"Ariana didn't come in today. Is anyone else concerned about that? Am I the only one concerned?" I ask, looking around. Ethan and Avery shrug, bustling around to finish cleaning up for the day. Sadira levels an accusatory stare at me. "Oh no, did I get her sick??"

"Ooh that's right Sadira and Ari went to visit you while you were sick yesterday. You feeling ok?" Avery asks, laying a hand on my forehead.

"Yeah, fine," I distractedly swipe at her hand. "I'll go visit her with some- Panera Bread. And water." Sadira nods and pushes me out the door.

"Heyyy, how are you feeling?" I gingerly push Ariana's door open. "Sorry for um- getting you sick."

"Oh no, you're fiiiiine." Ariana rasps, waving a hand around. "I was prob'ly gonna get sick sometime sooner or later anyway. Might as well build up an immunity now rather than get sick later while I'm doing something important. I'm not doing anything important right now, so yah. I'm fine."

"If you say so."

"I do say so." Ariana grabs my Panera bag and walks over to her couch. "Y'all c'n eat in here. I don't care."

"You OK? You don't seem any different than usual." I look at her. Other than red eyes and nose, she looks just the same.

"Oh no. Trust me. I feel like shit. I'm just a really good actor." Ariana laughs and motions Avery, Sadira, and I over. Ethan would have come, but he had a prior engagement, apparently one that couldn't be skipped out on. "Actress? I always just use actor, tbh."

"Me too." Avery agrees as she sets out bowls.

"I just got everyone soup."

"Sounds good." Ariana grabs one and starts eating like there's no tomorrow.

"I can never figure out how you can eat so much and stay so thin. It's a real mystery." Avery pops a bowl open.

"It's because she's so tall. It all goes into her legs." I hazard.

"Ugh don't get me started. Ariana has such nice legs. I could honestly just murder her for it." Avery announces, and Ariana waves cheerfully at her with her spoon.

"Got catch all them girls/ guys/ people. I am currently a single Pringle™." Ariana finishes her soup. That was fast.

"Oh, did you and Andi break up already?" Avery looks up.

"Yyyyep. Ze was being so clingy. And like, I'm ok with clinginess? But ze wouldn't let me do anything without clearing it with hir, and it was highkey annoying. So I told hir a couple nights ago that I was done and it wasn't really working out for me." Ariana shrugs.

"Huh. You know, I know this really nice demiboy I could set you up with, great guy-" Avery replied.

"I'm panromantic pansexual, by the way." Ariana looks at me. "You? You don't have to share, if you don't want to."

"I am a raging homosexual." Avery informs me.

"Bi." Sadira wraps up her trash and deposits it in the trash.

"Um-"

"You really do not have to share if you do not want to." Sadira Looks at me.

"It's- it's fine. Um, I'm bi."

**AN: ze/ hir pronouns= singular gender neutral pronouns, personally if I were to use singular gender neutral pronouns, I would use these (I don't, as of right now)

Use as follows: I gave cookies to hir, but ze did not want my cookies.

There's probably a better explanation somewhere but that's what I got out of thirty-odd minutes using the Internet/ Google