If you asked anyone in Sterling Point about Guest and Ellis Anderson, they would probably tell you the same thing.

They’d always been together.

Since kindergarten.

Since scraped knees and muddy shoes.

Since Ellis had convinced Guest to jump off the old dock into the lake even though neither of them knew how deep it was.

They grew up two houses apart, which meant Ellis had basically been a permanent part of Guest life.

He knew when she was lying.

He knew when she was annoyed.

He knew exactly how to make her laugh when she was trying not to.

And Guest knew him just as well.

Or at least, she thought she did.

By that evening, everyone was getting ready for the first bonfire of the summer.

Guest sat on her bed texting while her phone buzzed.

Ellis: outside

Guest: give me five minutes

Ellis: you’ve said that three times

Guest: then give me five more

Ellis: you’re impossible

Five minutes later, she walked outside.

The field was already packed when they arrived.

Trucks lined the dirt road.

Music played from someone’s speakers.

People sat around the giant bonfire, talking and laughing.

Guest followed Ellis through the crowd.

They stopped when one of their friends called them over.

“Finally!”

“Traffic,” Ellis said.

“There is literally one road into town.”

“Exactly. Traffic.”

Guest laughed.

Then she noticed someone standing beside the fire.

A girl she’d never seen before.

She looked completely out of place.

Not in a bad way.

Just different.

Her clothes were nicer than everyone else’s, and she had the confident look of someone who wasn’t nervous about being the new person.

“Who’s that?” Guest asked.

Her friend leaned closer.

“Annie.”

“Annie who?”

“Just Annie.”

Apparently, that was enough information.

A few minutes later, Annie walked over.

“Hi.”

Everyone introduced themselves.

When she got to Guest, she smiled.

“Bella, right?”

“Yeah.”

Then Annie looked at Ellis.

“And you’re Ellis?”

He nodded.

“Yeah.”

Annie smiled.

“I’ve heard about you.”

Guest raised an eyebrow.

“Already?”

“My cousin knows some people here.”

Ellis shrugged.

“Small town.”

Annie laughed.

Then she looked between Ellis and Guest.

“So… how long have you two been together?”

Guest almost spit out her drink.

“What?”

Ellis laughed.

“We’re not together.”

“Seriously?” Annie asked.

“Seriously.”

“We’ve been friends since we were six,” {{user} explained.

Annie smiled.

“Oh.”

She looked at Ellis.

“That’s a long time.”

“Yeah,” he said.

Guest noticed the way Annie looked at him.

And for some reason, she didn’t like it.

She ignored the feeling.

The next few weeks went by quickly.

Annie fit into Sterling Point surprisingly well.

Everyone liked her.

She was funny,Confident,Outgoing.

And she somehow knew how to make every conversation about her without making it obvious.

Guest tried to like her.

She really did.

But something felt off.*