Since Lydia and Claudia refuse to step foot in the cafeteria anymore, due to the Miranda Cross and “slut” incident, we usually eat lunch in the old science building. Ms. Ingall was the last teacher to have a classroom down here, but ever since she went on maternity leave at the beginning of the year, it’s been the unofficial meeting place for the GSA.

“I don’t know why you’re still doing this,” I say, pulling my bag over my shoulder. Lydia is beside me, Claudia leading both of us along. “You guys don’t even have an advisor anymore. What if you get in trouble?”

Claudia rolls her eyes at me over her shoulder. The lights are still on in this part of the school, and she pushes her way into an empty classroom. I should probably know where I’m going by now, but compared to Claudia, I’m clueless. She walks around like she owns the place.

“Ms. Ingall was the advisor,” Lydia says, leaning against me. “But the sub they got to cover her classes hasn’t continued with the Gay-Straight Alliance, like, at all.”

“We don’t need her, anyway,” Claudia says, throwing her bag on a lab table. “The GSA was such a mess. All we did was sit around and stare at each other.”

“At least Ms. Ingall tried,” Lydia argues. “Her sub doesn’t even care.”

There aren’t any chairs, but we settle down on the lab tables around the room. Slowly, kids begin to trail in, and it gets louder. One kid sits next to Claudia, bumping shoulders, while another gives Lydia a hug.

Of course Claudia and Lydia have other friends, but it always makes me feel like an outsider when I come to GSA. My parents might be queer, but I’m not. Or at least I’m not sure.

Anyway, I think they’d laugh if I called myself queer after my assortment of celebrity crushes and the one real-life crush on a girl. But it’s not all about me. I like that Claudia has a place where she’s not different. I like that she and Lydia have friends they can talk to about things I don’t understand. It’s just that I wish I did, too. I wish I felt queer or straight and not like I’m floating somewhere far away from both.

“Hey, I didn’t know you came to GSA.”

I glance up to see Jesse standing in front of me.

“Sometimes,” I say. It’s weird to see my world—Drama Club—intersecting with Claudia and Lydia’s domain. “I can’t believe I’ve never seen you around, though.”

“Yeah, I’m here pretty often,” he says, gesturing toward a group of kids behind him. “I need someone to complain about boys with.”

I snort. “I’m sure you could do that at rehearsal.”