was obvious to anyone with eyes. But did she find Sabrina attractive? That was the question making her confused and uncomfortable. “Oh come on, that’s not fair, everyone thinks you’re hot. I’m just surprised you’d be interested in me at all...”

“What, why? I think you’re really hot, too. I ... kinda have a thing for redheads.” Sabrina flashed a sheepish grin, but it quickly disappeared. “Oh, but it’s not, like, all about your hair. That would be dumb. I just like ... that you’re really smart, I’ve seen that in class, and that you don’t seem to care what others think of you, and you got good taste in books obviously, and your glasses are really cute, too, and ... Oh God, I’m rambling. I’m sorry.” She put a hand over her mouth to stop herself.

Riley’s head was spinning with all the compliments. No one had ever talked to her that way, not even the one boyfriend she’d had. The Ice Queen knew how to turn up the charm when she wanted. Still, this all seemed like such a huge step away from everything Riley thought she knew about herself. “I ... Look, I really don’t know what to say, honestly...”

“You could say... ‘Yeah, I’ll go out with you,’ maybe? Just a thought.” Sabrina flashed a smile that had surely broken many hearts before.

Riley chuckled. That was a good line, she had to admit. “I just ... This is a lot to process, you know? I’ll ... think about it, okay? Sorry, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but...”

“Better than a ‘no.’ Okay, think about it, at least ... but honestly, I’d show you a good time.” She winked. “Let me know. Oh, um, what did you want to tell me earlier? Before I sprung all this on you?”

“Oh, err, that’s not really ... relevant, anymore. Okay, I was kinda gonna yell at you for how you treated my friend Mike when he asked you out earlier, but ... now I see how it would be awkward when boys do that...”

“Oh, that.” Sabrina sighed, then shrugged. “Look, I don’t know how to deal with it. Boys try to ask me out all the time and it’s really annoying ... Uh, yeah, I know how that sounds, but it’s not like I do anything to attract them on purpose. I’m just not interested, and it’s not their damn business why.”

“Yeah, I can see where you’re coming from.” Riley couldn’t imagine having that particular problem herself, but it was true enough that Sabrina didn’t owe anyone an explanation about her orientation. “Um, do you mind if I tell Mike about it, though? I think he’d take the rejection easier.” She chuckled. Also, she really needed someone to talk to about her new dilemma. “Like, he’s not an asshole, I promise he won’t tell anyone else if that’s what you want.”

Sabrina looked torn for a moment. “Uh, I dunno ... I caught a lot of shit at my old school because people knew...” She sighed. “Well, if you promise, I’ll trust you. But that better be a point in my favor.” Her smile returned at that, and she winked at Riley.

“Hah. Yeah, okay.”

“Well, I guess I’ll wait for your answer, then. Take your time, but not too long.”

Riley nodded, unsure of what to say. Sabrina’s beguiling smile was making her feel ... weird.

The girl walked over to the bathroom door, then turned for one last look at Riley, her eyes offering seductive promises. After a moment, she blew a kiss and made her exit.

“Holy crap,” Riley said out loud. She let out a long breath and felt her muscles ease up. She hadn’t realized she’d been so tense during their conversation. Turning to the mirror, she studied her reflection and confirmed that she hadn’t transformed into a model overnight. Same plain old face. Loose clothes that didn’t do anything to emphasize her figure—not that there was much to show off. Kind of dorky glasses. She did rather like her hair but ... Still, it wasn’t much. What could Sabrina possibly see in her? She looked so ordinary next to that blonde beauty.

The smoldering look that Sabrina had just given her told another story, though, and did wonders for Riley’s self-esteem. That look, just for her. And the kiss ... She couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to receive a real one from those perfect lips. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Am I into her?” she asked her reflection, but it only stared back, looking confused.

Lost in thought, she made her way out of the school, barely aware of her surroundings. There was a secluded spot on the side of the building, nice and quiet, where she usually ate lunch with Mike and sometimes a couple of other friends—though she was relieved to see Mike was the only one there today.

“You okay?” he asked as she slid down the wall to sit next to him. “You look ... out of it.”

