Somehow, I’d managed to finish my sketch yesterday, even though it only slightly resembled Izzy. Real Izzy had been sweet, but the drawing was awful.

“Say feta,” Izzy said, pointing his camera at me and making me blush.

Snap.

Across the room, Jackie shook her head and whispered something to a girl that looked a lot like her, just with darker blond hair. Jackie was clearly annoyed that Izzy was taking my picture instead of hers.

“Izzy, stop,” I said quietly, wanting him to cut it out so Jackie would quit scowling at me. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“Okay, sorry,” he said, shrugging before turning in his seat and aiming the camera at other kids instead. He and Girl Sam took pictures of each other taking pictures of each other, laughing. Everyone was trying out their loaners; I didn’t even remember where we were supposed to put the dial.

Karly had talked to us about terms like ISO and aperture—words I knew I’d never remember—and the rule of thirds. We learned that meant mentally dividing the scene into thirds, both up and down and side to side. Where those imaginary dividing lines crossed, that was where the important thing in the picture should go, like someone’s eyes or a house in the distance.

I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to take pictures of people, because no one was going to stand still long enough for me to figure out whether I was following or violating the rule of thirds. I figured I’d just point the camera at whatever and hope for the best.

Now we were leaving to walk around town again and try the cameras outside.

“Green River Rendezvous starts today,” disheveled Jake said, matter-of-fact. We were walking through the library toward the front door, and I hadn’t noticed him next to me. “The street fair is the first event. There will be a lot of people. Let’s be partners.”

I looked around at the other kids, then back at Jake. “Did Karly tell us to have partners?”

“No.” Jake’s greasy hair was over his glasses, and as usual, he looked like he’d slept in his clothes. He walked through the heavy outside door and dropped it on me instead of holding it so I could take it. “A lot of people go to Rendezvous. It’ll be loud.”

I understood that maybe Jake wanted someone by his side because he wasn’t comfortable with crowds. I looked around for Izzy, not getting why Jake had chosen me, but feeling okay with being there for him. He was nice, and besides, I’d want someone to do that for Frankie if she was having a hard day.