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plans…”
    “Oh. So he’s gonna call you?”
    Double shit. “He didn’t get my number.”
    There’s a long pause followed by a long sigh on the other end of the phone. “See?” Becca’s voice is too soft and filled with sympathy I don’t need. “Zo … This guy’s bad news.”
    My head’s spinning. I don’t know what to say so I don’t say anything at all. I hear Becca rustling around; she’s started doing something on her end of the line. I can’t wrap my experience with Noah around her reaction to him. For the first time in like, ever, I was comfortable with someone. Well, maybe not comfortable, but as comfortable as I could ever hope to be. And he seemed, I don’t know, good. Like he was a genuinely nice guy. And now Becca’s telling me he’s not a nice guy. Am I that socially stunted that I simply can’t tell?
    Whatever had Becca distracted stops distracting her and she clears her throat. “Look, sweetie,” she says, her voice all full of irritating comfort and a dash of condescension that’s not mixing with my confusion all that well right now. “Guys like him enjoy finding broken birds like you. They enjoy the conquest…”
    My tiger hates being called a broken little bird but I can’t really deny that’s what I am, now can I? Indignation flares all hot and bright across my chest and I squash it with a cold dose of honest self-assessment. Like it or not, I really am broken. Becca huffs into the phone. She’s waiting for my response. So I take a deep breath and let it out, preparing myself to agree with her.
    “I guess you’re right.” I’m not sure I believe her, but I’m also not sure I don’t believe her. Social interactions just trip me up big time. Did I stumble across a predator and not know it? Is Noah really the kind of guy who just gets his kicks out of messing with girls? It didn’t feel like that at all. I’m so confused and so disappointed and my heart hurts a little. “When are you coming home?”
    “Miss me?”
    “Mhmmm.”
    “I’ve missed you, too. It’s just sad and strange around here. Mom’s all broken up and her apartment is tiny. Dad’s walking around like a pompous ass…” She trails off and I can hear how hard the trip has been for her.
    “So, when are you coming home?” Apparently, I can’t be trusted to operate on my own, without my seeing-eye dog. I need Becca to help me navigate the dangerous waters of social interaction because I’m useless. An idea blossoms. “Hey, this’ll sound weird, but, will you help me learn to talk to people? To understand them?”
    “Huh?” Becca’s distracted again.
    “Like, I’ve always used you as a buffer between me and the world. I’ve always been able to just sit back and let you do the talking, hide behind you. But I can’t always count on you to protect me. So, will you help me? Make me learn to talk to people?”
    Whatever has her distracted is really pulling at her attention because when she responds, she’s clearly only partially concentrating on what she’s saying. “Sure, Zo. That’ll be fine.”
    I’ve taken up enough of her time, and irritated her to boot. I say my goodbyes and she gets off the phone, eager to end the call. I pace the confines of the apartment, irritated by the sunlight streaking through the windows. My mood has turned black and the sun is mocking me. If Noah is really the kind of jerk Becca makes him out to be, and I was really that blinded by his attention that I couldn’t see it, then I’ve got to learn how to handle myself in social situations. Because he didn’t feel like a jerk at all. He didn’t strike me as the kind of guy out to hurt me, not in the least. In fact, Becca’s more likely to hurt my feelings than Noah. Ugh. I’m so stupid. Stupid and useless, falling for a guy who’s wearing a mask, who’s hiding their true intentions, working from an agenda.
    I prowl through the house, looking for something to distract me. It’s a Saturday morning and who