“Um ... I dunno.” Where to begin? “So, uh ... I know why Sabrina turned you down. Like, other than you being you.”

“Huh? What d’you mean?”

“First, though, promise you’re not gonna tell anyone about this.”

“Uh, sure, fine. What’s this about?”

“Well, turns out, she’s not into guys. Like, any guy.”

Mike frowned, then his eyebrows slowly rose up. “She likes girls? Oh. Oh, wow. What a waste.”

“Waste? Hey, women don’t exist for your own pleasure, you know!”

He raised his hands appeasingly. “Kidding, kidding! How do you know this, anyway?”

“Um, ran into her in the bathroom...”

“And, what, she just told you she’s a lesbian out of the blue? Wait, what did you say to her?”

“Nothing! She just ... uh ... kinda asked me out.”

Mike stared for a moment, then snorted. “Oh, you’re screwing with me ... Funny.”

“I’m dead serious!”

He studied her for a moment, looking skeptical. She couldn’t really blame him. “So Sabrina Taylor, your ‘Ice Queen’, who could date basically anyone she wanted ... asked you out. I mean, no offense, but that sounds a bit...”

“Hey, I’m as surprised as you are, man.”

“Huh. You’re really serious. Wow ... So wait, it’s you she was looking at in class?”

Riley blinked. She hadn’t considered that. “Oh. I ... I guess?” It seemed surreal.

Mike sighed. “Man, my life sucks. So what d’you tell her?”

“Um ... that I’d think about it...”

“Uh, really? Will you? Like, what, you’re into girls now?”

“No ... I dunno ... I mean, this is Sabrina Taylor...”

“Hah! And you were giving me shit about liking her! Now, just a few words and she’s turned you gay?”

Riley felt her cheeks getting warm. “I’m not ... turned gay! I just ... never really thought about it much.” Riley took a deep breath. She knew Mike was going to needle her for what she was about to say, but came out with it anyhow. “I was thinking on my way here ... You know how I’ve been maybe a little hung up on ... a certain someone—”

“Pff, a little! More like obsessed. For, like, four years!”

“Yeah, yeah, let it out. Paying me back for earlier, I get it.”

“Jake this, Jake that, all the time. Some college boy you have no chance with. Even dated his little brother as a consolation prize...”

“That is not why I was with Lucas!” Riley protested loudly, though deep down she wasn’t entirely certain he was wrong about that.

“Suuure. Just a coincidence, huh?”

“Fine, whatever. Doesn’t matter. What I was getting at is that, like, since I’ve been sorta focused on Jake as my, y’know, image of an ideal lover, let’s say, maybe I’ve ignored... other possibilities. Like ... girls? Maybe. I dunno. I guess it doesn’t sound that bad.”

“Hmm, dunno, I guess that makes some sense?” Mike shrugged, then his lips twisted into a smirk. “Sounds like a big change, though. What, you’re ready to eat pussy now?”

Riley punched him in the shoulder. “Don’t be a perv. I ... I haven’t thought that far ahead...”

“Hey, I’m just saying, it might come up. Mmm, I wonder if Sabrina’s done that already...”

“That’s not your business!” She didn’t like his tone when he said that. “God, you better not be thinking about me and her in bed now.”

Mike made a face. “Gross. That’s like thinking about my sister. No, you can be sure that if I’m thinking about Sabrina in bed, you’re not part of the picture.”

Riley narrowed her eyes at him. “How about you don’t think about my girl at all?”

“Oho! So it’s decided, huh?”

She buried her head in her hands. “God, I don’t know. Should I?”

“I mean, you’re asking me? I think you’d be fucking crazy to pass this up.”

Riley chuckled. “Yeah, should have expected that. But maybe you’re right. It’s just one date, anyway. It doesn’t have to be, like, life-changing. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“That she’s just screwing with you, and then when you accept, she goes all mean girl and tells the whole school,” Mike replied, deadpan.

Riley stared at her friend. “That was just a rhetorical question, Mike! You ... you don’t think she’d really do that, right?” Sabrina had seemed so genuine in the bathroom, but now Riley was beginning to have doubts.

