I looked down. There was heat in my face. I must have been blushing because his hand lifted, his pinky finger gliding over my cheek.

“Is that true?”

“It’s not even three months away,” I blurted. “Like, then I’ll start shrinking down again. That’ll be cool.”

“What are you talking about?”

I couldn’t really speak, so instead I motioned at myself. I’d not been all that self-conscious about my body with him to that point, but apparently the stretched-out Link face over Gutzilla bugged me more than I’d let on. Or maybe it was the class that morning, on top of seeing Jack, on top of Leaf meeting my mom and grandma for the first time compounding into a roiling ball of stress that was whittling away at my sanity.

“Okay, that’s your body,” Leaf said. “It’s very nice. I’m a fan of it.”

“...I just know it must be weird for you. I mean, it is weird. And, like, if you looked up anti-sex in the dictionary, you’d probably see my picture there, so... I saw Jack today,” I blurted.

“Jack?”

“The baby’s father. Devi got gas from him and I went to see him at work. He’s going to talk to his parents about it. He has a girlfriend now, which is totally fine. It’s just... It was a weird conversation. I was standing there, telling him about our kid, and I felt so fat. My T-shirt didn’t really fit, and I feel bulbous and...”

“Aaaaaaah. I get it. Sara, no. I... Come here.” He pulled me in close, pressing my face to his neck. He smelled like clean cologne—not one of those overpowering stinks that made my eyes water that the jocks liked to wear. He’d shaved smooth, and I nuzzled at him, liking how his arms settled around me. Liking how soft he was against my soft. This big bear of a boy made me feel safe and I needed it then, for reasons I couldn’t and can’t really articulate beyond “I was feeling vulnerable.”

“First of all, I’m glad you found Jack. That must be a relief. The worry doesn’t do you any good and now, one way or the other, you’ll have an answer.”

I managed a tiny nod and he squeezed me.

“Good. Now for the rest of it—you’re gorgeous. I’ve told you before, I don’t care that you’re pregnant. It’s not why I don’t... Do you think that’s why we’re not sleeping together? We should have talked about this, I think.”

I didn’t say anything. He stroked my hair and kept right on hugging me.