Kiara lay sprawled across Gigi’s bed. She was munching on leftover cream puffs Gigi’s Papa had made for his employer’s 16th annual retirement party. Gigi sat silently on the edge of her dresser and watched as Kiara texted a thousand words a minute to friends not currently in Gigi’s room (obviously). The constant beeping of her phone sounded like a bomb about to detonate.

“Ugggh, I wish I had more friends I could talk to like I talk with you, Gigi,” Kiara said as she texted five different people back in the span of ten seconds.

“Yeah,” Gigi said.

Kiara hadn’t said a word to Gigi for the past twenty minutes, but they had been best friends since preschool, so it was fine. This was how they spent most of their time together, actually. Kiara would plop down on Gigi’s bed most days after school with whatever leftovers she found in Gigi’s fridge and would stick around until the leftovers were gone.

“Well, I guess I better get going,” Kiara said as she licked the last bit of cream puff off her fingers. She had eaten all nineteen and now stared sadly at the empty plate.

“Okay,” Gigi said. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then. My Papa is making astronaut-shaped waffles with fresh lemon curd and homemade custard.”

“Ugggh, Gigi, you know I won’t be here tomorrow,” Kiara said. “I have to go with my family on that stupid trip.”

“Oh. Right,” Gigi said. She had forgotten Kiara was leaving tomorrow. She had been so flustered since running into Colton at Martingale Preparatory High School that she hadn’t been thinking straight all afternoon.

“Ugggh… Like, why does my family have to go to Europe EVERY summer? Like, why can’t we just go somewhere normal, like a normal family, like, to L.A. or Hawaii? And it’s going to be EVEN worse this year. My parents aren’t letting me take my phone with me. And, like, I have no idea why,” Kiara said while simultaneously texting the three girls from Spanish class that she swore she hated but still talked to.

“You won’t have your phone with you?” Gigi said. “But then who am I going to talk to all summer?”

“I don’t know,” Kiara said. “Well, I really have to be going now. My mom has texted me like a million times. I wouldn’t want to be late for dinner anyway. I’m, like, starving.”

Kiara gave Gigi a quick hug, barely stopping her texting, and then rushed out the door.

Gigi stared sadly after her. Kiara was her only friend. Now she was going to be gone all summer without a phone. What was Gigi going to do without her?

Gigi’s phone dinged, and she whipped it out. Maybe she had other friends, after all. Gigi got excited, but when she looked at the screen, it was just a message from Kiara.

bye c u never…

Gigi sighed. This was going to be a long summer. Well, so she thought…