ANDILE: It’s hard to explain, but it makes you feel drunk and giddy and stoned all at the same time

Oh my God. That’s how I felt right now!

ANDILE: Why? Do you think someone likes you?

LORI: IDK

LORI: I mean . . .

But how could he like me? Me. Of all people. Of all the girls who inhabited the bright-yellow corridors of BWH. Why me? I sighed. I was clearly reading into this, letting my imagination gallop away from me. He was just a friendly guy. Our siblings were friends, so we were hanging out, by proxy.

LORI: No

LORI: Don’t worry about it

LORI: Gotta go

I walked out of the bathroom and up to the patch of grass everyone was seated on.

“Why did you take so long?” Zac asked firmly. “Were you having a poop?”

“Oh my God.” My face flamed hot as Lisa and Jake burst out laughing.

“No! No! I was messaging someone.” I waved my phone in the air. The very last thing I wanted was Jake imagining me doing . . . that! Sometimes I wish Zac had a social filter, but he doesn’t. He will ask the most inappropriate questions, at the worst times, at the top of his voice usually. He’s the master of creating awkward moments. Like that time he loudly asked while I was buying tampons what they were used for. The other shoppers had all turned and looked, me with a bright-pink box of tampons in my hand. Why don’t they make tampon boxes in more discreet colors? Even pastel pink would have done—not the luminous, cerise thing I was clutching in my hand.

I lowered myself onto the grass carefully while everyone watched me like I was a neon-colored tampon box.

“Can I have some water?” Zac piped up.

“Sure.” I reached into my bag, and took his special bottle out. It’s the only water bottle he’ll drink out of, because it’s blue and has a pop-up straw. For the most part, Zac wears only the color blue, and wherever possible, prefers only blue belongings. He’s also fascinated by the way the straw pops up, and always opens and closes it three times before drinking.

“I don’t want to get dehydrated,” he said, opening and closing the lid three times before finally taking a sip. It was long and slow, and when he was done, I took the bottle away and popped it back into my bag.

“Can I have my snack?” Zac asked.

I pulled the bag of crisps out of my bag and passed it to him. He paused and looked at them.

“Sorry,” I said. “They didn’t have your usual ones, but I did check, they are white.”

He looked at the bag and shook his head. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Why don’t you go play with Lisa?” Jake asked.