“Oh, Shosh. That must be… awful.” Mimi hops off the bed, offers Shoshana a hug. “I – I don’t even know what to say”

Mimi plops down on the bed, motions to Shoshana to make herself comfortable, and looks at her friend expectantly.

“What’s going on?”

Shoshana reaches for a throw pillow. She hugs it to her chest, avoiding Mimi’s eyes. For all the urgency in the phone call, now that she’s here, she doesn’t seem to know what to say.

“Don’t tell me you came over just to study for the test tomorrow,” Mimi jokes.

Shoshana gives a tiny laugh, but her lips don’t even curve upward.

“Okay, what happened? You’re making me nervous.”

Shoshana sighs, tosses the pillow back onto the bed. Her hands are obsessively restless, and she pulls out her ponytail, twisting strands of blonde hair around her fingers.

“This is so — embarrassing,” she mutters, and then she claps a hand over her mouth, looking horrified. “I can’t believe I said that. As if embarrassing is the issue. As if — I mean, for Dina, it’s—”

She breaks off. To Mimi’s shock, there are tears leaking from her friend’s eyes.

“Shosh?” The strangeness of the situation makes her uncharacteristically awkward. “What-what happened? Can I get you something?” Tissues. She could pass Shoshana the tissues. Mimi reaches for the box on her night table and tosses it gently over.

“Thanks,” Shoshana mumbles. “Sorry. I – I’m okay.” She grabs a handful of tissues, takes a minute to recover herself. “It’s about my sister. Dina. She – she broke off—”

Mimi’s mouth falls open. “The engagement?” she whispers.

Shoshana nods. She’s crying again.

“Oh, Shosh. That must be… awful.” Mimi hops off the bed, offers Shoshana a hug. “I – I don’t even know what to say.”