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answered the phone.
    â€œHi, Logie,” she said. “Can you get Finn on the phone?”
    â€œNo,” he said.
    Gigi was used to Logan saying “No.” It had been his favorite word since he’d learned to speak.
    â€œC’mon, Logan. I need to talk to your sister.”
    â€œCan’t,” he said. “She isn’t home.”
    â€œWait, what?”
    â€œHOME,” he said, louder this time. “SHE ISN’T HOME.”
    There was a bit of jostling, and then Gigi heard Ms. Marian wrestle the phone away from Logan. “Hello?” Ms. Marian said. “Who is this?”
    â€œIt’s me, Ms. Marian,” Gigi said. “I was calling for Finn, but Logie said she wasn’t back from her boot camp yet.”
    â€œWhat? That ended hours ago. No, she’s spending the night at a friend’s house. Lauren?”
    Gigi was stunned. She had plans with Finn tonight. And Lauren ? Who was Lauren? There weren’t any Laurens in their class.
    Then it hit her: Lauren Avila was the eighth-grade co-captain of the varsity soccer team.
    What was Finley doing hanging out with an eighth grader? That was, like, unheard of at Sterling Middle School. In fact, the eighth graders went out of their way to avoid lowly sixth graders.
    â€œI—I didn’t know,” Gigi stammered. “She was supposed to call about our party.”
    â€œOh, I am so sorry, Gigi!” Ms. Marian said. “I told her to talk to you and to apologize about skipping out on your class without offering an explanation. I don’t know what’s gotten into Finn lately. This isn’t like her.”
    No, Gigi thought. It really isn’t.
    â€œThat’s okay,” Gigi croaked.
    Ms. Marian sighed. “I’m really, really sorry,” she said. “I’ll make sure she calls when she gets home tomorrow.”
    They said their good-byes just as Gigi’s mom walkedinto the kitchen. “Was that Finn?” she asked. “I am absolutely starving.”
    Gigi stared down at the two pizzas on the counter. There had never, ever been a time when she didn’t know exactly where her best friend was. And she always knew because Finn always told her.
    What is happening? Gigi wasn’t sure, but she knew, whatever it was, she didn’t like it.
    Before her mother could ask her what was wrong, she fled to her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her.
    She half expected her mom to follow, but when she didn’t, Gigi let herself have a good, long cry. Finley was her best friend. She had always been her best friend. When Gigi had lost her first tooth and developed a somewhat irrational fear of the tooth fairy, Finn was the one who had camped out in her bedroom and helped her keep watch.
    When Finn’s beloved basset hound, Elvis, had passed away last year, it was Gigi who had planned the funeral and cried with her for days.
    They rode their first roller coaster together, learned how to bodysurf together, got their ears pierced on the exact same day at the exact same time. They had history .
    But did they have a future?
    For the first time ever, Gigi didn’t know.
    Eventually Gigi’s tears ran dry. Her face had grown puffy, and she knew her sore eyes were rimmed in red without even looking in the mirror. But in a weird way, she felt better. She hugged Glamour Puss to her chest and took a few deep cleansing breaths.
    There was a knock on her bedroom door, and for a split second, Gigi thought it might be Finley, home early from Lauren’s because she felt so bad about ditching her.
    But of course it was her mother instead. She poked her head through the doorway and asked, “Mind if I come in?”
    â€œSure.”
    Her mother flicked the switch, flooding the room with light. Gigi blinked rapidly, trying to adjust. When her eyes could focus, she saw her mom standing by her bed.
    â€œI talked to Ms. Marian,” she said.
    Gigi gasped. “What? No!