"No," I said.
"—so everyone's dying to know. You've got TWO girls now? Madison Torres AND Sofia Delgado? What is this, some kind of harem anime situation? Are you the protagonist? Is there a beach episode coming up?"
Nuclear silence descended on our table.
Madison's expression could've stripped paint from a battleship. "Did you just compare us to anime?"
Connor's tiny hamster brain finally caught up to the fact he'd just stepped on a landmine. "I—no, I meant it as a compliment—"
"How is that a compliment?" Sofia's voice was quiet but deadly, the sound of a predator before it strikes.
"Connor," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerously low register. "Stop. Talking."
"But the livestream—" he whimpered.
"The people," I said, enunciating each word, "can fuck off."
He pivoted, a true parasite looking for a new host. "Different question! Kayla Richards! She's back! You two have HISTORY! How do you feel about—"