He shrugged. “Not really. But you did ask what would be the worst. Oh, no, wait, it would be if she turned out to be a psychotic serial killer who drugs you, then cuts you up into little pieces. Yeah, that’s way worse.”

Riley frowned. “Why am I even talking to you?”

“Good question! My dorky charm, perhaps?”

Riley shook her head. “Well, dorky, anyhow.”. Suddenly realizing she hadn’t even started on lunch yet, she opened her brown paper bag, smiling at the little note that said “Have a nice day!” tucked inside.

“God, your dad still puts notes in your lunch?” Mike rolled his eyes.

“Shut up, it’s cute.” She picked up her sandwich, but then her stomach felt all knotted up, and the thought of eating it made her queasy. Instead, she offered it to Mike. “You want this?”

“Hell yeah!” Grabbing the sandwich, he soon made it vanish in just a few bites. For such a scrawny dude, he sure could eat ridiculous amounts of food. Riley often wondered how he did it.

For her part, she only sipped on her bottle of water, lost in thought. Eventually the bell rang, and they made their way back to class. Concentrating on what the teacher was saying proved difficult, though. Riley was usually pretty good at math, but that afternoon the equations on the blackboard might as well have been written in some alien language. Her brain kept getting sidetracked by thoughts of Sabrina. At least the girl wasn’t in that class to make things worse.

Riley didn’t fare much better in P.E., but that was pretty much in line with her usual performance. She missed a few easy shots in volleyball while her head was elsewhere, but nobody really expected any better from her, anyway. She’d long ago learned to ignore the annoyed looks from her teammates.

In the locker room after class, part of her wanted to peek at the other girls to see if she noticed any kind of attraction, while another part felt like a creep for even considering it. A third was a little scared of what she might discover, one way or the other. All in all, Riley felt distinctly uncomfortable, and hurried to change clothes and leave.

It was the last class of the day, so she dropped by her locker to get the textbooks she needed for her homework, then made her way to the exit. Outside, she nearly bumped into the very girl who had been occupying her mind all afternoon.

“Oh, hey.” Riley fumbled for something more to say, then frowned. This seemed like too much of a coincidence. “Um ... were you waiting for me?”

“What? No,” Sabrina said, a little too quickly. “Well, not really. I sat down a minute to check my schedule for the rest of the week, then I saw you come out. Anyway, so, um ... right, I guess you haven’t really had time to think about ... the thing. Yeah, sorry. I’ll let you—”

“Well, actually...” Riley began, then paused, her heart racing as she struggled to find the words she needed. The sudden rapt attention from Sabrina didn’t help matters, not one bit. God, she was pretty. “I was just thinking that ... we could, like, give it a shot.”

“Yeah?” Sabrina grinned, looking positively delighted.

Despite the girl’s enthusiasm, Riley still found it difficult to believe that this teenage Venus could be so into her. Nonetheless, she soldiered on.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m still not sure about... anything, really. So I’m not making any promises about how things turn out, but...”

“A chance is all I’m asking for! So, great. Awesome. You won’t regret it.” The girl took a step forward and, for a second, it looked like she wanted to go for a hug, then seemed to reconsider. “Cool, so ... maybe we could meet up at, like, 5 in front of the theater, then go eat somewhere before it starts? Classic dinner-and-a-movie, right?”

“That’s ... yeah, sounds good.” Somehow, Riley was growing even more on edge, now that their plans were solidifying.

“Great. So ... yeah. I guess I’ll see you.” To be fair, Sabrina seemed to be a bundle of nerves herself, so that made Riley feel a little better about her own awkwardness.

“Yeah. See ya on Friday ... Well, I guess we’ll see each other in class before then, but ... oh, you know what I mean.”

Sabrina smiled and nodded. “Bye, then.” She began to walk away, then glanced over her shoulder one last time before continuing towards her bus.

Watching her stride away, Riley had to admit that the girl’s butt looked great in snug jeans.

Riley examined herself in the mirror, turning a critical eye to her appearance as she prepared for her Friday night date with Sabrina. It was strange, like looking at a slightly different person. It was her own face, of course, but the make-up made it seem unfamiliar somehow. It didn’t look bad, though. In fact, she was pretty happy with the result, considering she was a complete novice at applying cosmetics.

