Never mind. I refuse to be small and petty and jealous about this. Caitlin is smart and not unkind and nice-looking if you’re into that sort of thing and she actually did something about her crush on Caleb. I need to suck it up and be a good debate partner, even if it feels like my insides are rotting away every time I look at her perfect ponytail.

Caitlin pulls a pen from her backpack with a victorious “Aha!” and I crack open my notebook in response.

“But, I mean, all high school kind of sucks, right? Whether you’re with all girls or all guys, there’s always going to be some degree of conflict,” I say, pushing aside my green monster to think about how we could structure our arguments.

“True, but I do think there’s something to be said for the different social contracts that people follow in either single-sex or mixed settings.” I watch as Caitlin transitions seamlessly from gossip mode to A-student mode. “An argument could be made for the fact that men and women behave more civilly in mixed groups in order to appeal to the opposite sex. If the factor of potential partners is taken away, a same-sex group has the capacity to slip into all of their worst inclinations. I mean, look at the whole ‘locker-room talk’ stuff or ‘boys will be boys’—that’s a direct result of the hypermasculinity that’s perpetuated in some all-male environments.”

“Okay, that’s a good point.” I nod, my brain kicking into high gear as I work through the different pieces of her reasoning. “But couldn’t it also be argued that same-sex environments provide safe spaces in which people can be themselves because there isn’t the pressure to appeal to potential mates?”

Caitlin smiles broadly at me.

“I think we have the basics of each side of our argument,” she says brightly, and we both start scribbling in our notebooks. I suddenly feel energized—arguing with Caitlin is like taking a shot of espresso, in the best way.

“Though…” Caitlin starts, sounding a little hesitant, “it should also probably be mentioned that neither of those arguments works for every individual.” She trails off and I look up from the Pro-Con table I’m drawing in my notebook to see her giving me a significant look.

“How’s that?” I ask, a sense of dread sneaking up on me.

“Well,” she begins awkwardly, “that logic wouldn’t necessarily apply to people who feel same-sex attraction. For instance,” she finishes, her eyes darting away from me. I do my best to hold in a massive sigh.

“Right, yeah, that’s true,” I agree, also avoiding eye contact. “But only like, what, five percent of the US population is gay, so I don’t know how much we need to make that a part of our case.”