I’m not sure what spurred this rare and sudden burst of affection. Maybe it’s because we don’t have the luxury of staying quarantined. If we want to pay our bills, my moms have to venture out into the world every day and expose themselves to a virus that’s far more dangerous for my health than theirs. They wear masks, gloves, and face shields, but that doesn’t make them any less worried that they could get sick and put my life at risk. But these days, your mortality is the cost of keeping a roof over your head.

“I love you, too, Mom. I have to turn my camera back on.”

“I know, I know. We won’t be home too late.”

“I wish I could help out.”

“You already have.”

Elena walks away, and I turn my video back on.

“So nice of you to join us again, Miss Gonzales,” Mr. Holcomb says.

It never ceases to amaze me how some teachers will find any excuse to humiliate you, even over video conference.

“Sorry. I had to go to the bathroom,” I reply.

“Well, you still need to ask permission,” he responds.

I notice Lizzy smirk when he says this, and I’m almost tempted to take the laptop into the bathroom when I actually do have to go pee, and to relieve myself on camera. The only problem is that Raj’s MacBook is so old that it only works if it’s plugged into the wall.

A message pops up in the chat box, and I press down hard on the mousepad to check it. Another laptop glitch.

Mr. Holcomb is such a dick.

Sometimes Wes is right there to say exactly what I need to hear. He’s loyal, almost to a fault, unlike Andrew. When Andrew stopped hanging out with us, Parisa cried for a week. I couldn’t muster any tears. I’ve learned that if you keep your expectations low, then people will never disappoint you.

Tell me about it, I type back.

You look really pretty.

I feel my face heat up. A compliment is nice no matter whom it’s coming from, but when it’s from Wes, you know it’s genuine. Plus, after weeks of isolation, it’s the ego boost I didn’t know I needed. I type back that I like his hair and tell him to stop distracting me from listening to Mr. Dick. I watch as he reads the message and smiles. After weeks of being in contact with only women and Raj from next-door, I have to admit it feels good to flirt.

“Guys,” I hear a voice say. I look up and see Lizzy in her Zoom box waving with a shit-eating grin on her face. “You know we can all see your chat messages, right?”

Fuck. Me.