It was exactly noon and blisteringly bright. The kind of mid-day sun that had no business being that aggressive, especially for two emotionally drained, Taylor Swift-core guys just trying to live after surviving a glitter-drenched all-nighter at The Wandering Owl's Eras Party.

But there they were. In activewear. On campus. Moving their bodies voluntarily.

Daniel had declared this "post-party detox," which was ironic considering he'd eaten three toaster waffles for breakfast and drank something called 'Sad Girl Juice' (which turned out to be mostly Gatorade and frozen blueberries).

Andrew, surprisingly, hadn't protested.

"I still don't understand why we're working out outside when we have a perfectly good couch and access to air conditioning," Andrew grumbled as they jogged around the edge of the campus football stadium.

Daniel was already bouncing with way too much energy. "Because, my sweet melodramatic vampire, fresh air and endorphins heal emotional damage."

"I don't think you can sweat out existential trauma."

Daniel grinned. "No, but you can sweat in aesthetically pleasing gym shorts and listen to Sabrina Carpenter while pretending you're in a montage scene."

As if on cue, Daniel pulled out his phone and hit play on the speaker clipped to his hip.

Immediately, the upbeat shimmer of "Bad for Business" filled the air.

Andrew's eyes lit up. "Oh my God, you queued my favorite Sabrina song?"

Daniel gave a faux offended look. "Do you not trust that I know your top three Sabrina tracks now? Because I also brought Nonsense and Feather just in case you needed a second wind."

Andrew laughed, picking up the pace a little. "Okay, you do pay attention."

"Of course I do," Daniel said, jogging backward to dramatically mouth along with the chorus. "You're bad for business, baby... but good for my heart."

Andrew pointed. "That's exactly how I felt the first time I listened to it. Like, is it possible to be in love and suffer a breakdown at the same time?"

Daniel grinned. "Yes. It's called freshman year."

The music swelled through the speaker, echoing just slightly in the wide stadium space as they turned onto the track that circled the field.

Daniel looked over. "You ever think about how weird this all is?"

"What, working out to a pop song like we're in a 2006 teen movie?"

"No," Daniel said. "Well—yes. But also… this. Us. Life post-Little Hope. Like, we saw ghosts. We had trauma. You had emotional speeches. I got thrown into a wall by a demon version of myself. And now we're... vibing to Sabrina Carpenter."

Andrew smiled, chest heaving with breath. "Yeah. It's surreal. But also kind of the best timeline?"

Daniel nodded, grinning. "Sometimes I forget how close we came to not making it out. How close I came to… never doing this."

Andrew's smile faltered a little, but in a soft way. He looked around the stadium, the sun on their backs, the sound of laughter from somewhere near the dorms, and Sabrina's vocals floating in the air.

"I think that's why this song hits me so hard," Andrew said. "Because it's about something you know is chaotic and risky, but you want it anyway."

Daniel smirked. "Are you calling me chaotic and risky?"

Andrew smirked right back. "I'm calling our friendship the equivalent of a flaming shopping cart rolling down a hill. But yes. Also you."

They jogged for another lap, occasionally doing dramatic arm flailing during the chorus and badly choreographed hip movements that made nearby squirrels scatter in fear.

By the time the song ended, they were both sweaty, out of breath, and grinning like idiots.

Daniel stopped and leaned over, hands on his knees. "That was cleansing. Like spiritual cardio."

Andrew collapsed onto the grass. "That was a fever dream and you can't convince me otherwise."

They laid there for a minute, the clouds above them slowly drifting, Sabrina's voice still in their heads.

Daniel flopped onto his back beside Andrew. "You know... you didn't have to say yes to this. The workout thing."

"I didn't," Andrew agreed. "But I said yes because it was you asking."

Daniel turned his head toward him. "You're such a closet romantic."

"I'm not in the closet," Andrew said, deadpan. "I just prefer indoor seating."

Daniel burst out laughing.

They stayed there a minute longer, the stadium empty except for them, the echo of pop lyrics and the warmth of sun and friendship settling into their bones.

Eventually, Daniel sat up. "Alright. Operation 'Get Our Lives Together' starts now. You ready?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Define 'get our lives together.'"

Daniel stood dramatically. "Shower. Pack. Survive Target. Then... coffee and a movie night. Possibly involving emotional breakdowns and crafting."

"Sold," Andrew said, letting Daniel pull him to his feet. "Let's make Bad for Business our new morning anthem."

Daniel clapped his hands. "Yes. We'll start every day like chaotic gym queens."

They made their way back toward the parking lot, Sabrina still playing from Daniel's phone, singing about someone who was definitely terrible for her but exactly what she wanted anyway.

And in that moment, jogging side by side, laughing about cardio-induced brain fog and pop music soul-cleansing…

Andrew thought maybe, just maybe, some things that are "bad for business" were really just good for being alive.

Especially when you're with your best friend.

And especially when the playlist slaps.