Page 101 of Don't Go Faking My Heart

“He friend-zoned me!”

“He was protecting his heart.”

I kick my legs in the air and squeal. I look at Lou—upside down—and her upside down smile feels off. I flip back over. "When are you gonna admit your crush on Connor Nash?"

She sits up. "I have no crush."

"Right, because you haven't had a thing for him since you were in high school."

"Everyone had a thing for him in high school."

"Yeah, but not everyone can do something about said crush. You know him in real life now. He texts you almost every day."

"Girl, please," Lou says, plucking a baleful tune on her guitar. "Crushes and feelings ruin careers. That won't be me."

"You know, your parents have a beautiful love story. It doesn't have to be yours, but it's still beautiful."

"It is beautiful, and it won't be mine," Lou says, still strumming. "By the way, I went by Maple Street this morning, and it was packed. The busiest I’ve ever seen it."

"Haha! Snack on that for lunch, Teddy!"

"Teddy?" she asks. "Not Philip?"

"Who can care about Philip?"

She smiles. "You got it bad, all right."

"I can't believe I ever liked such jerks."

"Neither can the rest of us. I blame Frank."

"I should block Frank," I say.

"Seconded."

Parker and Sonny appear from inside the house. "What are we seconding?" Parker asks.

"If Ash should block Frank on social media."

"Man, I hate Frank," Sonny says.

He and Parker join us around the table. She sits on his lap. These two may not be racing to the altar like Millie and Duke did, but after seven years apart—seven years of pining and missing each other—they don't spend any more time apart than they have to.

"I vote you block him," Sonny continues. "Why give him access to comment on your life? It wasn't a friendly divorce and he's not interested in anyone but himself."

"And this is coming from Mr. Sunshine," Lou says. "Sonny loves everyone. Listen to the man."

"PJ, what do you think?" Sonny asks.

Parker chews the inside of her cheek. "Do you think your relationship can be redeemed?"

I know where Parker's question is coming from. Her parents were beyond neglectful to her, and when she and Sonny finally got back together, she drew a hard line in the sand with them.

And surprisingly, they're trying. They're making efforts to be in her life on her terms. It's not great, but it's progress, and the fact that Parker is willing to grant them the space to progress is probably the most impressive thing about my literal genius friend.

But Frank isn’t them.

"He's never tried,” I say. “He didn't want shared custody. He refused to take me out for my birthday or come to my parties, yet he'd post on social media on big days and would tag me in it and say how much he missed me. He’d go on about how hard divorce was on him that he had to miss milestones like this. He lived two miles from us! Mom invited him to the house for parties and graduations! He didn't care about me. He only wanted people to think he was a successful dad whose nasty ex and her evil new husband took his daughter from him."

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