This is hopeless, Nate thought. He had to deal with a science partner who carried around gunk-encrusted M&M’s and some weird song that made no sense. How was a person like that ever going to focus on mitering corners or tracking alpha rays?

“So,” she said, “I was thinking we should read up a little on the history of scientific attitudes toward the stars over the centuries. Just for a little historical perspective, you know?”

“Whatever,” he said.

A few minutes before the bell Mrs. Unger asked if anyone cared to share with the class how their work was going. Loretta Foster raised her hand. “I’ve been studying the relationship between the sense of smell and the taste buds,” she said. “Last night I had my dad hold his nose while he chewed on a piece of potato and a piece of apple, and he couldn’t tell the difference.”

“Sounds interesting, Loretta,” Mrs. Unger said.

“Maybe all you proved is that your dad’s crazy,” said Eddie.

“My dad is a really smart person,” said Loretta, who was an unusually humorless person. “I’ll have you know he was named Salesman of the Year at Robinson Chevy Oldsmobile two years in a row.”

A few seats over, Kirk leaned across the aisle. “Yeah, well, a person can crack up anytime,” he whispered. “You never know when Loretta’s dad might be paying a visit to you-know-who over at the loony bin.”

“Boys,” Mrs. Unger said, “I don’t want to have to separate your desks, but if the chatter continues, I’ll have no choice.”

A number of kids—the ones who’d heard what Kirk had said—looked at Nate for a reaction. So did Mrs. Unger. Luckily, the bell rang then. People gathered up their backpacks and got to their feet. Just outside the door, Naomi caught up with him.

“Know what I do when someone acts like that to me?” she said. “I draw a really funny picture of them with all their worst features exaggerated. I just ask myself, would I want to be friends with someone as mean as that?”

The truth was, Nate would.

“Never mind,” she told him. “I’m your friend.”

It was hard to say if that was good news or not.

The next week Nate and Naomi were sitting in the cafeteria, having lunch again. Nate was coming to accept the fact that if he wanted company at lunch, Naomi was it.

“Where should we work today?” she asked, unwrapping her awful-looking egg salad sandwich.