You First by Cari Simmons

what ?”
    â€œWee-cycle sale,” Ms. Marian repeated. “It’s like a flea market for moms, with all kinds of gently used kid stuff.”
    â€œOh,” Gigi said. “That’s, uh, cool. Is Finn in her room?”
    â€œGo right on up.”
    The door to Finn’s bedroom was closed, so Gigi knocked. No answer. Gigi knocked again. Still no answer. Gigi tried one more time.
    â€œWHAT?” Finn hollered, flinging the door open. “Oh, it’s you. Sorry. Logan hasn’t stopped bothering me all afternoon. Um, what are you wearing ?”
    Gigi smoothed the front of her sweater vest and asked, “What do you mean?”
    â€œNothing,” Finn said. “Never mind.”
    Gigi could feel her face heat up. “I’m making a fashion statement?”
    â€œYou’re making something. Hey, let’s go grab some snackage.”
    The floor of the kitchen was almost as full as that of the entryway. Gigi nearly tripped into a tub of action figures but steadied herself against the fridge. “So,” she said, when she’d found her footing, “you think my outfit looks bad?”
    â€œI didn’t say that.”
    â€œYour face kind of did.”
    Finn shrugged. “You look fine,” she said. “You just don’t look like you . That’s all.”
    Gigi’s immediate instinct was to shoot back, “Well, you aren’t acting like you, so I guess this makes us even.” But instead she held her tongue.
    â€œSalty, sweet, or chewy?” Finn asked.
    â€œHow about all three?”
    â€œGorp it is!” Finn said, grinning. She pulled down a large mixing bowl, and the girls started filling it with little bits of everything: good ol’ raisins and peanuts, of course, but also M&Ms, mini marshmallows, pretzel nuggets, Goldfish crackers, and a generous shake of Cap’n Crunch. The crazy snack mix was a holdover from their days as Girl Scouts, and a tradition they maintained long after they hung up their Brownie vests.
    Finn grabbed the bowl, and the girls headed into the den.
    â€œSo what’s at the mall?” Gigi asked.
    â€œStores,” Finn replied. “A fast-food court. Aggressive salespeople trying to convince you that their Dead Sea skin-care products will get rid of your acne.”
    Gigi cocked her head to one side. “I know that, silly. What’s the reason we’re going?”
    â€œYou’ve never needed a reason before.”
    â€œ I don’t,” Gigi said. “But you hate going to the mall without a specific mission in mind.”
    Now it was Finn’s face that was starting to redden. “I don’t have a mission. I just . . . Lauren asked me to go, and I said yes.”
    â€œShe’s probably on the prowl for more argyle,” Gigi muttered without thinking about it.
    â€œA-ha!” Finn said, pointing at Gigi. “I knew that’s why you wore that vest. I don’t get it, Gee. You act like you hate Lauren, but clearly you want her to like you. Why is that?”
    â€œBecause you like her!” Gigi cried. “She’s your friend, and you’re my best friend, and I guess if I want to keep spending time with my best friend, I need to find a way to be friends with her other. Best. Friend.”
    â€œOH MY GOD,” Finn said. “She is not my best friend. She is just a new friend . Dude, why does that make you so crazy? Am I not supposed to be friends with anybody but you?”
    â€œNo,” Gigi said. “Obviously, no.”
    â€œWell, then stop acting like that’s the case! It’s starting to get really annoying.”
    Annoying. The word hung out there like a big ugly cloud over both of their heads. Gigi didn’t know how to respond, and if Finn’s sudden silence was any indication, she didn’t either.
    Finn flicked on the television and flipped through the channels until she came upon a SpongeBob episode. Gigi had long