Her aunt had given her the little make-up kit for her fourteenth birthday, but Riley hadn’t had much cause or desire to use it until now. She’d been unsure about trying it on at all, considering her mixed feelings about this date in general. Would it seem as though she was trying too hard? In the end, she decided that since Sabrina would likely look amazing as usual, she should put real effort into her own appearance.

She’d just spent way longer than expected before the mirror, trying to follow the steps her aunt had taught her. She was mindful of the general tenets: less is more, emphasize what’s already there ... and most importantly, “Don’t slather it on like you’re doing it with a shovel, sweetie, or you’ll look like a whore.” In the end, Riley was confident she’d avoided looking slutty, but the make-up did give her a certain alluring sexiness, she thought. All in all, a very satisfactory experiment.

Riley took a step back to evaluate the rest of her outfit, pausing to put her glasses back on because everything was a blur if she stood more than a few inches away from the mirror. She considered putting her contacts in, then remembered that Sabrina thought her glasses were cute. She couldn’t imagine why, but still, if that’s what the girl liked...

She’d selected a pair of jeans that fit snugly at the hips. She rarely wore them anymore because they were actually getting a little too tight for her liking, but that made them the ideal choice for her date. She spun around for a look at her backside. Not bad, she had to admit. Not Sabrina-level, but then again, whose ass was?

At first, she’d tried on a tank top that went well with the jeans, but she’d felt it made her boobs look too small. In the end, her self-consciousness won out, and she opted for a cute blouse instead. Not exactly everyday wear, but it went better with her boyish frame.

Studying herself in the mirror now, she was surprised to find that she looked ... good. Not hottest-girl-in-school good, but still, at least halfway attractive, which seemed like an improvement. She hoped Sabrina would like what she saw.

The thought gave her pause. On a normal day, she’d maybe brush her hair a little and throw on some randomly selected clothes. Now, here she was, having spent over an hour fretting over her outfit and make-up like she was some preppy girl. Did she want to impress Sabrina that much? Someone she didn’t even know if she liked that way? She was starting to half-hope that the date wouldn’t go well; this was entirely too much work.

At that moment, she heard the door to the apartment open and close. “Riley, you still here?” her father called out.

“Shit,” she muttered to herself. She’d been hoping to leave before he came home, thereby avoiding any awkward questions. Oh well, no point in hiding now. “Yeah, in here,” she replied.

“Hey, hon, I was just—” He stopped dead in his tracks when he reached the bathroom door and saw her. “Whoa.”

Riley shifted uncomfortably. Her dad was staring as if he barely recognized his own daughter. She gave a little shrug. “How do I look?”

“You look ... great. More than great. Hmm ... what is all this?” He frowned. “I thought you were going to see a movie with a girl from school? This looks suspiciously like a date.”

“I am seeing a movie with a girl from school...” Riley hesitated. She’d not been prepared to get into the whole “liking girls” thing right then. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Still, if she couldn’t trust Dad to have her back, who else was there? “But ... it might also be a date...”

“Oh.” His eyebrows slowly rose until they threatened to leave his forehead entirely. “Oh. That’s ... new. Isn’t it?”

“Um, yeah, kinda. I don’t really ... know what I’m doing. It’s just ... She’s like the prettiest girl in school, and she asked me out. I was really surprised and, like, flattered, I guess, so I said yes ... and here we are.”

He considered that for a moment, then nodded. “Well. Okay. A few things. First, however this turns out, I hope you know that there’s nothing wrong with liking other girls, and that I’ll love you no matter what.”

“I know, Dad.” Riley smiled and gave him a hug. She’d been pretty certain he would react this way, but it was still reassuring to hear the words.

“Secondly, well, regardless of who it’s with, I still think 15 is pretty young to be dating...”

Now it was Riley’s turn to frown. “Dad, we’ve been over this...”

“I know, I know—and look, I’m trying to be the cool dad here, but you shouldn’t feel like you have to rush growing up, and...” He stopped when he noticed the look she was giving him. “I’m not gonna win this one, am I?”