“We’ll all have to live in a big house together,” Raj said, his attention drawn by a heron rising from the water.

“You, me, and Lew?”

He nodded, watching the ungainly grace of that bird.

“What about Nora?”

“If she wants to.”

“She likes you.”

Raj shrugged. “She also likes Randy Gangle and His Boxcar Zydeco Band.”

“Are you not interested in her?”

“Haven’t thought about it.”

“Liar.”

“She’s nice.”

Annie noticed a large mosquito on his nape. She watched it for a few seconds before catching it between her thumb and forefinger, crushing it. Rubbing his neck, he turned to her. She showed him her thumb, on which lay the mosquito’s remains and a bloody smear. She raised it toward her mouth, putting out her tongue. Raj quickly grabbed her wrist.

“You are the mosquito queen.” He tried to stop her, but she dipped her head and got her tongue to her thumb.

“That’s disgusting!” He was still holding her wrist and staring at her incredulously. “You drank my blood. Give it back.”

She wiggled her tongue at him before drawing it in.

He rubbed the rest of the blood off her finger, his voice becoming high-pitched in imitation of Miss Kelly. “Out, damn spot. Ah, Shakespeare, Shakespeare, a hand there was that chucked his cheeks and called him her silly-Billy.”

Going quiet, he seemed abruptly captivated by the metallic sheen on the water. The hand with which he held her wrist loosened, but before it could fall away completely, she gently closed her fingers around his thumb.

“We should arrange to do something with Lew tomorrow,” he said, still not looking at her, his expression serious and absorbed. “We should see him as much as we can.” Turning to her after a little while, he said, “I thought you and Lew…?”

She didn’t respond for a moment, looking at his dark fingers lying over hers. An image, then, of Lew during that Truth or Dare game, the deep reproach of his innocence and love. All at once, she hated herself and let go of his hand.

Nora was getting herself ready for Raj. Fresh from the shower, she examined her face in the bathroom mirror. Her acne was as bad as ever. She went to work with a pin and witch hazel, dipping the pin in hydrogen peroxide to sterilize it. She had started to have dreams about zits and blackheads so huge she had to prize them out of her skin with a teaspoon, until they covered the surface of her vanity like little black and white coins.