There are two things you should know about me: 1. I’ve had the same best friend since the day I was born. 2. That best friend happens to be Alexa Mendoza. Alexa and I grew up as next-door neighbors, our windows facing each other. Our parents built us a treehouse when we were little, and we made sure there was a bridge of wooden planks leading from her bedroom window to mine. To us, it wasn’t just a treehouse — it was a universe. A place where we made plans, dreamed about our futures, and promised to always, always stick together. And then, life tested that promise. Alexa got cancer. Suddenly, our universe tilted. The girl who was always so bold and fearless had to face something terrifying. But here’s the thing about Alexa: cancer could make her tired, it could make her hair fall out, but it could never take her spark. She kept laughing, she kept making me laugh, and most of all, she never let me forget that she was still Alexa. And I never let her forget that I was still right there beside her, whether she wanted me hovering or not. We didn’t just survive those days — we found ways to live in them. School, dance routines in the living room, late-night talks in our treehouse, sneaking junk food even when Alexa wasn’t supposed to. Because if there was one thing stronger than cancer, it was our friendship. And then there was Aiden. Aiden from Wired. The boy who made me want to scream half the time. He was sarcastic, cocky, and somehow managed to be everywhere I didn’t want him to be. If I rolled my eyes at him once, I rolled them a thousand times. “Face it,” Alexa would tease me whenever I ranted about him. “You’re obsessed.” “I’m annoyed,” I’d correct her. But she’d just smirk knowingly, like she had a crystal ball. Turns out, she kind of did. Because slowly, Aiden became less of a nuisance and more of… well, everything else. He’d wait to walk me home, even though it meant passing his house by three blocks. He noticed when I was off and tried — badly, but sweetly — to cheer me up. And he always showed up, even when I didn’t ask. I’ll never forget the night of the Wired fundraiser. Alexa, being Alexa, orchestrated a situation where I ended up stuck in a supply closet with Aiden. At first, I was furious. But then we started talking — like, really talking. And somewhere between joking about how awful the decorations were and him telling me I deserved better than the jerks I put up with, something shifted. That night, I realized he wasn’t just the annoying guy who got under my skin. He was the one who understood me when I didn’t even understand myself. The story starts with Alexa and Hannah at wired. And Hannah is working and Barry, Hannah’s boss, tells them a new guy is starting next week.