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finger at me. “West is twenty-four. I give you props, I always give you props for stepping in after your parents…you know, and you did what you did. I know he’s five years younger, but–”
    “I’m not his mother,” I say.
    He raises an eyebrow. “Well, good,” he says dryly. “Looks like we’re making real progress here today.”
    “That’s not what I meant.” I pick up a plastic fork and tap it against the table top a few times. “It’s not just that he’s my little brother.”
    “Okay…”
    “Or maybe it is. I just–” I groan, trying to think how to explain. “West is always my brother and you’re…always not.”
    He thinks about this, then shakes his head. “Nope, not following you.”
    “When I wake up from an episode, I feel panicky, and I just know that I’ll feel better once I see you, once I talk to you.” I shrug. “I don’t feel like that with West, probably because he’s my annoying little brother, and he just sits there and teases me. He thinks it’s funny. When he’s in my bedroom I still feel like he’s going to, like, go through my dresser and read my diary, or steal my dank or something.”
    I turn to watch a woman at the table next to us struggle to unfold a stroller. When I look back Davin is smiling at me, arms still crossed. “What?” I say.
    “‘Dank?’ You don’t partake, gidget.”
    “I was being sarcastic.”
    “You know what you need? You need a man.”
    “Oh, I’m sorry. I knew you were gay, but I thought you were a man. My mistake.”
    “You know what I mean, Claire-Bo. I’m not saying you’re like a sister to me, because that sounds really nasty considering you’ve tried to jump me twice now–”
    “Ugh! Stop. I’m not even listening to this.”
    “–but you’re like a cousin.”
    I wrinkle my nose. “A cousin? That’s still sounds pretty offensive.”
    He bows his head in acknowledgement. “Okay, the kind of cousin you’re allowed to be attracted to if you lived in a state where that was legal, and you agreed not to have children if you got married.”
    “Okay, this is going from uncomfortable to totally unbearable.”
    “Can you just tell the damn doctor? She’s a chick…how hard can it be?”
    I think of Dr. Brendan Charmant lurking in the corner of Wendy’s office, suspecting everything and saying nothing, and I blush all over again. I sigh. “You’d be surprised, dude.”

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
    May 17 th
     
    “Claire, you’ve got to get out of the Valley.”
    My brother is giving me a ride to work, and already I’m regretting not taking the bus. It sounds like a quick job, just an extra on Vampire Diaries , which is good because I’ve already strained the understanding of Central Casting to the breaking point. The shorter the gig, the less likely I’ll be to pass out on some famous actor.
    “Why?” I say. “Most of the studios are in the Valley. It’s not like I can drive. The less time I spend on public transportation the better. I took a bus to NBC last week, and a guy stood up and tried to urinate on me.”
    West glances over at me. “Well, you’re short. Did you ever think that maybe he just didn’t see you?”
    “Shut up, West.”
    “Seriously, the Valley is a joke. The only people who live here are struggling actors working at Starbuck’s to get by.”
    “I don’t work at Starbuck’s.” I roll my window down, letting the cool air and carbon emissions swirl around the car. “Besides, where would I move to?”
    “West Hollywood is really nice.”
    I glare at him. “Stop acting like they named it after you. Besides, something like ninety-nine percent of West Hollywood is filled with gay men.”
    He grins. “And that’s why I live in West Hollywood.”
    I sigh. “ If I was attracted to gay men, and if gay men were, in fact, not gay, then I could see your point.”
    “Hey!” he says, pretending to be hurt. “Gay men are a woman’s best friend. Just think how safe you’d