Not sure if you guys would call this a “serious turn”, per se, but anyways…

“So… I have a bit of a problem.”

My best friend cracks a smile. “I’m not surprised.”

I snort out a laugh at that. “Well, then I bet you can guess what the problem is.” I give her a knowing look.

“Ah, yes. Then I definitely know what it is.” She sighs but smiles. “Who?”

“You likely don’t know him.”

She scoffs, half exasperated, half jokingly. “Well, as I don’t know anyone, there’s a very likely chance I won’t know him.”

Yeah… she’s not gonna know him. “Emery.”

“Yeah… I don’t know him.”

I try to describe him to her. “Dirty blond-ish, but more blond… tall, on the swim team, is in Philharmonic orchestra, has an older brother & a younger brother… he’s white.”

She looks at me w/ a blank face. “You just described half the guys in our school.”

I laugh & shrug. “Look, I don’t know. I’m just telling you what he looks like & random sh** abt him.”

She continues. “Also, you say ‘swim team’ & ‘Philharmonic Orchestra’ like I know what those are.”

I stare at her. “What does it sound like?”

She waves a hand. “Okay, obviously, I know that it’s a swim team & an orchestra, but like. I don’t know anyone in either of those!”

“Theo’s on the swim team,” I remind her. “The one in our math?”

“Theo? Okay, I know what Theo looks like, but like what!”

“Maybe it’s a good thing nothing’s happened beteeen us…” I break off, talking out loud as my eyes wander my surroundings. “I mean, his brother isn’t exactly the person you want to be w/.”

I look up to see my best friend looking at me, confused. “Didn’t you just say you had a crush on… whoever? Not his brother, I hope.”

I shake my head. “Yeah… No, not his brother! I’m just saying, it’s probably not the best person to associate myself w/ knowing personally.”

She waits for me to elaborate. “Why?”

“Um… he’s slept w/ his whole grade & half of ours.”

Her jaw drops. “Excuse me, what?!!”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Apparently, it’s a well-known fact in orchestra & maybe theater kids.”

She’s speechless for a moment, her mouth forming five different sentences. “Um… what-?”

“Look, I don’t know. But maybe it’s a good thing nothing’s happened between me & Emery.”

“Yeah, no kidding. That’s not… that’s not good. That would not be good to associate yourself w/ his brother.”

“Yeah, definitely not.”