“Hey!” 

“Just seeing what you guys are laughing at,” she said, kissing Adam’s cheek while holding his phone behind her back. “I can be a bro!” 

“No, seriously, Casey — ” He grabbed at the phone, nearly falling out of the armchair. His friend, she was pretty sure his name was Tim, giggled from beside the coffee table as he watched. She scooted back out of his reach, spinning around to read the screen. 

It was a meme of a woman, pointing accusingly into the vague distance. She had massive breasts that nearly fell out of her shirt. Above her contorted face read “25 percent of the women in this country are on medication for mental illness,” and beneath her breasts, “it means 75 percent are running around untreated!” 

Adam snatched the phone from her slack grip. “It’s just a joke.” Seeing her expression, he added, “Somebody sent it to Tim. We were laughing at how stupid it was.” 

She looked at Tim, who was now staring rather solemnly at the carpet. “Someone sent it to Tim. Through your phone.” 

Adam winced. “Yup.” 

“You were laughing at how stupid it was?” 

“Yes. Well, the idea of it.” As Adam stammered, Tim bobbed his head doggedly from behind. He continued, “The depiction. Like the general manic energy of — ”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” she said, quietly. Tim leaned in. “It’s not funny. I literally told you about my sister last weekend.” 

“Wait — what does that — you mean the Prozac?” 

“Dude.” Her gaze flickered to Tim, who was listening with reluctant obligation. “And it’s not just ‘the Prozac.’ I told you how long it took for me to convince my parents to let her go on meds.” 

“I know. I remember.” 

“And now you’re laughing at this, like it’s a joke. A sexist joke.” 

Tim inserted his pasty palm between her and Adam. “If I may,” he said, clearing his throat. 

“This isn’t your problem,” she said. How close were he and Adam? Adam didn’t mention his friends often, and Tim was one of the first she’d met since they’d started dating, just two weeks ago. She preferred his dog, Taco. “Could you please just let us have a minute?” 

“Sure, sure,” he responded, without retracting his hand. It looked awfully swattable, in that moment. “But if I could just say” — he cleared his throat — “doesn’t this prove the meme’s point?” He smiled without teeth. “I mean, it’s cool, like if you’re on your period right now. I would get that. And soz’, about your sister.”